<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The storm over Salman Rushdie's book, "The Satanic Verses," has raised questions over a recent scram</div>

The storm over Salman Rushdie's book, "The Satanic Verses," has raised questions over a recent scram

<div>The storm over Salman Rushdie's book, "The Satanic Verses," has raised questions over a recent scramble by European firms to do business with Iran almost before the ink is dry on their new contracts.The European Community, which last week decided to withdraw heads of missions from Tehranin protest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death sentence against the British author, has stopped short of imposing formal trade sanctions against Iran.But a tough political line by Britain and West Germany already is threatening to stall trade financing."The European Community wants to make a political point to Tehran," said Hans Heino Kopietz, political analyst...

The storm over Salman Rushdie's book, "The Satanic Verses," has raised questions over a recent scramble by European firms to do business with Iran almost before the ink is dry on their new contracts. The European Community, which last week decided to withdraw heads of missions from Tehranin protest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death sentence against the British author, has stopped short of imposing formal trade sanctions against Iran.But a tough political line by Britain and West Germany already is threatening to stall trade financing. "The European Community wants to make a political point to Tehran," said Hans Heino Kopietz, political analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "It does not want to jeopardize trade relations, but the row may well hit trade financing," he said. Some European companies had carefully maintained contacts dating back more than 10 years to the Shah of Iran's era. Others had pain- stakingly forged new ties with the revolutionary regime. The cease-fire with Iraq in August appeared to signal a new era of trade relations: European companies had the expertise in key oil and power sectors; Iran had oil money and was contemplating large-scale borrowing from Western banks. However, the line between diplomatic and trade sanctions became increasingly blurred last week, and it is evident that some EC nations are pursuing a harder line than others. British businessmen now doubt that a British Technical Week, planned for the end of March in Tehran, will go ahead. "The applications for visas are in," said Dennis Cumming, director of the Committee for Middle East Trade. "But we have no idea if they will be accepted . . . business is on hold." British Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe made clear last week that he was skeptical about trade sanctions. But analysts say Britain's strong reaction to the Rushdie death threat means its businessmen can effectively put deals on hold. West Germany appears to be pursuing an even harder line. Bonn has refused to rule out trade sanctions and has suspended talks with Tehran on a DM3 billion to DM5 billion ($1.7 billion to $2.7 billion) credit line. Initial talks on larger guarantees on West German exports to Iran have been frozen. West German business, hoping for lucrative power generation projects, has protested, and the conservative daily Die Welt said in an editorial: "The federal government should not allow itself to be pushed into economic sanctions." Frustration among businessmen in West Germany and Britain has grown as it becomes clear that some EC nations are reluctant to jeopardize their companies' business contracts. * Italy, Iran's third-largest trading partner, has been keen to cash in on reconstruction, and in January resolved a longstanding dispute over payment for port facilities at the Gulf town of Bandar Abbas. * In France, a Finance Ministry official said there were no plans to slow improving commercial relations with Iran after diplomatic ties were restored in June 1988. * In Belgium, representatives of a group of chemical companies recently returned from Tehran convinced of the market's potential. Other EC nations have kept a low profile. Portugal, with a light arms industry that supplied both Iran and Iraq during the war, has refrained from making any public comment. Iran's need for foreign currency to pay an annual import bill of $4 billion to $5 billion for essential, non-military goods has led to a flurry of activity at European banks that had not lent it long-term funds since the Shah's fall. Officials from Iran's banks had considerable success in sounding out British, French and West German banks. But bankers say many potential credit lines are now on hold.

Maritime

EUROPEANS FEAR RUSHDIE AFFAIR WILL THREATEN TRADE WITH IRAN

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Sources at Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in India have confirmed that feeder services for the Bangladesh trade have not been included in the new network structure.</div>

Sources at Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in India have confirmed that feeder services for the Bangladesh trade have not been included in the new network structure.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Shippers in Bangladesh who historically rely on feeder networks for trade flows are seemingly missing out on potential supply chain gains from Gemini Cooperation’s hub-and-spoke model designed around dedicated shuttle operations. Sources at Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in India have confirmed that feeder services for the Bangladesh trade have not been included in the new network structure. “Gemini access for Bangladesh cargo remains confined to mainline transshipment options out of Colombo Port [Sri Lanka] and Tanjung Pelepas [Malaysia],” an official at a Gemini partner carrier who didn’t want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “There are no Gemini-specific shuttles [for Bangladesh].” Of the three weekly Gemini sailings out of India, only one string includes a direct call at Colombo, named the ME2 by Maersk and IEX by Hapag-Lloyd, that covers European trades. For Bangladesh-North America loads, Gemini offers Colombo relays via two Asia-US East Coast routings, known as the EC4 for Maersk and AA7 for Hapag-Lloyd. Feeder tonnage shortages and inherent operational strains at Bangladesh’s main port of Chittagong have been a source of concern for shippers and mainline operators, with recent <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joc.com%2Farticle%2Fbangladeshs-supply-chains-grind-to-a-halt-amid-political-upheaval-5703092&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckevin.saville2%40spglobal.com%7C735000f4b0264fd5914b08dd46abc42d%7C8f3e36ea80394b4081a77dc0599e8645%7C1%7C0%7C638744425725760591%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=PMB0zsAZdYg%2FSgqybY0FNicQdHgWORPdZG6uo9e1zqA%3D&amp;reserved=0">adverse political developments in the country</a> aggravating those pain points. Additionally, Colombo has been plagued by capacity challenges, typically making feeder calls the frontline casualty of berthing delays. Local industry experts believe reliable feeder connectivity is critical to Gemini driving the goal of predictable transits for trades in and out of Bangladesh. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd generally use third-party or common feeders, mostly from Bangladesh-based HR Lines for the latter, for Chittagong-Colombo freight flows. The Gemini partners are betting that Bangladesh trade will markedly benefit from more consistent “hub sailings” as their independent attempts between 2019 and 2021 to provide direct southeast India-Europe routings via Colombo were hobbled by schedule disruptions, culminating in the halt of operations. “The Gemini network offers a robust alternative to previous arrangements, minimizing delays that were often encountered in the Asia-Europe network due to weather disruptions in Asia,” Bhavik Mota, Maersk’s director of regional ocean management for India/Middle East/Africa, told the Journal of Commerce. “Bangladesh continues to maintain multiple cutoffs, a feature highly appreciated by our retail and lifestyle customers.” CMA CGM has also discontinued a direct Bangladesh-India-Gulf (BIGEX) loop it began in early 2023. “We are currently serving Bangladesh trade via Colombo,” a sales executive at CMA CGM India said. Local forwarder sources put average freight-all-kinds (FAK) rates for bookings from Chittagong to the US East Coast at $3,500 per TEU and $4,000 per FEU. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>.</div>

Shippers in Bangladesh who historically rely on feeder networks for trade flows are seemingly missing out on potential supply chain gains from Gemini Cooperation’s hub-and-spoke model designed around dedicated shuttle operations. Sources at Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in India have confirmed that feeder services for the Bangladesh trade have not been included in the new network structure. “Gemini access for Bangladesh cargo remains confined to mainline transshipment options out of Colombo Port [Sri Lanka] and Tanjung Pelepas [Malaysia],” an official at a Gemini partner carrier who didn’t want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “There are no Gemini-specific shuttles [for Bangladesh].” Of the three weekly Gemini sailings out of India, only one string includes a direct call at Colombo, named the ME2 by Maersk and IEX by Hapag-Lloyd, that covers European trades. For Bangladesh-North America loads, Gemini offers Colombo relays via two Asia-US East Coast routings, known as the EC4 for Maersk and AA7 for Hapag-Lloyd. Feeder tonnage shortages and inherent operational strains at Bangladesh’s main port of Chittagong have been a source of concern for shippers and mainline operators, with recent adverse political developments in the country aggravating those pain points. Additionally, Colombo has been plagued by capacity challenges, typically making feeder calls the frontline casualty of berthing delays. Local industry experts believe reliable feeder connectivity is critical to Gemini driving the goal of predictable transits for trades in and out of Bangladesh. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd generally use third-party or common feeders, mostly from Bangladesh-based HR Lines for the latter, for Chittagong-Colombo freight flows. The Gemini partners are betting that Bangladesh trade will markedly benefit from more consistent “hub sailings” as their independent attempts between 2019 and 2021 to provide direct southeast India-Europe routings via Colombo were hobbled by schedule disruptions, culminating in the halt of operations. “The Gemini network offers a robust alternative to previous arrangements, minimizing delays that were often encountered in the Asia-Europe network due to weather disruptions in Asia,” Bhavik Mota, Maersk’s director of regional ocean management for India/Middle East/Africa, told the Journal of Commerce. “Bangladesh continues to maintain multiple cutoffs, a feature highly appreciated by our retail and lifestyle customers.” CMA CGM has also discontinued a direct Bangladesh-India-Gulf (BIGEX) loop it began in early 2023. “We are currently serving Bangladesh trade via Colombo,” a sales executive at CMA CGM India said. Local forwarder sources put average freight-all-kinds (FAK) rates for bookings from Chittagong to the US East Coast at $3,500 per TEU and $4,000 per FEU. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Container Shipping News

Port News

Container lines

Bangladesh shippers find no place in Gemini’s integrated shuttle plan

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A new report from software vendor Kaleris has found that terminal operators around the globe believe they are providing better visibility data than shippers say are they receiving. </div>

A new report from software vendor Kaleris has found that terminal operators around the globe believe they are providing better visibility data than shippers say are they receiving.

