Shipping and Freight

The default category of this resource – all articles related to shipping and freight

UPDATE : Ever Given on its way to Rotterdam – Freedom, Freedom – Ever Given released and sailing from Suez Canal


Categories Maritime Disasters, News, Shipping, Shipping and Freight, Vessel Operation Tags , , 1 Comment  8 minutes
shipping and freight news - shipping and freight resource

The sweet taste of freedom was probably being experienced by all concerned with the Ever Given as it was released by Suez Canal authorities on the 7th of July – a good 106 days after becoming one of the most talked about ships in the world, by even those who were not interested or knew about the business of shipping..

Further to the below, the update as of the 12th July is that the Ever Given is showing that it is sailing en route to Rotterdam which was its original destination before passing through and getting stuck in the Suez Canal..

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Difference between Harbour, Port, Terminal, Berth, Quay, Pier, Jetty


Categories Difference between, Education, FAQ, Maritime, Shipping and Freight, Vessel Operation Tags , , , , , , 50 Comments  8 minutes
Harbour, Port, Terminal, Berth, Quay, Pier, Jetty - Shipping and Freight Resource

Harbour, Port, Terminal, Berth, Quay, Pier, Jetty – you are not alone if you are confused about these terminologies..

To many of us, these terminologies sounds the same.. It took me also a while to understand the difference when I started out in this industry..

So here’s how it works..

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The shipping container has reached retirement age – Happy 65th, container


Categories Freight Container, Shipping and Freight Tags , , 3 Comments  4 minutes
container 65

Shipping Container, Freight Container, Container, Box, TEU – many of the synonyms and acronyms by which the common shipping container is referred to as, depending on who is talking..

It has also evolved in shape and size and now comes in various sizes and types such as 20′, 40′, 45′, GP, HQ, OT, FR, RF etc etc etc..

Universally hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world, the container has really and truly made the world a smaller place and in my view, can be termed the one true architect of Globalisation..

Well, that container has now reached retirement age in human terms as it turned 65 on the 26th of April 2021 having started its journey in 1956..

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What’s next, for the Ever Given and the shipping and freight industry


Categories Information, Marine Insurance, Maritime, Maritime Disasters, Opinion, Ports & Terminals, Shipping and Freight, Trade, Vessel Operation Tags , , 3 Comments  9 minutes
My Opinion

Many journalists and Twitteratis around the world might be having withdrawal symptoms after the Ever Given has been refloated from being stuck diagonally across the Suez Canal.. Although the vessel … Read more here..

6 points to help you compete in the shipping and freight industry


Categories Opinion, Shipping and Freight, Trade Tags , , , 11 Comments  14 minutes
6 steps to compete in the shipping and freight industry

Competition is one of the constants in business, something that can spur you on and make you better or something that can bring you down..

Every industry has competition in varying degrees.. Some companies look at their competition and say “Yeah ok, whatever” (think Google/Facebook).. Some companies look at their competition and say “Oh crap, that’s close” – like a lot of companies in the shipping and freight industry..

While competition comes in various forms, there are several cases where you may really struggle to find a way to stand out from your competition..

Let me explain further with some examples relatable to the shipping and freight industry..

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Planning to start your own shipping and freight business..?? Read this..


Categories Education, Information, Shipping and Freight Tags 23 Comments  11 minutes
image for stop shipping and freight business

For any business to be successful, one needs to know the business, its model and requirements inside out.. Many businesses start with a great idea..

But there could be big gap between a great idea and a great startup and many people don’t have a clue on how to bridge this gap and may end up spending their life savings to start the business..

Forbes published an article on 10 Reality Checks Before Starting Your Own Business..

    1. Are you ready for the startup lifestyle?
    2. Are there customers with real pain and money?
    3. Is the market opportunity large and growing?
    4. Is this a crowded space already?
    5. Does your solution have hidden dependencies or costs?
    6. Do you have intellectual property to defend against competitors?
    7. Can you build a motivated and qualified team?
    8. Have you looked realistically at the costs?
    9. Do you have stamina and skills?
    10. Going “from” rather than “to”?

 

While the above is good for any business, if you are planning to start your own shipping and freight business, here are 7 reasons why you shouldn’t start your own shipping and freight business..

Yes you are reading it right..

You shouldn’t start your own shipping and freight business if :

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An NVOCC and their role in container shipping


Categories Education, Shipping and Freight, Shipping Jargon Tags 4 Comments  8 minutes
shipping jargon - NVOCC - shipping and freight resource

NVOCC is one of the terms you would have heard quite often in day to day business particularly if you are in the US or Chinese markets..

This article explains in detail who an NVOCC is, how they work and what is their role in the industry..

