The International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety Committee gave its OK to a new container weight verification requirement for loading ships, said the World Shipping Council (WSC). The new requirement comes as part of changes approved by the committee on the Safety of Life at Sea conventions, said the WSC. The changes will be effective July 2016 after the committee officially adopts the changes in November, said the trade group. "Misdeclared container weights have been a long-standing problem for the transportation industry and for governments as they present safety hazards for ships, their crews, and other cargo on board, workers in the port facilities handling containers, and on roads," said the WSC. Problems with container weights also give rise to customs issues, the group said. "In taking these decisions, the IMO has demonstrated its continuing leadership in trying to ensure the safe transportation of cargo by the international shipping industry,” said Chris Koch, CEO of WSC, which advocated for the changes..

The Federal Maritime Commission said it rescinded an order of ocean transportation intermediary license revocation .

The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.

The Port of Houston is still closed due to a March 22 collision between two vessels that resulted in an oil spill within the Houston Ship Channel, said the Coast Guard March 24. As of the evening of March 24, "there are 46 outbound vessels and 47 inbound vessels in the queue for transit in the Port of Houston," it said. "The Port of Texas City has 5 inbound and 3 outbound vessels in the queue awaiting transit. Once the channel has been determined safe to navigate, and transiting vessels will not spread oil contaminants, a prioritization list will be established to determine the entry order of vessels."

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) now accepts online payments for fees and invoices, it said. Payment options include debit/credit cards and Automated Clearing House, it said. Some services, such as Freedom of Information Act requests, "must be paid after the request has been processed and the requester receives an FMC invoice for the actual services rendered," the agency said. "However, most Commission services can be paid without an invoice when you submit a filing, application, or request for services."

The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreement under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.

The Federal Maritime Commission voted to approve a cooperative agreement between the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington allowing the ports to exchange information and work to find synergies, said FMC Commissioner William Doyle in remarks during the Global Shippers forum. As of March 8, the ports were free to collect and share information on container terminal operations, "including information on container facility planning and development, management, and operational efficiencies," said Doyle. About 30 miles apart, the two ports are each governed by locally elected port commissioners, he said. "Our ports need to compete on an international level and keep providing good paying jobs-- I hope this agreement helps the ports of Seattle and Tacoma figure out their best options for the future," Doyle said.

Four shipping companies agreed to pay the Federal Maritime Commission a total of $350,000 in civil penalties related to the agency's investigations into violations of federal shipping laws, said the FMC in a press release. The companies, OBI Shipping, Benison Transport, Shine International, and Rickmers-Linie, settled with the FMC without admitting they violated the law or FMC regulations, said the agency. OBI, which paid $50,000, was allegedly "obtaining transportation at less than applicable rates by means of improperly accessing service contracts to which it was not a party," said the FMC. Benison and Shine, which jointly paid $110,000, were allegedly sharing service contract information, it said. Rickmers-Linie, which paid $190,000, voluntarily contacted the FMC over service contract and Shipping Act violations, said the agency.

Increased demand for cargo services is contributing to the second straight year of profitability for the airline industry, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on March 12 (here). Cargo demand is projected to rise by four percent in 2014, up from IATA’s earlier estimate of 2.1%. But major changes in the industry continue to challenge the air cargo business, it said. IATA hopes to confront these challenges by working to reduce transit times by up to 48 hours over the next several years, said IATA’s Global Head of Cargo Des Vertannes in remarks at the 2014 Cargo Symposium in Los Angeles on March 11.

The International Air Transport Association on March 12 announced the release of its Lithium Battery Shipping Guidelines for manufacturers, shippers, and freight forwarders. The guidelines include relevant provisions of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and the United Nations Manual of Tests of Criteria. They include a regulatory overview, information on classification, packing Instructions with animated packing examples, marking and labeling diagrams, documentation examples, and a sample checklist for shippers and freight forwarders, said IATA. The guidelines are being released on a CD-ROM that costs $190. For the first edition, IATA is discounting the price to $100, and further discounts are available for IATA members.