Supply chain

The European Union and Morocco today started the first round of talks for an EU-Morocco Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.

CenterPoint Properties Trust has acquired a single-story, 123,199-square-foot industrial building in Rancho Dominguez, Calif., an unincorporated section of Los Angeles, from Big Tree Big Sleep.

Damco has appointed Helmut Kaspers chief commercial officer of its West Europe region.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and import specialists at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex have seized 14,904 toasters with fake Underwriters Laboratories safety markings.

Japanese containerized cargo trade will rise 2.6 percent in fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, from a year earlier to 12.760 million 20-foot equivalent units, a Tokyo-based research firm predicted in a new report.

India’s trade deficit from April 2012 to March 2013 was $190.9 billion, widening from $183.4 billion during the same period in the previous year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service has predicted that global beef production in 2013 will reach 57.5 million tons, “virtually unchanged” from its October 2012 estimate...

EuroFruitPorts, the refrigerated fruit terminal that recently opened in Belgium’s Port of Antwerp, has opened its cold storage facilities.

The Clinton Global Initiative and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have launched the Infrastructure Financing for Cities Task Force, which is intended to support mayors in attracting investment into public infrastructure projects.

U.S. steel exports reached 1.036 million tons in February, dropping 3.8 percent from 1.077 million tons in the previous month and 14.4 percent year-over-year, according to government data...

Croatia is on track to become the European Union’s 28th member state on July 1, according to EU member states in their last resolution before the nation is scheduled to join.

Marten Transport reported its profit in the first quarter of 2013 was $7.2 million, a jump of 32.2 percent compared with $5.4 million in the first quarter of 2012 and the 12th consecutive year-over-year increase in quarterly net income.

CEVA Logistics has signed a five-year e-commerce contract with Liu-Jo.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will test allowing customs brokers to pre-certify importers for participation in the Importer Self-Assessment program.

The nation's largest port and largest trucking lobby group clashed in the nation's highest court over a drayage program Los Angeles calls a commercial agreement and the American Trucking Associations an illegal regulation.

C.P. Joshi, India’s union minister of road transport and highways, has reviewed the plan for award and completion of road works during the current 2013-2014 fiscal year, which identifies steps for restoring the pace of...

Adolph Ojard, Duluth Seaway Port Authority’s executive director and chairman of American Association of Port Authorities’ U.S. delegation chairman, today testified for the AAPA...

Harbor truckers plan to meet with port and terminal officials next week to iron out questions about plans to require radio-frequency identification tags on trucks entering New York-New Jersey marine terminals.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman, and Nick Rahall, II, D-W.Va., ranking member of the committee, today announced the members of a special panel that will focus on improving freight transportation in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended for five years its agreement to work with the Federal Aviation Administration and other partners to help develop a viable biofuel for the aviation industry.

Kuehne + Nagel has opened a new facility in Mobile, Ala., to expand its footprint in the Southeast.

Ryder Europe has delivered 17 new trucks on contract hire to Molan UK, an England-based polycarbonate and plastic roofing products company.

Iceland and China have signed a free trade agreement to lower tariffs on a variety of goods, Montreal Gazette reports.

Australian meat exporters are set to benefit from China’s decision this week to authorize 28 cold store facilities and four red meat plants in the nation, as the first step in a system-wide approach to approval of meat storage facilities...

The Kuehne + Nagel Group today reported its net income in the first quarter of 2013 was 134 million (about US$144.1 million), jumping 97 percent from $73.1 million in the same quarter in 2012.

The global 3PL industry is fundamentally strong and logistics providers are growing. However, that growth is slowing, and many 3PLs are scaling back expectations for profits and growth amid uncertainty about the global economy.

Jeremy Baskin, senior advisor to the executive director of regulations and rulings in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of International Trade, will retire on June 1 after 35 years of federal service.

Kuehne + Nagel has opened an office in Yangon, Myanmar, strengthening its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Senshukai, a Japanese mail order company, will open a logistics center in Busan New Port Distripark, South Korea.

Transportation Insight has accepted an invitation to join the International Warehouse Logistics Association.

Hong Kong Customs has seized a batch of illegal cigarettes and some suspected counterfeit goods, worth $2.4 million (about US$309,211) after intercepting two transshipment smuggling cases at...

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has launched a less-than-containerload service offering for sea freight shipments.

India and Germany have agreed to accelerate “cooperation” and explore new areas to promote trade and investment aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

Waterways Council’s executive committee has endorsed two U.S. Senate waterways bills.

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight subsidiary of DHL, has launched its Fashion Center of Excellence in Jiuting, China.

The second round of negotiations for a Canada-Japan economic partnership agreement will be held in Ottawa, Ontario, April 22-26.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Dubai Economic Council of the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding.