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Freight News ArchiveOil Prices Air Freight Expansion Passengers Rescued A tsunami warning was issued for the Aleutian Islands. Read more... Flooding Diverts Freight The Alaska Conference Abandoned Barge Towed To Kodiak Senate Tightens Port Security Ship Ready for Tow New Ship Delivery Under the Sea: Getting Loud Shipping Speeds Shipping Revenues Shipping Costs Likely To Rise Update: Shipping Accident Shipping Deals Lower Profit Crew Members Saved Save Our Ship Aleutian Islands A Shipping Success! Outer Space Freight The Ultimate Shipment Dayboat Service Fuel Prices Liberty Bell Pavilion Alaska Salmon Will Oil Prices Continue to Rise? Recent outages at oil refineries in United States are contributing to higher gasoline prices but other issues may affect supply chains. The Arabian Peninsula will likely see moderate supply delays due to a cyclone but more significant disruptions are expected in the Gulf due to tropical storms. In addition, areas where oil production is high are seeing more signs of instability. Even though temporary cease fire was announced in Nigeria, militants there have effectively shut down about a third of that country´s oil exports. Further threatening stability, Iran´s Supreme Leader said that they would retreat from further development of nuclear technology. There is also uncertainty over Venezuela´s recent nationalization of oil production. The bottom-line; Citigroup Inc., the world´s biggest financial services company expects prices to rise based on a weak dollar, rising costs and production cutbacks. However, prices are down when compared to last year. Air Freight Expansion The plan for expanding air-cargo at Anchorage´s airport may soon be underway. After navigating through planning and permit delays, project leaders are waiting for the international airport´s final approval. The project includes building a new service ramp for seven planes and a 29k square foot building for housing equipment. According to the Alaska Department of Transportation, the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is first for landed weight of cargo aircraft in the United States and third in the world for cargo throughput. Recently the airport received the 2007 Air Cargo Excellence Award for the category of 1,000,000 or more tons. Off the coast of Alaska, the Empress of the North with a crew of 75 and 206 passengers ran aground just after midnight. The cruise ship, built similar to a Mississippi River paddleboat was taking on water and listing just south of Juneau when the Coast Guard and nearby fishermen answered the ship´s distress call. There were no reports of any casualties. Alaska Tsunami Warning A tsunami warning was issued for the Aleutian Islands yesterday after a powerful undersea earthquake that struck near Japan. First reports indicated that 6 feet waves would hit coastal lands but the result was only a 16 inch swell which did not of course alter over the water traffic lanes. Flooding Diverts Freight Floodwaters and mudslides have damaged over 65 miles of highway, preventing all traffic from reaching Valdez, Alaska. Most freight is carried in over the highway so local merchants are diverting orders to be flown or ferried in. The Alaska Conference The 2006 Alaska Conference will be held at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. The event will focus on economic growth in energy, fisheries, mining, defense, logistics and more. Abandoned Barge Towed To Kodiak A lost barge which may have been used to ship coal was found drifting into the Gulf of Alaska. The United States Coast Guard towed the weathered barged to Kodiak Island but could not determine who the owner or origin of the barge. Senate Tightens Port Security The Senate approves a bill that will authorize $835 million to increase rail and port security. The goal of the bill is to provide 100 percent screening of all incoming cargo for threats such as nuclear weapons or dirty bombs. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska said the measure is similar to a House approved bill and was the most comprehensive approach to improving border security to date. The listing ship Cougar Ace is finally righted and secured after being adrift off the Alaska coast, since late July. Salvage crews are currently awaiting approval from the Coast Guard to tow the ship to Oregon State. Although the 5,000 cars loaded on the Cougar Ace were fully restrained, some water did seep into the ship; it is unknown if the vehicles had any water damage. August 21 General Dynamics will deliver the oil ship, “Alaskan Legend” to BP Shipping which will operate the tanker between Alaska and ports on the west coast. The Alaskan Legend is able to transport over 1.2 million barrels of crude oil. It diesel-electric powered and contains 20 separate cargo tanks and utilizes transfer piping from within the double-hulled interior instead of on the deck to reduce any chance of spills. Under the Sea: Getting Loud According to a new study using underwater microphones, the sea is a noisy place. Comparisons made to declassified Navy documents indicate that global shipping is the