Remember a thousand years ago, back in September 2019, when we talked about The Low Sulphur Surcharge? It was all part of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 2018 strategy to switch to low-sulfur fuels and more efficient ship designs to reduce the shipping industry’s greenhouse gases by 40% before 2030…
Mark your calendars. On February 12, we’ll be entering the year of the Ox. Did somebody say bull market? It’s been said a million times by a thousand different people, but we’re going to repeat it, ‘2020 has been a year like no other’. So why should the run up…
Port congestion is an unavoidable part of the global shipping industry. There’s always going to be some level of logjams getting shipments in, out, and around but what we see now ain’t pretty. So who/what do we have to thank for this? If you guessed any mix of COVID-19, blank…
Last time we told you about the Asian container shortage and how over 280,000 ’empties’ were sent back from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in September alone. Now the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is investigating. “Investigating what?” you might ask. Well… have we got some news for…
It’s not just PPE that’s in short supply. The shipping containers themselves are a scarce commodity across the Asian continent and have been causing headaches for people and businesses trying to manage the global supply chain. It’s an issue with an elusive answer as consumers spend less on service and…
Welcome to the holiday rush! We typically do not equate the holiday season to the circus. Still, with international shipping this season, you could make some fair comparisons, especially on shipments out of Asia, where getting space is similar to jumping through flaming hoops or swinging on a high trapeze….
It’s not just federal elections that are under threat. All four major shipping companies have been hit with cyber-attacks in the past four years. The entire industry is disrupted and rattled with every attack. From billion-dollar businesses to mom-and-pop stores, the ripples are felt across continents and on the other…
If 20 billion doses of totally safe and effective ‘one time’ COVID vaccine was created today, how long do you think it would be before you and your loved ones were able to get it? Spoiler: it’s much, much longer than you think. If/when a COVID vaccine is created, cleared,…
It turns out Benjamin Franklin was wrong. Death and taxes are not the only two certainties in life. There’s a third: Ship lines will always, always drive up rates when it suits them. In a time where the 99% of businesses and consumers are struggling to make ends meet, 2M,…
This isn’t exactly breaking news, but it bears repeating. The COVID pandemic is not just a health and humanitarian crisis, but an economic shock in strange and interesting ways. Over the past few months, countries worldwide, including the US, have imposed travel restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread…
Who’s truck is it anyway? You might have heard that California waged war on companies exploiting ‘gig workers’ and made it the law to treat them as employees with access to benefits including maternity/paternity leave, sick pay, healthcare options and holidays. Sounds human right? West coast, best coast? Not for…
Your CUSTOMS HOUSE BROKER (CHB) is more important than your CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA). Time is money and money is crazy important! Making sure goods clear customs in a timely and efficient manner is every importer/exporter’s main concern. When shipments get stuck on the wrong side of the border, you…
CYBERSECURITY. DON’T LET YOUR BUSINESS GET CORRUPTED. Your network and all your company’s data is at risk of being breached. Like, it might have already happened. The fact is, the only 100% safe network is one that’s turned off, disconnected and holds absolutely no valuable information. Oh, and don’t let…
Chassis Need A Home Too Chassis, the overlooked workhorse of the cargo and shipping industry. Without them, all those shipping containers, full of helpful items and imported materials would languish with nothing but the sight of the sea to ease the pain of their inability to make you money. Which…
Drug Wars – NOT Trade Wars – & CTPAT Who’s got a ship worth $90 million with the capacity to hold 10,000 containers that’s ready to set sail from Philadelphia to Europe? Not so fast, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC). U.S. authorities seized the Gayane, a large container ship operated by…
Have We Reached A Boiling Point on Global Shipping? It’s Summer 2019 and heatwaves continue to scorch the North American and European continents, wildfires are blazing across the Arctic, and ice sheets (twice the size of NYC) are breaking off Antarctica. As Nelly would say, “It’s gettin’ hot in herre,…
…If not, we are here to help. When word that the US Government would be imposing tariffs on the nation’s biggest suppliers of goods, most people hoped it was a tactic, a gamble that wouldn’t escalate or last very long. But it’s almost a year later, and they’re here. Two…
…The CargoTrans Way You’re on the CargoTrans mailing list, so chances are you have an idea as to what we do. In over simplistic terms: #wemakeSHIPhappen – We take the hassle out of shipping, getting your products where they need to go, so you can focus on what you do…
Photo via RideSharingForum.com Uber Freight, the app that matches carriers with shippers much like the traditional Uber experience for drivers and riders, keeps growing and expanding into new territory. Upon the app’s fairly recent release in Texas, the most common reaction among users was drivers requesting Uber to expand into…