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December 8th, 2005

FMI Announces Holiday Schedule

The following is the upcoming holiday schedule for all FMI offices and facilities:

Forecast for Ports is Positive

A monthly survey by National Retail Federation and Global Insight indicates that the U.S. ports and the marine terminal operators made it through the 2005 peak-shipping season without serious congestion problems, and the ports should remain trouble-free going into 2006.

Intermodal rail operations at the Class 1 railroads also appear to be returning to normal following delays of up to a week at inland intermodal yards the past month, according to the Port Tracker, a monthly analysis of freight transportation trends published by the group.

Container volumes moving through major West and East Coast ports should be managable through February, when volumes tend to be 20 percent lower than peak-season highs in October. Cargo volumes in December, January and February are expected to be higher than in the same months the previous year, although growth rates will be modest.

While the trade growth appears to have stabilized as forecasted, further diversion of cargo will be becomes less likely in the near term as congestion pressures ease and vessel capacity is being added to Los Angeles-Long Beach services.

Also, the gains in market share by New York-New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah in comparison to West Coast ports have likewise stabilized and further gains during the winter and spring months will be small compared to this year, the report stated.

U.S. Details China Textile Entry

The U.S. government has given U.S. textile importers a schedule detailing when they can secure the release of Chinese-made apparel that was denied entry to the United States after import restrictions were imposed last year.

The details were published in a notice by the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, an interagency group chaired by the Commerce Department, that oversees textile and apparel trade agreements.

CITA said a variety of product categories will be released to importers between Nov. 28 and Dec. 2 if the goods entered a bonded warehouse or free trade zone before Nov. 8. The list of goods includes cotton knit shirts and blouses, cotton trousers, cotton and man-made fiber underwear, man-made fiber knit shirts and blouses, and man-made fiber trousers.