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United Airlines flight attendants reject tentative agreement
The union representing United Airlines flight attendants said that the flight attendants voted Tuesday to reject a tentative agreement on a new contract. The Association of Flight Attendants - CWA, which represents United's 28,000 flight attendants, reported that 92% of eligible voters had cast a vote, with 71% voting against the agreement. According to estimates, the agreement that the union and United reached in May would result in a 40% financial gain for flight attendants during the first year of their new contract. Ken Diaz, the president of United Airlines' chapter of AFA-CWA said that the agreement did not "go far enough" to address the demands of flight attendants. Diaz stated that "our union will survey our members as soon as possible in order to identify the main issues that Flight Attendants want to fight for to be included in an agreement." The union will return to United Airlines' negotiating table until a new deal is reached. United's flight crews filed for federal mediation with the Department of Justice in 2023. They are now seeking a new agreement that includes a two-digit base pay increase, better compensation for hours worked, including time spent on the ground, as well as retroactive payment, more flexible scheduling, and improved rules. Since 2020, they haven't been given a raise. (Reporting and editing by Alan Barona, Bengaluru)
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FAA failed to act prior to helicopter crash: US Transport chief
Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said that the Federal Aviation Administration did not act on dozens near-misses before a deadly January crash involving an American Airlines regional plane and an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The mistake was that it was not anticipated. Duffy told reporters that there were 84 near-misses within the D.C. area in the previous three years, but no one took any action. Someone was sleeping at the wheel. "Someone should have seen it." The crash on January 29, which claimed the lives of 67 people, happened just a few days after Donald Trump was inaugurated. Duffy stated that it was unclear whether the safety data were elevated to the then Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, or the FAA Leadership under President Joe Biden. In March, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that between 2021 and 2021, there had been 15,200 incidents of air separation near Reagan involving commercial aircrafts and helicopters. This included 85 close calls. Duffy stated that the FAA is looking into other recent near miss incidents and possible hot spots. Recently, we've had some near misses. Duffy said that the FAA is not ignoring this, and was evaluating "what steps we need to take to ensure it won't happen again." Both parties of Congress have asked why the FAA has not acted for so many years in response to close calls with helicopters near Reagan. "Clearly, Something was missed " FAA Deputy Director Chris Rocheleau told Senators in March. Early in May, the FAA banned the Army from flying helicopters around the Pentagon After a close call on May 1, Two civilian aircraft were forced to abort their landings. A three-day investigation into the crash in January will begin on Wednesday by the NTSB. The NTSB is reviewing the Army helicopter altimeters and air data systems as well as FAA oversight over Washington airspace. On Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz, along with several other Republican Senators, unveiled legislation that would require military helicopters to use ADS-B technology for tracking aircraft when they are near civilian aircraft, and all civilian aircraft must use ADS-B. At the time of the collision in January, the accident helicopter did not use ADS-B. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu nomiyama and Les Adler
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Union Pacific's purchase of US Rail rival is subject to lengthy review
Surface Transportation Board, an independent federal agency in Washington that oversees the rail industry's competition and important areas, will have to approve Union Pacific's proposal for the purchase of smaller rail operator Norfolk Southern. The $85 billion agreement announced on Tuesday will create the first coast-tocoast freight rail operator in the United States and transform the movement of goods, from grains to automobiles across the U.S. Here are the details about the board, and what they will be looking at in relation to the Union Pacific transaction. What is the Surface Transportation Board (STB)? The agency was created in 1996 and reviews rail mergers, rate issues, service concerns, and large construction projects. The Interstate Commerce Commission was founded in 1887 and it replaced this agency. Patrick Fuchs, STB Chairman, has stated that he would like the agency to update its regulatory framework in order to increase competition and lower regulatory barriers. In 2021, the board rejected Canadian National’s plan to put Kansas City Southern into a temporary “voting trust” that would have allowed Kansas City Southern's shareholders to get consideration for the deal without waiting for full regulatory approval. This, along with a higher offer from another Canadian railway, led to the end of Canadian National's bid. What is the procedure for a merger of railroads? It could take up to a year for approval. The applicant must first submit a notice stating that they plan to request merger approval. Three to six months later, the application for merger is filed. The STB will then decide whether the merger is complete. It will open for 90 days for public comment and response. The board could spend an additional year holding an hearing and receiving rebuttals or filings. The board usually takes 90 days after the evidence has been closed to write an opinion, which includes a period of oversight. The Attorney General can also weigh in on mergers of large railroads. This gives the Justice Department an opportunity to have a say in the merger. What is the typical recommendation of the board for a merger in rail? After a seven-day public hearing, the STB approved the acquisition of Kansas City Southern Railway Company, by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. The approval included an unprecedented seven year period of oversight and many conditions, including those addressing environmental impacts, preserving competition, protecting railroad workers, as well as promoting efficient passenger rail. What will the Board consider when evaluating the Union Pacific merger? This is the first deal to be reviewed under the 2001 rules that "substantially increased the burden on applicants" to prove that a proposed deal would be in public interest. They would also be required to demonstrate how the deal would increase competition in certain key areas. The board will also examine how product shippers view the deal, and its impact on labor unions. The Surface Transportation Board will hear arguments on Tuesday from the largest U.S. railroad union, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. The company is concerned that the deal will reduce employee safety, job security and service quality.