<div class="phx-topic">A lack of alignment around visibility data between container terminal operators around the globe and the shippers and forwarders they serve results in underuse of operating systems and general supply chain inefficiencies, according to a report on the subject. The report, produced by maritime consultant Thetius on behalf of terminal software vendor Kaleris, found that nearly 57% of terminal operators surveyed believe they provide good or very good visibility to their customers, while just 27% of shippers and freight forwarders participating said they are the recipients of good visibility from terminals. Nearly 82% of shippers said they faced discrepancies between the information provided by terminals and the actual status of their shipments, while 61% said they do not receive automated alerts on key events. “Marine terminals have invested in infrastructure to support data sharing, often establishing revenue-sharing agreements and data-as-a-service [DaaS] offerings,” Rene Alvarenga, senior director of execution and visibility product management at Kaleris, said in the report. “Despite all these initiatives, shippers still report feeling left in the dark. Marine terminals, meanwhile, bear the brunt of the blame, often unfairly, as they struggle to balance the demands for transparency with operational realities and evolving technology standards.” At the heart of the disconnect is the reality that shippers and forwarders do not have contractual relationships with terminals, yet need information generated by or housed within terminal systems. “The key element to reiterate is that the collaboration we are referring to is between parties that do not exchange monetary benefits or penalties via contracts,” Alvarenga said. “For all intents and purposes, the collaboration we refer to here is between complete strangers with no relationships.” The report cites more than a dozen systems that either generate, consume or rely on terminal visibility data — from transportation management systems catering to a range of entities to terminal operating systems, port community systems, automated gate systems and fleet and yard management software. The systems mentioned in the report do not include areas such as rail and intermodal systems, nor systems related to customs clearance. “This gap isn’t just a question of technology products,” Alvarenga said. “It’s about objectives alignment, monetary incentives, and the clear definition of visibility itself. Our research shows that a lack of visibility is a result from multiple factors related to data privacy and security concerns, organizational silos and systems not designed to work together, and lack of standardization of execution systems.” The report was based on a survey in which terminal operators represented 54.6% of participants and shippers and forwarders the other 45.4%, spread across all global regions. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

A lack of alignment around visibility data between container terminal operators around the globe and the shippers and forwarders they serve results in underuse of operating systems and general supply chain inefficiencies, according to a report on the subject. The report, produced by maritime consultant Thetius on behalf of terminal software vendor Kaleris, found that nearly 57% of terminal operators surveyed believe they provide good or very good visibility to their customers, while just 27% of shippers and freight forwarders participating said they are the recipients of good visibility from terminals. Nearly 82% of shippers said they faced discrepancies between the information provided by terminals and the actual status of their shipments, while 61% said they do not receive automated alerts on key events. “Marine terminals have invested in infrastructure to support data sharing, often establishing revenue-sharing agreements and data-as-a-service [DaaS] offerings,” Rene Alvarenga, senior director of execution and visibility product management at Kaleris, said in the report. “Despite all these initiatives, shippers still report feeling left in the dark. Marine terminals, meanwhile, bear the brunt of the blame, often unfairly, as they struggle to balance the demands for transparency with operational realities and evolving technology standards.” At the heart of the disconnect is the reality that shippers and forwarders do not have contractual relationships with terminals, yet need information generated by or housed within terminal systems. “The key element to reiterate is that the collaboration we are referring to is between parties that do not exchange monetary benefits or penalties via contracts,” Alvarenga said. “For all intents and purposes, the collaboration we refer to here is between complete strangers with no relationships.” The report cites more than a dozen systems that either generate, consume or rely on terminal visibility data — from transportation management systems catering to a range of entities to terminal operating systems, port community systems, automated gate systems and fleet and yard management software. The systems mentioned in the report do not include areas such as rail and intermodal systems, nor systems related to customs clearance. “This gap isn’t just a question of technology products,” Alvarenga said. “It’s about objectives alignment, monetary incentives, and the clear definition of visibility itself. Our research shows that a lack of visibility is a result from multiple factors related to data privacy and security concerns, organizational silos and systems not designed to work together, and lack of standardization of execution systems.” The report was based on a survey in which terminal operators represented 54.6% of participants and shippers and forwarders the other 45.4%, spread across all global regions. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Logistics Technology News

Drayage

North American ports

International ports

Marine terminals

Shippers want more visibility data than terminals are providing: survey

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The disruption to the Asia-Europe trade lane is expected to be limited as the transition from old services to the new alliances is being made during the traditionally slow post-Lunar New Year period. </div>

The disruption to the Asia-Europe trade lane is expected to be limited as the transition from old services to the new alliances is being made during the traditionally slow post-Lunar New Year period.

