Fact Friday: Texas Sea Ports

 

Texas seaports dominate Gulf of Mexico trade

The value of annual imports and exports at the Port of Houston is more than that of any other U.S. seaport on the Gulf Coast, totaling approximately $169 billion in 2011.

from the Offices of the Texas State Governor

Fact Friday: Texas Deep Water Sea Ports

Texas Deep Water Sea Ports 
from the office of the State of Texas Governor

• The Port of Houston is the No. 2 busiest port in the U.S. by total cargo volume and 12th busiest in the world (2010).

• The Ports of Beaumont and Corpus Christi rank in the top 10 among all U.S. ports for total cargo volume.

• Texas has more than 1,000 miles of channel maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

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Dixie Cullen is not only about Storage, but Service!

Postcards by Vistaprint

Fact Friday: Truck Accidents at their Lowest

No one is questioning the need for greater truck safety. In fact, truck-related fatalities per 100 million miles traveled are at their second-lowest point since the government began compiling that data in 1975.

Brazilian Customs Officers’ Strike Disrupts Ports

Breakbulk Staff | Wed, 06/27/2012 - 05:05

Breakbulk Online - News Story

Strikes by Brazilian customs officers have disrupted major ports in the country. Cargo clearance has significantly slowed, reported Inchscape Shipping Services.

"Unless this week’s negotiations with the government around better salaries and working conditions are successful, interruption to vessel movements is likely to intensify," Francisco Villagrán, general manager for ISS operations in Brazil, told reporters.

Affected ports include Santos, Paranagua, Salvador, Manaus, Santarem, Santana and Itacoatiara.
Customs officers have been on a limited strike schedule, which includes two days of no work and minimal levels on the remaining days of the week, according to a statement from Inchscape.

However, customs leaders have warned that if the negotiations over the next few days are unsuccessful, they will start a full strike that could affect the whole country and paralyze Brazil including ports, airports and bonded warehouses.

Panama Canal Authority Confirms 6-Month Delay

Breakbulk Staff | Mon, 07/02/2012 - 05:51

Breakbulk Online - News Story

Despite delay, the first monolith has been completed at the Pacific Locks

The Panama Canal Authority's US$5 billion expansion project has fallen six months behind schedule, which could mean that the new locks will not be operational until 2015, authority officials announced on national television.

"The company is trying to catch up with lost time,'" said Alberto Aleman Zubieta, the authority's chief executive officer. Problems arose late last year when officials determined that the concrete for the project did not meet specified standards.

The project was originally slated for completion in October 2014. Expansion will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double tonnage capacity and allow the transit of much longer, wider ships through the waterway.

However, construction reached an important milestone earlier this month with the completion of the first monolith for the new locks on the Pacific end of the Panama Canal. The monolith is the first one to be completed from a total of 46 such structures being built in the Pacific locks upper chamber, Panama Canal Authority officials said in a statement.

The concrete and steel structure is 33.8 meters high, 7.5 meters wide and 27 meters deep. The culverts are part of the locks filling and emptying system and will run along the lock walls, which are made up of the monoliths. The construction of this single monolith required 232 tons of reinforced steel and 2,605 cubic meters of concrete.

Photo shows work on the first monolith, part of the filling and draining system at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal. Courtesy of the Panama Canal Authority.

Independence Day

Independence Day Graphics @ dazzlejunction.com

We wish everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July Holiday

Our offices and warehouse will be closed on 

Wednesday July 4th

 in observance of Independence Day

We will have regular business hours on Tuesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th.

Fact Friday: Texas Nations Top Exporter to Africa

Texas ranks as the nation's top exporter to Africa, selling $7.3 billion worth of goods and services to the continent in 2011, nearly double what it sold in 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Potential new markets for Texas businesses exist in infrastructure, transportation, energy, extractive industries, technology, health and tourism and related industries. 

Texas Africa Summit

Caution Ahead: Fledgling CSA program suffers growing pains

The most ambitious truck safety program in a generation is leaving the industry bewildered over the exact nature of the initiative—which, according to analysts, seems to be changing continuously.

