Last Friday the folks over at Modern Materials Handling wrote about the Council of Supply Chain Professionals’ latest study. The council has been putting out its State of Logistics Report for the last two decades and this year’s news is unsurprising: U.S. spending on logistics fell $49 billion in 2008 to $1.3 trillion — the first drop in six years.
“The annual respected benchmark report revealed the financial damage done to the sector by the ongoing recession. After rising by more than 50% the previous five years, business logistics costs fell to [...]

[ June 22, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District has announced that it’s cancelling its scheduled June 25 meeting and has rescheduled it for Monday, June 22.  The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Woodley Island Meeting Room in Eureka.

[ December 2, 2009 to December 4, 2009. ] From the event site: The International WorkBoat Show is the largest commercial marine tradeshow in North America serving people and businesses working on the coastal, inland and offshore waters. 1,000 companies will display products and services for commercial vessels and the companies that build, service and operate them. The International WorkBoat Show and WorkBoat magazine [...]

[ November 19, 2009 to November 21, 2009. ] From the event site: Pacific Marine Expo is the largest commercial marine tradeshow on the West Coast. Serving all aspects of the market, including commercial vessels owners, commercial fishermen, boatbuilders and seafood processors, this annual event covers it all.  If you make your living on the water, or provide services to those who do, this [...]

[ November 15, 2009 to November 17, 2009. ] From the event site: The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) is the premier trade association representing the combined interests of the intermodal freight industry. IANA programs and services keep members informed of industry trends, crucial legislative and regulatory issues, and provide educational forums, networking opportunities, news and vital industry information.

Nov. 15-17, 2009
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, [...]

[ October 25, 2009 to October 28, 2009. October 25, 2009 to October 28, 2009. ] Agenda items will include:

Navigating Your Port Through Uncharted Waters
Two industry experts will provide the latest expectations and forecasts regarding the economy and implications for international trade as all as a timely discussion of controversial issues such as 100% scanning and other security protocols.
Communicating the Importance of Seaports
The importance of communicating the importance of seaports has [...]

[ September 10, 2009; ] From the event site: If you ship product in and out of West Coast ports, use or operate marine cargo terminals, use or  operate ocean carriers or tug and barge operations. This conference is designed to address your needs.
Issues to be discussed include:

Environmental Regulations Affecting Vessel and Terminal Operators
AB 32, California Greenhouse Gas Initiative, [...]

[ September 17, 2009 to September 18, 2009. ] From the event site: When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, how does your fleet stack up? With ever-tightening diesel emissions regulations, that’s one of the questions vessel operators everywhere are asking themselves.
Air emissions will be just one of the topics covered during Marine Log’s Global Greenship 2009. Now in its fifth year, the Global [...]

The Japanese shipping giant MOL is utilizing container-on-barge transportation in Cambodia to create a new, faster service between Asia and North America. From the company’s press release:

MOL’s new service will employ Phnom Penh’s river barge terminal. Containers will be shipped via barge to Ho Chi Minh’s deepwater terminal and loaded on MOL’s line-haul vessels for direct service to North America and intra-Asia. By utilizing Phnom Penh’s barge service, MOL will now provide 2-10 days faster transit times to the USWC and Canada than our present routes over Singapore. Transit times to key ports will be reduced to the following: Los Angeles: 20 days; Oakland: 24 days; Seattle: 19 days; Vancouver: 21 days.

And not just ports. In a story by the Journal of Commerce, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said freight transporation projects will also be in line to receive a “significant” amount of the stimulus money.
“We will have some for port enhancements. We’re receiving some significant proposals for intermodal projects, and what’s more intermodal than a port,” LaHood said to the House Appropriations subcommittee on transportation. He said the enhancements would include infrastructure to connect ports with the national transportation system.
DOT is receiving proposals for spending $1.5 billion in discretionary money for transportation infrastructure [...]