Monthly Archives for September 2018

Return of freighter fleet eases trans-Pacific air cargo pressure The decision by NCA to resume flights between Tokyo and Chicago later this week, on Friday, will add urgently needed capacity to the space-constrained trans-Pacific routes just ahead of peak season. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Air cargo shippers struggling with tight space constraints on Asia-US routes this […]

Multipurpose vessel index tracks strength amid pending regulation Toepfer’s index is one of few measurements that create a window into the primarily privately held and still-fragmented, despite recent moves toward consolidation, MPV/HL fleet. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The project/heavy-lift market continues to show modest signs of improvement, but competitive pressures from other sectors and uncertainty driven […]

Low-sulfur BAFs rattle already volatile container shipping industry As the deadline requiring the sulphur cap of fuel to be reduced from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent nears, the impact on not just higher rates but also likely less available capacity is coming into focus. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The unveiling of new bunker fuel adjustment factors (BAFs) […]

Cold chains enhance services to meet shippers’ needs Cold chain means much more than storage. The Global Cold Chain Alliance has catalogued more than 75 different value-added services currently offered by cold storage providers. And those services represent a substantial revenue stream that would surprise many. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Food safety and protecting the brand […]

Carriers' move beyond ocean shipping beset with challenges Above The Port of Oakland. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. HAMBURG — Container lines’ effort to move upstream and downstream into services that go beyond port-to-port ocean freight is beset by challenges from e-commerce giants and new startups also looking to better provide shippers the higher service e-retailing demands. […]

Slideshow: NVO rankings and state of trans-Pac market Non-vessel-operating common carriers have come to the rescue of beneficial cargo owners seeking better service guarantees and lower rates from ocean carriers they have contracted with for Asian imports. Data from PIERS, a sister company of JOC.com within IHS Markit, show the NVO share of imports from Asia grew 1.7 […]

New NAFTA rules – a boon to US auto employment? Most observers of the current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations will recall that one of the US President Donald Trump’s primary objectives in renegotiating the trade deal was to create a manufacturing renaissance in the United States. President Trump believes NAFTA (and free […]

What NVOs need to know about the US surety bond requirement Whether you’re already operating as a non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC or NVO), or planning to launch your activities, there are a number of legal requirements that you have to meet — and stay compliant with. One of the most important criteria that the Federal […]

India studying mid-sea site for transshipment operations Above: A beach in the Andaban and Nicobar islands archipelago. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. With India’s economy growing at a robust pace — fiscal-quarter (April-June) GDP growth if forecast to increase 8.2 percent — the emerging market nation is considering a more-strategic port locale along the Bay of Bengal coastline […]

Expanded Deltaport rail deepens Vancouver’s interior reach About 70 percent of Vancouver’s (above) imports and 55 percent of total container volume move by rail. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. GCT Deltaport went live Monday with its intermodal yard expansion project designed to improve productivity, increase safety, and expand the capacity of rail operations at Vancouver’s largest container […]