Industry stakeholders support the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s proposal to harmonize U.S. and international rules for lithium battery air shipment, but said some of the proposed rules will lead to confusion and could jeopardize safety. PHMSA’s proposed rule, published in January, seeks to harmonize U.S. regulations for air transport of lithium cells and batteries with the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization Technical Instructions 13010305. In comments, the Rechargeable Battery Association said the proposed rule allows carriers and shippers to comply with either existing PHMSA regulations or the International instructions. These dual standards “create a cloud of confusion for everyone in the battery industry,” said George Kerchner, the association’s executive director in a statement. “Confusion limits compliance. And lack of compliance jeopardizes safety.” Comments on the rule were due March 5.

The Agricultural Marketing Service released the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) for the week of March 13-19. 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 Longshoreman's Association (ILA) Wage Scale Committee voted to recommend approval of a six-year agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), according to a press release. The contract will now go to ILA's and USMX's members for ratification.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) approved an agreement between the G6 alliance, a group of six carriers that share vessel space, that will allow for more Trans-Pacific Trade for the group, said FMC Commissioner William Doyle in a March 12 statement. The alliance, made up of APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Orient Overseas Container Line filed the request with the FMC in February (see 13021217).

The amount of freight carried for-hire rose 1.2% in January from December, rising for the third consecutive month, said the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI). The rail and trucking increases were partly due to inventory growth, said BTS.

“Air cargo is vital to the global economy, transporting more than $5 trillion worth of goods annually, or more than a third of world trade by value,” International Air Transport Association Director General and CEO Tony Tyler at the World Cargo Symposium in Doha, Qatar. But the last two years have been difficult for the air cargo industry, he said, noting a 2 percent decline in both air cargo demand and yields last year. “There are early signs that an upturn is on the way,” said Tyler. “To seize the opportunity we must strengthen the industry’s competitiveness.”

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 Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is holding a public meeting on the agency’s intent to modify permits relating to non-DOT specification composite cylinders, a Federal Register notice said. The meeting, April 18 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., will discuss PHSMA’s proposal to modify the permits to reflect appropriate International Standards Organization standards for composite cylinders, the notice said. Comments on the proposal should be submitted by April 4 to be considered at the meeting. They can be submitted to www.regulations.gov.

The Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is amending its Hazardous Materials Regulations, said a Federal Register notice to be published March 11. The amendments were first proposed in April 2012, the notice said, and were necessary to update and clarify regulatory requirements. A list of the changes adopted by PHMSA in its final rule is as follows:

The Agricultural Marketing Service released the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) for the week of March 5-12. 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.