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February, 12, 2013
The Journal of Commerce and other news sources are reporting that all bargaining units representing the Office Clerical Unit of International Longshore and Warehouse Union in Los Angeles/ Long Beach, failed to ratify the tentative agreement that was reached December 4, 2012. The terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach are reported to be operating normally at this time. The Journal of Commerce article is available at:
INDIAN Defense Minister AK Antony told reporters that China's role in operating the Pakistani Port of Gwadar port, 600 kilometers from Karachi, "is a matter of concern to us", but did not elaborate. Management of the port, close to the Iranian border, was assumed by the state-run Chinese Overseas Port Holdings after previously being managed by Singapore's PSA International, reported Reuters. India has long been wary of strategically located ports being built by Chinese companies in its area, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as India beefs up military capacity to match China's increase in defense spending. India, the world's biggest arms importer, plans to spend US$100 billion over the next 10 years upgrading its mostly Soviet-era military hardware. Gwadar port, close to the Strait of Hormuz, is seen as opening up an energy and trade corridor from the Gulf, across Pakistan to western China, and could be used by the Chinese Navy, analysts say. Jay Ranade, of the Centre for Air Power Studies and a former additional secretary at the government of India, said: "It will enable China to deploy military capability in the region. Having control of Gwadar, China is basically getting an entry into the Arabian Sea and the Gulf. Gwadar is a more serious development than the others."
Schedule reliability to be main focus of TOC Hong Kong March 12 THE 17th TOC Container Supply Chain Asia 2013 to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 12-14 will focus on the theme of, Productivity & Reliability: Asia's New Battleground for Ports and Liner Shipping. Shippers, logistics providers, carriers and terminal operators will debate the future of global supply chains against an uncertain and unpredictable environment characterized by sluggish economic growth and underlying structural shifts in global logistics, say conference organizers. "Liner services have to figure how they can respond to shipper demands for more reliable service supply while also attempting to restore financial viability following a period of disastrous rate cutting. At the same time the first of the new generation of mega-container vessels have started entering deep sea lanes adding to concerns about excess capacity. In addition container terminals are racing to expand their handling capabilities to cater for ever larger volumes of boxes: as many as 6,000 units may have to be loaded/discharged during a single port call - and in record times as well," the press release said. Guest speakers will discuss ways to expand economic ties between Asia and emerging markets in Africa and Latin America; how Japan and South Korea are strategizing their logistics infrastructure to profit from growing links with North China; and Asia's niche trades requiring separate, or tailor-made, infrastructure and service provision.
________________________________________ Tons News is compiled from a number of public sources that, to the best of Tons knowledge, are true and correct. It is our intent to present only accurate information. However, in the event any information contained herein is erroneous, Tons accepts no liability or responsibility.
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