<div class="phx-topic">Ocean carriers are employing “strategic blanked sailings” on the Asia-Europe trade lane as they manage the transition from old services to the new alliance networks, according to maritime intelligence firm eeSea. The shifting services are occurring over the traditional Lunar New Year period with the slow season extending through March on Asia-Europe. Combined with longer voyages around southern Africa, it is allowing carriers to use strategically placed blank sailings to offset delays as vessels are repositioned. “There is already a natural capacity slump on all east-west trades that [is occurring] in February and into March on Far East-Europe due to some of the old alliance services petering out before their successors pick up the slack,” Destine Ozuygur, chief analyst at eeSea, told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. The new Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd and the Premier Alliance of Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming and HMM — previously known as THE Alliance — both launched on Feb. 1. At the same time, Mediterranean Shipping Co. began shifting from the 2M Alliance it shared with Maersk while rolling out its global network as a standalone carrier, although it will be partnering with Zim Integrated Shipping Services on all six new Asia-US East Coast services. Data from eeSea shows how THE Alliance services will start petering out in week 11 (March 3) with all Premier Alliance services having officially started by week 15 (April 7). The transition of services from 2M to Gemini will be shorter, with a two-week gap in weeks 11 and 12. <h3>‘Not immediate or perfect’ </h3>Still, the handover of services from pro forma sailings and capacity was “not immediate or perfect,” Ozuygur said, adding that identifying which sailings had been canceled was difficult as carriers adjusted capacity for the Lunar New Year and accommodated ongoing Red Sea diversions. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="2c1fc36f-8060-4cfa-b987-a0bbbc3af142"></dynamic-object></div>Some 166,402 TEUs in capacity are scheduled to be blanked this month, more than three times the January level, eeSea data shows, with just 30,945 TEUs set to be withdrawn in March. So far, 12 canceled sailings have been identified in week 11, seven in week 12 and eight in week 13, which eeSea said aligns with Lunar New Year blanks making their impact in European discharge ports a few weeks after the holiday. “These blanks combined with the fact that we are still utilizing longer roundtrip times around Africa for the foreseeable future means that if there are blanks intended to pull out actual capacity, they will be difficult to disentangle from other factors,” Ozuygur said. Roel Steigerwald, vice president of global forwarding in Europe at C.H. Robinson, said the forwarder’s customers were being advised to expect 40% to 50% fewer sailings in February because of the Lunar New Year cuts in capacity. “We can also expect additional void sailings in March, as it tends to be a slower month,” he told the Journal of Commerce. “If vessels <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/carriers-eye-red-sea-transits-after-houthi-rebels-pledge-restraint-5925939">return to using the Suez Canal</a>, which would take months to fully implement the capacity shift, the decreased transit times could lead to an oversupply of capacity, potentially putting pressure on market dynamics and pricing,” Steigerwald added. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Ocean carriers are employing “strategic blanked sailings” on the Asia-Europe trade lane as they manage the transition from old services to the new alliance networks, according to maritime intelligence firm eeSea. The shifting services are occurring over the traditional Lunar New Year period with the slow season extending through March on Asia-Europe. Combined with longer voyages around southern Africa, it is allowing carriers to use strategically placed blank sailings to offset delays as vessels are repositioned. “There is already a natural capacity slump on all east-west trades that [is occurring] in February and into March on Far East-Europe due to some of the old alliance services petering out before their successors pick up the slack,” Destine Ozuygur, chief analyst at eeSea, told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. The new Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd and the Premier Alliance of Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming and HMM — previously known as THE Alliance — both launched on Feb. 1. At the same time, Mediterranean Shipping Co. began shifting from the 2M Alliance it shared with Maersk while rolling out its global network as a standalone carrier, although it will be partnering with Zim Integrated Shipping Services on all six new Asia-US East Coast services. Data from eeSea shows how THE Alliance services will start petering out in week 11 (March 3) with all Premier Alliance services having officially started by week 15 (April 7). The transition of services from 2M to Gemini will be shorter, with a two-week gap in weeks 11 and 12. ‘Not immediate or perfect’ Still, the handover of services from pro forma sailings and capacity was “not immediate or perfect,” Ozuygur said, adding that identifying which sailings had been canceled was difficult as carriers adjusted capacity for the Lunar New Year and accommodated ongoing Red Sea diversions. Some 166,402 TEUs in capacity are scheduled to be blanked this month, more than three times the January level, eeSea data shows, with just 30,945 TEUs set to be withdrawn in March. So far, 12 canceled sailings have been identified in week 11, seven in week 12 and eight in week 13, which eeSea said aligns with Lunar New Year blanks making their impact in European discharge ports a few weeks after the holiday. “These blanks combined with the fact that we are still utilizing longer roundtrip times around Africa for the foreseeable future means that if there are blanks intended to pull out actual capacity, they will be difficult to disentangle from other factors,” Ozuygur said. Roel Steigerwald, vice president of global forwarding in Europe at C.H. Robinson, said the forwarder’s customers were being advised to expect 40% to 50% fewer sailings in February because of the Lunar New Year cuts in capacity. “We can also expect additional void sailings in March, as it tends to be a slower month,” he told the Journal of Commerce. “If vessels return to using the Suez Canal , which would take months to fully implement the capacity shift, the decreased transit times could lead to an oversupply of capacity, potentially putting pressure on market dynamics and pricing,” Steigerwald added. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Asia-Europe