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Freeport LNG Texas plant returns to operation on Tuesday, according to data
Freeport LNG announced on Tuesday that the three trains at their facility in Texas were operating after data from financial company LSEG indicated a reduced throughput since last Saturday. Freeport LNG's facility on Quintana Island, the third-largest LNG plant in the U.S., has experienced periodic outages ever since it began operating. Markets closely monitor its operations as in the past, they have influenced LNG price. According to LSEG data, Freeport's feedgas nominated increased to 1.9 bcf from 1.1 bcf Monday. LSEG data shows that when all three trains are running, Freeport pulls between 1.9 bcfd and 2.3 bcfd feedgas. The data shows that the number of nominations has decreased since Saturday. Freeport confirmed that the three trains are operating but refused to comment on the past three days. Curtis Williams, reporting from Houston
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The largest rail union in the United States intends to oppose Norfolk Southern's merger with Union Pacific
The largest rail union of the United States announced Tuesday that it will oppose Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion buyout of smaller rival Norfolk Southern, citing concerns over how the largest ever buyout in this sector will impact U.S. infrastructure and workers. The Transportation Division of SMART, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, has announced that it will oppose the merger at the Surface Transportation Board review. The union stated that it approached this development with a "measured skepticism" based on the impact such a consolidation could have in real life, including the effects of a merger on workers, safety and service quality as well as the health of the industry in the long term. If approved, this deal will create the first coast-tocoast freight rail operator in the United States, by combining Union Pacific’s strongholds in the western two thirds of the United States, with Norfolk’s 19,500 mile network, which primarily spans the 22 eastern states. Reporting by Jody Gooey in New York, editing by Chizu Nimiyama
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Greek ship manager is'relieved to see' Houthi video that shows missing seafarers still alive
The manager of the vessel in Greece that sank earlier this month after it was attacked by Houthi militants near Yemen expressed his relief after watching a video which showed 11 crew members still alive. The Houthis, allied with Iran, released the six-minute video on Monday. They claimed to have rescued seafarers aboard the Eternity C cargo vessel flying the Liberian flag. The Athens based ship management company issued a statement saying that efforts are being made to ensure "safe and rapid return of the sailors to their families". The company said that it was "deeply relieved" to see the video released by the Houthis, which showed that 10 of its missing crew members and one of the vessel’s security guards (11 total) were alive and appeared to be receiving treatment. The Philippine government confirmed Tuesday that nine of those rescued seafarers are Filipinos. Hans Cacdac, the minister for migrant workers, said that the sailors are in "good health" according to their family members and the government is working hard to ensure their release and return. Cosmoship said it hoped that the Houthis would "release our crew as soon as possible". Eternity C is the second vessel to sink in Yemen this month, following repeated attacks from Houthi militants using sea drones and rocket propelled grenades. The Magic Seas was another Greek-operated ship that had been lost a few days before. The Houthis have re-initiated their attacks against shipping. Between November 2023 to December 2024, they hit over 100 ships in a show that they claimed was in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war. The attacks forced the crew of Eternity C and its three armed guards to abandon ship. A private mission rescued ten of them, and five others are believed dead. The Houthis released on Monday a video of six minutes showing images of missing seafarers. Some of them were talking on the phone to their families. The Houthis also presented testimony that crew members had not been aware of the Houthi's maritime ban on vessels heading to Israeli ports. The vessel was said to be heading to Israel's Eilat port to load fertilizers. Could not independently verify footage. Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Jonathan Saul and Helen Popper; editing by Helen Popper
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CMA CGM is interested in CK Hutchison’s port terminals
