Border Lines

A roundup of North American news:

Staff -- Logistics Management, 5/1/2001

Canada's regulation of ocean carriers is likely to soon mirror policies of the United States and other major trading partners. Transport Minister David Collenette has introduced Bill C-14, the Canada Shipping Act, 2001. The legislation would transfer technical details concerning maritime operations to relevant regulations or standards documents, move all liability provisions to the proposed Marine Liability Act, clarify the responsibilities of federal transport agencies, and allow carriers to impose liens for amounts due under a contract of carriage. More importantly, the bill also would amend the Shipping Conferences Exemption Act, 1987, largely to keep Canada's rules on conferences "in balance with the legislation of its major trading partners," according to a statement from the minister's office. The proposed amendments would abolish tariff filing, allow conferences to file other documents electronically with the Canadian Transportation Agency, require conferences to make tariffs and other public documents accessible electronically, reduce the notification period for independent actions on rates and services from 15 days to five days, allow carriers to negotiate confidential service contracts individually, and raise fines for non-compliance from CDN$1,000 to CDN$10,000.
Officials at the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, say a recent market study they commissioned makes it clear that there's more than enough cross-border container business to justify building a new container terminal. That facility, to be known as the La Quinta Trade Gateway, would handle containerized cargo moving to and from Northeastern Mexico, Texas, the Pacific Southwest, and the Asia/Latin America landbridge. The Corpus Christi area, which is served by three major railroads, offers shorter transit times, lower inland transportation costs, and less congestion than other Gulf Coast ports, say port executives. If plans proceed on schedule, La Quinta could be handling 100,000 containers in 2005, says Deputy Director Robert Jacobi.
NAFTA Notes: Target Logistics Services has expanded its El Paso, Texas, facility to provide freight forwarding and logistics services on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The company also recently opened offices in San Antonio and Brownsville, Texas. Didier Vanal has been named vice president of "K" Line Canada Ltd., succeeding Leona Yuasa, who retired after 37 years of service. TMM Lines has upgraded its service that links the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The carrier now offers fixed-day, weekly service between Vancouver, Seattle, and Los Angeles and the Port of Manzanillo on the West Coast of Mexico. Vessels continue on to ports on the West Coast of Central and South America, stopping at some weekly and others every two weeks.The Port of St. John, New Brunswick, has announced that it will hold the line on tariffs for the 11th straight year. Port officials also announced that they will spend CDN$14 million over the next five years on capital improvements. Four companies that assist small and medium-sized Canadian exporters that ship to the United States—Amherst Logistics, Moon Beam International, Can Am Auto Importers, and Magazines & Brochures Inc.—have moved into a new building in Kenmore, N.Y. The companies will offer cross-docking, consolidation and deconsolidation, and container freight station (CFS) capabilities.