‘Strategic’ sailing cuts offset switch to new Asia-Europe networks: eeSea

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Unstructured data, security concerns and value questions are holding back the progression of technology in the breakbulk industry.</div>

Unstructured data, security concerns and value questions are holding back the progression of technology in the breakbulk industry.

<div class="phx-topic">The project cargo industry has only just started to voyage down the path of uncovering how artificial intelligence (AI) may help it become more efficient, stakeholders in the sector tell the Journal of Commerce.While AI is taking hold of most categories of cargo movement — from AI agents powering domestic truckload brokers to pricing optimization tools for global forwarders — the project and breakbulk sectors are lagging.Part of the lack of overall readiness for AI adoption in project logistics is that the industry still struggles to maintain clean and structured data, a prerequisite for most AI use cases.“One of the fundamental challenges is people look at AI as tools,” said Adolph Colaco, CEO of e2log, a software vendor catering to industrial and project cargo shippers. “But you need to have your master data cleaned, you need standard nomenclatures.” And with different enterprise resource planning systems, trade compliance systems and systems added through mergers and acquisitions, “you cannot accomplish what you want with AI unless you get the foundational data cleaned, structured [and] put on a digital platform,” Colaco added. “Only then will AI work.”Two hurdles to technology adoption in the project cargo space are especially problematic when it comes to AI. First, cargo movement is not as consistent or repeatable as in other sectors, a problem of scale that has inhibited all but a handful of vendors from building management and execution tools for project shippers.Secondly, shippers are generally happy to hand complexity off to forwarders, which exacerbates a lack of understanding of AI for many shippers.“Speaking to an [engineering, procurement and construction] client recently on this very topic, while they have major interest in the potential of AI — in the design and predictability space — there are major question marks in terms of security,” said Tim Killen, head of growth - project sector at the forwarder Fracht. “And this seems to be echoed with key stakeholders involved in the complex, proprietary technology-based capex project value chain. But tech moves fast, faster than us project guys do, so let’s see.”Killen said “it’s likely” that AI will have little impact in project logistics execution in the short term.“But its potential functionality, benefit and development will be where we need to explore as an industry to understand how this could be utilized in the future,” he said.Colaco said e2log has long used AI on the development side, but it hasn’t focused on providing AI tools to customers because “most are not asking about AI functionality in the platform as of now but want to know the AI roadmap.”e2log is working with a customer on narrowing down how AI could help identify exceptions across a high volume of shipments more effectively, or to query a database using an AI agent for a piece of information that would normally require a broader report to be run.“They want us to use AI to narrow down the focus, to understand what’s happening with shipments that could slow down a project schedule,” Colaco said.<h3>Project shippers still on the fence</h3>Shippers continue to search for value from AI, whether solving problems or creating efficiencies, but can be hesitant to commit.“My indifference towards AI is that I often struggle to see how it really applies to the breakbulk industry and if it really brings any value,” an industry source who did not want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “AI needs to be something that can be applied now and bring value, and I see early AI adoption as something that will not do our jobs for us, but rather tools that will make our jobs easier.”The source said AI tools are already prevalent in the broader supply chain management environment via tools that help identify and evaluate supply chain resilience or forecast and plan inventory.“The challenge is how do we bring similar immediate value to the breakbulk industry?” he said.Ritesh Nair, vice president and global sales director at Rhenus Project Logistics USA, wrote in a blog in September that “while AI is still in its infancy, the more it is used, the better it will get.”“The middle part of the 2020s will be looked back upon as a defining moment in history that changed the way we did things,” Nair wrote. “The field of supply chain, specifically project logistics, is no exception.”He specifically noted that AI could impact product design and transport engineering.“Having AI collate data on project site location — route information, bridges along the route, port capabilities and regional geopolitical news — can yield not only the optimum route, but also where to manufacture and the best mode of transport to get it to the project site,” Nair wrote.<h3>Sector banks on AI power project support</h3>While the project and breakbulk industry wrestles with how to adopt and deploy AI, it is likely it will benefit from demand for AI-enabled solutions across all industries.“If you start to look into the power needs of that sector, it’s astounding the amount of power that’s going to be needed for the data centers, for chip manufacturing and now for [the Trump administration’s planned $500 billion] AI project,” John Hark, a director at Bertling Logistics and an adjunct professor at Texas A&amp;M at Galveston, said on a January Journal of Commerce webcast. “The power is going to have to come from somewhere ... That’s good for the project market, because we’re going to continue to see these power projects, transformer projects and transmission line projects.”Colaco, meanwhile, said he only sees some shippers having the technological maturity and desire to take on the digitalization required to get the most out of AI-based solutions.