CMA CGM, the French shipping giant, said Tuesday that it was interested in taking some of CK Hutchison’s ports. Exclusive talks between CK Hutchison and a consortium led BlackRock ended this week. CK Hutchison had agreed to sell a majority of its global ports business worth $22.8 billion to a consortium that included the family-run shipping firm MSC owned by Italian billionaire Gianluigi Apponte. However, the exclusive talks ended on Sunday. CMA CGM would have greater control of its supply chain if it were to acquire a stake in CK Hutchison’s 43 terminals located in 23 different countries, as part of the preliminary deal. This is especially true if the company could secure one of the Panama Canal ports. Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM's Chief Financial Officer, told reporters that the second quarter results were important to the industry and the company. He added, "We have 65 terminals in the world and we follow this operation closely. We are interested in taking part in it." CMA CGM has already 65 terminals in the world. CK Hutchison announced on Monday that it is in discussions with the consortium about adding a Chinese "major strategically investor" to their bid. Sources said the Chinese shipping giant COSCO may be interested. CMA CGM reported a virtually stable second quarter sales of $13.2 billion. The net profit dropped to $521 from $661 millions a year ago. The group was cautious in its outlook for the second part of the year. It cited geopolitical and economic uncertainties. In the first five month of 2025, global container trade increased by more than 4%. This was primarily due to an increase in China's imports. China's exports fell by 8% to the U.S., but rose 18% to Southeast Asia, 15% to the Middle East, and 11% to the EU. Fernandez explained that the new EU-US agreement will require operators adapt. However, it only affects about 2% global container trade, so its direct impact is limited in comparison to the larger shifts occurring between China and the U.S. (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; editing by Giles Elgood)
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Argentina will be the first to export corn to China in next month's shipment.
According to the data of local shipping agency NABSA, seen on Tuesday, Argentina, which is one of world's biggest grain suppliers, will send its first shipment to China next month since Beijing has approved imports until 2023. One of the Association of Argentine Cooperatives' (ACA) terminals, located in the Quequen port area, will ship 24,718 metric tonnes of corn to China. The data from Argentina's national statistics agency indicates that this is the first time Argentina exports to China corn since Beijing authorized the import of the grain in 2023. ACA didn't immediately respond to a comment request from. Gustavo Idigoras is the president of CIARA-CEC, the exporters' chamber. He said: "The beginning of corn shipments into China marks a landmark for our commercial strategies with this country." He added that Argentina is the third largest global corn supplier. "Now, we can let Chinese customers know about our corn so they will buy in large quantities." NABSA data shows that the shipment to China will depart from Canada on the CANADA EXPRESS vessel at the latest on August 15. China has also had a good year. Imports approved Argentinean data indicates that two types of GMO corn have been grown, but no GMO corn is currently exported to China.
Sources say that Indian refiner Nayara has reduced its crude production in response to EU sanctions
Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy has reduced operations at its 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery in the aftermath of new European Union sanctions that targeted the firm, five sources familiar with the matter said.
Nayara is a privately-held company that runs India's largest refinery in Vadinar, a port located in Gujarat's western state. It controls about 8% of India's total capacity for refining, or 5.2 million barrels per day.
Two sources claim that the sanctions against Russia's energy sector and other countries announced on July 18 have made it harder for Nayara, which exports refined products. This has led to storage problems.
Sources in the trade and industry say that since the EU restrictions on Nayara fuel, traders are more cautious when dealing with it.
Reports last week indicated that two tankers had skipped scheduled loadings at Vadinar, while another tanker with a cargo of Russian crude oil was diverted from the refiner.
Nayara operates the refinery 70% of its capacity according to one source, and 80% according to another.
The latest government data indicates that Nayara operated at over 100% of its capacity during each of the three months from June.
All sources requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak with the media. Nayara didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.
Nayara exports four million barrels per month of refined products, including jet fuel, diesel, gasoline, and naphtha.
India is now the largest buyer of Russian crude oil by sea, following the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow. Nayara is a major buyer of Russian crude oil. It's majority owned by Russian companies including Rosneft.
The Friday report stated that Nayara’s chief executive, Sergey Denisov who was its chief development officer at the time, resigned following the sanctions.
Nayara announced on Monday that it had filed legal action against Microsoft, the U.S. software company, following its suspension services for the refiner.
Nayara is a fuel station operator based in Mumbai. (Reporting and editing by Florence Tan; Mohi Naryan, Tony Munroe, Clarence Fernandez; Additional reporting by Nidhi verma)
(source: Reuters)