The World Trade Center Miami welcomes you to SeaCargo Americas Newsletter, offering you updates from the industry and useful information on the fourth year of the SeaCargo Americas Conference and Exhibition.

SAVE THE DATE
NEWS IN THE AMERICAS

• Uruguayan Delegation to offer Mercosur Gateway
• Chamber Study: Obama Trade Policies Threaten 585,800 U.S. jobs
• US Chamber’s International VP, Brilliant, to Address Joint Luncheon
• Infrastructure Limits Shift to East Coast Ports: Study
• Obama Taps “Border Czar” for Customs Chief
• Port of Tampa Lowers Cargo Rates
• Panama Agrees to Host Two U.S. Naval Bases
• Textile Groups Urge U.S. to Act on Honduras
• Fitch Upgrades Jacksonville Bonds from Negative to Stable

MEET OUR EXHIBITORS

SAVE THE DATE……November 4-6, 2009

NEWS IN THE AMERICAS

Uruguayan Delegation to Offer Mercosur Gateway
US trading partners seeking business with Mercosur members without the complexity of trading through Brazilian, Argentine or Venezuelan ports are being offered a new, modern and efficient alternative through Uruguay, according to port and logistic leaders who will be in Miami Nov. 4-6 to discuss the details.

A government authorized group of private companies will join a team of government officials from Uruguay at the SeaCargo Americas AirCargo Americas Conference for a special seminar Nov. 5th detailing the advantages to hemispheric traders of selecting Uruguay as the natural gateway to Mercosur.

The Mercado Common del Sur (Mercosur) is the trading bloc made up of the four founding countries from 1991: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Since 2008, Venezuela, Chile and Bolivia are associate members. Besides, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia have expressed their desire to join the group but are to a certain extent limited by their own Andean Nations Community. Mexico has also expressed an interest.

Paraguay is landlocked and Brazilian and Venezuelan airports and seaports are enmeshed in political and customs intrigue while Uruguay is striving to demonstrate the efficiency of its new Free Zone laws, according to Renato Ferreira, president of the Lobraus Free Port.

Founded in 1989 in California, Lobraus is now a dominant force at the Port of Montevideo where it operates a Free Trade Zone and bonded warehouse with all the facilities and services common to US Free Trade Zone facilities but highly unusual among other South American port terminals or warehouses.

Also on hand will be executives of the Zonamerica private free zone, business and technology park and executives from TCU S.A. the operator of the airport cargo terminal.

The seminar on Nov. 6 at the Doubletree Miami Mart and Convention Center will cover the advantages of Uruguayan free trade laws, the logistical advantages of trading through Uruguay with Mercosur and the cost benefits of Uruguay’s low tariffs and service fees.

Customs brokers, importers, exporters and carriers are invited to meet with Carlos Gianelli, Uruguay’s Ambassador to the United States; Jorge Camaño, president of CONALOG; Fernando Puntilgliano, former president of ANP, the national ports administration of Uruguay. Also on hand at the national booths and the seminar will be Ferreira, economist Isidoro Hodara who is vice president of Zonamerica and Bruno Guello, an engineer with TCU.

More than 3,000 trade related business persons are expected to attend this historic first joint conference and exhibition of SeaCargo Americas and AirCargo Americas for the three day exhibition featuring the leading corporations in air cargo and ocean shipping and related logistics. Hundreds of other executives involved with SeaCargo will attend two days of intense discussions featuring leaders of the top companies in the industries including: the Ports of Miami, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Houston, Panama and Port Everglades. Also among the presenters will be executives from Seaboard Lines, Maersk, APL Limited, Crowley, SeaFreight, Ports America, Ceres, and DP World.

Executives involved in Air Cargo will hear discussions and presentations from American Airlines, LAN, TampaCargo, FEDEX, and Cargolux.

Both conferences will feature presentations by regulators, trade association leaders and major dealmakers, including representatives from major financial institutions and infrastructure funds.

