Monthly Archives for July 2018

India's minor ports increase pressure on major, public rivals New provisional port statistics show total freight handled at minor ports during the revenue/accounting year, which ended March 31, increased 9.2 percent year-over-year. (Above: Mundra port.) Photo credit: DP World Subcontinent. India’s non-major or minor ports, which are mostly privately owned and operated, bounced back with […]

UPS order shows CNG-powered rigs still trucking in electric age Electric trucks have been grabbing headlines lately, as startups and established truck makers develop and test battery-powered models, but don’t discount compressed natural gas as an alternative fuel. UPS last month invested $130 million to buy more than 700 new CNG-powered trucks and related technology, […]

Carriers eye higher prices on reefer demand, tighter capacity With supply and demand in more of a balance, sector analysts say shippers should expect higher reefer rates. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The impact of carrier consolidation continues to reverberate through the shipping industry, with reefer beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) among the most prone to the inevitable […]

Reefer stakeholders see need for better tech, customer service A global head of reefer management for a major ocean carrier predicted that shipping is moving toward a “new era of customer focus” with an emphasis on “creating products that actually add value to customers’ supply chains.” Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Stakeholders throughout the refrigerated shipping industry […]

Banks push cross-border trade blockchain, complicating common platform aim Global trade-oriented blockchain solutions are moving from pilot to purported commercial viability in Asia and Europe, as shippers evaluate whether blockchain is something in which they should invest in the short term and which project to back. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The advancement of European- and Japanese-based […]

Maersk further expands India cold chain services   The Europe-based ocean carrier has created another another specialized, end-to-end cold chain logistics operation, as it works vigorously to establish a stronger foothold in the emerging market economy. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Maresk Line has made another statement regarding reefer cargo trade in India after delivering live apple […]

NY-NJ exports rebound amid tariff pressures The port is attracting new business — aided by two infrastructure improvements and stronger international demand. (Above: The Port of New York and New Jersey with the Statue of Liberty in the foreground.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. After five straight years of declines, exports through the Port of New York […]

Profitable year slipping away as container shipping outlook darkens After industry-wide profitability in 2017, only three container lines managed to stay in the black during the first quarter of 2018. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The likelihood of the container shipping industry hitting two straight years of total profitability is fading fast, with rising tit-for-tat tariffs, bunker […]

Amid tight US dray capacity, QuickLoad allows shipper to name price Quickload has found a niche in Miami-area digital drayage by offering an app with a twist: the shipper, not an algorithm, names the price to haul the load. (Above: Port Miami.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. MIAMI — Faced with shrinking motor carrier capacity for its […]

How will cell phone data share rethink affect freight visibility? Cell phone service providers may soon pull the plug on a key data pipeline underpinning domestic visibility software, but most companies have switched to other location systems. Shippers need to ensure that their providers aren’t overly exposed to this cell phone triangulation data. Photo credit: […]