NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- With export freight shipments piled up in Asia, a sudden surge in demand has some looking to the sky for signs of economic upturn, said The Journal of Commerce in this week's feature story.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091221/NY29373)

Available aircraft capacity, shaved to the bone at the depths of the recession, is colliding with a mini boom in trade to create a shipper's nightmare -- freight pile-ups at Asian airports.

It's the latest indicator that an economic and trade recovery is under way -- and not a moment too soon for global airlines that could lose $11 billion this year and ocean shipping lines that might lose double that amount. But is the recovery sustainable, or is the latest rally simply a case of shippers rushing their goods to market before the end of the year?

In this week's Journal of Commerce cover story expert voices and recent industry data point to indications that this is a sign of a larger recovery. Shipping activity in raw materials, project cargo and other categories support hopes of sustainability. However, before shippers' confidence to rebuild is restored, carriers will need to return to higher levels of capacity, and they plan to move forward on that very cautiously.

Additional features this week highlight:

• Landmark rail regulation bill being modified at 11th hour, supported by Sen. Rockefeller, D-W.Va.
• Impatience with Customs' technology push - the Automated Commercial Environment program (ACE) -- mounts.
• Struggles as Port Authority of New York and New Jersey moves to replace trucks and reduce pollution.
• Decreased volume creates a new congestion dilemma at Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach.
• Kraft rethinks its global shipping network with eye on resource conservation and reduced emissions.

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About UBM Global Trade - UBM Global Trade, formerly Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., has been the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide since 1827. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, The Journal of Commerce Conferences, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited, is headquartered in East Windsor, NJ, with offices throughout the United States and in Canada and Hong Kong. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-221-5488 (+1-609-371-7700 outside the U.S. and Canada).

About United Business Media Limited - UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring, and the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities -- from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists -- with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries is organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.ubm.com.

SOURCE UBM Global Trade; The Journal of Commerce

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