Century Distribution starts U.S. NVO service

Century Distribution starts U.S. NVO service    Third-party logistics services provider Century Distribution Systems has started a non-vessel-operating common carrier service to serve shippers in the U.S. trades.
   Century Express, the U.S. licensed ocean transportation intermediary, is an outgrowth of the company's NVO division Century Shipping, which was started in 2005. Century Shipping has operated in several trade lanes, predominantly Asia/Europe and Asia/Australia, but did not hold licenses from the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission and China's Ministry of Communications to specifically operate in the U.S. inbound and outbound trades.
   'Our newest division, Century Express, is meant to round out our pre-existing NVO service, offering and complementing our thriving buyer's consolidation business,' said Bill McGough, vice president of sales and customer support for Century Distribution. 'We definitely see this as an opportunity to win new business outright and, importantly, expand upon the services we can provide to our existing customer partners.'
   He added that between Century Shipping and Century Express, the company can service trade lanes globally, including eastbound and westbound transpacific. 'We will not be limiting our focus to just transpacific inbound,' McGough said.
   Century Express is based at Century Distribution's Richmond, Va., headquarters. The NVO also includes a branch office and centralized customer service center in Iselin, N.J. The service center provides rate quotations, documentation, customer care and accounting.
   'All the same owned offices and agents that manage our buyer's consolidation business will be hands-on with the Century Express business,' McGough said. 'That adds up to 48 countries we service out of 100-plus cargo handling facilities in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, South America and Central America.' ' Chris Gillis