Inventory Locator Service signed a memorandum of understanding with Danaos Management Consultants to collaborate on developing a cloud-based procurement and management service for the shipping industry. They said the technology "has the potential to minimize cost for spares and maintenance while increasing visibility and continuity of supply." The companies will develop a platform called MarineHubsm, a network of companies in the marine industry that will facilitate planned maintenance and procurement of spares for ship owners, managers and suppliers worldwide using cloud technology, they said.

The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.

The Agricultural Marketing Service released the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) for the week of Nov. 7-13. The weekly report contains data on container availability for westbound transpacific traffic at 18 intermodal locations in the U.S.¹ from the eight member carriers of the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA).² Although the report is compiled by AMS, it covers container availability for all merchandise, not just agricultural products.

The International Air Transport Association welcomed CBP's decision to approve the use of the electronic master air waybill (e-AWB) for air cargo shipments to and from the U.S., it said. The action means the e-AWB will be accepted for shipments at more than 120 CBP facilities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico for import and export, IATA said. Air waybill information could still be requested by exception, and could be accessible online or produced on demand in paper format from electronic records, it said. IATA said the e-AWBs will mean a reduction in processing costs due to the removal of paper, reduction in cargo handling delays, better accuracy of e-AWB data, real-time access to e-AWB information, and the ability to automatically capture security-related data. IATA Director General Tony Tyler said "acceptance of the e-Air Waybill in the world's largest economy marks a major step toward our target of 100% acceptance of the e-AWB and our ultimate goal of eliminating paper from the air cargo process."

Global freight traffic posted modest year-over-year growth for the month of September, up 1.6%, but the results across regions was mixed, according to the Airport Operators Council International. International freight was up 2% for the month, but down 1% for the first nine months, it said. It also said there were declines in Africa (-4.8%), Europe (-1.5%) and North America (-1.5%), but robust growth in the Middle East (+6%), Asia-Pacific (+5.3%) and Latin America-Caribbean (+4.4%). Thirteen of the 30 leading global freight airports in terms of traffic weighting had year-over-year declines, but the top three global freight hubs grew -- Hong Kong (+6.8%), Shanghai ( +2.2%) and Memphis (+1.9%), it said.

The Federal Maritime Commission withdrew the Federal Register notice that had been scheduled for Nov. 7 about the Agreement No. 201157-002: USMX-ILA Master Contract between Unites States Maritime Alliance, Ltd., and International Longshoremen's Association (see ITT's Online Archives 12110614. FMC Secretary Karen Gregory told us it was withdrawn due to an unspecified error in the notice. The corrected notice should be published Nov. 9, she said.

Federal Maritime Commission said the following have filed applications for a license as a Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier (NVO) and/or Ocean Freight Forwarder (OFF)-Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) pursuant to section 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested persons may contact the Office of Transportation Intermediaries, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, D.C. 20573, at 202-523-5843 or at OTI@fmc.gov.

The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.

Transpacific ocean carriers on inbound trade lanes from the Indian sub-continent, Asia, and Australia to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico implemented a General Rate Increase (GRI) for all North American bound cargo, effective Dec. 1, A.N. Deringer told its clients. Deringer said the increases range from $320 per 20' to $505 per 45' for the West Coast, and from $480 to $760 elsewhere. The increases will be automatically applied to all invoices for cargo received by the ocean carrier after Dec. 1, it said.