Chamber Study: Obama Trade Policies Threaten 585,800 U.S. jobs
Trade policies pursued by President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress since the start of the year could lead to the loss of 585,800 U.S. jobs, according to a new study.

The study done for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attributed almost two-thirds of the potential job losses, or 383,400, to Congress' failure to approve free trade agreements with Colombia and South Korea.

Passing the two agreements and a third pact with Panama should be part of a national plan to double U.S. exports over the next five years, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue told reporters in a conference call.

"A major surge in exports is our best path out of a recession, out of double-digit unemployment and the exploding deficits we're now experiencing," Donohue said.

The business group's call for Obama to work more urgently to pass the pending free trade agreements and resolve trade spats threatening U.S. exports came just a few days after Obama slapped tariffs on Chinese tires.

The United Steelworkers union asked for those curbs after saying that 5,000 U.S. tire workers had lost their jobs over the last five years.

"Our study contemplates and foresees in the very near term the number of American lost jobs if America fails to move forward on trade could be 100 times larger," Chamber Vice President John Murphy said.

Obama opposed the Colombia and South Korea agreements during last year's campaign but has promised to push for their approval once a number of concerns raised by his fellow Democrats are addressed.

U.S. failure to approve the deals with Colombia and South Korea could "lead to a decline of $40.2 billion in U.S. exports of goods and services and U.S. national output failing to grow by $44.8 billion" in the next year or two as Canada and the EU fill the trade gap left by the United States, the study said.

"Buy American" provisions of the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress earlier this year were another big source of potential job losses, the study said.

If other countries retaliate by shutting American companies out of just 1 percent of their domestic stimulus programs, the "net employment loss to the United States from the Recovery Act's "Buy American" provisions could total 176,800. In the event retaliation escalates, U.S. job losses will mount dramatically," the study said. Lastly, the Obama administration's failure to resolve a cross-border trucking dispute with Mexico threatens another 25,600 U.S. jobs, the study said. http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-42479720090915?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

US Chamber’s International VP, Brilliant, to Address Joint Luncheon
Myron Brilliant, Senior Vice President, International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and President, U.S.-Korea Business Council has agreed to be the Keynote speaker at the joint SeaCargo Americas AirCargo Americas luncheon in Miami Nov. 5. Brilliant will make the Chamber’s case for the advancement of Free Trade in the Americas. As senior vice president of the International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Brilliant is responsible for driving the global business strategy of the Chamber. He represents the Chamber before foreign government and business leaders and oversees a team of policy analysts committed to expanding global commercial engagement.

Infrastructure Limits Shift to East Coast Ports: Study
Port expansion needed to accept ships through larger Panama Canal West Coast ports will lose ground in the U.S. trade with Asia when the Panama Canal is enlarged, but how much market share East Coast ports will gain at their expense is yet to be determined, according to a transportation industry analyst. Panama in 2014 is scheduled to complete construction of a third set of locks at the canal. Vessels up to 12,000-TEU capacity will transit the canal and call at East Coast ports. The canal at present is limited to vessels of slightly more than 5,000-TEU capacity.

When the capacity and overall efficiency of the canal are increased, East Coast ports will attract more of the Asian imports that move to retail distribution facilities in the eastern half of the country.

Bruce Lambert, executive director of the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies in Mandeville, La., said the fastest growing distribution hub of the country is located in a region stretching from the Ohio Valley to the Southeast and west to Memphis and Kansas City.

West Coast ports, where mega-ships of 8,000 to 10,000-TEU capacity regularly call today, serve many of those distribution centers via intermodal rail. However, retailers and other importers are seeking alternative gateways due to increasing intermodal rail costs, the imposition of port fees in Los Angeles-Long Beach and an unfavorable perception of Longshore labor on the West Coast.

“Cargo will go where it is the most competitive,” Lambert told the Canada Maritime conference sponsored by The Journal of Commerce Thursday in Vancouver.

Lambert recently completed a study on the Panama Canal for the 13 Southeast and Gulf Coast states that support the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies.

