Did You Know?

The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) was created by Congress in 1986 to provide funding for harbor and channel dredging. Funds generated by the Harbor Maintenance Tax (a 0.125 percent ad valorem tax on imports) are deposited into the HMTF. Annually, only half of the funds deposited into the HMTF are actually utilized for harbor and channel dredging. The rest is appropriated by Congress for other, unrelated expenditures.

Study Says US-Flag Ships Cost More to Operate

U.S.-flag merchant ships spend on average 2.7 times more to operate their vessels than their foreign competitors, largely because labor and benefits cost American operators nearly twice as much, according to a study sponsored by the Maritime Administration.

ILWU Members Ratify Grain Contract

International Longshore and Warehouse Union locals in the Pacific Northwest voted to ratify a grain-handlers contract agreement that was tentatively agreed to on Sept. 14 by union negotiators and six grain terminals in the region.

Manufacturing Jobs to Shift from China to U.S., Report Says

A big shift of manufacturing from China to the U.S. and other parts of North America will create up to 3 million U.S. jobs in coming years, says a study from Boston Consulting Group. The report says labor costs in China are rising so fast, while U.S. productivity continues to climb, that the cost advantage of sourcing many types of goods production in China is rapidly shrinking.

West Coast Isolating Vietnam Reefer Containers

Waterfront employers are working with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to identify and isolate at-risk refrigerated containers arriving at West Coast ports from Vietnam. In recent months, four reefer containers exploded or caught on fire, resulting in two deaths in Vietnam and one on Brazil.

Amtrak: Biodiesel trial results encouraging

Amtrak says that it found the use of a renewable biodiesel fuel blend to power its daily Heartland Flyer train “resulted in no more wear on the locomotive than traditional diesel fuels and no reduction in performance or reliability.”