On Friday, May 24th, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced the decision to resign as leader of the Conservative Party and as Britain’s leader after failing to win support for plans to withdraw from the European Union. May’s announcement comes after proposing to the House of Commons the [...]
After a series of severe weather-related disruptions beginning in 2018, importers and exporters have begun focusing on the unpredictable impact extreme weather conditions can wreak on international supply chain trade flows. Natural disasters are one of a supply chains’ greatest vulnerabilities, unpredictably stalling commercial progress. For ill-prepared shippers, these weather [...]
Just as shippers hoped the trade dispute between China and the United States was coming close to a deal, issues during the negotiations have re-ignited tensions culminating in new tariffs on both sides of the Pacific. MAY 10, 25% DUTIES ON LIST 3 Last week, the Office of the U.S. [...]
Already plagued with severe weather, flooding, and legislative battles, the Houston Shipping Channel has been struck with yet another setback. On Friday, May 10that 3:30 PM, a 755-foot liquefied petroleum gas carrier, The Genesis, collided with two barges, containing 25,000 gallons of reformate each, being pulled by a tugboat. Reformate [...]
This past April, the local Port Authority implemented a rule limiting the number of calls a 9,500+ TEU vessel can have in the Houston Ship Channel. Piggybacking on the decision, Houston Ship Pilots also decided to prohibit two-way traffic on the narrow passageway further restricting the number of times a [...]
If domestic carriers are the bloodlines of American commerce, why has this industry found it so difficult to attract and retain drivers to service U.S. supply chains? And, were the higher trucking rates in 2018 reflective of this driver shortage? The American Trucking Association (ATA) has pointed to an ongoing [...]
The European Union (EU) has agreed to delay the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU until October 31, 2019. The decision avoids a political crisis days after Britain’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, failed to come to an agreement with Parliament on a BREXIT strategy. May has voiced her desire for [...]
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced a fifth draught reduction for ocean vessels passing through the new locks of the Panama Canal as a severe dry season hits Central America. Ocean carriers have been warned that after April 30th, the maximum draught for transiting the new locks will be restricted [...]
The shipping market may have finally softened after almost a year of tariff increases and U.S. government trade programs wreaked havoc on inventory levels as companies rushed to import additional product and maintain service levels to consumers. But the mad rush for warehousing, intermodal, and equipment left domestic trucking carriers [...]
More than 60 ships remain stranded in the Houston Ship Channel this morning as emergency responders look to skim gasoline ingredients from the waterway from a fire that occurred on March 18th. The region’s worst chemical disaster in 14 years occurred after three tanks at an Intercontinental Terminals Co.’s (ITC) [...]
