Tag Archives: supply chains

Ports suffering from communications gap with US Customs

Posted on November 9, 2021 by | 1 comment

Apparently some ships are departing for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach without notifying US Customs of their estimated arrival. They’re required to do so, but don’t know about the rule. The reason is that many newly chartered ships are sailing, chartered by firms who do not ordinarily manage shipping, or are being handled by forwarders who are new to the practice. They appear to be unaware of the requirements.

When the ship fails to notify the port at departure, and just ‘drops in’, there is no place in the schedule to unload it. The ship must wait offshore. The Maritime Exchange says that essentially all positions for waiting ships off LA and Long Beach are full; drop-ins must steam around until their place in the queue can be found. The waits can be upward of a month.

This operational gap is just one of the reasons for the supply chain logjam. If it’s happening at LA and Long Beach, you can bet it’s happening at other West Coast ports.

We know that queues to unload are lengthening at all the West Coast Ports. Tacoma announced detention surcharges for containers not moved from their yard on time, following the lead of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The other ports are seizing up because of diversions to them from the usual LA and Long Beach stops, especially by chartered vessels, which can choose any route; they do not have fixed routes like the linear alliances.

People have to start addressing the issues that seem small regarding maritime supply chains. Only an across-the-board effort will get things unsnarled soon.

Lori Ann LaRocco Monday, November 8, 2021

Ports suffering from communications gap with US Customs – FreightWaves

Kim Biggar November 9, 2021

Tacoma clamps down on long-stay containers with new charge – Splash247

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Posted in Logistics, Shipping, Supply Chains

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The Big Supply Chain Analytics Failure – Supply Chain Shaman

Posted on November 8, 2021 by | 1 comment

The Supply Chain Shaman, Lora Cecere, always has something interesting to say and valuable to think about.

Her numbers show that supply-chain related firms are right now simply making incremental improvements on existing systems, and are ignoring the need to go out there and find new ways of gathering and making use of supply chain data.

Systems people for years have known that you have to re-engineer the processes, the ways of doing business, and the software must support that. While it may turn out that the software is already right to support new processes, it’s much more likely that entirely new forms of software are required for the processes to work properly and fluidly.

That means analysts and business process participants together must spend the time needed to truly understand what they need to accomplish, and put in the up-front research and planning to get the system designed well. Few companies are willing to tolerate the time required. But that’s where the true value is realized.

I was just reading an article that tried to set forth a design strategy for a Port Communication System for ports in South Africa. Currently they don’t have them. But the article was at such a high-level that there was no insight into the new procedures and methods that would be needed to really bring these ports into the 21st Century. I’m afraid that much development of supply chain systems is done in that way. We look at existing processes instead of imagining how the processes and the whole scenario could be different. And once we’ve imagined the new world, we can see that the systems have to be different.

So the message to supply chain firms is to put on your imagining cap and plan systems that actually make quantum improvements; done just band-aid the old processes.

WRITTEN BY LORA CECERE• NOVEMBER 3, 2021• 3:04 PM• ANALYTICS, BIG DATA SUPPLY CHAINS

The Big Supply Chain Analytics Failure – Supply Chain Shaman

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Posted in Advanced Computing, analytics, Logistics, Supply Chains

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Trucking trade group to Gov. Newsom: Enforce law on port fees

Posted on November 8, 2021 by | Leave a comment

California law AB 45 prevents ports and terminals from charging detention and demurrage fees for containers not picked up or empties not delivered when the facilities prevent drivers from picking up or delivering.

Sometimes, the authorities or facilities institute sudden rules changes that prevent delivery of empty containers or prevent pickup of specific cargo because of hours or appointments. These rules are troublesome and cost time for drivers. And often the drivers or their firms are the ones paying the fees.

The contention is that the ports are by their own actions forcing expenses on the trucking firms and drivers.

The law, if enforced, would keep ports and terminals from charging these fees. But how to enforce the law is not altogether clear.

Clarissa Hawes, Senior Editor, Investigations and Enterprise Friday, Novvember 5, 2021

Trucking trade group to Gov. Newsom: Enforce law on port fees – FreightWaves

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Posted in Logistics, Ports, Supply Chains, Trucking

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