Articles

Ocean Shipping

Greg Scott
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LCL Plays Growing Role in Global Ocean Transportation

Demand for less-than-containerload (LCL) services is rising among global importers and exporters whose business models rely on cost, inventory control, and supply chain visibility. The shift to more LCL services in industries such as oil and gas (O&G), retail, and automotive can be attributed to several factors. Oil and gas fuels change: Running an end-to-end […]

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Lars Kloch
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Preparing for an Ocean Capacity Crunch

Shipping lines are suffering from an oversupply of vessel capacity on key Transatlantic and Asia-Europe trade lanes. Normally, this situation would be good news for shippers, because it means they have plenty of access to capacity—and the upper hand in negotiations with ocean carriers. Shippers should be worried about the overcapacity situation, combined with rapidly […]

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J. Anthony Hardenburgh
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Understanding INCOTERMS 2010

An Inbound Logistics article in October 2003, “Understanding Incoterms,” does an excellent job of explaining the concept of Incoterms, why they are necessary and how they work. We’d like to bring this article up-to-date with a discussion of the changes to Incoterms that began in January 2011. To recap, Incoterms are an internationally accepted set […]

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How to Improve Maritime Cargo Security
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How to Improve Maritime Cargo Security

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) initiative in the aftermath of Sept. 11, it gave government, shippers, carriers, port authorities, and other transportation and logistics intermediaries a platform to build better security protocol into the supply chain. As a consequence, shippers today are taking cues from […]

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The Box That Rocked the Boat
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The Box That Rocked the Boat

The emergence of containers in the 1950s sparked an ocean shipping revolution that reshaped ports, trade lanes, and the world economy. What other changes are on the horizon for this dynamic industry?

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Dr. Jim Giermanski
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Container Security: Filling in the Blanks

It is often impossible to know what containers entering the United States really contain. Even with bonded shipments and the 24-hour manifest required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Container Security Initiative, we merely take the shipper’s word as to a container’s contents, never knowing whether its security has been compromised during transit. Using Container […]

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Reducing Ocean Freight Costs

The best way to maximize ocean freight purchasing efficiencies is effective planning. Get a clear understanding of your shipments’ scope, frequency, and quantity, then cement relationships with carriers to better plan your containers, advises Mark Malambri, senior vice president, global ocean products for Houston-based CEVA Logistics. Malambri offers the following tips to help shippers reduce […]

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Trends—November 2010<br />
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Trends—November 2010

A Break in the Chain: Solving the Port Chassis Problem When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) started enforcing its discursive Requirements for Intermodal Equipment Providers and for Motor Carriers and Drivers Operating Intermodal Equipment rule in December 2009, there weren’t enough containers flowing through U.S. ports to cause immediate alarm. Shippers and trucking […]

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Global Logistics – November 2010
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Global Logistics – November 2010

Heineken Tests Beer Float Heineken’s business is all about flow—from the brewery to the beer tap, and all logistics touches in between. Thanks to the new Alpherium inland container terminal in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands, the beverage manufacturer’s supply chain flows a whole lot smoother. Heineken now ships export containers from its Zoeterwoude brewery […]

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Trends—October 2010<br />
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Trends—October 2010

U.S. Transportation Investment: A Political Pothole Drive any measurable distance across the United States and you’re bound to run into “Schneider Eggs”— trucker slang for sometimes-scrambled orange construction barrels. As much as road construction is an obstacle to efficiency and timeliness, it’s also a sign of progress, investment, and your tax dollars at work. Ironically, […]

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Global Logistics – September 2010

Audi Stops For Green Light Audi is pushing the accelerator in its pursuit of greener cars and a more sustainable supply chain. For example, in December 2009, Green Car Journal honored the German automotive manufacturer’s 2010 Audi A3 TDI as its Green Car of the Year. But the carmaker doesn’t stop there. Audi transports its […]

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Trends—September 2010<br />
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Trends—September 2010

U.S. Ports Dig Panama Gold For a wee slip of waterway, 48 miles in length and 33 feet wide at its narrowest, the Panama Canal has publicity buoyancy the likes of the two great oceans it connects—and the buzz is only building. Despite technology and globalization, the Canal has remained a vital gateway in the […]

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Trends—August 2010<br />
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Trends—August 2010

Shipping Maintains Traction Despite Gulf Slick The considerable environmental impacts from British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico have cast a pall over the region, endangering delicate ecosystems and tourism industries alike. But to date, the oil crisis has had little negative impact on shipping in the heavily trafficked corridor. Gulf […]

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