Inmarsat launched a new capability that allows up to nine simultaneous phone calls through a single terminal. FleetBroadband Multi-voice will enable vessel owners and managers to separate crew communications from operational use, Inmarsat said. It's targeted at any vessel "with the need to manage separate voice calls."

A new U.S.-EU trade pact to eliminate tariffs, converge regulations, and expand trade and investment would be the single most important step the transatlantic countries could take to spur growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue May 16 in an address to the Ireland Business and Employers Confederation in Dublin.

Natural gas exports from Canada to the U.S are likely to increase year-on-year unless Canadian balances tighten, said a report by PIRA Energy Group. In April, U.S. gas imports from Canada increased slightly month-on-month, despite seasonally weaker demand. Imports were lower year-on-year, but the year-on-year deficit narrowed from March, PIRA said. Additional increases in Canadian exports to the U.S. seem almost assured in 2Q12, given the lack of progress in reducing the Canadian storage surplus, the report said.

Balqon Corp. said it received a $630,000 contract from the Port of Los Angeles to retrofit six electric powered yard tractors, converting battery packs from lead acid batteries to higher energy density lithium batteries to increase the daily range of the vehicles. For the past eight months, Balqon and POLA have been jointly testing two yard tractors fitted with Balqon’s next generation lithium battery system at a local intermodal facility, it said.

Imports of shipped cargo will continue to show modest growth in 2012, said the "PIERS NVOCC Market Report--Import Market Dynamics 2011 vs. 2010." But the report said NVOCC-arranged imports showed higher growth than the overall U.S. inbound ocean liner market. NVOCC-arranged import volume grew 2.8 percent in 2011, while traditional carrier cargo volume grew by 2.2 percent, the report said. NVOCC-associated cargo value in 2011 increased by 1.9 percent compared to an overall containerized import cargo value increase of 1.7 percent. The remainder of 2012 is not expected to show markedly better performance for the NVOCC industry, the report said. Global growth is forecasted to be 2.5 percent-4.2 percent.

The National Custom Brokers and Forwarders Association of America plans to reconstitute its NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI), said NEI Chairman Ken Bargteil. Those interested in boosting the continuing education and the enhancement of professionalism and expertise of brokers and forwarders should provide their name, NCBFAA area, company name, job title, email and postal address, office and cell phone numbers. NCBFAA also said they should indicate their areas of interests: CCS and/or CES; and Subcommittee preference: Content, Administration, Policy. Responses should be sent to memb@ncbfaa.org. The NCBFAA board also added 22 members; the list is here. It also announced its 2012 committee roster (here).

The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. approved a guarantee of a $350 million loan to assist Textron in financing the exports by two of its companies, Cessna Aircraft Company and Bell Helicopter Textron to international customers. The guaranteed lender is PNC Bank in Pittsburgh. The repayment term is 12 years. The loans will be disbursed on a periodic basis, Ex-Im said. Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg also announced that Ex-Im Bank has approved a new credit process to facilitate and expedite the Bank's financing for business-aircraft and helicopter exports from other U.S. manufacturers that do not have a captive financing company. Under the new process, Ex-Im Bank will work with qualified industry experts to perform due diligence and credit analysis for these business-aircraft and helicopter transactions.

FedEx said it agreed to buy French business-to-business express transportation company TATEX Express, in the latest FedEx investment in Europe. This deal is subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions. The terms weren't announced. Privately-held TATEX has more than 1,000 employees and a nationwide network with a central hub at Lieusaint, just south of Paris, and 35 shipping centers including six regional hubs. It has a nationwide domestic ground network which carries 19 million shipments and produces approximately EUR 150 million in revenue annually. FedEx Express recently announced plans to acquire Opek Sp.z o.o., a Polish shipping company.

The amount of freight carried by for-hire transporters fell 0.8% in March from February, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index. The March level was 16% above the April 2009 low, but the index of 109.4 was below December 2011’s 113.7.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the Obama administration to seek "significant progress on core issues in the agreement including intellectual property, investment, competition, state-owned enterprises, and trade facilitation" during the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement talks now underway in Dallas. “The TPP has enormous potential for U.S. companies and workers," said Myron Brilliant, U.S. Chamber senior vice president-international affairs. "If done right, this agreement will not just open up new opportunities, but it will also act as a model for fair and market-based trade and investment practices in the Asia-Pacific.” The Chamber joined 32 other associations in signing a letter to President Obama citing the role strong intellectual property protection plays in promoting the vitality of IP industries and urging the administration to seek the highest IP standards in the agreement.