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Omar R. Benjamin

The global shipping industry continues to be a dynamic industry, and as we saw during the past year, the ways in which we deliver goods has undergone tremendous change. Today’s economic conditions compelled ports to take a closer look at how they conduct business to discover new approaches that yield improved results. This is happening throughout the global supply chain, and you can expect to see more in 2010.

The year will bring two other paradigm shifts. The first is that major ports are formalizing their collaborative efforts by forming strategic partnerships to take advantage of combined resources, experience and geography. The concept behind this collaboration began last year when the leaders of six major U.S. West Coast ports met in Washington, D.C. to send a dual message to federal officials: A national goods movement plan is essential for sustaining America’s role in global trade, and more federal resources are necessary to maximize the advantages of moving goods from Asia through the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. West Coast Collaboration comprises the major West Coast container ports Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles — along with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.

You can expect to see more of these innovative collaborations in 2010 as ports seek new ways to navigate through this time economic uncertainty.

The other major industry shift coming in 2010 is a more aggressive response toward environmental stewardship. The U.S. West Coast has some of the strictest environmental standards, the lowest carbon emissions and the most proactive environmental programs in the country — all of which support our respective communities by reducing public health risk caused by impacts from our maritime operations. This will continue, and many of our maritime business partners will join us in these efforts to promote a greener supply chain.