The award of $11.7 million in damages to the owner and operator of a dredge that was struck by an orange juice tanker was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in a summary order. (Great Lakes Bus. Trust v. M/T Orange Sun. 2nd Cir. 12-1270-cv. April 30.) Great […]
In 2004, the tanker Athos I carried a cargo of crude oil from Venezuela to Paulsboro, N.J., and while approaching a terminal on the Delaware River, the ship’s hull was punctured by a submerged anchor just 900 feet from its berth. (It is not known how the anchor, since recovered, got there. It […]
Gillespie-Munro uses platform for a decade, seeks new frontiers in ocean freight processing. By Eric Johnson Ten years ago, the Montreal-based freight forwarder Gillespie-Munro signed on to the then relatively new ocean freight booking portal INTTRA, hoping to ease a booking process that had been traditionally cumbersome. In the years since, Gillespie-Munro has witnessed, […]
So 2013 is the year of Long Beach, it seems. The nation’s second biggest port has enjoyed a banner first half. With cargo volume up more than 14 percent through June, Long Beach has nabbed some market share from its neighbor, Los Angeles. This will be an eternal battle, it seems, or […]
Among the myriad concerns ocean freight shippers have on a daily basis, it’s likely that the ship on which their goods are riding might hit a whale en route is fairly slim. For marine conservationists, however, whale collisions with cargo vessels are a pretty big deal. And so now, even whales have their […]
By Eric Johnson More than a decade since U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, a preponderance of shippers surveyed earlier this year by American Shipper say they are not receiving some or all of the benefits promised by the program. As part of American Shipper’s 2012 […]
The cover story in the June issue of American Shipper (see pages 12-16) tackled a topic that has been crucial, but tricky, for most shippers: total landed cost. So I read with interest a recent blog post from Steve Banker, service director of supply chain management at ARC Advisory Group. Writing on the […]
With new labor contract, LTL carrier believes it is back on road to prosperity. By Jon Ross Having just emerged from a protracted labor negotiation and with an eye toward his company’s 90th anniversary this fall, Roy Slagle, ABF’s president and chief executive officer, takes a sunny view of the current domestic less-than-truckload market. […]
U.S. Customs modernizes trade programs with help of industry, other regulatory bodies. By Eric Kulisch One of the biggest lessons learned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the course of implementing post-9/11 supply chain security measures is that partnerships with industry, other government agencies and the international community are essential for developing new regulations because […]
U.S. Customs may have gotten a congressional reprieve to avoid forced furloughs of field officers, Border Patrol agents and other employees, but that doesn’t mean the agency hasn’t felt the effect of the sequester. The six-month DHS appropriation gave CBP flexibility in how to implement automatic budgets trigged by gridlock over the deficit, […]
Global trade management is more about integrating compliance with finance and logistics. By Eric Johnson Compliance practitioners, analysts, and technology vendors alike point to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as the inflection point for global trade management — the day when it became critical for companies to tackle the compliance aspect of GTM less […]
Canadian truckers feel sidelined in efforts to improve trade with United States. By Jon Ross In 2011, the Canadian and U.S. governments jointly released a report meant to update the processes at their shared border and increase the flow of trade between the nations. The Beyond the Border Action Plan aims to assist President […]
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced July 12 that she will be leaving her post in September after four years to become chancellor of the 10-school University of California system. In reporting the news for our online audience, I noted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been without a permanent commissioner for […]
It’s every liner carrier’s worst nightmare: a loaded containership suffers major mishap on the high seas. This was certainly the case for Japan’s MOL in the early morning of June 17 when its 7,041-TEU ship, MOL Comfort, suddenly split in two among the storm-churned waters of the Arabian Sea near the coast of […]
With competing needs for capital, liner carriers are using more leased containers. By Chris Dupin To buy or lease? It’s a question faced not only by new car shoppers, but liner shipping companies when deciding how to obtain new containers. In recent years, with many carriers recording losses and needing capital for other […]
How top companies structure their trade compliance infrastructure for success. By Eric Kulisch Opinions vary about how to structure trade compliance operations within an international company and to what extent interactions with customs authorities should be controlled from a central point. Some say the legal or finance department is the logical place to house compliance […]
Rickmers CEO says ocean shipping must tap new financial sources. By Chris Dupin For decades, limited partnerships, or “kommanditgesellschaft” (KG) in Germany, and loans from European banks have been important sources of capital for shipowners. But in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, obtaining capital for the maritime industry has become increasingly difficult. […]
What does a boutique advertising and marketing firm in Southern California have to do with global logistics? Well, it’s an interesting story, and one that highlights the way innovative thinking can drive the way logistics service providers attract customers.
Senior shipping executives and labor leaders gathered last month to celebrate the retirement of Jim Capo and Brian Dugan, respectively the chief executive officer and vice president of the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), and Joe Curto, president of the New York Shipping Association (NYSA). Both groups were very much in the news last […]
More shippers consider air transport for oversize cargoes in logistics equation. By Jon Ross As with most aspects of transportation, project cargo, or the shipment of oversize goods on large, hulking aircraft, generally comes down to fuel. The oil and gas industry is currently a major driver of the oversize cargo industry. Large […]
