APL: On-time record in Trans-Pacific hits 94% in 1H 2011
Container shipping leader APL’s on-time performance in the Trans-Pacific trade was 94% for the first half of 2011. In its mid-year report on 2011 vessel reliability, the Singapore-based carrier said today that APL ships missed their arrival window only seven times out of 114 port calls to the US West Coast from January to June 2011. APL attributed delays to unseasonal typhoons, heavy fog and the earthquake in Japan. “Schedule reliability is the cornerstone of customer service in container shipping,” said APL President Ken Glenn. The report measures reliability on the five Asia-to-US West Coast services operated exclusively by APL vessels. The Trans-Pacific is watched closely as a barometer of global trade since it connects North American consumer markets with Asian manufacturing centers.
Shipping Disruptions: Japan Battles Back
Japan is waging a public relations war as it struggles to control the nuclear contamination threat at home while playing down the concerns of consumers abroad. Fears of tainted goods from the battered nation are affecting trade flows, with regional weather distributing radiation particles and hysteria across Asia. In South Korea, panic over radioactive rain in March saw schools shut down en masse, despite the minute level of radiation posing no known health risks. In Hong Kong in April…
