Category Archives: Logistics

Panama Canal expansion will change shipping

Another article hyping the Panama Canal.  Much is about Miami.  How much evidence is there that the canal will boost East Coast and Gulf trade?  Smaller ships and slow steaming make the canal take longer.

Panama Canal expansion will change shipping industry, International Shipping News, Shipping News, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide, Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and International Shipping.

Strike! at port terminals

Are strikes at ports force majeure events? and what are the consequences?  This is an issue in shipping because a strike in a port backs up traffic– ships cannot load or unload, and cargoes are massively delayed.  The result is that much money is lost.  A lot more than if ground transport is involved, because you only have the choice of ocean or air modes, vastly different in cost and capability.

Here we see that force majeure is not really defined in law, and that economic loss is not a reason for force majeure– it is always a possibility in commercial transactions, and you are supposed to consider that possibility when signing a contract.

All About Shipping » Blog Archive » Strike! The impact on shipping of industrial action at port terminals.

Transloading Growing Faster Than U.S. Imports

Transloading Growing Faster Than U.S. Imports | Data In Motion.

It is interesting that it pays to transload from 40′ to 53′ containers when goods reach the US for distribution here.  Another reason why Chicago is a center.  If the goods can go by rail across the country in their marine containers and then be transloaded it saves a long haul truck run.