JoC Week articles from January 2008

JoC Week archives from January 2008

The travails of TWIC.(usage of Transportation Worker Identification Credential for safety and security of ports)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY R.G. EDMONSON REVIEW: Are you as sick of TWIC as I am? I have written thousands of words about the Transportation Worker Identification Credential and the travails of the Transportation Security Administration in getting it...

It's not just about the money.(quality and management of imports)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY ALAN M. FIELD REVIEW: Multinational companies that have extended their supply chains a bit too quickly into the world's lowest-cost countries received a rude awakening in 2007. Global competition is no longer just about...

Thinking globally, acting locally.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO REVIEW: Seaports have been the last major source of pollution to escape serious environmental regulation, but that status came tumbling down in 2007 as governments worldwide called upon international regulatory...

A double-barreled slowdown for 3PLs.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL DIBENEDETTO REVIEW: It's hard to top the strange interlude that was CEVA Logistics' acquisition of EGL in early 2007. The bizarre bidding war featured twists, turns, resignations, lawsuits, executive-suite potshots,...

All eyes on the West Coast.(management of labor relations of container ports)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PETER TIRSCHWELL Of all the developments the industry has to look forward to in 2008, none holds a candle to renewal of the West Coast longshore contract in importance or long-term implications. With the industry around the...

Fuel fight.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY JOSEPH BONNEY Bunker fuel is more akin to the asphalt you drive on than to the gasoline you pump into your car's tank. The sludge-like material is the dominant fuel for ships. It's widely available and cheaper than diesel. ...

The cost of cleaner air.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO The technology is the easy part for motor carriers and railroads seeking to reduce air pollution from trucks and locomotives at U.S. ports. The problem is paying for it. Starting with the 2007 model year,...

Distribution centers go green.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL DIBENEDETTO Green is the new black when it comes to warehouse design. Finding the right location remains the top consideration for warehouses and distribution centers, but building and operating them in an environmentally...

Under attack by land and sea.(statistics and growth of container shipping industry)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PHILLIP DAMAS Weaker eastbound trans-Pacific demand and the combination of U.S. intermodal rate increases and more rail network changes await shippers and ocean carriers this year. In our forecast this time last year, Drewry...

Tale of two markets.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PETER T. LEACH In a break with past years, the balance between the supply of and demand for vessel capacity has taken a back seat in the outlook for the U.S. container trades. Instead, the prognosis this year is much more...

Burning money.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PETER T. LEACH Prices for ship bunker fuel have hit $500 a ton, rising so high so fast that many liner companies are losing money on trade routes to the United States. Although carriers have tried to recoup the losses through...

Cogsa reform nears finish.(law of freight transportation industry)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY R.G. EDMONSON In 2001, Michael Sturley, professor of admiralty law at the University of Texas-Austin, predicted it would take 10 years for the world's trading nations to put into effect a new treaty governing the settlement of...

No rest for the weary.(economic slowdown resulting in low rate of container traffic)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PETER T. LEACH U.S. ports are entering the fourth year of a long-distance race to expand capacity fast enough to keep up with the unprecedented growth in imports from Asia. Since the West Coast meltdown of 2004, pundits have...

Defying expectations.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BRUCE BARNARD Europe's port industry has become an unlikely glamour sector, boasting profits and growth forecasts more common in high-tech businesses. What's more, the leading ports have confounded the carriers, shippers...

Plenty to think about.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY JOSEPH BONNEY People in trade, transportation and logistics begin 2008 with a lot on their minds - TWIC, the ILWU negotiations, the economy, the environment, security, energy costs, transportation pricing, infrastructure,...

Optimism on the West Coast.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO After six years of peace at West Coast ports, waterfront employers are gearing up for contract negotiations with the International Long-shore and Warehouse Union. Ship-ping executives and terminal operators are...

