Shipping

Will blockchain revolutionize the shipping and logistics industry, allowing it to move past inefficient legacy technologies by handing companies the keys to high-tech solutions, at an affordable cost? That’s ShipChain CEO John Monarch’s vision, and over the past year, his company’s platform has emerged as one of the foremost contenders in this burgeoning market.

New technology has opened users up to cybercrime, thanks to security loopholes, lack of training, or sometimes both. We chatted with PhishTrain Co-Founder Jake Sylvestre about how managers should think about security, and what steps they can take to protect their clients, their reputations, and ultimately, their bottom line.

We are getting close to full visibility and accountability in the shipping and freight business, thanks to blockchain.

Here’s how. Blockchain-based solutions align accountability with responsibility and create a neutral layer that incentivizes greater sharing of data.

We talked with OriginTrail CEO Tomaž Levak about how that works. “By performing consensus checks in each step of the supply chain we are effectively creating a single version of truth and supply chains with integrity,” Tomaž explained.

“Such end-to-end visibility can, in turn, be used to overcome not only data fragmentation but can support various other use cases.”

As you may have read, I recently wrote about "Containers lost at sea, why it happens, what to do when it happens and also about What is a ship register or ship registry..

Recent news reports of 83 containers falling off a ship off the coast of Australia in heavy seas seems to have triggered a question in the minds of some people Is the ship register or ship registry liable for containers falling off a ship..??

When reading the news articles about this incident, I noticed something very interesting in the way in which the general public and the shipping fraternity identify a ship, its markings and the areas of concern.. 🙂

Profitability in sea freight shipment is not a myth or a unicorn.. It is very possible.. Read how..

It is not a secret that ocean transportation and logistics is currently confronting immense change in terms of new technology, new markets, rising customer expectations, and new business models..

There have been a few articles on this blog about these advances like Blockchain based Bill of Lading, and other technologies that are shaking up the freight industry .. There are many ways the industry could develop to meet existing and new challenges, some of which are evolutionary and others are more revolutionary..

While cargo transportation is generally a complex business, in some cases it could be straightforward as well depending on how you manage it.. It is also a fact that in this high paced business environment it is not easy to follow every market trend and find answers on how to tackle the prevailing challenges easily..

Each customer and each shipment has its own issues, peculiarities, problems and characteristics.. But the main question that several shippers and services providers ask is “How to ensure profitability in sea freight shipment"..

More often than not, exporters, importers, carriers and logistics service providers experience loss due to poor planning, decision making and implementation..

A lot of people get into the industry sometimes without knowing even the basics relating to the business, the specifics relating to the business, the requirements and some of the vital information that can make or break the business.. I have even written a Beginner's Guide to Importing for those who wanted to get into the importing business but didn't know how..

Here are 11 steps you can follow to ensure profitability in sea freight shipment..

With so many new companies launching blockchain-based shipping products, it’s clear that maritime trade will look very different in a few years.. What’s less clear is what that change will look like..

In this article we examine what barriers still exist to widespread blockchain implementation, and what companies are doing to overcome them..

We talk to startups like CargoX and established players like Agility, Maersk, IBM, Evergreen etc. to understand how shipping is changing, and where it’s going..

Port operations were halted at Karachi port due to the collision of two Hapag Lloyd ships (the Tolten and Hamburg Bay) at the South Asia Port Terminal..

Freight brokers are a traditionally integral part of the freight marketplace but often find it difficult to clearly see where they fit in amongst the waves of change now and in the years ahead. In this article we see where brokers fit into the future of freight..

As you know, the 25th of June every year is celebrated as the DAY OF THE SEAFARER under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)..

Day of the Seafarer (DotS as it has come to be known), is celebrated to recognize the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole and to let the world know how and why #SeafarersMatter and are indispensable to everyone..

In my previous post promoting this Day of the Seafarer, I shared with you the story of Nick Chubb MNI, a former Merchant Seafarer and how he spends "A Day in the Life of a Seafarer"..

This article comes right from the top, yes from a Captain himself.. Capt.Abhishek Nair recounts the life of a Captain on board a ship..

Article from The Wall Street Journal by Erica E. Phillips which talks about a new phenomenon related to containers called "Container Spotting"..

This is a question one of the regular readers of the blog posed to me the other day.. As you might have...

This was a question from one the readers of the blog.. Its usually known as a back to back bill of lading rather than...

I thought a graphical overview of the flow of cargo for import, export and transhipment will help the users.. So please see the image...

Some of the people in the industry can identify where a container has been stowed on board of a ship just by reading the stow position (also known as cell position) and also whether it is a 20’ or a 40’ container that is stowed there.. How they do this..?? Mainly based on experience in handling stowage plans, but there is a formula to it.. I will explain below..

This article explains about the various container service types like FCL/FCL..

When it comes to seafreight cargo, there are a variety of cargo ships and modes of shipping based on the cargoes available.. Container Vessels -...

In this article, we will look at an extension of the import process  which is called "overstay" process.. The port gives 3 free days from...

Before we start the import process lets look at some definitions/explanations : Consignee or Importer : Companies that are authorised by Customs and Govt authorities...

Have you read Article 1 and Article 2 of this shipping blog..?? Before we start with Article 3 which is the export process, lets...