The future of two of the few remaining ocean carrier cartels may be determined when the Federal Maritime Commission meets this week.

The Port of Seattle Commission authorized the port’s annual budget and plan of finance yesterday, approving nearly $500 million in capital projects and maintaining the agency’s tax levy at $73.5 million.

While most shippers want to strip the complexity out of the supply chain, government regulators are adding on layers of new rules for the nation’s two biggest seaports.

According to cartel spokesmen, “suggested” rate increases of $400 per 40-foot container for cargo moving to U.S. West Coast ports and $600 per FEU for all other cargo are likely to be imposed by May

Railroad volumes for the week ending November 13 were up year-over-year, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Carload volume at 297,269 was up 5.8 percent compared to the same week last year

America’s waterborne foreign trade in September continued its rebound from last year’s lows, noted the American Association of Port Authorities yesterday

Slow steaming on the transpacific appears to losing its cachet with some shippers, analysts and carriers report.

Combined companies would have revenues of $5 billion

Railroad volumes for the week ending November were up year-over-year, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Carload volume at 288,056 was up 4.9 percent compared to the same week last year but down compared to the three previous weeks at 292,884, 302,855, and 303,664, respectively.

Ocean carriers serving the U.S.-Puerto Rico trade may not be the only ones to feel the impact of a discriminatory tax on multinational companies