probable reason for a rise in undersea noise pollution. Since the mid 1960s undersea noise has increased by 3 decibels per decade to 10 fold. In the last 40 years the world’s shipping fleet has doubled and new ships are bigger, faster and use more power for propulsion. Any impact on marine wildlife is currently unknown. The federal government is drafting plans for shipping speeds restrictions to reduce the number of right whale collisions. Congested shipping lanes and increased ship speeds have contributed to the number of fatal whale strikes. Proposals to help the right whale population would require ships longer than 64 feet to reduce speed to ten knots in some areas. The freight and transport industry has reported poor earnings which may indicate a slowing economy. However the Dow Jones Transportation Average was up today closing at 4161.99. The performance of shipping companies is often the first indicator of a decline in economic growth. But even with lower profits reported from UPS, Union Pacific and Continental Airlines but shipping and transport firms like the Overseas Shipholding Group still show increased business. Shipping Costs Likely To Rise Shipping fuel costs are expected to rise after BP America, Inc. said it would shut down the Prudhoe Bay oilfield in Alaska. The shutdown will reduce production by 400,000 barrels per day, accounting for 3 percent of the US crude oil supplies. This closure was required after discovering severe corrosion in an oil transit line; repairs are likely to take several days but the price of crude oil has already surged following BP’s announcement. Update: Shipping Accident The shipping vessel, “Cougar Ace” that rolled to one side was reported drifting towards the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The United States Coast Guard is currently monitoring the situation while a tug boat from Seattle, Washington and an engineering expert are in route to the area. Shipping Deals Lower Profit Amazon.com, Inc. reports that operating income decreased by 55 percent. Because of investments focusing on shipping and new technologies, the Seattle based company even with a rise in sales failed to meet market profit expectations. The online super store announced yesterday that operating cash flow declined by 2 percent but sales growth was 22 percent (2.14 billion dollars) in the second quarter of this year. The increase in sales was fueled by lower prices and free shipping and shipping deals. The 23 crew members of the transport ship “Cougar Ace” were safely rescued by two helicopters. All crew members have been transported to Adak Island were they are expected to be shipped to Kodiak Island, Alaska. Shipping several thousand cars from Asia, the ocean transport vessel "Cougar Ace" and its crew are stranded in the south waters of the Aleutian Islands off the State of Alaska coast. Rescue attempts are currently underway by the United States Coast Guard but have been delayed because of the boat’s position and poor weather conditions. Additional rescue personnel are being sent from Anchorage and a Coast Guard boat from Honolulu. The Alaska Oceans Program, continues to focus efforts on the Shipping Safety Project and work towards safer shipping in the North Pacific. A new concern for 2006 is the Aleutian Island Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment where Shipping Safety Project members will continue to monitor the safety and conservation measures that are needed in the region. A Shipping Success! The United States space shuttle Discovery landed safely in Florida today. The successful mission means that next month the space shuttle Atlantis will be able to ship two solar energy panels, batteries and other equipment so that the construction of International Space Station can resume (after waiting for over three years). Outer Space Freight The 4th of July launch of the space shuttle Discovery will deliver freight to the International Space Station, which includes an oxygen generator that will allow the station to host a crew of six. Nearly as much discarded equipment and trash will be unloaded from the station and shipped back to Earth. The Ultimate Shipment Wow, speaking of full container loads! The NASA space shuttle that is expected to launch is said to be packed with a payload of around 5,000 pounds! Not much when compared to large shipments over land or water but imagine the cost of fuel to send that amount of freight strait up into outer space! Unfortunately due to bad weather conditions, the mission has been delayed twice and according to NASA's website, after a routine inspection, a crack was discovered in the foam near a bracket on the external fuel tank that holds the liquid oxygen feedline in place, which may delay the next launch date. Following the expected launch, the space shuttle Discovery and crew plan to spend 12 days in orbit, visiting the International Space Station and perfomring at least two spacewalks. Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Set for Saturday
