The word on the street is some US exporters are having a harder time finding empty containers for their goods. Is there an upcoming shortage of containers ahead? Definitely maybe is my answer. Well maybe not a true shortage as in ‘not enough’. It may be more of a matter of containers not being in the right spot. My guess… Read more »
Category: Business
Bulk Freight, Containerized Cargo
In the fourth quarter of last year we earned a new containerized freight customer. Earning a new customer to supply cargo insurance to in itself isn’t unusual. What was unusual was it was a commodity that would typically go bulk in a ship’s hold. If you are not familiar with bulk shipping think of the difference between buying… Read more »
Cargo Insurance, General Average
Most maritime carriers don’t mention general average as a part of their marketing. Other than us cargo insurance nerds, people don’t even talk about general average. Consequently most shippers don’t know exactly what ‘general average’ is and what the possible risks are to those who are international ocean shippers. Even though forms of general average code can… Read more »
Container Rates Go Up, Container Rates Go Down.
As a result of the wheels coming off Hanjin mid last year I wrote a piece on August 31st 2016 that rates were going to go up and they did. The article can be reviewed at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hanjin-falls-down-rates-shoot-up-tom-o-malley?trk=mp-reader-card for a refresher. The writing on the wall was pretty clear. I was stating the obvious. Real live capacity was suddenly… Read more »
It’s all about the numbers. Or is it?
Each month, quarter, and year, there is a break neck run by many companies to attain the numbers set by management projections. The world has been turning that way for quite some time. Most of us have been numbers chasers at one time or another and that is not a bad thing. Most of the… Read more »