Want More Supply Chain News?

Request Quote

Blog

General Average Explained: What Shippers Need to Know

Imagine receiving a message from an ocean carrier notifying you that all the cargo aboard a vessel, including yours, has been impounded—and the only way you can retrieve it is a boat load of cash or a guarantee at the very least. Sounds like extortion, right? Well, it’s actually a very common event in maritime […]

Continue Reading »

The Name is Bonds, Customs Bonds

cbp officer in center of spiral design, similar to james bond opening scene

Pay attention, Agents… Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves decoding the latest updates to U.S. Customs Bonds—the unofficial and secret weapon that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other Partner Government Agencies (PGA) have at their disposal to safeguard our national trade interests. Much like the legendary MI6 Agent 007 from […]

Continue Reading »

Unpacking Temu’s Tariff Dodging: The De Minimis Deluge Shadowing Forced Labor

Shipping boxes flowing off a waterfall

Lately, the international trade newsroom has cast a bright spotlight–or should we say dark shadow–on some of the shadier business practices allegedly leveraged by certain popular e-commerce platforms. If you were one of the 123 million viewers that tuned into Superbowl 58, chances are you caught a glimpse of at least one of the six […]

Continue Reading »

The Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses. Is The Sky Falling Too?

By the dawn’s early light on March 26, we all saw that the Francis Scott Key Bridge had lost its perilous fight with the Maersk Dali. And then we viewed countless videos of the violent carnage, somehow almost graceful, surely caused by bombs bursting in air and not a bump from a boat! Our second response […]

Continue Reading »

Navigating Troubled Waters: The Contingency Mentality

Logistics contingency plans are just a fancy way of conveying the importance of businesses being prepared when the ship hits the fan—like if the Ever Given lodges itself at the Suez Canal or a viral pandemic hits planet Earth like a meteor, somehow super-charging global consumerism.  In 2021, an estimated 40% of all global ocean […]

Continue Reading »

“New” Year, New Rates: The Annual Shift in Global Shipping Post-Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year (CNY) is just around the corner—which means the mundane rhythm of everyday life will soon give way to a vibrant celebration of family and cultural traditions. Beginning Saturday, February 10, 2024, not a single soul will be found in factories or offices, as the Chinese workforce enjoys a week (or more) of […]

Continue Reading »

Navigating the Suez Blockade: A Trade Tirade

Navigating the Suez Blockade: A Trade Tirade

Editor’s Note: First, let us say that the humanitarian impacts and terrifying possibilities of a raging geopolitical storm leading to a global conflict are what really matter when eyeing Gaza. That is a concern well beyond this blog! We write this in the spirit of the annual budgets we are preparing (or will soon be […]

Continue Reading »

Supply Chain Reactions | Ocean Rates | Nov. 3, 2023

Supply Chain Reactions | Nov 3, 2023 | Ocean Rates

Shipping Line News Blank Sailings Up Dramatically Container Volume Asia to US East Coast Ports (2023) Container Volume Asia to US West Coast Ports (2023)

Continue Reading »

The Haunting Rise of Cargo Thefts 

The Haunting Rise of Cargo Thefts

In a world already fraught with frightening freight challenges, shippers are now grappling with a bone-chilling new threat that haunts their every waking moment—a rising number of cargo thefts. Statistics reveal a total of 566 incidents documented this year, marking a spine-tingling 56% year-over-year increase. These thieves, driven by an insatiable appetite for cash, target […]

Continue Reading »

How to Crack the HTS Code on Product Classification

HTS-Codes

It’s no secret that the decline of cable television has given rise to a new entertainment behemoth: streaming platforms. The resulting power struggle forced network executives to rethink the wheel to attract more viewers than their competitors, and in turn, more advertising revenue. One of the tactics that’s taken centerstage is based upon the age-old […]

Continue Reading »