Bricks and mortar merchandise retailers across the country are singing the blues. Screaming the blues may be more accurate. The plight of the now gone Radio Shack, the soon to be gone HH Gregg, and a long list of shrinking retailers including Sears/K-Mart closing stores tell the story. It seems almost a certainty the story line won’t be… Read more »
Category: Misc.
Container Shortage, Equipment Shortage
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 »
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 »
Hats Off To a New Type of Shipping Container The Sequel, ‘The Pop Top Box’
Have I ever mentioned I am a little obsessive? Not obsessive about everything, just some things. I drag my forgiving wife Cyndi to many places she really does not want to visit to see things she really doesn’t want to see, but I just ‘had to see it’. From the ruins of colonial towns and forts to vintage… 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 »
Shipping Container
Ever wonder where the standard ocean shipping container came from? If so, you may want to get a hobby or get out more. Maybe a couple of those after work ‘networking’ gatherings (that just happen to take place in a bar) are in order. You really shouldn’t be wondering about things as geeky as where… Read more »
Hanjin is broke so who will pay?
Hanjin is broke so who will pay? Hanjin is so broke they can’t even pay attention, and that’s a problem. At last count there were more than 80 vessels on the water or stranded outside ports carrying about a half million containers. Unfortunately for Hanjin, and their shippers, finding safe harbors who won’t allow creditors to seize… Read more »