100 percent politics.(Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (H.R. 1, now Pub.L. 110-53))
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY DENNIS L. BRYANT Congress recently adopted the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (H.R. 1, now Pub.L. 110-53). This new law, for the most part, enacts into federal law the remaining unfulfilled...

Where the rubber meets the road.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY R.G. EDMONSON Think about port security as a brick wall. Over the past five years, the federal government, international authorities and the maritime industry have built the wall brick by brick: the International Ship and Port...

Politics trumps trade.(bilateral agreements affecting exports)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY ALAN M. FIELD 2008 will be another year of accomplishment - and enormous frustration - for the U.S. trade community. The good news is that U.S. exports have bounced back, aided by the weak dollar, and manufactured exports have...

No time to relax.(forecast of international trade )
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY SUSAN KOHN ROSS As international traders, if we learned anything in 2007, it was that change is inevitable and is happening faster. During the year, we saw significant enforcement actions involving such prominent companies as...

Working together on security.(security of customs and international trade)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY R.G. EDMONSON Customs and Border Protection has a layered defense to protect international supply chains from terrorists. No news there. The strategy has been developed with the consent and participation of the trade community,...

Rail 'renaissance' will continue.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY LAWRENCE H KAUFMAN May you live in interesting times" is an old Oriental curse. U.S. railroads certainly lived in interesting times in 2007 and quite probably will again in 2008. Despite soft traffic throughout the year,...

Are supply and demand swinging out of balance?
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PETER T. LEACH REVIEW: Global trade grew fast enough in 2007 to sop up the huge amount of new vessel capacity that was delivered during the year, but only by a smidgen. When U.S. imports through many of the country's major...

Railroads optimistic.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO Railroads had conflicting results in their intermodal operations last year. Intermodal volume declined for the first time since 2001, but the Class 1 railroads were still able to raise their intermodal rates....

Exceeding expectations.(growth in freight transportation due to economic conditions)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY EVAN ARMSTRONG Usually when analysts start to talk about a potential recession, the economy is in one. This is especially true with the current U.S. freight recession that started in late 2006. A myriad of troubling U.S....

Price of admission.(management of warehouses)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL DIBENEDETTO What was once a simple storage building or way station for supplies and inventory is taking on increasing importance in the drive to make the end-to-end supply-chain leaner and more efficient in 2008 and beyond....

Pick your poison.(forecast and trends of air freight services)(Industry overview)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY IAN PUTZGER 2008 would hardly seem the year for air-cargo operators to take bold strides in new directions. If anything, carriers seem inclined to step cautiously amid questions over the U.S. economy and fluctuations in oil...

More, faster.(management of business logistics)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY ALAN M. FIELD Even if the global economy slows in 2008, advanced technologies such as transportation management systems, inventory management systems and global trade management tools will expand their role as cornerstones for...

Weak economy + investment volatility = soft jobs market.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY WILLIAM CONROY I recently read an article by Jack Welch, former chief executive of General Electric, addressing high performers and the need to nurture them. Welch made a point of saying that managers should run their...

The road to Colonet.(construction of a new port)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO First you drive three hours south from San Diego on a two-lane road through arid, sparsely populated Baja California. Then you turn west onto a six-mile dirt road that cuts through fields of tomato, asparagus...

So far, so good.(management of security of container ports)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY R.G. EDMONSON The alarm sounded at Puerto Cortes, Honduras, indicating the container had something radioactive in it. The newly installed radiation monitor had identified small amounts of Cesium 137 in a load of scrap metal...

React and respond.(impact of disaster on international trade)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY R.G. EDMONSON Some calamity befalls a seaport. Police, fire and rescue units respond. Local, state and federal officials man emergency communications centers, and the port is closed to traffic until an undetermined date. ...

The tail that wags the dog.(effect of global economy on other economies)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY ALAN M. FIELD For at least two decades, the fate of the global economy has depended on the United States. When the U.S. economy slowed, the rest of the world fell ill. No longer. Overall global growth is no longer dependent...

