Monthly Archives for September 2018

Chittagong to prioritize bigger ships to increase productivity Above: Chittagong port. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will restrict ships with less than 1,000 TEU on board in order to increase port productivity. The CPA implemented the measure to reduce vessel wait times and the long queue in the outer anchorage. The authority […]

LCL providers try to shore up rate volatility exposure Klaus Jepsen, group CEO of Shipco Transport, a neutral NVOCC, said his company will always be susceptible to underlying rates. “We are very much a victim of the freight rate,” he said. “It depends on the carriers. When you see rates go up, it’s sort of […]

Shippers, carriers find reefer opportunities in familiar, new places According to Dan Halstrom, president and CEO of the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF), beef and pork production is on track to hit a record high this year, following equally strong production in 2017. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The reality of constant change presents both opportunities and […]

Trans-Pac spot rates plunge before next US import rush Logistics experts are concerned that normal peak-season shipments in October, combined with a rush of imports driven by fear of the Jan. 1 tariffs, could stress both marine terminals and distribution facilities. (Above: The Port of Los Angeles.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. US importers should not assume […]

In Amazon era, shipper supply chains take higher priority   “One of the neat things Amazon really did was take the idea of transportation as a cost center and flip it upside down,”  Jett McCandless, CEO of project44, said. (Above: An Amazon fulfillment center in Washington state, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. CHICAGO — For […]

In Amazon era, shipper supply chains are opportunities, not costs   “One of the neat things Amazon really did was take the idea of transportation as a cost center and flip it upside down,”  Jett McCandless, CEO of project44, said. (Above: An Amazon fulfillment center in Washington state, United States.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. CHICAGO — […]

US logistics managers scramble to cut trucking costs Logistics managers are likely to get some relief in 2019: The meteoric rise of spot market and contract truck rates in 2018 is expected to slow, though rates won’t actually drop. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Following a year when US surface transportation budgets were not just blown, but […]

New Orleans bullish on pending port projects Above: Project cargo is transferred from vessel to barge at the Port of New Orleans’ France Road terminal. Photo credit: Port of New Orleans. Approval to deepen the 258-mile Mississippi River ship channel to Panama Canal depth, a push to better integrate the port’s public belt rail and […]

US importers warn Jan. 1 tariffs will crunch supply chains Already chaotic and upended, the Trump administration’s proposed Jan. 1 25 percent tariff on imports from China is causing importers to scramble for ocean, truck, and rail capacity – with the next ramification being the warehouse variable: will there be any space after the front-loading? […]

US 25 percent China imports tariff scrambles supply chains, strains warehouses Already chaotic and upended, the Trump administration’s proposed Jan. 1 25 percent tariff on imports from China is causing importers to scramble for ocean, truck, and rail capacity – with the next ramification being the warehouse variable: will there be any space after the […]