“It’s a smaller subset of shippers,” he said. “Most think of AI as tools and if my forwarder has it, let me just use those.”Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The project cargo industry has only just started to voyage down the path of uncovering how artificial intelligence (AI) may help it become more efficient, stakeholders in the sector tell the Journal of Commerce. While AI is taking hold of most categories of cargo movement — from AI agents powering domestic truckload brokers to pricing optimization tools for global forwarders — the project and breakbulk sectors are lagging. Part of the lack of overall readiness for AI adoption in project logistics is that the industry still struggles to maintain clean and structured data, a prerequisite for most AI use cases. “One of the fundamental challenges is people look at AI as tools,” said Adolph Colaco, CEO of e2log, a software vendor catering to industrial and project cargo shippers. “But you need to have your master data cleaned, you need standard nomenclatures.” And with different enterprise resource planning systems, trade compliance systems and systems added through mergers and acquisitions, “you cannot accomplish what you want with AI unless you get the foundational data cleaned, structured [and] put on a digital platform,” Colaco added. “Only then will AI work.” Two hurdles to technology adoption in the project cargo space are especially problematic when it comes to AI. First, cargo movement is not as consistent or repeatable as in other sectors, a problem of scale that has inhibited all but a handful of vendors from building management and execution tools for project shippers. Secondly, shippers are generally happy to hand complexity off to forwarders, which exacerbates a lack of understanding of AI for many shippers. “Speaking to an [engineering, procurement and construction] client recently on this very topic, while they have major interest in the potential of AI — in the design and predictability space — there are major question marks in terms of security,” said Tim Killen, head of growth - project sector at the forwarder Fracht. “And this seems to be echoed with key stakeholders involved in the complex, proprietary technology-based capex project value chain. But tech moves fast, faster than us project guys do, so let’s see.” Killen said “it’s likely” that AI will have little impact in project logistics execution in the short term. “But its potential functionality, benefit and development will be where we need to explore as an industry to understand how this could be utilized in the future,” he said. Colaco said e2log has long used AI on the development side, but it hasn’t focused on providing AI tools to customers because “most are not asking about AI functionality in the platform as of now but want to know the AI roadmap.” e2log is working with a customer on narrowing down how AI could help identify exceptions across a high volume of shipments more effectively, or to query a database using an AI agent for a piece of information that would normally require a broader report to be run. “They want us to use AI to narrow down the focus, to understand what’s happening with shipments that could slow down a project schedule,” Colaco said. Project shippers still on the fence Shippers continue to search for value from AI, whether solving problems or creating efficiencies, but can be hesitant to commit. “My indifference towards AI is that I often struggle to see how it really applies to the breakbulk industry and if it really brings any value,” an industry source who did not want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “AI needs to be something that can be applied now and bring value, and I see early AI adoption as something that will not do our jobs for us, but rather tools that will make our jobs easier.” The source said AI tools are already prevalent in the broader supply chain management environment via tools that help identify and evaluate supply chain resilience or forecast and plan inventory. “The challenge is how do we bring similar immediate value to the breakbulk industry?” he said. Ritesh Nair, vice president and global sales director at Rhenus Project Logistics USA, wrote in a blog in September that “while AI is still in its infancy, the more it is used, the better it will get.” “The middle part of the 2020s will be looked back upon as a defining moment in history that changed the way we did things,” Nair wrote. “The field of supply chain, specifically project logistics, is no exception.” He specifically noted that AI could impact product design and transport engineering. “Having AI collate data on project site location — route information, bridges along the route, port capabilities and regional geopolitical news — can yield not only the optimum route, but also where to manufacture and the best mode of transport to get it to the project site,” Nair wrote. Sector banks on AI power project support While the project and breakbulk industry wrestles with how to adopt and deploy AI, it is likely it will benefit from demand for AI-enabled solutions across all industries. “If you start to look into the power needs of that sector, it’s astounding the amount of power that’s going to be needed for the data centers, for chip manufacturing and now for [the Trump administration’s planned $500 billion] AI project,” John Hark, a director at Bertling Logistics and an adjunct professor at Texas A&M at Galveston, said on a January Journal of Commerce webcast. “The power is going to have to come from somewhere ... That’s good for the project market, because we’re going to continue to see these power projects, transformer projects and transmission line projects.” Colaco, meanwhile, said he only sees some shippers having the technological maturity and desire to take on the digitalization required to get the most out of AI-based solutions. “It’s a smaller subset of shippers,” he said. “Most think of AI as tools and if my forwarder has it, let me just use those.” Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