The hunter and the hunted.(role of ports in poaching)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY TED PRINCE Poaching: "to trespass on another's property in order to take fish or game." Historically, punishment for this crime has differed according to when it was committed. Poaching at night has resulted in the punishment by...

Miami tunnel moves closer.(construction of tunnel)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY RICK EYERDAM There may be light at the end of the Port of Miami tunnel project. The $931 million project, under discussion for years, has moved a step closer to construction - but it's not there yet. The tunnel has been a...

Crossroads for drayage.(management of environment by port truck drivers)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO For three years, the Teamsters union has worked tirelessly to organize harbor truck drivers at U.S. ports, but the union has yet to score a major victory. Last year, in Southern California, they developed what...

With William F. Lyte, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants.(Interview)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY BILL MONGELLUZZO William F. Lyte is a senior client manager with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, a West Coast engineering, environmental, sustainable practices and technology firm based in San Francisco. In the 1990s, Lyte organized...

When bad things happen to good cargo.(causes of loss of cargo)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY ALAN F. SPEAR The primary cause of loss of cargo in transit is not fire, flood, hurricanes, accidents or cargo theft; it is miscommunication. While events like these all play a part, the breakdown of communication at the...

A warning for New York-New Jersey.(productivity management of container ports)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY PETER TIRSCHWELL With Brian Maher selling his family terminal company last year and stepping back from day-to-day operations, James Devine is now the leading private-sector voice in New York-New Jersey, the third-largest U.S....

Thinking about 2058.(merger of Georgia ports and South Carolina ports )
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: BY JOSEPH BONNEY If you were given a blank sheet and told to design the most efficient South Atlantic port system possible, would you specify separate port authorities for the adjacent states of Georgia and South Carolina? Probably...

RADAR SCREEN.(Sean T. Connaughton to go for Congressional representatives)(management of safety and security of container ports)
January 7, 2008... Connaughton rumored as candidate for US House Congressman Connaughton? It's matter of speculation among northern Virginia Republicans, but Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton is being mentioned among a handful of possibles to run for...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
January 7, 2008... An article on Trailer Bridge in the Dec. 24 issue contained incorrect company income and revenue figures. For the nine months through Sept. 30, Trailer Bridge had pretax income of $4.6 million, compared with an $8.9 million loss a year earlier...

THE WEEK.
January 7, 2008... Customs Files '10+2' Proposal: The wait is over. After weeks of speculation, Customs and Border Protection issued its proposed "10+2" security-filing rule for cargo data not found on a ship's manifest. For importers, the rule would require...

Advent Inc.(management and economic aspects)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Carl D'Emilio President and chief executive www.advent.com Size matters. The one-system-fits-all approach for terminal operations will no longer work in this changing market. With increasing volumes and vessel capacities,...

Agility Project Logistics.(forecast and management)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas J. Griffin President and chief executive www.agilitylogistics.com Looking to 2008, the most important impacts we foresee in global project logistics are continued high levels of project-cargo volume and continued...

Agriculture Transportation Coalition.(role of transportation in exports of agricultural sector)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Peter Friedmann Executive director www.agotc.org The tidal wave of imports of the past decade is now matched by a tsunami of exports. Agriculture exporters, along with the ports, ocean, rail and truck carriers that serve...

Airforwarders Association.(forecast of air forwarders in the coming new year)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Brandon Fried Executive director www.airforwarders.org Air forwarders can derive opportunity from uncertainty in 2008. This year promises to be one of change in the airfreight forwarding industry. New cargo-inspection...

Alabama State Port Authority.(forecast of role of infrastructure management on container ports)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: James K. Lyons Director and chief executive www.asdd.com The biggest change that I see coming in 2008 is "no change." The port industry continues to deal with cargo volume increases and congestion, the need to turn and...

