NEW CONTAINER WEIGHING REGULATIONS - Coming in 2016! There are new container weighing regulations due to take effect globally on 1 July 2016. The amendments to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention require packed shipping containers to have a verified gross mass (VGM) before they can be loaded on a ship for export. The amendments were adopted by the IMO … [Read more...]
Trans-Pacific Trade and the Era of Mega-ships
Trans-Pacific Trade and the Era of Mega-ships The new CMA CGM ship the Benjamin Franklin will be the largest vessel to arrive at the Port of Los Angeles on December 26th. It has 17,859 20-foot-equivalent unit capacity. The Benjamin Franklin will be handled at APM Terminals Pier 400 in Los Angeles. This port (as well as the Ports America Outer Harbour Terminal in Oakland) … [Read more...]
West Coast: Congestion felt through 2nd Quarter
West Coast: Congestion felt through 2nd Quarter Retailers were impacted by the West Coast contract negotiations that resulted in a later start to the spring season. This will cost the U.S. retailers an estimated $7 billion this year. From JOC: Many major retailers say they've had to cutback calendars and build up inventories well in advance in the second quarter, or … [Read more...]
Tianjin Port Blasts – Thunderstorms complicate recovery
Tianjin Port Blasts - Thunderstorms complicate recovery From AP (via ABC News): Thunderstorms Tuesday complicated recovery efforts from last week's massive explosions at a warehouse in China's Tianjin port that killed at least 114 people, left 57 missing and exposed dangerous chemicals — including some that could become flammable on contact with … [Read more...]
Explosions at Chinese Container Port -Tianjin
Explosions at Chinese Container Port -Tianjin From Reuters: Two huge explosions tore through an industrial area where toxic chemicals and gas were stored in the northeast Chinese port city of Tianjin, killing at least 50 people, including at least a dozen fire fighters, officials and state media said on Thursday. At least 700 people were injured, more than 71 … [Read more...]