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<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Regulatory uncertainty around the allowance of digital trade documents is one factor that has slowed the adoption of electronic bills of lading in the shipping industry. </div>

Regulatory uncertainty around the allowance of digital trade documents is one factor that has slowed the adoption of electronic bills of lading in the shipping industry.

<div class="phx-topic">Vendors eager to push adoption of electronic bills of lading (eBLs) in the container shipping industry received a boost Tuesday with the International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (IGP&amp;I) relaxing the approval process for such systems from Feb. 20. The group said in a notice Tuesday that vendors providing eBL products will be “deemed approved” if they are subject to a jurisdiction that gives legal recognition to eBLs as equivalent to paper bills of lading. To be deemed approved for use, the vendors must be served by electronic trading systems where a digital transfer of title, rights and liabilities is permitted. The move by IGP&amp;I, whose members collectively provide marine liability cover for approximately 90% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage, is an encouraging development for eBL advocates, who have seen slow adoption due to a range of regulatory and commercial factors. One of those factors is the complex web of international regulations governing electronic trade documents, with some countries having long ago approved such mechanisms while others have dragged their feet. Getting approval for systems that enable eBL generation and transfer from insurers could assuage some of the reluctance from shippers, forwarders and shipping lines to gravitate toward digital documentation. <h3>UK law provided the impetus </h3>The IGP&amp;I Clubs said the move to streamline the approval process for eBL vendors was influenced by the 2023 passage of the UK‘s Electronic Trade Documents Act, which gave legal recognition in English law to electronic trade documents, including e-bills. A commitment from nine of the top ten global ocean carriers to fully migrate to eBLs by 2030 drives the urgency around the shift. The other carrier in the top 10, COSCO, is not part of that commitment but is seen as one of the more active advocates for digital documentation. In theory, the process making it easier for eBL vendors to be approved by IGP&amp;I should accelerate both usage of eBLs and the number of companies addressing it. IGP&amp;I already has a vetted list of 13 approved vendors, including the most commonly used eBL providers such as WaveBL, Bolero, IQAX, CargoX and ICE Digital Trade. Industry sources have suggested to the Journal of Commerce there is likely to be consolidation within the eBL vendor landscape, simply because there is not enough business to support dozens of vendors even as the industry moves toward its 100% commitment by 2030. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Vendors eager to push adoption of electronic bills of lading (eBLs) in the container shipping industry received a boost Tuesday with the International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (IGP&I) relaxing the approval process for such systems from Feb. 20. The group said in a notice Tuesday that vendors providing eBL products will be “deemed approved” if they are subject to a jurisdiction that gives legal recognition to eBLs as equivalent to paper bills of lading. To be deemed approved for use, the vendors must be served by electronic trading systems where a digital transfer of title, rights and liabilities is permitted. The move by IGP&I, whose members collectively provide marine liability cover for approximately 90% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage, is an encouraging development for eBL advocates, who have seen slow adoption due to a range of regulatory and commercial factors. One of those factors is the complex web of international regulations governing electronic trade documents, with some countries having long ago approved such mechanisms while others have dragged their feet. Getting approval for systems that enable eBL generation and transfer from insurers could assuage some of the reluctance from shippers, forwarders and shipping lines to gravitate toward digital documentation. UK law provided the impetus The IGP&I Clubs said the move to streamline the approval process for eBL vendors was influenced by the 2023 passage of the UK‘s Electronic Trade Documents Act, which gave legal recognition in English law to electronic trade documents, including e-bills. A commitment from nine of the top ten global ocean carriers to fully migrate to eBLs by 2030 drives the urgency around the shift. The other carrier in the top 10, COSCO, is not part of that commitment but is seen as one of the more active advocates for digital documentation. In theory, the process making it easier for eBL vendors to be approved by IGP&I should accelerate both usage of eBLs and the number of companies addressing it. IGP&I already has a vetted list of 13 approved vendors, including the most commonly used eBL providers such as WaveBL, Bolero, IQAX, CargoX and ICE Digital Trade. Industry sources have suggested to the Journal of Commerce there is likely to be consolidation within the eBL vendor landscape, simply because there is not enough business to support dozens of vendors even as the industry moves toward its 100% commitment by 2030. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

