Lesson 1: Increase supply chain efficiency, don’t shut port

   When President Obama visited the New York World Trade Center last month, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey inconvenienced thousands of commuters and annoyed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg by shutting down service on its PATH commuter railroad for hours.
   The Russians are doing New York one better – planning to shut down the entire port of Vladivostok for nearly a week when bigwigs descend on the city for the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization.
   In a note to customers, the container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said all seaport operations in Vladivostok will cease from Sept. 3 to Sept. 9 due to the APEC leaders summit. It said vessels will not be able to enter the port during this period.
   Hapag-Lloyd suggested to customers that to avoid shipment delays, cargo should be discharged in Pusan, South Korea one week in advance for timely connection to East Russia.
   Ironically, the APEC Website said a goal for 2012 is “establishing reliable supply chains.” – Chris Dupin