American Shipper

Cargo backlog could take one to two months to clear out.

Northern California port shut down briefly after disagreement over labor break time.

Carrier signs 20-year lease in advance of deploying new con-ro ships in the Puerto Rico trade.

Drewry says, however, additional capacity could keep rates in check.

Intermodal logistics provider buys 200 units on first year anniversary.

Partnerships have been reached between E2Open and its customers, Aljex and FourKites, and UNIT45 and Globe Tracker.

   A recent online story about cargo volume at Port Tampa Bay incorrectly stated that the public docks are owned by the city of Tampa. Port Tampa is an independent port district created by the state of Florida.

On Second Thought with Andrea Appell    “We are going global!” Four familiar words proclaimed by many U.S. companies, large and small.  For a company and its employees, these words are thrilling, energizing, and motivating. But what does this actually mean to each function of a company? How does the movement to “go global” impact […]

   Background noise is the drip-drip water torture of modern supply chains.    And the impact is felt no more keenly than in transportation procurement. This is where the overused concept of big data becomes a tangible, visceral problem for transportation managers in the digital age.    Buyers of transportation services are literally inundated with […]

Container Analytics with Ben Meyer    Several months ago, this column said the recently formed 2M and Ocean3 vessel sharing agreements (VSA) of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co., and CMA CGM, United Arab Shipping Co. and China Shipping Container Lines, respectively, appeared to be on a collision course in the major east-west trades (November […]

   Port Tampa Bay Chief Executive Officer Paul Anderson painted a rosy picture in his Jan. 27 “State of the Port” address of the facility’s progress handling cargo and boosting the local economy. But many of the statistics cited presented a best case scenario involving cargo generated outside the port’s jurisdiction.    The discrepancy results […]

Port Tampa Bay takes long-term approach to business development.

   Increased funding for ports—not just for marine terminals themselves, but connections via water and land—continue to be a key focus for the American Association of Port Authorities.    In January, AAPA held a roundtable in the Port of Long Beach to draw the media’s attention to what it believes is a need to boost […]

   Something for every shipper to keep their eyes on in California — aside, you know, from crippling port congestion — is the state’s legal position on whether drayage drivers are considered employees or independent contractors.    Recent case law suggests the state sees these drivers as employees, while the current system relies almost entirely on them being independent owner-operators.    Adding opacity […]

   With heartfelt thanks and plenty of sadness, we are bidding farewell to three members of American Shipper’s editorial board in March.    Virginia Thompson, formerly senior director of global transportation and trade compliance at Crate & Barrel, is leaving the home furnishings retailer to become vice president of product management at the global trade management software provider Integration Point.    Thompson provided valuable […]

Apparel, footwear shippers struggle with West Coast port issues.

Nothing short of a system reset based on policies characterized by intermodalism will avoid what could eventually be years of freight gridlock.

   “Believe it or not, we deal in perishables,” said Joseph Roisman, executive vice president with Perry Ellis International. Like other apparel companies, Perry Ellis has struggled with congestion at West Coast ports during the past year.    Roisman, who has been with the Miami-based company since 1970, said “I don’t think it has ever […]

Differences between the ILWU and ILA abound, but can port labor negotiations be structured more effectively?

Fast growing U.S. forage exports hit by West Coast port problems.