AlixPartners LLP.(growth in mergers and acquisitions in logistics services)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Svindland Director www.alixpartners.com External market forces, competitive pressures and rising fuel costs resulted in a tough 2007 for logistics service providers. And this year's outlook for service providers is...

AMB Property Corp.(role of supply chain management)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Anthony A. Chiarello Senior vice president, customer development www.amb.com The dynamics of the supply chain have evolved. Recent changes include the realization that it's necessary to improve upon the traditional order...

American Association of Exporters and Importers.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Hallock Northcott President and chief executive www.aaei.org Perhaps three or four years ago, had industry bought the right crystal ball, we might have been able to proactively take on many of the problems we now face in...

American Association of Port Authorities.(growth of international trade at container ports)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Kurt Nagle President and chief executive www.aapa-ports.org There's no question that international trade volumes through America's ports are growing. Public port authorities also continue to do more regarding the...

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier LLC.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Raymond P. Ebeling Chairman and president www.arrcnet.com The forecast for the industry in 2008 is cloudy, and potentially stormy. For several years, extremely strong growth in international trade has offset, and in some...

American Society of Transportation and Logistics.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Laurie Hein Denham Executive director www.astl.org As oil prices hit historical highs, the increased transportation cost will have a significant impact on global trade and logistics service providers. Global supply chains...

American Trucking Associations Inc.(importance of fuels prices on international trade and container ports)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Graves President and chief executive www.truckline.com The U.S. relies too much on foreign energy sources. With more than 66 percent of all fuel imported, staggeringly high diesel prices have become the norm rather...

American Waterways Operators, The.(regulations of container ports)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas A. Allegretti President and chief executive www.americanwaterways.com One of the most important and anticipated developments expected by the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry in 2008 is the U.S. Coast Guard's...

Amsterdam, Port of.(management of freight transportation)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Hans Gerson Executive director and chief executive www.portofamsterdam.com Ports in the Le Havre-Hamburg range are in a paradoxical situation: On the one hand, things have never looked so good, but on the other, serious...

Antwerp Port Authority.(method of community development)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Eddy Bruyninckx Chairman www.portofantwerp.be As a result of globalization, port authorities are confronted with large-scale multinational companies that are operating major terminals in their ports. In this context, the...

APL Logistics.(benefits of innovations in future for logistics services)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Brian Lutt President www.apllogistics.com The irresistible forces of globalization mean the perennial supply-chain challenges of complexity, congestion and rising costs will become more acute in 2008. Against this...

APL Ltd.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Ronald D. Widdows Chief executive www.apl.com We've just completed a challenging year. While some carriers will see positive results for 2007, the industry as a whole has not fared as well. Looking into 2008, however,...

APM Terminals North America Inc.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Eric Sisco President www.apmterminals.com The U.S. economic outlook for 2008 and the flattening of import growth in key markets pose a concern for the container industry that may not be altogether obvious. We have begun to...

ARC Advisory Group.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Adrian Gonzalez Director, Logistics Executive Council www.arcweb.com Supply-chain sustainability, which includes creating "environmentally friendly" supply chains, will continue to gain momentum in 2008. Wal-Mart outlined...

Association of American Railroads.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Edward R. Hamberger President and chief executive www.aar.org From the perspective of railroads and their customers, 2008 will hold continued improvements in service as record railroad investment yields tangible benefits...

Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers Inc.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Jeffrey A. Bader President www.bistatemotorcarriers.com I wish I could say that I am optimistic about the upcoming year. I have reservations about not only the current state of the U.S. economy, but also the continuing...

BBC (USA) LP.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Rider Griswold President www.bbcusa.net The demand for multipurpose vessels this past year has been exceptionally strong, and 2008 shows no signs of slowing. A few main areas of our industry that contribute to the demand...

BDP International.
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Richard J. Bolte Jr. President and chief executive www.bdpinternational.com Fool's gold or Holy Grail? It's been said that a fool is someone who knows the cost of everything, but the value of nothing. Yet many global...

