Compiled by Anton Marsh. ICAO air routes circumvent war

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has put in place a number of alternate air routes around the Persian Gulf. ICAO, a United Nations agency, developed the routes in co-ordination with member states and the International Air Transport Association, to maintain traffic on the major international air routes between Europe and Southeast Asia www.eyefortransport.com Hackers target IMO website The International Maritime Organisation’s website was one of hundreds to fall victim to hackers over the weekend. Culprits left anti-war messages in both English and Arabic on prominent display. lloydslistbulletin@lloydslist.com US airlines’ cargo volumes remain strong Northwest Airlines Cargo, United Airlines Cargo and American Airlines’ cargo division report negligible differences in cargo volumes since the onset of war against Iraq. “We haven’t seen any negative impact,” was the consensus among spokesmen for all three airlines. www.eyefortransport.com Unmanned vehicle will patrol ports The US Coast Guard is developing an unmanned autonomous underwater vehicle that will patrol ports using acoustic detection and well as new laser imagery to pick up distant objects and map the sea floor. It’s all part of a massive security initiative in the US where 95% of imports arrive by sea. www.transportsecurityworld.com Approval for ship-to-rail facility at Port of NY/NJ Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has given approval to Howland Hook Marine Terminal to build a US$ 72.5 million ship to rail facility at the Staten Island terminal. Scheduled for completion by 2005, it will be capable of handling 250 000 containers a year. www.eyefortransport.com