UPS extended its preferred less-than container load ocean freight service to Western Europe, the company said in a press release. Additional port access for the service will now open in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom, it said.

The International Federal of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved the multilateral electronic Air Waybill (e-AWB) standard, allowing for airlines to use a single agreement with IATA to use e-AWBs, the associations said in a press release. Final consent was reached with the approval by the IATA Cargo Services Conference March, the release said.

The United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) and Inttra reached a multi-year agreement that will allow UASC to make use of Inttra's e-commerce network, said Inttra in a press release. Inttra, a multi-carrier e-commerce network for the shipping industry, said the new agreement will all also help UASC to grow in the Middle East and globally. Inttra will work closely to build UASC's e-commerce strategy, said UASC.

The 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. The FMC also gave notice reissued OTI licenses. 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.

Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials want electronic shipping to be flexible, performance-based and not mandatory, according to draft working papers released March 25 by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The comments stem from workshops held last year on the administration’s pilot project to allow paperless e-shipping for hazardous materials shipments, titled HM-ACCESS (Hazardous Materials -- Automated Cargo Communication for Effective and Safe Shipments).

Trade using surface transportation between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico was up 6.2 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, reaching $960 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation. That's the highest annual amount of surface trade since NAFTA went into effect in 1994, said BTS. U.S. imports by surface mode increased 5.6 percent in 2012 from 2011, while surface-based exports increased 6.9 percent during the same period, it said.

The Agricultural Marketing Service released the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) for the week of March 20-26. 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 Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreement under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreements to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.

The 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. The FMC also gave notice of the filing of applications to amend an existing OTI license or the qualifying individual for a license. 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 Nuclear Regulatory Commission has amended its regulations to impose additional security requirements for the use and transportation of risk-significant radioactive material. The new requirements affect category 1 and 2 quantities of radioactive material -- which refer to 16 specific radioactive materials -- and apply to anyone who possesses, uses or transports an aggregated quantity of category 1 or 2. The rule created an access authorization program, and requires background checks and criminal history records checks be done on individuals granted unescorted access to category 1 and 2 materials. The rule also requires licensees to develop a written security plan and to establish security zones for the uses of category 1 and 2 material. The rule is effective May 20, but licensees do not need to comply until March 2014.