Those states see a bonanza of cargo when the canal is enlarged, and they will certainly gain some market share at the expense of West Coast ports, Lambert said. A study earlier this year by Drewry Shipping Consultants in London projected as much as a 25 percent market shift, but Lambert said that conclusion is “on the high side.”

A number of factors will determine cargo flow once the canal is enlarged. For example, will Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to “push cargo away” through fees and other policies, he asked. Lambert formerly worked in marketing at the Port of Long Beach.

Most East Coast ports are incapable of handling mega-ships due to water draft limitations, or, in the case of New York-New Jersey, bridge clearance issues.

Also, Panama will most likely have to continue increasing its tolls in order to retire the massive debt it will incur in enlarging the canal. Shippers and carriers will have to decide whether canal tolls or intermodal rail rates are a bigger deterrent to freight. All port expansion projects today include environmental challenges, and these could delay construction of much-needed infrastructure. http://www.joc.com/node/413609

Obama Taps “Border Czar” for Customs Chief
President Obama has nominated Alan D. Bersin as commissioner for the Customs and Border Protection agency. Bersin has headed border affairs and Mexico issues since April at the Department of Homeland Security. Appointed by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano as assistant secretary for international affairs as well as special representative for border affairs, Bersin has what has been deemed the “border czar” job that develops DHS strategy on security, trade, immigration and narcotics issues involving Mexico.

It was the second time he’s had such a job. Under the Clinton administration Bersin was both U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California and the U.S. attorney general’s Southwest border representative to coordinate law enforcement there.

Upon Senate confirmation, she said he will lead more than 57,000 CPB employees “to implement practical, innovative solutions to protect our country from threats to our national and economic security and facilitate legitimate travel and trade.”
http://joc.com/node/413557

Port of Tampa Lowers Cargo Rates
The Tampa Port Authority has voted to lower its rates by 10 percent for cargo containers carried by its largest container cargo shipping company during the next 12 months.

Despite the prospect of losing a projected $100,000 in revenue from Zim Integrated Shipping Services, port officials said they wanted to support a company that has helped expand Tampa's fledgling container cargo business.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/16/sp-biz-bits/

Panama Agrees to Host Two U.S. Naval Bases
Panama will sign before October 2009 a treaty with the United States on the opening of two U.S. naval bases on its territory, a senior Panamanian government official said on Sunday, RIA Novosti reported.

According to Panama's La Prensa newspaper, a preliminary agreement was reached between Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during recent talks in New York.

"The U.S. and Panama will sign before October 30 an agreement on the deployment of two naval bases on the pacific coast of our country to fight international drug-trafficking," said Minister of Government and Justice Jose Raul Mulino.

"One of the bases will be located in Bahia Pina...450 kilometers [280 miles] east of the capital, Panama City, and another one - in Punta Coca about 350 km [217 miles] west of the capital," Mulino added.

The U.S. government will also allocate additional USD 7 million to Panama this year for the fight against organized crime and illicit drug trade.

According to Panamanian intelligence, there are over 2,000 hideouts on the Pacific coast of Panama, which international drug cartels use as transshipment bases for narcotics shipped from South America to the United States.

All U.S. bases in Panama were closed and U.S. military forces left the country at the end of 1999 in accordance with the Panama Canal treaties.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n195616

Textile Groups Urge U.S. to Act on Honduras
U.S. trade associations representing the fiber, textile, apparel, import, and retail industries wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urging her to take immediate steps to restore stability in Honduras, a country that does billions of dollars of business with the United States in those sectors.

In the letter, the groups said that the current political crisis in Honduras "has caused commercial traffic to falter dramatically, and textile and apparel plants in United States and Honduras are already being idled and workers told to go home."

"We urge the U.S. government to work with the Honduran government in order to ensure that commerce is fully restored in the region before the textile and apparel sectors of the U.S. and CAFTA region are further harmed,” the letter said.

