In its recently ended fiscal year, Virgin Atlantic Cargo boosted its market share on 30 routes, sometimes gaining up to 40 percent of the share of a given lane. That aggressiveness helped lead to cargo results that, despite a terrible cargo market, were basically flat when compared to the previous year. Virgin Cargo […]
Port Corpus Christi says it has been a leading port for imports of wind energy turbine components since 2006, but last week handled components for export for the first time. On Saturday, 35 Mitsubishi wind blades made in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico were loaded on a vessel carrier operated by NYK-Hinode. […]
Remember back to 1996 when Maersk introduced the 6,400-TEU Regina Maersk to the Europe-Asia trade? Then the vessel was considered the giant of the sea, unable to fit through the Panama Canal and barely able to enter fully laden in many U.S. East Coast ports due to its hull depth. Since renamed the […]
By Jerry Cook In my last column, I wrote about the recent study by Prof. Matthew Slaughter of Dartmouth University on American participation in complex global supply networks, and how this engagement with the world benefits our economy here at home. One of the most interesting findings of that report was that over 25 […]
In late April, six Greenpeace protesters boarded the vessel Meister, which was carrying coal from northern Queensland, Australia to South Korea. “Right now there is no political solution to this problem because all the major political parties have committed to doubling and trebling our coal exports,” they said. The Australian Coal Association […]
U.S., Canadian shippers struggle to meet anti-bug rules for cargo platform. By Chris Dupin Wood packaging material, such as pallets, crates, and dunnage, used to secure freight has been subject to strict U.S. regulation under an agreement known as the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) since September 2005. The idea […]
Kansas City Southern markets border-crossing alternative to trucks. By Jon Ross The current boom in Mexican trade has mostly benefitted truck carriers, but Kansas City Southern is trying to corner the market on intermodal moves, even convincing some shippers to jettison their trailered transportation and hop on the tracks. Nearly a decade ago, KCS […]
Mexico, once again, becomes attractive to U.S. shippers. By Jon Ross In today’s burgeoning trade between the United States and Mexico, a business that reached nearly $500 billion in 2012, a change in perception is taking place. No longer is “Made in Mexico” a phrase never to be uttered. American consumers and shippers alike […]
By Walter Kemmsies, chief economist, Moffatt & Nichol Energy is involved in every economic transaction and therefore affects not only transportation operations but the markets they serve. While the implications of rising energy demand are far too great to be discussed here, it is worth focusing on the possibility that natural gas will gain […]
Liner carriers set changes to their fleets as Iraq, Afghanistan wars end. By Chris Dupin The U.S. merchant marine is adjusting to the drawdown in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan by reconfiguring their services. In April APL announced plans to take four of its U.S.-flag ships out service — the President Adams, President […]
United States expects to bolster trade with South America, hastening liner carrier service changes. By Chris Dupin In the past month, the Obama administration has been drawing renewed attention to the importance of trade between the United States and Latin America. In early May, the president visited both Mexico and Costa Rica, and at […]
In late April, a joint venture by ACM Shipping and broker GFI Group exited the container derivatives market. A GFI spokeswoman said the firm might return someday to the business, but today there were “not enough willing participants to trade.” Together with ACM and McQuilling, GFI continues to offer tanker and dry bulk […]
Ericsson takes hands-on control of supply chain, limits air transport use through better planning. By Eric Kulisch Ericsson, the Swedish provider of telecommunications network equipment and services, is a prime example of the uphill battle facing the air cargo industry. Global air cargo volumes have slowly improved since the financial crisis, but essentially are at […]
Atlanta is the new Miami. Dallas-Forth Worth is the new Los Angeles. If only targeting a new air cargo gateway were as easy as making a simple declaration of intent. Last month, Bob Pertierra, Metro Atlanta Chamber’s vice president of supply chain and manufacturing, talked to American Shipper about Atlanta’s hopes to snare […]
Shippers on clock to comply with new 24-hour rule for filing manifest, cargo data. By Eric Kulisch Ocean carriers and consolidators have less than a year to prepare for implementing Japan’s version of the 24-hour rule and trade intermediaries familiar with the complex data requirements are urging freight companies to start preparing now to avoid […]
Under the proposed rule, licensed OTIs, which include non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOs) and freight forwarders, would have to renew their licenses every two years with the agency. Currently, OTIs have no such requirement.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission recently approved a proposal to reform rules governing ocean transportation intermediaries. Under the proposed rule, licensed OTIs would have to renew their licenses every two years. Currently, OTIs have no requirement to renew once they have been granted a license. They only need a qualifying individual (QI) for […]
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has come out against a U.S. Customs proposal to improve due process procedures for suspending a broker’s entry-filer code, saying that going after the code is a backdoor way of trying to take away a broker’s license and is unconstitutional. Customs and Border Protection […]
This year’s user conference of supply chain software developer JDA ballooned into the biggest event the company has ever held. Around 2,700 attendees convened in early May to discuss best practices and practical uses of the broad-reaching software that touches the transportation, warehousing, demand planning, and inventory departments, among many others. Those […]
Technology platforms provide accurate picture, but require shipper diligence to succeed. By Eric Johnson Acurious tidbit of information is to be found within American Shipper’s Import Operations and Compliance Benchmark Study both this year and last. Somewhere between one quarter and one third of respondents over the two years say that total landed cost is […]
