Welcome to the WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Newsletter presented by CONVOY. In this issue, the scale of a steamship; Lego Titanic sells out; autonomous shipping; and supply chain scapegoats.
Shipping at scale
34 TEUs — By now, even those of you who’ve never worked a day in supply chain are familiar with what a cargo ship looks like on the outside. But how many of us have seen what one looks like on the inside? What you’re seeing above are 34 TEUs stacked in a ship. Considering that standard 20-foot and 40-foot containers are 8.6 feet tall and that stack is 17 containers tall, you’re looking at a stack that stands over 146 feet high.
Container math — That stack is pretty impressive, right? Now consider just how many of those there are on a modern ship, many of which hold over 10,000 TEUs. But how does a stack that’s 17 containers tall amount to 34 TEUs? Here’s the math: TEU = twenty-foot equivalent unit = 20-foot ocean container. Two of those fit per row. The 40-foot containers (FEUs) count as two TEUs. So when someone says a vessel is 10,000 TEUs, they mean it could hold 10,000 20-foot containers (or a combo of 20-foot and 40-foot). This can get complicated when you add in bulk containers and high-tops, but the math above works in general. Here’s what they look like arranged.
World’s biggest — You may have seen some great Ever Given Halloween costumes this season, but did you know that it has a bigger sister? The Ever Ace is the world’s biggest container ship and holds 23,992 TEUs. See that 34 stack posted above? This vessel can house 705 of those. Scale like that is hard to wrap your head around!
More learning — Ever wonder what it’s like to work as a crew member on one of these ships? U.S. Merchant Marine Bryan Boyle has an incredible YouTube channel that takes you inside the world of life on board. Don’t miss his video on a day in the life of a cargo ship deck officer.
Navigation automation
Ghost crew? — The Black Pearl may not be the only ghost ship on the seas if the steamship lines have anything to say about it. We talk about autonomous cars, trucks and warehouses all the time, but what about cargo ships? Japan’s K Line made waves Monday with an announcement that it has partnered with Kawasaki Heavy Industries on a co-development contract for what they’re calling an “AI-based marine machinery operation support system.” ShipInsight reports, “The system will have such functions as failure prediction/diagnostics, CBM (condition-based maintenance), and optimum operation support, based on the data analytics of marine machinery operation data using AI.”
“You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner … you’re in one!” — Hector Barbossa
Human element — Much like with autonomous trucks, there are different levels of autonomy and right now, the goal isn’t to fully remove the crew but instead to enhance operations and safety while providing a proof of concept. This concept is designed to fulfill the International Maritime Organization’s Degree 1 requirement. Much like level one autonomy on land, this still requires a crew to supervise on board. Splash247 reports, “Demonstrations at sea will begin in April 2023 on a variety of ship types and routes, both local and international, with the goal of full-scale commercialization in the future.”
When the supply chain is the iceberg
Will your heart go on? — “You have a gift, Jack” — or maybe not. Unless you were one of the first in line at 12:01 a.m. Monday, you may be out of luck when it comes to your dreams of owning a Lego Titanic. The secondest-biggest set in Lego history, which retails for $629.99 (a price not far off from what a third-class ticket cost to sail on Titanic when adjusted for inflation), went out of stock almost immediately. Many who did secure one were notified the next day that their prized ship was back-ordered. (Yes, I got that e-mail too.) Lego says it will have limited numbers of back orders to buy next Monday. If you miss it again, you’re looking at eBay prices as high as $1,350.
PS5s incoming — Speaking of preorders, PS5s have been in short supply since they debuted a year ago, and those that didn’t get one then have been on a fruitless quest ever since. Fortunately for readers in the U.K., Sony has chartered a “Santa Special” airlift with three jumbo jets loaded with the consoles. According to The Sun (I know, I know), “Each freighter aircraft, operated by Korean Airlines, were chartered by Sony and handled by cargo firm Expeditors based in Ashford, Middlesex.” Sony has sold over 13 million of the next-gen systems since launch. Want help getting your own? Follow Wario64 on Twitter and click that bell for tweet notifications.
Can we not blame the supply chain for everything?
Please don’t wash your hands — My wife sent me this picture from the Barnes & Noble at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga, Tennessee. You may be used to the signs and emails blaming any and every stockout on the great supply crisis of ’21 — but is that really always the case? SiLo’s Adam Eagle writes, “I imagine in this case they get to blame the infamous Supply Chain for not stocking soap while in this case the real issue is their Accounting Software only allows purchasing soap from Aarmark vs. purchasing from Target.” Supply chain disruptions are a real thing, but they’re not an excuse to forgo adaptive sourcing strategies. In this case, a simple trip down the street would have gotten this location more soap. I know we’re relaxing COVID policies but let’s not make hand washing one of them.
Sponsored content
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Memetermission
WTT this week
Wednesday — Matt Schrap, CEO at Harbor Trucking Association; Adam Ruff, VP of business development and transportation solutions at DHL Supply Chain; Cris Arens, managing partner at Logisyn Advisors; and Chris Guttormsson, vice president of sales and marketing at Razor International USA, with Tim Tetz, director of outreach at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
Friday — Krenar Komoni, CEO of Tive; Brian Kempisty, founder of Port X Logistics; Kristin Smith, president and COO of Fernish; and Pierre Whiteside of Victory Ave Equipment Financing Inc.
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Bringing the ports inland
A very WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Halloween
Best in the universe
NASA’s 5 modes of transport — Did you know that @nasa + @NASAKennedy use five modes of transport (truck, plane, train, boat and spaceship) to move their goods? We found out how their interconnected supply chain works … and Joshua Santora wears a lot of hats — literally. Take a look.
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One love,
Dooner
