Even as consumers continue to see shortages of goods in stores, articles about the holiday supply chain crisis remain abundant, bringing container shipping to the forefront of current events like never before. As we attempt to creatively handle the gifting season, let’s review some of the issues that precede Black Friday in a year filled with unprecedented transportation dynamics.
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For many of us in the transportation business, containerized shipping is top of mind year after year. But for everyone else, it takes unusual current events to bring containers into the limelight. On that front, 2020 and 2021 have not disappointed: From supply chain issues affecting durable goods, automobiles, and toilet paper, to the container ship Ever Given getting stuck in the Suez Canal, the past two years have brought more than their fair share of container news.
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Since the 1960’s, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) has been the king of shipping fuels. A byproduct of crude oil, HFO expels 35,000 ppm into the environment and accounts for 8% of the sulfuric dioxide in the air. The arrival of the IMO 2020 fuel regulation in 2019 signaled a formal move toward alternatives to HFO like biodiesel, hydrogen, methanol, and even battery-powered ships. While each of these has been pursued incrementally in the past, the breadth and urgency of a regulated shift is changing the dynamic. Domestic shippers, such as retailers and raw material manufacturers, are tending towards low-sulfur diesel oil alternatives, whereas ocean liner companies are embracing exhaust cleaning systems known as scrubbers. Even during times of lower fuel demand, we can anticipate ongoing forward motion in alternative fuel adoption. Let’s look into it…
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In the past two decades, tech innovations, the rise of e-commerce, and evolving customer demands have had a significant impact on the logistics industry. Today, customers want products and services delivered faster and more cheaply than ever before. In this ‘smarter and faster’ era, efficiency and staying ahead of the curve are key for logistics providers. Here are some of the latest technological advances that logistics experts can integrate into their operations to meet these new challenges.
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