Shut-down at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach enters its second week It has now been a week since strikes by clerical workers from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 63 have forced the closure of facilities at the ports of Los Angeles...
Lessons from a 100-Year Storm
What not to mix with salt water: electric, communications, motorized systems by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor Port Newark Refrigerated Warehouse was just one of the hundreds of businesses in New Jersey and New York that felt the wrath of Hurricane Sandy after it hit...
Sandy’s Toll on the Port of NY-NJ
Despite preparation, no way to hold back water, no way (yet) to reckon loss by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor The Port Authority of New York-New Jersey began preparing for Sandy days before the storm hit. The plans included warnings to terminal operators to secure...
Mixed Feelings
Survey respondents divided on Panama Canal expansion’s impact on trade flow by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor In my last column, I asked readers to weigh in on a survey regarding the impact of the Panama Canal expansion on US waterborne trade. The $5.25 billion project...
Weigh in on Panamax
Here’s an invitation to a survey on what we can expect from canal expansion by Bill Armbruster In my last column, Scaling up for a Bigger Panamax, I shared my views on whether East and Gulf Coast ports can expect appreciable return on their investment in...
Scaling up for a Bigger Panamax
Prospects for new services are driving investment at East, Gulf Coast ports by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor East and Gulf Coast ports are investing billions of dollars in dredging and shoreside infrastructure so they will be able to handle the larger vessels...
Pepper Spray Irritates TSA
And a passenger draws a penalty for an ill-timed disclosure by Peter Quinter, guest columnist Our beloved Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has the responsibility of screening passengers to “ensure that certain items and persons prohibited from flying don’t...
Gauging Japan Disaster’s Impact
Argus Rail Business taps Datamyne to benchmark containerized import volumes There’s been no dent in rail freight traffic in North America resulting from March’s triple disasters in Japan … yet. But expect that to change, cautions a report from Argus Rail Business.The...
PanaMAX (or mini) Prospects?
A bigger canal still faces competition from the Suez, rail by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor The Panama Canal will become a more viable option for trade between Asia and the eastern U.S. after the waterway’s expansion is completed in 2014, but I question whether it will...
Rates Matter Most
Reliability ranks second in survey of shippers’ criteria for carriers by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor Last month we did a survey asking what matters most to shippers when they choose an ocean carrier. Rates ranked as the top priority, garnering 41% of the votes,...