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Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and APL will begin a new, jointly operated service linking the west coast of South America with ports in major global markets in January, pending approval by the Federal Maritime Commission. The new service is scheduled to link Balboa, Panama, and ports in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile with connections provided by APL to ports in North America, Asia and Europe. MOL mesh with the new service to connect to and from destinations in North America and Europe. The new weekly, fixed-day service will initially employ three vessels - one operated by MOL and two by APL. This is not the first time that APL and MOL have collaborated to provide service to customers as both partner with Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. Ltd. to form the New World Alliance. APL currently serves the region through its West Coast Americas (WCA) service, which will run through the end of this month. APL provides connections to Asia, North America and Europe through its Atlantic Pacific Express (APX) and New York Express (NYX).  MOL currently serves the trade from Asia to the west coast of South America with its CWL service;

The recent passage of a federal omnibus spending bill passed by Congress will mean $27.5 million for the Port of Oakland to finish deepening its harbor channels to a depth of 50 feet. Another $7 million was also allocated for annual maintenance dredging work. At present, maximum depth of the port's inner and outer channels is 42 feet, but ongoing dredging efforts should bring that level to 46 feet by early next year. The total $250 million cost of the dredging project was authorized as part of the 1999 Federal Water Resources Development Act. But half of that amount has come from the port itself. Oakland is the fourth largest container port in the nation, handling about $26 billion worth of goods annually. Port officials said once the 50-foot depth is reached, new business will generate, directly and indirectly, 8,800 jobs, a $1.9 billion increase in revenue and another $55.5 million in annual local tax revenue;

The Canadian National Railroad (CN) and the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) have reached a routing protocol agreement to streamline their exchange of rail traffic at major gateways. The agreement is aimed at helping reduce rail congestion at Chicago. Under the protocol, the CN and the UPRR have established a structured plan "to direct rail traffic flows through the most efficient interchange locations, a change that will improve transit times and asset utilization for the customers of CN and UP." The new routing protocol will be implemented over a three-month period. The major interchange points for traffic moving between CN and UP are Superior, Wisconsin; Chicago and Salem, Illinois, Memphis; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and, via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), Vancouver, British Columbia; and...

Southern California-headquartered BAX Global has begun work on a freight facility at Singapore's new Changi Airport Logistics Park in a move that will make the air cargo company the largest tenant at the park when the site opens by the end of next year. The company has also opened a vendor-managed inventory hub in Suzhou, China, for hard disk producer Maxtor. That development makes BAX the first major logistics company to set up a warehousing business in a new category of bonded logistics centers in China.

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