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Cargo containers crammed with foreign-made goods that were supposed to set a record in August at major U.S. ports took an unexpected turn, with imports sinking 1.4% in another sign of the slowing of the economy. Imports of items as diverse as toys and tiles could also be lower in September and October, when retailers will be stocking shelves for the holidays, because shell-shocked shoppers are expected to continue to pull back. Entry point click to enlarge Graphic Is trade boom over? click to enlargeThe falloff "reflects the consumer-demand-driven weakness in the U.S. economy," said Paul Bingham, an economist with...

Baggage handler locked in hold on US-bound flight Ronan McGreevy A baggage handler at Dublin airport was locked into the cargo hold of a transatlantic aircraft as it taxied down the runway. The 55-year-old man, who had worked with Aer Lingus for 16 years and had been promoted to shift leader, got stuck in the hold when he went to retrieve a bag that should have been on a flight to Los Angeles rather than New York. A report into the incident, in late 2005, said it was "fortunate" that the man had a mobile phone, which he used to...

Vanuatu cargo cult marks 50 years By Phil Mercer BBC News, Tanna One of the world's last surviving cargo cults is celebrating its official 50th anniversary on Tanna island in Vanuatu. The John Frum Movement worships a mysterious spirit that urged them to reject the teachings of the Church and maintain their traditional customs. The cult was reinforced during WWII, when US forces landed with huge amounts of cargo - weapons, food and medicine. Villagers believe the spirit of John Frum sent the US military to their South Pacific home to help them. Devotees say that an apparition of John...

Excerpt - Japan and the United States will discuss ways to cooperate on inspecting vessels that enter or leave North Korea as part of the international effort to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear test. Kenichiro Sasae, head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, met in Tokyo on Monday and confirmed that the two countries will collaborate on cargo inspections and other measures against North Korea. ~ snip ~

Cargo theft accounts for approximately $50 billion in direct merchandise losses each year worldwide — $15 billion of that in the United States alone. (SNIP) The Hialeah gang (Miami) is believed to be the single most important theft grouping active in cargo crime across the United States. (SNIP) ..grouped by geography: • Miami/South Florida: Widely considered the most prolific in highvalue cargo theft, the gangs in this region can be divided into two groups: those that operate strictly within Florida and Georgia and those that operate beyond the regional boundaries. Those that roam outside the region generally target high-dollar freight,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 -- The same global positioning technology that helps fighter and bomber pilots deliver smart bombs with pinpoint accuracy now allows bundles dropped from cargo planes to steer themselves to drop zones. A new GPS-guided “Screamer” bundle from the Joint Precision Air Drop System falls out the back of a C-130 Hercules over Afghanistan Aug. 26. The drop was made from 17,500 feet above mean sea level and was the first joint Air Force-Army operational drop of JPADS in the Central Command area of responsibility. Four bundles were dropped from the Alaska Air National Guard C-130....

Using Flight Aware to track a 747 (my favorite jet) cargo flight out of Chas. SC. Destination is England, but south of Rhode Island it looks like it made a big loop over the ocean, and according to its last position, it appear to be headed to an old abandoned Military Airfield (Floyd Bennet) on Long Island. Another aviation enthusiasts have an ideas why it would do this?

A four-man salvage team was able to access and survey the Cougar Ace yesterday, determining that at least some cargo remains in place and that the vessel remains stable. However, while conducting the survey, one of the team members fell and died from injuries sustained in the fall. ....... snip ...... The team determined that the cargo on the number one deck, the highest deck, remains in place. Cargo on the ninth deck has also remained in place. The engine room is intact and there is no sign of water. There are a total of fourteen car cargo decks on...

Vancouver, British Columbia - The fate of thousands of Mazda cars was uncertain this week after the ship carrying them to North America rolled on its side in the Pacific Ocean. The Cougar Ace rolled sideways when the massive ship's ballast tank was adjusted. The automaker had 4700 vehicles aboard the automobile carrier Cougar Ace that began taking on water on Sunday and listed so heavily that the 23 crew had to be rescued by the US Coast Guard. The 199.3m Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ship was still afloat on Wednesday with its keel and propeller out of the water and...

A newspaper claims to have planted a fake bomb on a train carrying nuclear waste. The Daily Mirror said one of its reporters wandered up to the unattended wagons at a north west London depot. It said a terrorist could have blown up the waste, sparking a vast toxic cloud that would have killed hundreds. The train carries radioactive flasks of spent uranium fuel rods from the Kent countryside to Cumbria. The reporter was able to place a device that could have been a bomb on the 12-ton cargo as the train sat in sidings at a depot. He approached...

Washington (DC) - Laptops get hot, but can they cause a plane to catch on fire? The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating whether laptop batteries caused a UPS cargo plane to catch on fire last February. The DC-8 plane with three crew members made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport after a fire broke out in the cargo hold. The fire continued to burn for four hours destroying the plane and most of the UPS packages inside. Luckily, the crew on board UPS flight 1307 escaped with only minor injuries. In the accident investigation, NTSB officials...