 

By John D. Schulz, 

Contributing Editor Logistics Management
April 01, 2012 

 

CSA, which stands for “Compliance, Safety, Accountability,” was rolled out in phases starting in 2011. The program is designed to weed out as many as 5 percent, or 150,000 of the nation’s more than 3 million long-haul truck drivers—those “bad apples” that the government is convinced are disproportionately responsible for too many truck-related accidents and deaths.

It uses a complex system to rate the nation’s nearly 525,000 DOT-registered interstate trucking entities on seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, now known as BASICs. The seven BASICs are: unsafe driving; fatigued driving; driver fitness; alcohol and drugs; vehicle maintenance; cargo security; and crash history.

Carriers are given “scores” in each category; the higher the score, the worse the performance. Carriers are then issued warning letters if their scores range above 65, meaning that only 35 percent of the carriers in their class have worse scores. For hazmat carriers the cutoff score is 60.

Click Here for Complete Article

Facts Friday: Diesel Fuel Costs

We all know how the "fuel surcharge" added to the trucking invoice has been an issure for many, so here's an interesting fact:

DOE: Diesel Prices at 5-Month Low

The national average retail diesel price fell 5.1 cents to $3.846 a gallon – the lowest price in five months – during the week ended Monday, June 4, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. The average price has fallen 30.2 cents in the past eight weeks and is 9.4 cents below the same week last year.

Average retail prices fell in all regions, led by a 6.7-cent decrease on the West Coast, which excludes California, where prices fell 5.9 cents but remained the nation’s most expensive at $4.169 a gallon. The smallest decrease was 2.9 cents in the Rocky Mountain region. The least expensive diesel was $3.746 a gallon in the Midwest.

Complete diesel price information is available on EIA’s website.

Friday Facts: Houston Jobs created

785,000

The most recent economic study shows that more than 785,000 jobs throughout Texas are in some way related to ship channel-related activity.

Time is Money

As a Small Business, we at Dixie Cullen, are aware that TIME IS MONEY.    It's important not only to us, but to our customers and to the truck drivers that service our warehouse facility.   We've all heard about the tightening pool available truck drivers,  and the more time they can spend moving from one point to another means versus sitting in line waiting to be loaded is a WIN, WIN situation for everyone in the supply chain.

Here at Dixie Cullen we believe in having "outbound" loads pre-staged and ready to be loaded from the time that the truck backs into the building.  Allows for timely loading while still following standard safety precautions to protect those that are working to load the cargo,  but to provide a safe load ready to leave our facility and travel on the road to it's final destination.

Export Training from Houston Export Assistance Center

Export News  June 2012

A Monthly Publication of the Houston Export Assistance Center  « 1919 Smith Street, Suite 1026, Houston, Texas 77005 « Export.gov/Texas/Houston

SEMINARS/TRAINING

Export University:  Understanding Export Documentary Letters of Credit – and the 5 Elements to Discrepancy Free Presentations

June 20, 7:30 am – 12 noon

UH Small Business Development Center, 2302 Fannin, Suite 200, Houston, TX  77002

Cost:  $95.00 Includes Certificate of Completion and Refreshments. Parking is free.

Register: http://www.houstonexportu.org/ 

What do you need to know about Letters of Credit to protect your interests and get paid quickly.

Equatorial Guinea Economic Forum, June 11, 8:30 am – 4 pm

Hilton Post Oak, 2001 Post Oak Blvd., Houston

Cost: $30

Contact:  Kristin Smith at ksmith@houston.org or 713-844-3694

Learn about business opportunities available through the diversification of the country’s economy.  The program will be highlighted a keynote speech from His Excellency Teodoro Obiang, President, Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

Zambia: Trade Delegation to Visit Houston, June 25-26

For details, contact Nyamusi Igambi at Nyamusi.igambi@trade.gov or 713-209-3112

Export University:  U.S. Export Licensing and FCPA Requirements, August 16, 7:30 am – 12 noon

UH Small Business Development Center, 2302 Fannin, Suite 200, Houston, TX  77002

Cost:  $95.00 Includes Certificate of Completion and Refreshments. Parking is free.

