(Pictured above: the skyline of Hanoi, Vietnam) Vietnam is poised to become one of the stand-out success stories of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with exports growing 11 percent, or $36 billion dollars over the first decade. With very low labor costs, the removal of import tariffs from the US and Japan, Vietnam also expects a 50%… Read more »
Ocean freight shippers are coming to learn two new acronyms along with the alphabet soup of others in their vocabulary owing to a new requirement for containers for containers worldwide beginning July 1st. SOLAS SOLAS stands for Safety of Life At Sea Convention and it is a Committee of the International Maritime Organization charged with keeping… Read more »
(Photo credit: Flickr user TechStage, CC By 2.0) The Consumer Product Safety Commission has intensified their investigation into the safety of so-called hover boards, or battery-powered devices that are steered by balance. Admittedly, they don’t really hover, and if you’re looking for a great way to describe them, think of them like a Segway without the manual controls…. Read more »
(Photo Credit Flickr User Frans Berkelaar, CC BY 2.0) 2015 is coming to a close with two notable consolidations in the ocean carrier business; COSCO is purchasing China Shipping and CMA-CGM is purchasing NOL and their liner subsidiary, APL, for $2.2 billion. COSCO has announced that China Shipping will exit the liner shipping business (read:… Read more »