By some estimates, Honduras' $14.1 billion economy has lost as much as $200 million in foreign investment since the Honduran military ousted elected President Manuel Zelaya from office on June 28. Acting president Roberto Micheletti ordered a military-enforced curfew on Sept. 21 after Zelaya snuck back into Honduras and took shelter at the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, the capital. Micheletti said that he imposed the curfew because Zelaya's supporters surrounded the Brazilian embassy and "incited" violence. The trade associations did not specify what measures they believe the United States should undertake to ensure that commerce between the United States and Honduras is fully restored.

The trade groups explained in their letter to Secretary Clinton that the U.S.-Central America textile complex "is a large interconnected textile platform where yarns, fabrics and other components often cross multiple country borders before the final garment is produced. If any one of these segments of the process is significantly interrupted -- as has been occurring in Honduras -- work quickly stops everywhere."

"Dozens of U.S. textile mills have already reported that work has been curtailed and plants have been partially or completely shut down. In the CAFTA region, the same impact is being felt at apparel plants across the region because they cannot get components from Honduras or get products through the port of Puerto Cortes, the principal port for CAFTA trade in the region,” the letter said.

The letter was signed by the following trade associations: American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA); American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC); National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO); National Textile Association (NTA); National Cotton Council (NCC); and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA).
http://www.joc.com/node/413634

Fitch Upgrades Jacksonville Bonds from Negative to Stable
Fitch has upgrade the City of Jacksonville’s $534.4 million in transportation revenue bonds from negative to stable.

According to Fitch, “The prior Negative Outlook reflected the city's prior plans to further leverage the security to the point where coverage levels may be inconsistent with the current rating category. The Outlook revision to Stable from Negative reflects the city's decisions not to further leverage the security and to authorize that the remaining $300 million of BJP projects, including $200 million of transportation projects and $100 million of additional projects, be financed through CB&A secured bonds, including the current issuance discussed above.

In fiscal 2000, the city authorized $750 million in transportation projects and $1.5 billion in infrastructure sales tax projects over a 10-year period as part of the $2.25 billion Better Jacksonville Plan, a comprehensive capital program that will fund various infrastructure and economic development improvements with roughly $300 million of BJP projects left to be funded.

The 'AA' rating on the BJP transportation revenue bonds reflects sound debt coverage, adequate legal provisions and the general credit characteristics of the city. The bonds are secured by the city's half-cent local option transportation sales tax and constitutional fuel tax revenue on a subordinate basis to bonds issued by the State of Florida for the benefit of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The JTA has pledged under an interlocal agreement with the city not to incur additional debt senior to or on parity with the city's bonds. Coverage of annual debt service for fiscal 2008 remained ample at 2.55x while MADS coverage was lower but still adequate at 1.66x due to ascending debt service. MADS occurs in fiscal 2031. Fiscal 2009 year to date revenues are down 8.4% from a year prior through the first ten months of the year which, if annualized, would lower annual debt service coverage.
http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-rates-jacksonville-florida-s-special-r1475676.htm

