Vintage Shipping – the way it was done
Cyber crime.. Nothing new, but something that didn’t affect the shipping and freight industry in a big way till the 27th of June 2017 when the world’s largest container shipping line Maersk Line, was hit by the global Petya cyber attack..
This unexpected and unprecedented attack led to a huge disruption in the operations of Maersk Line..
For a few days their operations were affected because
– some of the APM Terminals were affected and gates were closed
– they were unable to serve new quotes
– they were unable to accept new bookings and
– the attack limited their ability to communicate with their customers..
This is quite a serious issue and has come as a rude shock to many customers and the industry in general.. The delays caused by such incidents affects not just the line but also the customers that had booked their cargoes for loading on specific dates for arrival at destination within a certain time frame..
Such delays may specifically affect retail and assembly line customers (like automakers) who ship on the basis of JIT (Just In Time) deliveries where such precision in delivery is required..
While I sympathize with the affected lines and customers, this also got me thinking how shipping was done in the past, before these technological advances came about and there was no possibility of such disruptions..
This prompted me to take a stroll down memory lane and write this article on Vintage Shipping – the way it was done.. ???? This could be a nostalgic overdose for many!!