Register: http://www.houstonexportu.org/ 

Texas-Africa Summit, September 27-28

International Trade Center, 11110 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX

Contact:  Debra Bann at dbann@texasafricasummit.com or 832-448-0524

Friday Facts: Break Bulk

    65%

The Port of Houston is the nation’s leading breakbulk port, handling about 65 percent of all major project cargo in the U.S.

Friday Facts: Houston Container Ports

Container Terminals

The Port of Houston handles about 70 percent of all the containerized cargo in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Port of Houston Authority ‘s container handling facilities are among the finest in the nation, providing efficient and cost-effective service.

Friday Facts: Well Positioned for Growth

"The Port Authority is well-positioned for growth.  Houston container cargo trade alone could increase  by 15 % in trhe next few years as a result of the Canal Expansion."  

Co. Leonard D. Watterworth

Friday Facts: EEOC mandates new rules on background checks

The EEOC’s recent guidance concerning employers’ use of criminal background checks on job applicants comes down to two words: Individual assessment.


The bottom line of the agency’s recently released “enforcement guidance”: Blanket policies that automatically reject job candidates with criminal records are illegal.

The rationale: Such policies have been found to have a disparate impact on minorities, according to the EEOC.
The guidance comes on the heels of a recent settlement between the agency and Pepsi Beverages, which agreed to pay $3.13 million after EEOC investigation found that the criminal background check policy formerly followed by Pepsi discriminated against African Americans in violation of federal anti-bias laws.

Click here for full article

Retroactive MPF Increase Bills Update

From:  OHL Trade Services CBP will start to issue Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) rate increase bills shortly.  When you receive your bill(s), CBP strongly recommends that you remit individual checks for each corresponding bill. CBP advised that remitting one check for multiple bills severely complicates their application process.  The increase applies to all goods entered beginning October 1 st, 2011 through November 5 th, 2011. If you imported goods during this period, you should expect a bill reflecting the rate increase from 0.21% to 0.3464%.

Study: Many midsized firms risk export violations

This was recently shared by Theresa Garcia from Roanoke Trade

Amber Road, formerly Management Dynamics and a provider of global trade management systems, has released a study on U.S.-based mid-market companies' export compliance challenges and found they are increasingly at risk of violating federal regulations.

Of the 150 companies surveyed, 23 percent do not screen for restricted parties prior to engaging overseas customers. For those that did perform this screening, 30 percent make checks manually using spreadsheets or Websites. Only 41 percent of respondents had a comprehensive export compliance program.   

“The good news is U.S. exports are growing, and mid-market companies in particular are increasing revenues by accessing foreign markets,” said Scott Byrnes, vice president of marketing at Amber Road. “Unfortunately, it appears that many mid-market companies aren’t fully aware of the regulatory requirements governing global trade.”
   

The concern with this lack of knowledge is that criminal and civil penalties for export control violations are often harsh. Companies can face criminal penalties of up to $500,000 per violation for "dual-use" export (items with both commercial and military applications) control violations and an individual faces up to 10 years in jail. Civil fines reach $12,000 per violation and can also include denial of export privileges.
  

Respondents said a lack of executive sponsorship was a primary reason for their trade compliance deficiencies.
  

According to a March Bureau of Economic Analysis report, U.S. exports grew 7.7 percent from January 2011 to January 2012. The bulk of the growth was related to small and midsized companies. Companies of this size also accounted for 97.8 percent of all U.S. exporters, according to the most recent report by the U.S. International Trade Commission.
   

Other noteworthy findings from the report include:

• 20 percent of companies don't have formal export compliance programs.
• 66 percent use manual processes to classify products.
• 35 percent have a management team that is somewhat aware of the regulations, but have no involvement in the compliance process.

   A full copy of the report can be found here. — Geoff Whiting

Facts Friday: Container Chassis

Chassis -- everyone has gotten so used to the "Liners" providing the Chassis to the trucking companies to move the containers from the container yard and port the the point of destination or visa versa,  that it's coming as a shock when they're being told that a "Chassis Rental Fee"  is being added to the drayage charges.    Not long ago only one or two companies were charging this fee.  As of TODAY there are over 15 that are charging.  It's a cost that needs to be built in to the landing costs of the containers.