Retail Industry News

The Flying Buttress once glided across the oceans carrying vital commodities like grain to all corners of the world.Now it bears a different treasure: Paw Patrol Movie Towers, Batmobile Transformers and Baby Alive Lulu Achoo dolls.The dry bulk cargo ship has been drafted into the service of retail giant Walmart, which is chartering its own vessels in an effort to beat the global supply chain disruptions that threaten to torpedo the retail industry's make-or-break holiday season."Chartering vessels is just one example of investments we've made to move products as quickly as possible," said Joe Metzger, U.S. executive vice president of supply-chain operations at Walmart…

"I've seen grown men cry," says Captain Tejinder Singh, who hasn't set foot on dry land in more than seven months and isn't sure when he'll go home."We are forgotten and taken for granted," he says of the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as the Delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on shore."People don't know how their supermarkets are stocked up."Singh and most of his 20-strong crew have criss-crossed the globe on an exhausting odyssey: from India to the United States then on to China…

"I've seen grown men cry," says Captain Tejinder Singh, who hasn't set foot on dry land in more than seven months and isn't sure when he'll go home."We are forgotten and taken for granted," he says of the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as the Delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on shore."People don't know how their supermarkets are stocked up."Singh and most of his 20-strong crew have criss-crossed the globe on an exhausting odyssey: from India to the United States then on to China…

Britain’s retailers and food manufacturers have called on lawmakers to urgently investigate ongoing disruption at UK ports, warning that delays were hurting their plans to build stocks ahead of Christmas and the December 31 end of the Brexit transition period.The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said on Thursday they had written to Lilian Greenwood, chair of parliament’s Commons Transport Select Committee, and Angus Brendan MacNeil, chair of the International Trade Committee…

With the retail industry in its annual lull between seasons and plans for a tariff increase on hold, imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to drop to their lowest level in almost a year this month, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“Now that the holiday season is over and summer has yet to crank up, this is the quiet time of year for retail supply chains,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

Of 98 container ships, 44 blocked from ports. U.S. firms take legal action over unpaid bills. Roughly half of Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd's container vessels have been blocked from ports since the South Korean firm's collapse, putting manufacturers and their customers increasingly on edge about the fate of cargo and spikes in freight costs. Woes for world's seventh-largest container shipper have only deepened since its banks withdrew support and it filed for court receivership this week. One vessel has also been seized by a creditor in Singapore while firms in the U.S. have launched legal action against Hanjin to seize vessels and other assets over unpaid bills.

Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited (GBSL) has added three regional sales directors to its Marketing and Sales Division, with posts in the Americas, Europe and Asia/Middle East. According to the shipyard, their prime objectives will be to increase yard exposure, as well as develop future projects with existing and new customers for their refit, refurbishment or revitalization projects. Andre Szadzinski joined GBSL in August 2016 as Regional Sales Director for North and South America.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), which has always been a valuable resource in supply chain management, announced the formation of a Supply Chain Innovations Teams that will develop commercial solutions to supply chain challenges and related port congestion concerns, which have been an issue in the industry for quite some time. Although I believe that the FMC has made a great impact on the logistics industry, especially supply chain management, I am not sure that this sort of regulation is necessary.

TOTE Maritime Alaska announced that Michael Noone will assume the role of President, January 1, 2016. Noone joined TOTE Maritime Alaska as Chief Operating Officer in August 2013, bringing 28 years of experience in the shipping and logistics field. As COO, he has been responsible for creating strategic and operating plans for sales, pricing and operations. Noone received his bachelor’s degree from Wagner College and is certified by some of the nation’s top executive programs in Logistics…

In a letter sent Wednesday, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) applauded Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) for introducing legislation that would institute universal port performance standards and a formalized reporting structure for capturing data on true operational capacities of U.S. ports. “Retailers’ supply chain operations are highly dependent on the functionality and efficiency of our U.S. ports,” said Kelly Kolb, vice president for government affairs. The Port Transparency Act (S. 1298) would direct the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to work with numerous other entities, including port authorities, to obtain applicable and fruitful port performance measures.

Senate bill aims to mitigate impact of labor disputes at America’s ports. In a letter sent today, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) welcomed the introduction of the Protecting Orderly and Responsible Transit of Shipments (PORTS) Act in the U.S Senate. The bill, sponsored by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to provide state governors a mechanism under federal law to mitigate the destructive impact of port labor disputes on the economy at both the state and federal level. Specifically, the legislation would authorize a governor from a state where a port labor dispute is causing economic harm to form a board of inquiry and start the Taft Hartley process.

Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) has sold APL Logistics (APLL) to Kintetsu World Express (KWE) for $1.2 billion in a stunning deal that gives the Singapore-listed group a net gain of more than $900 million. The KWE Group considers the establishment of a management base that can compete on a par with European and U.S. competitors in the global market to be one of the Group’s management priorities. In its Medium-Term Management Plan, released in May 2013, the entire Group is engaging in these measures. APLL is a logistics company with strengths in logistics services and various high-value-added services for companies in the automobile industry and retail industry, among others, and it is expanding its business globally, with a focus on North America and Asia.

The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security held a hearing on U.S. The hearing comes during a labor standoff between shipping companies and port workers that shut down 29 West Coast ports over the weekend. The ports have since resumed operations. "We need to explore the policy options to support port growth and future volumes of freight to keep goods moving," Chairman Deb Fischer (R-NE) said during the hearing.

TOTE, Inc. President and CEO Anthony Chiarello was honored by The Navy League of the United States with the Vincent T. Hirsch Maritime Award at the organization’s annual convention and Sea Service Awards Luncheon in Long Beach, Calif. last week. The Vincent T. Hirsch Maritime Award, named for a patron and past president of the Navy League, was presented to Chiarello in honor of his achievements during his more than 30 year career with maritime organizations and “contributions to protecting and growing the privately-owned U.S. Chiarello, who joined TOTE, Inc.

“Today’s vote ratifying a new, long-term master labor contract is welcomed news to the nation’s retailers, who have been on pins-and-needles for the past year due to the possibility of a supply chain disruption along the 14 East and Gulf Coast container ports. “The ILA and United States Maritime Alliance should be commended for reaching today’s pinnacle vote, and doing so without engaging in any disruption, stoppage, lockout or strike. “The retail industry would also like to recognize the dedication of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and the hard work of FMCS Director George Cohen and his team of negotiators, who managed to keep both sides at the table to hammer out this deal. “The nation’s ports are our economic lifeline to the world.

Anthony Chiarello, president and CEO of TOTE, Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the SHIPPINGInsight 2013 Fleet Optimization Conference, Oct. 22-24 in Stamford, Conn. Prior to TOTE, Inc., the largest of five operating groups owned by Seattle-based Saltchuk Resources, Inc., which includes five companies organized in maritime, logistics and ship management lines of business, Chiarello, was the COO and executive vice president at NYK Logistics (Americas), Inc. Prior to NYK, Chiarello was with the AP Moller/Maersk organization for 16 years.

NRF Calls on President Obama to Immediately Intervene to Prevent Port Strike. The National Retail Federation has issued the following statement from NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold on the breakdown of contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd.: “It is extremely disheartening to learn that the two sides failed to reach an agreement during today’s negotiations. NRF urges both sides to remain at the table until a deal is reached. “It is imperative that both sides verbally announce their intentions to return to the negotiations. A coast-wide port shutdown would have a significant impact across all businesses and industries that rely on the ports, particularly retail.

NRF: East and Gulf Coast Strike Would Have Devastating Implications for the Retail Industry. The National Retail Federation today sent a letter to President Obama to express the retail industry’s growing concern if a contract agreement isn’t reached between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. The two sides have been in negotiations, with the assistance of federal mediators, for the past few months with little demonstrable progress. The concern for a coast-wide strike is ever increasing. While another round of talks is scheduled for this week, the contract deadline – December 29 – is quickly approaching.

Saltchuk Resources has promoted Anthony Chiarello, to president & CEO of TOTE, Inc. TOTE, Inc. is the largest of six operating groups owned by Seattle-based Saltchuk Resources, Inc., and includes five companies organized in maritime, logistics and ship management lines of business. Chiarello, who accepted the top leadership position at TOTE, Inc. just 18 months ago, has already lead a realignment of the organization’s five operating companies in to three distinct lines of business: TOTE Maritime, TOTE Ship Management and TOTE Logistics. In February, TOTE, Inc.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta delivered an address on Feb. 11 at the 2009 Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Logistics Conference in Dallas, Texas. In front of approximately 900 global logistics leaders, Mr. Alemán Zubieta highlighted the anticipated benefits of Canal expansion, which is progressing on-time and on-budget, and will help Canal customers to efficiently deliver products to consumers around the world. He also pointed out the rapid growth of Panama as the transportation and logistics hub of the Americas. Slated for completion in 2014, the $5.25b Expansion Program will double Canal capacity by building a new lane of traffic.