Airline passengers have had access to interactive flight schedules on the Internet for some time. But global manufacturers and retailers who want to dispatch even the most time-sensitive container shipments by sea have traditionally had to rely on printed schedules. At best, exporters and importers have been able to access static sailing schedules that have been posted to the Web site of a carrier or third-party schedule provider. APL, the global container and logistics provider, has just changed all that. "Carriers and their customers understand that all vessel schedules are often out of date even before they are posted or published," says Hans Hickler, APL's vice president of customer support and information strategy.