The nation's defense against nuclear terrorism took a major step Friday, federal officials said, following the award of contracts worth $1.2 billion to install advanced sensors at U.S. ports of entry to screen for radioactive cargo. The Department of Homeland Security plans to install 1,400 advanced detection systems at 370 border crossings and ports under the program, which has been in development at federal laboratories for several years. The sensors, which cost $350,000 to $600,000 each, will allow inspectors to scan rail cars, trucks and shipping containers with greater accuracy and fewer false alarms, said Vayl S. Oxford, director of...

Two helicopters from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base were called Saturday to rescue an American who suffered what appeared to be a stroke about 500 miles off the California coast. The helicopters, from the 943rd Rescue Group, were chosen because the Navy and Coast Guard cannot refuel in the air, said Capt. Eric Simon, of the 943rd. While there is a rescue group stationed at Moffett Federal Airfield in the San Francisco area, Capt. Simon said the holiday made it difficult to activate that group. The man was aboard the cargo ship Horizon Pacific when he began suffering stroke symptoms, according...

WASHINGTON (ARMY NEWS SERVICE, March 23, 2006) – Army and Air Force officials announced March 17 that a new Joint Cargo Aircraft, designed to enhance the combat readiness of both services, will be developed by a combined team. Fielding of the new aircraft is expected within two years. The Request for Proposals was released March 17 after the Acquisition Strategy Report was signed that morning, according to Pentagon officials. A Joint Program Office, comprised of personnel from both branches of service, will open Oct. 1 in Huntsville, Ala., with the Army taking the lead. “This is a big day for...

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 20, 2006 – A single U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport jet set a record by airdropping 32,400 pounds of humanitarian aid within 40 minutes to four locations in central and eastern Afghanistan March 16. Airdrop missions involve delivering cargo without landing the airplane. This airdrop marked the most cargo dropped to this many drop zones in the shortest amount of time from a single aircraft in the history of U.S. airdrop operations, said Air Force Lt. Col. Charles Ciuzio, chief of the Air Mobility Division at the Combined Air Operations Center. It is the policy...

Nuclear reactors are among the most significant U.S. exports shipped out of five of the six ports slated for takeover by a Dubai company next week. According to U.S. Transportation Department numbers cited Thursday by Newsday, the two "top products" shipped in and out of the Ports of New York and New Jersey are "mineral fuel [and] nuclear reactors." The New York-New Jersey ports handle 4,862 ships each year. The Port of Baltimore processes 1,747 ships each year, where the top two products, according to Newsday, are "vehicles [and] nuclear reactors." The Port of Miami unloads 1,247 ships annually. There...

ABOARD USS NASSAU, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Nassau (LHA 4) and embarked units provided assistance to a distressed vessel off the coast of Kenya Jan. 31 while conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the area. Motor vessel Al Manara reported a need for provisions, engineering assistance and medical attention. The crew aboard Nassau responded as part of their MSO mission to provide supplies, medicine and assistance to the vessel’s crew. “We received a report from Coalition Task Force (CTF) 150 stating that the motor vessel Al Manara had suffered an engineering casualty approximately 680 miles off the coast of...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Fifteen airport cargo handlers have pleaded guilty to charges of stealing items being mailed to military personnel stationed in Okinawa, Japan, authorities said Tuesday. Nearly 600 incidents of theft were reported since November 2003 with an estimated $200,000 in losses. U.S. Postal Inspectors and military criminal investigators noted suspicious behavior among cargo handlers employed by Aeroground at San Francisco International Airport. Workers concealed merchandise under their clothing and took it to their vehicles in an adjoining parking lot, according to court documents. Stolen items included laptop computers, DVD players, jewelry, Victoria's Secret merchandise and digital cameras....

NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 3, 2005 — Twenty-four Navy reservists from the Springfield, Mo., Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center returned from the Middle East Sept. 28 after fulfilling a combat service support mission in Iraq and Kuwait. The sailors were mobilized by the Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Force in Williamsburg, Va., in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as members of the Mobile Air Cargo Handling team, which augmented Marines at key hubs to facilitate intra-theater distribution of aviation material. "Your hard work and diligence ensured accurate delivery of aviation parts with on-time service, allowing maintainers to continue the...

(West Hartford-WTNH, July 15, 2005 6:30 PM) _ Three people face multiple charges after someone tried to steal a FedEx delivery truck. The FedEx driver went to make a delivery behind a home on Forest Drive and when he came back the suspect was in his truck, trying to drive off, police said. The FedEx driver jumped in and during a struggle the truck veered back and forth on the quiet street. The truck finally stopped after it jumped a curb and came to rest on a neighbor's lawn. The suspect jumped out and took off. Several people saw the...