What is GRI (General Rate Increase) in shipping and what is its implication..??
General Rate Increase (GRI) – a term liked by the shipping lines and loathed by the trading community.. This article explains what GRI means to people on either side of the fence and how it affects the trade..
FAK it.. A deep dive into FAK rates and how it works..
The process of global trade is simple to look at, especially if you look at it from the outside..
- There is a buyer who needs a product ;
- There is a seller who sells this product ;
- They discuss and agree on a price ;
- The buyer pays the agreed price ;
- The seller arranges for the product to be transported to the buyer
End of trade..
Simple, right..?? Many would wish it was so..
While there are several processes and documentary flows involved in trade negotiations, there are even further processes involved in the actual movement of the goods from Point A to Point B..
One such process in the movement of goods that influences product pricing is the process of freight negotiation and freight quotation in which there are several types..
Let us take a deep dive into FAK rates and how it works..
Precautions to take against loss due to abandoned cargo
Abandoned cargo could be quite stressful for shipping lines, shippers, port authorities and forwarders alike and is considered to be a big headache for everyone concerned..
When a cargo is abandoned it causes severe financial losses to all parties concerned – seller, buyer, shipping line, freight forwarder, transporters, banks, Government etc etc..
It could also cause a rift in business relationships between a shipping line and their customer – whether it is an importer or a freight forwarder because it could create a blemish in the customer’s record with the shipping line..
When is a cargo considered to be Abandoned Cargo..??
Carriage ban looming for ship owners and operators – IMO2020
Difference between bulk and break bulk
Bulk and Break bulk are two terms that are being used incorrectly and interchangeably in the course of day to day business..
These terms cannot be used interchangeably because there are distinctive differences between Bulk and Break Bulk in terms of cargo, nature, size, capacity, handling, trade, customers, ports, terminals, equipment, infrastructure…………………………………..
How do you differentiate between the two..?? This article will help you understand clearly..
Freight benchmarking and its benefits
Benchmarking – is a business tool used by companies to evaluate and compare the current position and standing of the company against similar companies and organisations in the same business space in the market..
The point of benchmarking is to identify opportunities for improvement of your products and services by comparing your company’s performance, processes, costs against a bigger and better market competitor..
This could mean tweaking your company’s products/services to match the competitor’s offering in the market or by improving your scope of services..
Freight benchmarking is a benchmarking tool in the shipping and freight industry used by various role players in the industry such as BCOs, freight forwarders and shipping lines..
Do you speak Maritime English..??
A seafarer is never at the front or the back of a ship; they are at the bow or the stern. They are never on the left or right side, but rather port or starboard. They are never in their bedroom or the kitchen, but they might be in their cabin or in the galley. A ship’s speed is not measured in miles or kilometres per hour, but rather in knots. A ship, of course, is referred often as “she” and not always as “it”.
These are the things we might think of when we hear a phrase like “Maritime English”.
What is a Blank sailing..??
- Trans-Pacific carriers accelerate blank sailings
- More blank sailings spell volatility for trans-Pacific
- AE2-blank-sailing-announcement-Europe-Services – Maersk
- Falling US imports spell more trans-Pacific blankings
- Soft demand and falling rates push 2M to blank another Asia-USEC sailing
- Ocean Alliance to Blank Ten Transpacific Sailings as Spot Rates Plummet
These are some of the headlines you might have seen across many media, all with one common factor “blank sailings”..
What is this blank sailing and how does it impact or influence global container shipping..??
Freight Forwarder and Clearing Agent
There are several entities involved in the successful transportation of a shipment.. However big or small a shipment is, two entities stand out due to the importance of their roles in a shipment..
These entities are a Freight Forwarder and a Clearing Agent..
It is very important to understand the functions of a freight forwarder and a clearing agent and their role in a shipment as this is often confused..
While in a lot of cases, a freight forwarder and clearing agent may be the same entity, there are many cases where they are different as well and in this post we explore the similarities and difference between a freight forwarder and clearing agent..
What are “lost slots”..??
As container shipping has evolved over the years, so have the methods of carrying cargo and types of cargo being carried.. Open Tops and Flat Racks are two of the container types that are used in the carriage of (OOG) Out of Gauge cargo (also called (ODC) Over Dimensional Cargo in certain countries)..
This type of carriage has its own individuality and one unique feature of this type of carriage are the Lost Slots which occurs in the carriage of this type of cargo and this is explained in detail in this article..
Shipping Jargon : Street Turn
There is a new shipping jargon in town and it is called Street Turn.. It is a charge about to be implemented by a few of the shipping lines..
This has the shippers up in arms with some terming it as insane, appalling and a huge mistake.. Read about it here and join a short poll on what your opinion is about the street turn..