Monthly Archives for August 2018

Center’s projects test sharing of European port data The Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center is launching collaborative projects to help determine if it is meaningful to continue bilateral information exchanges or to replace it with a central data hub to support improved terminal asset utilization and liner route and network planning. (Above: Rotterdam port.) Photo credit: […]

PSA-fueled expansion sets inland port up for Vancouver exports Western Canada has been “behind the curve” in developing inland ports compared with the US West Coast and South Atlantic regions. However, that will change with Ashcroft’s expansion. (Above: a freight train travels in Canada.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Resource-rich Western Canada is extending its international reach […]

US port portals enter new markets with new features The concept of a single electronic platform for port users is gaining momentum with truckers, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs), and other port users, with GE Transportation’s Port Optimizer at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach achieving breakthroughs as a pacesetter. (Above: […]

Maersk resumes Maldives operations with Colombo feeder The world’s largest ocean carrier has reopened shipping connectivity to the Maldives with a direct, weekly feeder link between Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Male, which it believes will prove to be a boon for trade to/from South Asia. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. After positioning itself to tap Nepal’s burgeoning […]

APM Terminals enhancing fluidity with new refrigerated peel-off pile Shippers will likely see a substantial benefit from a new refrigerated container option for a peel-off pile program at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Photo credit: Hugh R. Morley. APM Terminals is adding a refrigerated container option to its peel-off pile program at […]

CSX alters interline service with BNSF These are relatively minor changes in destination terminals and don’t eliminate any existing service, although it will require some decision on how to route cargo for the best price. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. One week after Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and CSX Transportation (CSX) announced the elimination of UMAX interline […]

Poor schedule reliability makes US import pick up scheduling impossible Terminal operators, a very visible component of container shipping, are often the first to be criticized by BCOs and truckers when there are delays in delivering cargo. However, they have no control over the various transport modes that bring cargo to them. (Above: Container ships […]

JNPT considers 'phased-in' free-time reduction for railed cargo Officials at the meeting concluded that instead of a sudden, sweeping policy change, the port will work toward reducing free times for all “export containers” handled via ICDs to six days from seven days and, depending on the progress, a further reduction will be considered. (Above: Jawaharlal […]

How the US's intermodal woes threaten trade, GDP growth The recent announcement of the imminent cancellation of interline service on almost 200 joint Union Pacific Railroad-CSX Transportation lanes transiting Chicago promises to scramble peak season plans for many intermodal shippers. However, setting the near-term disruption aside, what does it say about the ability for intermodal to growth […]

Early trans-Pac peak set to propel US spot truck rates An early peak could snap up US truck capacity and bring more pressure to pricing. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. An accelerated peak shipping season at sea could translate to an earlier than usual surge in truck and intermodal shipments moving off US coasts to distribution centers […]