Ocean Transportation Intermediary License Applicants (here)

There needs to be a global emissions solution that allows the airfreight market to look forward to a more predictable and sustainable business environment in the future, said international and European freight forwarders' associations FIATA and CLECAT. The groups said they're hopeful ICAO's member countries will agree this week on the details of a global market-based measure during the ICAO General Assembly in Montreal.

Four of the five transportation modes carried more U.S.-NAFTA trade in July 2013 than in July 2012, said the Bureau of Transportation Statistics in a Sept. 27 report. It said the value of overall U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners rose 6.3 percent from year to year. Pipelines showed the most year-to-year growth, 25 percent, while trucks rose 5.3 percent, rail 4.5 percent, and air 6.3 percent. Vessel was the only mode showing a decrease, 0.3 percent, BTS said.

The University of Maryland won a national competition to lead a two-year $11.3 million new National Center for Strategic Transportation Policies, Investments and Decisions, it said. The consortium includes Arizona State University, Louisiana State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina State University, Old Dominion University, and the University of New Orleans. The National Center for Strategic Transportation Policies, Investments and Decisions will do research and provide education and technology transfer, and will directly support the U.S. Department of Transportation's strategic goal of economic competitiveness, safety and environmental sustainability.

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.

A public meeting is planned for 9 a.m. Oct. 18 to prepare for the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Dangerous Goods Panel's (DGP's) meeting Oct. 28-Nov. 8 in Montreal. A Federal Register notice scheduled for Sept. 26 said the meeting is organized by the FAA's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) Office of Hazardous Materials Safety. It will be at FAA Headquarters (FOB 10A), 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. Participants should register at 9-AWA-ASH-ADG-HazMat@faa.gov, it said. Further information: Janet McLaughlin, 202-385-4900 or 9-AWA-ASH-ADGHazMat@faa.gov.

Unavoidable service delays should be expected in Hong Kong and southeast China due to the landfall Sunday of Typhoon Usagi, said FedEx Trade Networks. The typhoon made landfall near the city of Shanwei in Guangdong province northeast of Hong Kong, with 109 mph winds and gusts to 132 mph, it said. The typhoon has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Spot market freight volume rose another 0.4 percent in August, edging above July levels, said the DAT North American Freight Index. Month-over-month load availability increased for vans and refrigerated trailers, but flatbed load volume had a typical seasonal decline. Freight volume rose 3.1 percent for vans and 3.8 percent for reefers, but declined 5.1 percent for flatbeds, it said.

The Federal Maritime Commission is working with the State Department and the Maritime Administration in its review of China's Value-Added Tax (VAT) Program, said FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye during the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America Government Affairs Conference Sept. 23. The FMC said recently it would take a closer look at the VAT program and its potential negative impacts on international commerce between the U.S. and China (see 13091919). Dye declined to go into much detail on the inquiry because official discussions thus far have been during closed meetings. The issue is considered a law enforcement issue and will not go through the typical complaint process, she said. The agency has said it is "considering a range of options to obtain further clarity on the application of this new tax regime."

The International Maritime Organization Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargo and Containers subcommittee approved proposed changes that would require container weight verification, said the World Shipping Council (WSC) in a press release. The proposed changes to the Safety of Life at Sea convention will require container weights to be verified before the loaded containers are placed on ships. The WSC voiced support for the changes, noting that "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." The WSC said it expects "approval by the Maritime Safety Committee in May 2014 and the final adoption in November 2014." The shipping industry " will continue to work with all supply chain stakeholders on the processes necessary to ensure smooth implementation, which could occur in July 2016," the WSC said.