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A new stage of contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association launched today as the negotiations moved under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Cargo diversion from U.S. West Coast ports due to congestion and alleged work slowdowns by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union took a toll last year.

Don’t expect any immediate negotiation breakthroughs when federal mediators wade into negotiations between the U.S. West Coast longshore union and waterfront employers, but a deal will likely be reached, according to two experts on labor negotiations.

Irish steak is back on the U.S. menu as the U.S. begins to lift a 15-year ban on beef imports from the European Union. U.S. containerized beef imports are rising quickly, surpassing 40 percent in most of 2014.

The Port of Virginia will delay the launch of a truck appointment system at Norfolk International Terminals until this spring.

Maersk Line is reorganizing the port rotation of its Mawingu Express, a weekly direct service from India to East Africa, effective in early February.

After months of appeals from industry groups, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service this week became involved in West Coast contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association. Here’s a guide to the FMCS and its role in collective bargaining.

ABF Logistics, a subsidiary of transportation holding group ArcBest, expanded by acquiring truckload brokerage Smart Lines.

The Panama Canal Authority released proposals for a new toll structure that it has been reviewing with various industry segments for the last year.

International rail operator Genesee & Wyoming is expanding its footprint in the central U.S. by acquiring three short line railroads for about $40 million.

Since taking the reins of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in March 2014, Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske has met with shippers, brokers and others to better understand trade facilitation and what the agency can do to help. Associate Managing Editor Mark Szakonyi met with the former U.S. drug czar in early December to discuss how Customs will work this year to expedite cargo processing without sacrificing security.

The Chibatao container terminal in Manaus, Brazil, plans to spend 113 million-reais ($41.9 million) to boost its annual container capacity by two-thirds to 500,000 TEUs.

China’s top seven ports handled 118.4 million 20-foot container in 2014, up almost 6 percent on the previous year as foreign trade kept throughput growth in solid positive territory for every month during the year.

Federal regulators are preparing a host of final and proposed trucking regulations for release and comment this year, but delays caused by lack of staffing and other issues may slow the process.

Hong Kong’s container terminals must be some of the most examined pieces of real estate in Asia, yet despite the government sponsored studies, industry reports and consultancy papers, the port’s future is no clearer than it was 11 years ago when the first master plan was published

In a major breakthrough, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on Monday agreed to federal mediation to resolve contract negotiations that are now in their eighth month.

Asia’s container terminal operators will be the big winners in 2015, according to the latest HSBC transport indicators report that has International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) as one of its top picks.

Contract negotiations resumed today between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association after the holiday recess, but it appears that no significant progress will be made until both parties agree to compromise on the controversial issue of chassis maintenance and repair.

Private port operators in India are rapidly gaining market share on their government-owned rivals, as chronic capacity constraints and infrastructure woes at some of the major public port complexes spur the diversion of cargo and vessels to nearby minor ports, according to an analysis of port data.

BNSF Railway today stopped taking international intermodal shipments headed to U.S. West Coast ports from inland interchange points, citing terminal operators’ reduction of longshore labor and in anticipation of “further slowdowns” and congestion.

Dennis Morgan is taking the wheel as president of Cowan Systems, an evolving dedicated truckload and drayage carrier with trucking roots reaching back to the 1920s.

Several container terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey are extending hours for gate cut-offs this week to keep pace with heavy post-holiday demand for import deliveries.

The severity of this winter and how the major railroads respond will largely determine whether intermodal shippers see significant service improvements this spring or have to wait longer.

The Port of Oakland and its terminal operators are chipping away at their cargo backlog by running Saturday and Sunday gates, and the weekend gate program could remain in effect for another month.

Satellite-based container tracking and communications giant Orbcomm extended its international reach and technology base by acquiring Canada's SkyWave Mobile Communications.

Ocean shippers moving goods on the eight largest global trade lanes have increasingly fewer service options, as the average number of sailings last year declined 7.4 percent from 2012.

The Panama Canal Authority recently cleared the way for building a big new transshipment port at Corozal near the Pacific entrance of the canal that is expected to boost traffic once the current expansion project is completed in early 2016.

A Belgian brewery in a medieval city plans a more sustainable means of moving beer from its fermenting tanks to a remote bottling plant.

Poland’s Port of Gdansk is negotiating with Malta-based Mariner Capital on an agreement to privatize operations at the port’s multipurpose cargo terminals.

Hoegh Autoliners is working with salvors to develop a plan to free a car carrier ship that was intentionally grounded off the Isle of Wight after developing a list following its departure from the British port of Southampton.

Two more U.S. West Coast newspapers have come out in support of a federal mediator to enter the stalled and increasingly acrimonious West Coast longshore negotiations, effectively siding with employers who have called for mediation.

With MOL’s container business in the red and performing worse than the other Japanese carriers, the company’s president in New Year’s message said 2015 would be a “counteroffensive year” in which it would get more aggressive in cost-cutting.

All of the leading seaports and airports in India moved to a 24/7 customs clearance operation as of Dec. 31, paving the way for a boost in the country’s export and import trade.

Another two high-ranking China Southern Airlines executives have been axed on suspicion of “job related crime” following investigations by the state owned carrier’s parent company.

The Metrans subsidiary of Hamburg port operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA) has brought its ninth terminal into operation on the main rail line connecting the German seaports with Prague, the inland hub serving the Czech Republic.

Kerry Logistics Network’s acquisition drive has continued into the new year, as the company added majority stakes in two Canadian forwarding companies barely a week after acquiring a Dubai-based logistics operator.

Cargolux management and the Luxembourg labor unions continue to be locked in a stalemate, unable to reach a collective work agreement (CWA) despite the carrier’s belief that it is key to ensuring the airline’s survival.

The growing cost of production in China is forcing some European companies to take their outsourced manufacturing back home after years spent in the region as the profit margins that lured them to Asia are steadily eroded.

It’s not clear how many rules the FMCSA will be able to complete in the last two years of the Obama administration, and rules on driver coercion and electronic logging are likely to be challenged in Congress or in court — which could delay their implementation.