Last month, I wrote about all the political bickering affecting port authorities along the U.S. West Coast, particularly the key gateways of Long Beach and Seattle. Turns out that as that issue went to press, the juiciest stuff yet was just being revealed in Oakland. In mid-October, two high-ranking executives, including now former […]
It is often said that humans use less than 10 percent of their brain power. The same could probably be said for the average software system, with users often failing to squeeze every piece of usefulness out of their platforms. And most ocean carriers fall squarely into that hole — sometimes because they […]
While listening to the very informative State of Freight webinar from transportation analyst FTR Associates in early November, there were some interesting statistical conundrums for senior analysts Noel Perry and Larry Gross. Gross first noted the intermodal figures from the Intermodal Association of North American (IANA) for September didn’t jive well with figures […]
By Walter Kemmsies, chief economist, Moffatt & Nichol At this point it’s very clear that the United States and world economic outlooks are dependent on the decisions taken by policymakers. It should also be clear that the developed economies are in the midst of reducing debt levels, a process called deleveraging.
U.S. chemical and plastic exports should expect boost from shale gas. By Chris Dupin The boom in U.S. natural gas production is expected to help boost exports and reduce imports of chemicals and plastics, according to chemical industry analysts and logistics services providers. “Between shale gas recovery technologies and conventional natural […]
It’s not unusual to find stories in the financial pages about companies and individuals buying up portfolios of patents — often related to software — just to become “patent trolls,” or defend themselves from such trolls who have no intention of ever creating a product themselves, but aggressively seeking to shake down businesses for […]
If you listen to analysts, the supply chain software arena has been thirsting for a major roll-up of two complementary providers that could provide shippers more functions and fewer systems.
GAC Pindar has entered a partnership with freight forwarder TNL International to offer specialized marine leisure logistics services to the growing Australasian market. The new partnership, named TNL GAC Pindar, is based in Auckland, New Zealand. It serves Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, providing a complete package of services, including yacht […]
The WorldWide Alliance, a network of neutral non-vessel-operating common carriers, has launched WWA 2.0, its second-generation iPad application. The upgraded version features a new design and enhanced navigation. The application allows WWA customers to submit booking requests, track shipments, look up less-than-containerload rates globally and manage documents through SmartDocs. “With the release […]
Criminal prosecution of BP and several of employees has implications for the shipping industry, underscoring the importance of adhering to safety and potential criminal liability of individuals if an accident occurs.
Four people were killed Thursday at a grade crossing when a Union Pacific freight train slammed into a flatbed semi-trailer being used as a parade float for an event honoring wounded veterans in Midland, Texas, according an Associated Press report and a news release from the National Transportation Safety Board. Seventeen people were injured, […]
“Over the past two weeks, OSG has continued to fix vessels with our clients. We will use the Chapter 11 process to definitively resolve our financial issues,” said Morten Arntzen, OSG’s president and CEO.
After nearly 11 months on a 10-week rotation, the Danish ocean carrier has added a new port call at Vostochniy, Russia, and an eleventh vessel to its weekly TP7 service between Asia and the east coast of North America.
The latest Stifel Nicolaus Logistics Confidence Index saw its first positive gain after six consecutive months of sequential decline, according to the investment bank and its partner, the analyst and research firm Transport Intelligence. The index is a monthly survey of international shippers and forwarders measuring freight activity across several European-based trade lanes. […]
Container volume at the port rose 1.5 percent year-on-year in October, aided by strong growth in exports, which increased by 5.5 percent to 96,090 TEUs. Overall volume reached 175,330 TEUs.
After nine months at regular speed, the ocean carrier Maersk Line has once again added another vessel to its weekly CHX service between Asia and the East Coast of India, increasing roundtrip voyage time from 35 days to 42 days. Transit times eastbound from India to China on the CHX have been increased by […]
TNT Express, one of four integrated express delivery companies operating around the world, announced Friday it will sell in-house airline TNT Airways and Pan Air Lineas Areas SA to ASL Aviation Group on the condition that European Union regulators approve TNT’s sale to rival UPS. UPS offered last spring to buy TNT for $6.5 […]
Container volume at the Port of Long Beach shot up 8.7 percent year-on-year in October, surpassing the neighboring Port of Los Angeles’ 0.8 percent growth for the month. The growth is due in some part to the poor volume Long Beach saw in October 2011, when throughput fell 20.5 percent from October 2010. […]
Jones Act liner carrier Matson, Inc. has appointed Ku’uhaku Park to vice president of government and community relations. He will be located at the company’s headquarters in Honolulu. Park will be responsible for directing Matson’s government relations and community service activities in Hawaii. He also will lead the company’s efforts to promote and develop the […]
The Port of Redwood City in the San Francisco Bay said it’s started pile driving for the reconstruction of two wharves. “Demolition of the old wharves and adjacent warehouse, dating back to the 1940s, has nearly been completed,” the port authority said. The new, “seismically designed,” concrete wharf, 425 feet long by […]