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery is set to launch to the International Space Station on Saturday, July 1, in only the second shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster three years ago. Some within the space agency NASA have raised concerns about Discovery's readiness for flight. VOA's Jim Bertel has more on the controversy surrounding Saturday's launch. It has been three years since the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in the skies over Texas, killing the seven astronauts on board. The spacecraft was critically damaged on liftoff when a piece of foam insulation weighing less than a kilogram broke off of the external fuel tank and hit the shuttle's left wing. Since then, NASA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to modify the fuel tank to prevent a similar accident from happening again. Yet last year, on the first shuttle flight since the accident, foam debris continued to break free. After further redesign and testing, the shuttle has been given the green light to fly again. Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale and other NASA officials believe further improvements are needed. They say it is important to test the changes already made to the shuttle before the next round of improvements. "Every launch has its risks and elements of drama associated with it,” Hale said. “This time, as you know, we have made significant improvements to the external tank and we know there are more improvements necessary." NASA's chief safety officer and chief engineer initially disagreed with the decision. John Logsdon is the director of George Washington University's Space Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. "Some engineers and some of the safety people in NASA are concerned that the external tank, the source of foam that doomed Columbia, still has not been adequately redesigned and that there is a high possibility, maybe even a probability, over a number of missions of a piece of foam coming off that could cause damage," he said. The two dissenting shuttle officials have since clarified their remarks saying they accept NASA's decision to launch because any foam loss would not endanger the crew. Logsdon says unlike the Columbia accident, there are now procedures in place to inspect the orbiter in space. "There is nothing that can be done during the shuttle launch in ascent if there is a foam strike,” he said. “The difference is, compared to the Columbia accident that we will know it. There are cameras everywhere." If there is severe damage to the shuttle's heat shield tiles, the crew can stay aboard the International Space Station until a rescue shuttle arrives. Discovery astronaut Michael Fossum believes the shuttle is ready to fly. "I won't say we're perfect,” he said, “but we're as good as we're going to get and you know, it's gone great, we're really ready and it's exciting to be here within sight of the launch pad at last." During Discovery's 12-day mission, astronauts will practice inspection and repair techniques, perform maintenance on the space station and deliver critical supplies. The shuttle also will drop off German astronaut Thomas Reiter to expand the station crew to three for the first time since the Columbia accident. If the mission is a success, the first of 16 additional shuttle flights to complete construction of the space station could fly as early as late August. The shuttle fleet is scheduled to be retired in 2010. The above news article was provided by: According to Alaska DOT, the Alaska Marine Highway System will start operations of the M/V LeConte as a dayboat for services to Haines, Hoonah and Angoon on June 9th. Additional crews will be employed during negotiations with maritime unions over state plans to streamline ferry service and meet Coast Guard guidelines. General aviation airports in Alaska see spike in fuel costs which may hurt delivery flights. Current prices for aviation gas have been reported as high as $4.50 per gallon. In addition water carriers delivering to Alaska have also increased Fuel Surcharge Rates and according to American Fast Freight Inc., “There continues to be fuel surcharges assessed on motor carrier, intermodal and full trailer load linehaul transportation as well. In some cases these are flat charges per container, in others, they are stated as a percentage of freight charges.” Read more at Alaska Freight News. Liberty Bell Pavilion Parts of the 30 year old Liberty Bell pavilion started its journey from the Independence Mall to its new home in Alaska. Over 80% of the pavilion which housed the Liberty Bell until October 2003 will become part of a park in Anchorage. Copper River King Salmon is being netted and delivered now to the "Lower 48" states. The first Alaska Airlines’ delivery landed at Seattle-Tacoma Int. Airport which carried 29,000 pounds of salmon cargo. This wild fish is prized by many chefs and makes an extravagant addition to any weekend grill. Although more expensive than farm-raised fish, the Alaska King Salmon is often worth the extra cost for most hungry enthusiasts. |
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Alaska Freight | Alaska Shipping | Logistics | Alaska Distribution | Alaska Relocation | Alaska Moving
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