Is Container Freight Now a Commodity?
In an interview with Patrik Berglund, the Xeneta CEO says that the introduction of the "commodity" status for the container would benefit both shippers and carriers. Q- In today’s world of Amazon, Alibaba and E-commerce, have container rates (meaning 20-40’dry box) reached ’commodity’ status? Not exactly. There is a major difference between ‘cheap’ and being a ‘commodity.’ Clearly the current rates are very low, and in fact threatening the financial viability of 4-6 ocean carriers, but business cycles, as set by supply and demand, are part of the global economic cycle.
Xeneta Proposes Commodity Status in Container Shipping
With ultra-low container rates, multiple operators teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and adversarial relationships developing between those shipping goods and the carriers, Xeneta believes the entire container industry must evolve. The Oslo-based benchmarking and market intelligence platform for containerized ocean freight is proposing a solution it says would benefit both shippers and carriers – the introduction of ‘commodity’ status. Container rates have collapsed over the course of the last 18 months.
CEVA Appoint Two Sr Executive
Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, 27 April, 2015 – CEVA Logistics, one of the world's leading supply chain companies, today announced the appointment of two senior executives with deep sector-specific operations expertise to further drive its customer-focused Contract Logistics strategy. In its Contract Logistics business line, CEVA has established an industry sector and solutions approach led by industry operations experts in Automotive, Industrial, Technology, Consumer and Retail, Healthcare and Energy. This team's role is to drive global standardization and innovation across all of CEVA's vertical sectors while helping its customers meet today's challenges in the marketplace.
ABB Appoint New Head of HR
Jean-Christophe Deslarzes has been appointed by ABB to its Executive Committee as Head of Human Resources as of Nov. 15, 2013. He succeeds Gary Steel, 60, who will retire at a date that is still to be determined. Deslarzes, a 49-year-old Swiss national, has served for the past three years as Chief Human Resources and Organization Officer and member of the Executive Board at the global retail group Carrefour. From 1994 to 2010, he worked at Rio Tinto Alcan and its predecessors Alcan Inc. and Alusuisse, in a variety of human resources and management roles in Europe and Canada.
CG Foundation 17th District Tribute
The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its 17th Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Seventh District will take place on Monday, November 1, 2010. The event will honor the work of the men and women of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District who deployed to Haiti and aided in the relief efforts associated with the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit the country in January of this year. In addition to honoring these individuals and celebrating the service of all our guardians who enforce maritime law…
USS Fort McHenry Completes Haiti Mission
The USS Fort McHenry arrived in Haiti Jan. 18, six days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation. The Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship's Sailors and embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) provided critical medical, distribution, rubble removal and construction assistance during Operation Unified Response. The ship provided over 3,500 pounds of medical aid and the medical team treated 850 patients, both on the ship and ashore…
E-Commerce Takes Maritime By Storm
In the last six months, the shipping industry has seen the marine B2B market grow from nothing into a highly competitive race between e-commerce ventures to attract major shipowner/shipmanager support and investment capital. The shipping world has suddenly come alive to the world of e-commerce. Within the last few months, the industry has grown from a few providers of marine e-commerce Internet services to more than 70 e-commerce portals targeting different market segments - and more portals and initiatives are launched every day. Shipping companies are now recognizing that e-commerce is no longer a 'nice-to-have' option. For shipping companies battered by poor annual earnings, embracing information and communication technology may not be a matter of choice, but a matter of survival.