MEET OUR EXHIBITORS

A&M Transwild Cia S.A.
AAACESA, Almacenes Fiscalizados S.A. De C.V. A En P
ABSA Cargo
ABX Air, Inc.
Aci Cargo, Inc.
ACL/Airshop
AECOM
Aeroexpress
Aeroexpress Cargo
Aeroservicios USA, Inc.
AEROTERM
Aerounion S.A../Aerotransporte de Carga Union
Air Animal Inc.
Air Cargo Management
Air Cargo News
Air Cargo Week
Air Cargo World
Air Cargo, Inc.
Air Jamaica Cargo
Air Partner Freight
Airdex International, Inc.
Airline Services International Inc.
Airliners Magazine
Alpine Systems Associates, Inc.
America Economia
American Airlines
American Airlines Cargo
AmeriJet International, Inc.
AMX Cargo - Aeromexpress Cargo - Aeroexpress
Ana Aviation Services/Network Airline Services
Animal Transportation Association (AATA)
Antillean Marine Shipping Corp.
APL Limited
Arrow Cargo
Atlas Air, Inc.
Auto and Boat Logistcs
AUTOCLEAR
Aviacargo, Inc.
A-Z Group
Barloworld Handling LLC
BCS Brasil Cargo Service
Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc.
Bernuth Agencies, Inc.
Biscayne Bay Pilots Association
Brick Mountain Logistics
Bringer Corporation
Bureau of Dangerous Goods Ltd.
Cargo Airport Services
Cargo Flash Infotech Pvt. Ltd.
Cargo Services, Inc.
Caribbean Airlines Limited
Centro Logisticos Aeroportuarios, S.A. (CLASA)
Centurion Cargo
Chapman Freeborn Air Chartering
Chennault International Airport Authority
CMS
CNS Cargo Network Services
Copa Airlines
Correo Internacional
Curacao Ports Authority/Curacao Port Services
Department of Export Promotion, Thailand
DGM Support (North America, Inc.)
DHL Aviation Americas, Inc.
E.J. Brooks Company
ELC Security Products
Empresa Portuaria Valparaiso
Evoilution LLC
Expert Delivery Service
Federal Maritime Commission
FedEx Express
First Port International
Flite Line, Equipment, Trepel GmbH, Mafi Transport, Aeronet
Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association, Inc.
Florida Trade Consolidators, Inc.
Frankfurt Economic Development GMBH
FreightScan, LLC
Frontcargo Freight Services
Gazprom Marketing and Trading, USA
Global Tranportation Security Compliance Corp./Hazmat Intl. Professional Consultants
Globe Air Cargo, Inc.
Globelink China Logistics, Ltd.
GLT (Ground Logistics Transportation)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Houston Airport Systems
IBC Airways
IFL Group
IMSM, Inc.
Infratil Airports Europe Ltd.
Jacksonville Port Authority
JFK Office Supermarket, Inc.
Katlyn Vehicle Management Systems Inc.
Kelly Tractor Co.
L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems
Lan Cargo
Laparkan Airways, Inc.
Leader Jet
Legacy Technology Services
Leisure Cargo USA, Inc.
LGSTX Services, Inc.
Liege Airport
Lobraus Free Port/Port of Montevideo
Logisuite Corporation
Magaya Corporation
Maromarint'l FFWDRS. Inc. dba: Maromar Shipping Line
Martinair Cargo
Mas Air Cargo
MCS, Airline Software & GSSA
Miami International Airport
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport
Mission Cargo Management, Inc.
National Air Cargo Group, Inc.
NCBFAA
Northern Air Cargo
Ocasa Logistics Solutions
Orion Apparel
Pacific Feeder Services S.A.
Panama Port Authority (ACP)
Paycargo LLC
PBS&J
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport
Polet Airlines
Port Canaveral
Port Everglades
Port Manatee Commerce Center
Port of Miami
Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company (POMTOC)
Port of New Orleans
Port of Palm Beach District
Port San Antonio
Prams Air
Quality Express
Queretaro International Airport
Quick Caller
Rapiscan Systems Inc.
Regional Cargo
Ring Power Corp.
Rio Grande Do Norte Government - Brazil
Roanoke Trade Services, Inc.
RoboVault
Ruslan International Ltd.
Safe Passage Internationl, Inc.
San Antonio International Airport
Seaboard Marine
SeaFreight Line Ltd.
Seitlin Property & Casualty/Navigators Ins. Co.
Smiths Detection
Solar Cargo
South Florida Container Terminal (SFCT)
Spectrum Group
Starlight Airlines
Starlight Airlines/Houston Office
Sterling Transportation
Strike Aviation LLC
Summit Logistics International
Swissport Cargo Services
Tailwind International Air Charters
TAM Airlines
Tampa Cargo
Terminal Logistics
The Adora Group Ltd publishers of: Freightnet.com
The Boeing Company
The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA)
The Journal of Commerce
The STAT Trade Times Aviation Tourism Shipping Transport
Totalpack, Inc.
U.S. Customs Border Protection
Vaculex USA LLC
WFS (Worldwide Flight Services)
World Trade Center Miami, Inc.
World Wide Shipping
Zim American Integrated Shipping Services Co., Inc.