Bridge Terminal Transport Inc.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Philip Connors President www.bttinc.com What a difference a year can make! After a strong 2006 in the intermodal drayage industry, 2007 was like going to a party and no one showing up. The fourth quarter of 2006 saw a...

British Airways World Cargo.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Steve Gunning Managing director www.baworldcargo.com There's no doubt that the price of fuel will continue to make headlines this year. In 2007, high fuel costs affected virtually every part of this industry, and as a...

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Matthew K. Rose Chairman, president and chief executive www.bnsf.com Transportation capacity remains a critical national economic policy issue for 2008. Now more than ever the nation needs a national transportation...

Canadian National Railway Co.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: E. Hunter Harrison President and chief executive www.cn.ca CN believes one of the most important changes in the railroad industry in 2008 will be a rise in the industry's competitiveness, as railroads have a lot going for...

Canaveral Port Authority.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: J. Stanley Payne Chief executive www.portcanaveral.org For 2007, I wrote specifically about port security and growing frustration even as progress was being made, especially with the TWIC program. Enough said. For...

CargoSmart Ltd.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Steve Siu Chief executive www.cargosmart.com Shippers, consignees and logistics service providers have more ways than ever to electronically manage their shipment information. In 2008, we predict that electronic systems...

CB Richard Ellis - Global Supply Chain Practice.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Blaine Kelley First vice president www.cbre.com 2007 will go down as a solid year for port-related industrial real estate markets. Speculative port facility developments have sprouted worldwide as the real estate industry...

Ceres Terminals Inc.;.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas J. Simmers Yusen Terminals Inc. President and chief executive www.ceresglobal.com; www.yti.com Three issues will dominate the marine cargo handling industry in 2008: the ILWU labor agreement, the evolution of...

CEVA Logistics.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: John Pattullo Chief executive www.cevalogistics.com CEVA believes that the most important issues for managing supply chains in 2008 will be the slowdown of the economy and the need to reduce inventories due to the credit...

China Shipping North America.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Zhang Bing President www.chinashipping.com The container shipping industry had a mixed 2007. The year began with promise. There were new ships, expanding international trades, growing stock markets and a world with...

CMA CGM (America) Inc.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLIE: Frank J. Baragona President www.cma-cgm.com Overall, 2008 has the potential to be a decent year for container shipping, but there are challenges and risks that will need to be monitored closely. Rising fuel costs are...

Coalition of New England Companies for Trade.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Karen M. Kenney President www.conect.org 2008 brings a host of challenges to international trade stakeholders, a group who continues to be resilient and creatively successful. Past years have layered new costs and...

Compa[currency]!a SudAmericana de Vapores SA (CSAV).(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Ricardo Claro Chairman www.csav.com The first issue is a possible recession in the U.S. There is better than a 50 percent of a recession considering the subprime mortgage crisis, and the whole housing business; the credit...

Consolidated Chassis Management LLC.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Theodore Prince President tprince@ccmpool.com As we enter 2008, much of the industry awaits the final rule-making on roadability from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This issue is where the rubber...

Con-way Inc.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Douglas W. Stotlar President and chief executive www.con-way.com One of the fundamental issues that all businesses will face in 2008 and beyond is incorporating and adopting sustainable business practices in response to...

Cooper/T. Smith Corp.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Angus R. Cooper II Chairman and chief executive www.coopertsmith.com We have talked in the past about various physical changes within our industry having direct foreseeable changes to the way in which we operate. Some of...

Corpus Christi, Port of.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: John LaRue Executive director www.portofcorpuschristi.com Most of the Asian trade to the U.S. is containerized cargo entering the West Coast ports. Congestion at Los Angeles-Long Beach is proving to be a challenge, and...

Cosco Americas Inc.;.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BYLINE: Zhou Hu Cosco Container Lines Americas Inc. President www.cosco-usa.com There are a lot of important issues coming up that will definitely challenge the ocean transportation business in 2008. The two that most readily...