The European Commission has announced that it will propose, in early 2013, measures to monitor, verify and report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping. This measure will apply to all ships calling at EU ports and could also be the basis for a global approach towards cleaner shipping.
Just before its break, the U.S. Senate quickly and quietly passed the "European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011," the latest attempt to exempt American airlines from paying fees imposed by the European Union to cover the greenhouse gases their planes emit while flying to and from European airports.
Manufactured exports - a bright spot of the U.S. economy in recent years - are set to surge. Combined with jobs created as a result of reshoring, higher U.S. exports could add 2.5 million to 5 million jobs by the end of the decade, as manufacturers shift production from leading European countries and Japan to take advantage of substantially lower costs in the U.S., according to new research by The Boston Consulting Group.
Dealing with the uncertainty and risk in the supply chain industry caused by the tough economic climate in Europe is a priority for supply chain leaders around the world.
Webgistix Corp., a vendor of software tools for electronic commerce order fulfillment, has opened distribution centers in Bedford, U.K. and Zurich, Switzerland.
Global freight forwarder and logistics provider Damco is moving its headquarters from Copenhagen, Denmark to The Hague, Netherlands. The move, which should be completed in first quarter 2013, brings Damco closer to the heart of the European logistics community and supports its strategy to become a Top Five industry player in the years to come.
Despite Middle Eastern carriers recording a 16-percent, year-over-year, increase in freight demand in July, global cargo markets shrunk 3.2 percent, year-over-year, according to International Air Transport Association statistics. IATA partially attributed this decline to a comparison with a "relatively strong" July 2011, but said global trade growth is still sluggish.