On Second Thought with Julie Gibbs BPE Global just published our sixth annual Export Operations and Compliance Benchmarking Report, written in partnership with American Shipper. What we’ve been able to glean from the survey results is that there are several opportunities to be had with regards to exports and they are not all that […]
An explosion and fire on the containership MSC Flaminia in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on July 14, 2012, resulted in the deaths of three crewmen and injuries to several others. In addition to extensive damage to the vessel and cargo, “an enormous number of entities and issues have been implicated by […]
Trade Trends with Taneli Ruda With President Juan Manuel Santos reaching a tentative peace agreement with Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Latin America’s largest and most politically powerful insurgency group, the country is on the brink of the stability its leaders have been chasing for years. Santos and Timoleon Jimenez, FARC’s top commander, […]
Kevin Lynskey, the deputy director at PortMiami, learned a hard lesson about trying to be funny in the wrong setting and being too honest at the recent Intermodal Association of North America conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just finished dredging Miami’s harbor to 50 feet so big […]
After completing the long-awaited Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the Obama administration now faces its next challenge—promoting the trade pact to the Congress and voters, especially with a presidential election year looming on the horizon. In addition to the United States, the other TPP members—Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, […]
The U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 21) gets underway on Nov. 30 and it will be interesting to see if it comes forward with any recommendations for shipping. Last month, the International Transport Forum, a think tank affiliated with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), called on COP 21 to agree […]
It’s been a long time coming, but it sounds like Cargolux is about to take its initial steps toward a full-blown Asian cargo strategy. Hopefully, the all-cargo carrier proceeds cautiously, bearing in mind lessons learned from previous enterprising European airlines. In an interview with Reuters, Cargolux Chief Executive Officer Dirk Reich said the […]
Overcapacity is certainly nothing new in the container-shipping industry. Ocean liners have long struggled to maintain the appropriate number of available container slots for sale in any given trade, i.e. supply, with respect to shipper utilization, which roughly represents demand. Now, with the ever-increasing size of containerships—both deployed and on order—oversupply has become […]
Even in tech-happy San Francisco the annual “Dreamforce” conference that the software company Salesforce puts on is a big to-do. This year more than 150,000 people were expected to attend the September event, with 10 million joining online. Hotel space was so tight that the cruise ship Celebrity Infinity (dubbed the “Dreamboat” during […]
I recently visited PortMiami for the dedication of its 50-foot harbor, which will allow larger vessels to reach the docks fully laden with containers. The port authority expects these types of vessels to start arriving from Asia via the Panama Canal, and its expanded set of locks, sometime next year. But with new on-dock […]
Over lunch with folks from a prominent third party logistics company at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals annual conference in San Diego in September, I had a robust discussion about what the term collaboration actually meant. Before you hit the snooze bar on this column because you can’t bear to read […]
Volkswagen is in a heap of financial and legal trouble over recent revelations that the company used software code to defeat U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emission requirements for diesel engines. VW has touted for years that new diesel technology is much cleaner than its predecessor and many people bought the company’s diesel Jettas, Passats, […]
One of the themes expressed by supply chain professionals is the need to get better visibility into their inventory. It’s especially important in the ever-growing world of digital commerce, where inventory can be split up to serve multiple sales channels. I’ve got a better grasp of the concept after dealing with my own […]
Western Canada container port gains newfound momentum from electronic appointment system.
Investigators begin probe into the sinking of El Faro off coast of the Bahamas.
Higher rates to the United States drove the increase in the overall spot rate reading, despite rates to Northwest Europe and the Mediterranean continuing to fall.
The national mail carrier of Singapore is making good on its promise to become a global logistics provider, agreeing to acquire a 96.3 percent share in TradeGlobal Holdings, Inc. for $168.6 million, its second such deal this month.
The rate and surcharge changes are intended “to address the impact of increased costs, changing demand for select UPS products and other market factors,” the parcel and logistics company said in a statement.
Panelists at the TPM Asia conference noted Southeast Asia’s rising prominence in container markets, but said growth has been mitigated by the fact that most cargo stays in the less lucrative intra-Asia trade.
The terminal operator will purchase the remaining 39 percent of the issued shares of port terminal manager Grup Maritim TCB, making it the sole controlling shareholder of the company.