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Get Informed Quickly: The world of shipping and freight in 50 Words


Categories Innovation, News, Shipping and Freight, Technology Tags 3 Comments  4 minutes
50 words app - shipping and freight resource

In 2012 there were less than 2 million blog posts every day and in 2020 just over 10 million blog posts have been published every day across all topics.

And perhaps, the most sobering statistic: five exabytes (or 5 billion billion bytes) of data could store all the words ever spoken by humans between the birth of the world and 2003. In 2011 alone, five exabytes of content were created every two days.

Based on these numbers, we could be excused if we miss out some very important things or salient happenings in our industry due to all the digital clutter that we face every day.

But if you are interested in identifying and consuming information related to shipping and freight that matters, help is at hand in the form of a nifty app that gives you a snapshot of the important information that you need in less than 50 words.

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Maersk Essen – containers lost at sea – update


Categories Maritime Disasters, Shipping and Freight, Vessel Operation Tags , 2 Comments  3 minutes
lashing containers

Further to previous reports about containers falling overboard from the Maersk Essen, it has been reported that the vessel has arrived at Lazaro Cardenas, modern, deep-water port on the Pacific Coast that serves Mexico City..

But the vessel will only berth on the 30th of January after which cargo operations will commence.. As per WK Webster, a general average situation could be looming..

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Vintage Shipping – a look at the way shipping was done in the 80s and 90s


Categories Opinion, Shipping and Freight Tags , , , 20 Comments  12 minutes
vintage shipping the way it was done

Work from Home (WFH) – the “new normal” of 2020 seems to have gained worldwide acceptance since COVID-19 and has been the subject of many discussions on its merits and de-merits..

When I think about how the shipping and freight industry has adapted and is currently adapting to WFH practices, I can’t help wondering how the industry might have coped with this pandemic, the disruption it caused and if WFH would have been possible had it occurred in the 80s and 90s when things were handled much differently in the industry..

For those of you who were “born” into this current technology driven world of shipping, freight and logistics, read here how vintage shipping was done.. ?

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TT Club focusses on temperature-controlled cargo losses


Categories Shipping and Freight Tags , , , 1 Comment  3 minutes
reefer cargo claims

The leading international freight transport and logistics insurer, TT Club has drawn attention to action required to reduce perishable cargo losses and refrigerated container failures and damage.

Analysis of the specialist insurer’s claims records for transport operators over the past three years shows temperature-controlled incidents ranking in third place.

Almost 30% of these incidents involved a miscommunication of operational instructions on care of the cargo with a further 23% down to temperature setting errors. Reefer equipment failure or damage accounted for a quarter of the reefer claims. 

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Implications of issuing a Clean on Board bill of lading


Categories Bill of Lading, Letter of Credit, Shipping and Freight Tags , , , , , 11 Comments  4 minutes

Many a time, shippers have asked shipping lines for “CLEAN ON BOARD” clause on a bill of lading and if the request relates to a container shipment, this might have very well been rejected by the shipping line..

Why do the shipping lines reject this..?? 

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Heavy cargo rollovers observed in September as per Ocean Insights data


Categories Press Release, Shipping and Freight Tags , Leave a comment  4 minutes
Ocean insights container rollover

Supply chain disruption due to container rollovers at leading transshipment ports eased marginally for shippers in September compared to August.

However, the ratio of rollovers remained far higher compared to a year earlier at most hubs, according to Ocean Insights, the world’s leading real-time and predictive ocean container tracking data provider to forwarders and shippers.

The latest global container port rollover findings were compiled by analyzing Ocean Insights’ proprietary global container tracking data through to the end of September.

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Should the Captain of the Wakashio be held responsible for dead dolphins


Categories Information, Maritime Disasters, News, Shipping and Freight Tags , , , 5 Comments  5 minutes
wakashio oil spill

Any maritime disaster will have severe impact on assets, people and environment.. The effects of the oil spill from the Wakashio is beginning to manifest itself as there have been several reports of dead dolphins washing ashore on the beaches of Mauritius, even as the bow of the ship has been scuttled and sunk about 14 nautical miles of where the incident happened..

The Captain of the Wakashio has been arrested and charged and currently faces a possible 60 year jail term for failing to safely navigate the vessel in Mauritius waters..

What is your opinion..?? Should the Captain of the ship be responsible for this incident and is a possible 60 year jail term (if convicted) justified..??

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Are our seafarers happy? The Seafarers Happiness Index explains


Categories Shipping and Freight Leave a comment  6 minutes
day of the seafarer
– Seafarers are key workers
– Seafarers are the backbone of the maritime industry
– Seafarers are the frontline warriors of global trade
– Seafarers are essential to shipping, essential to the world

These are some of the quotes that have been echoed by various people, organisations and companies around the world across the last few years and especially now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But are the seafarers really happy, content and do they feel valued?

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