New proposed federal legislation, H.R. 6167, the “Shipping Act of 2010,” aims to significantly change the way that the international liner shipping industry is regulated in US foreign trades.
But, does it go too far?
The World Shipping Council (WSC) thinks so.
According to a 16-page report released by the WSC earlier this month, enacting the bill would be detrimental because the new legislation would: (more…)
Trade experts at last week’s “Pulse of the Ports”conference agreed that they are seeing early signs of economic recovery –but they also cautioned that lingering unemployment, tight credit and the depressed housing market remain significant challenges that could keep the turnaround muted, protracted and unpredictable.
As I have discussed in other posts, several recent indicators are suggesting that the economy is beginning to rebound. And now, according to panelists at the conference, we can add ports to the growing list of positive signs. The Port of Long Beach, for example, experienced the third straight month of growth in February.
While there’s no doubt that US port security has improved significantly since 9/11, we still have a long way to go.
Of course, it’s no small task to assure goods move effectively and securely through our ports –which last year serviced some 7.8 billion tons of cargo, valued at $8.6 trillion, according to the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).
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