WORKING WARRIORS

Wounded Warrior Project and Flagship Logistics Group Partner Up to Support Veterans

Flagship Logistics Group is expanding its partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project by recruiting and placing more veterans within the company. This marks a fresh start for U.S. veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and highlights how the transportation and logistics industry is working to close vulnerability gaps within their ranks.

“We are proud of our efforts to redeploy military personnel into civilian jobs in logistics,” notes CEO Bob Moran. “The people we are interviewing and hiring are among the highest quality candidates we have interviewed since our inception.”

The company is working closely with Wounded Warrior Project to recruit and place veterans. In total, Flagship Logistics Group has committed more than $100,000 to WWP alumni and expects to continue to grow this contribution over time.

 BILLION DOLLAR VISIT

Florida Governor Pledges Historic Level of Funding

During a visit to JAXPORT, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced his plans for an historic $8.8 billion Department of Transportation budget in this coming year. The budget request will include nearly $139 million for improvements to Florida’s seaports.

“Clearly, Governor Scott gets it: that investment today supporting state transportation needs will add up to a thriving port and continued success for our tenants and customers,” says JAXPORT CEO Brian Taylor. “We are grateful for his focus and commitment.”

 YUSEN AT BUSAN

Yusen Logistics expands Operations at Busan New Port

Yusen Logistics is expanding operations in Busan New Port, South Korea, to reduce lead time and lower transportation costs for customers located along the coast of the Sea of Japan.

The company operates a 72,178-square-foot warehouse at Busan New Port and provides ocean freight forwarding service to Busan from ports along the Sea of Japan, including Sakai, Fushiki, Toyama and Sakata.

Customers using sea routes between Busan and the Sea of Japan can reduce lead time and lower transportation costs. The company says other benefits of the service include flexible sailing schedules, reduction of lead time, lower transportation costs and access to its warehouse, which offers a variety of value-added services including kitting, cutting, packing and labeling.

 TO THE RESCUE

Evergreen Carries Relief Supplies to the Philippines

Evergreen Line has worked with international aid agencies to arrange complimentary transportation services to carry relief supplies to the area affected by the powerful Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the central region of the Philippines in November. The victims are still in urgent need of life’s daily necessities.

Crisis Relief Services & Training (CREST), a non-profit Christian humanitarian organization in Malaysia, carried four 20-foot containers of relief supplies on Dec. 31. CREST planned to deliver three more 20-foot containers of supplies with Evergreen Line’s help in early February. Evergreen has also worked with International Container Terminal Services, Inc. to deliver additional relief supplies.

“Evergreen is pleased to be able to take concrete action to bring relief supplies to the disaster areas and to fulfill its corporate social responsibility as a global ocean carrier,” says a company spokesperson.

MORE FOR LESS

DGX Enhances Ocean LTL Services to Latin America

Dependable Global Express, Inc. (DGX), a global ocean freight forwarder and non-vessel operating common carrier—and the only neutral freight consolidator serving Central and South America from the U.S. West Coast—announces two service enhancements: an every-other-week, less-than-container load (LCL) consolidation service from Los Angeles to Buenaventura, Colombia; and a direct, weekly LCL service to Guatemala City, Guatemala.

“These new service offerings represent another step in expanding DGX’s West Coast Central and South America service network” says Antonio Bellido, DGX’s Trade Lane manager for Latin America. “We will continue to develop our direct LCL network which currently consists of eight destinations on the West Coast of Latin America, as well as provide on-forwarding services from Los Angeles to remote Central and South America inland points through all eight Latin American consolidation points.”

 CHARTED TERRITORY

Maersk Line Spins Off Intra-Americas Services

In January, Maersk Line announced the formation of a regional, containerized shipping company called SeaLand, which is dedicated to the intra-Americas market. To meet the unique needs of customers, SeaLand will feature knowledgeable, local sales and support personnel positioned in North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

Maersk Line will begin the transition of their intra-Americas business to SeaLand in a phased approach throughout 2014 before officially commencing operations on Jan. 1, 2015. The newly established team of approximately 240 highly-skilled personnel will be headquartered in the U.S. and begin their new roles by this July 1.

“This reorganization is an investment in our global container business. It enhances and strengthens service in this important and growing trade region, as well as the future of our overall global service network,” says Vincent Clerc, the company’s chief Trade and Marketing officer.

 ENTERMODAL

Marmon Highway Technologies Introduces Fontaine Intermodal

Fontaine Engineered Products, Inc. recently established Fontaine Intermodal, a stand-alone division designed to produce innovative products for the growing intermodal transportation market. Fontaine Intermodal operates a dedicated facility in Jasper, Alabama, where it produces the Fontaine Evolution Intermodal Flat Deck product.

Certified by the Association of American Railroads, their product includes multiple patented features related to the deck floor and load securement system. The design also includes a proprietary manual arm operation that requires no truck interface for operation.

 NEW PINK SLIP

NYK Group Acquires 100 percent Ownership of Car-Terminal Operating Company in Kazakhstan

NYK Holding (Europe) B.V., has acquired 100 percent ownership of Tranco Terminal, the largest car-terminal operating company in Kazakhstan. Operations have begun under the renamed company, NYK Auto Logistics (Kazakhstan) LLP.

By acquiring full ownership of Tranco Terminal, of which the NYK Group previously had 25 percent ownership, NYK will attempt to accommodate strong demand by improving the domestic bases and enhancing the speed of transport service between the bases in Kazakhstan. In addition, the company will lay out a framework capable of accommodating the demand for transnational inland transport from the China and Russia areas bordering Kazakhstan, and will provide a service to fulfill the various transport needs of customers.