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Marine insurer group greenlights streamlined eBL vendor approval process

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The world of LTL is slow to embrace change. Business anachronisms permeate current supply chain processes. These vestiges of the way things used to work define the LTL freight transportation procurement process of many modern shippers.David Knuth, logistics specialist at IEWC, a global supplier of cable and wire based in Wisconsin, is happy to have modernized the RFP process, automating the entire LTL bidding procedure with Bid$ense, SMC³’s automated truckload and LTL freight transportation sourcing solution. But when prompted, he can still recall what once was.In his previous job, a large part of his duties were consumed by creating an intermodal bid package for carriers. In a spreadsheet, Knuth detailed the company’s volumes lane by lane, taking care to delete any errant keystrokes or misleading data. He would then email out the information to each carrier, taking time to respond to detailed technical questions about the spreadsheet data. Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. Carriers are alerted with timely prompts for RFP deliverables, so shippers aren’t waiting by the phone for responses.Another benefit of automating the process is the data-cleansing assistance. When Knuth sent spreadsheets to carriers, data errors might cloud the bidding process; he might have to resend data or simply accept a price that did not truly reflect the costs of doing business. Data cleansing is incredibly beneficial, he said.The spreadsheet technique also made bidding analysis an onerous task. Since Bid$ense automates and streamlines the entire RFP process, intensive examination is now simple. SMC³ knows that each bid has more than one best outcome. With uniform responses from each carrier, shippers can quickly rank results and create an unlimited quantity of what-if scenarios to make the optimal procurement decision.Jesse Burnett of Central Garden &amp; Pet experiences many of the same benefits. Founded in 1980, Central Garden &amp; Pet has spent the last three decades growing from a small garden supply company to a provider of a range of products from dog chews and bird seed to soil supplements and natural insecticides. For much of its life, the company shipped these disparate goods via LTL and truckload carriers to retailers throughout the country, relying on each business unit to negotiate directly with their freight transportation providers. This arrangement worked fairly well for a small company, but as Central Garden &amp; Pet expanded, leadership decided to consolidate decision making.Burnett helped centralize the transportation decision making in 2015 with SMC³’s Bid$ense. Before Bid$ense, every business unit operated independently as far as negotiating with carriers.“There were a lot of different things just floating around,” he said. “We didn’t have master agreements in place; no national pricing at all. The pricing from carriers was just all over the place, depending on where you were.”The transformations he saw with Bid$ense were immediate. Burnett has been using the tool about every other year since its implementation at the company. Central Garden and Pet’s $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. In the end, though, Burnett found that Bid$ense was both widespread and well known, and that his carrier partners already knew how to use the application. Burnett also highlighted the data-cleansing process as a major benefit, saying the rigorous process ensures that carriers always return the best price.“It definitely has helped drive savings,” he said. “Any time you go out there and you drive that competitiveness with the carriers and they know they’re in a bid environment, it seems to sharpen their pencils.”Transportation procurement is an integral part of the modern supply chain. With Bid$ense, shippers can develop a strategic implementation plan that saves them time and money, but also helps them create strong relationships with their carrier partners. These carriers appreciate the solution’s data-cleansing process; when carriers receive a complete shipment history and future volume forecast, they don’t have to guess on pricing. Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$ense has the analytical horsepower to get the job done.SMC³ 2020 Customer Case Study

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Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

If there’s one immutable truth in the world of logistics, it’s this: LTL is an inherently complex form of transportation. Tariffs, rates, DIM weights, transit times — it’s enough to confuse even seasoned logistics professionals. The solution to this knowledge gap has historically been on-the-job training or university supply chain education, but for a variety of reasons there is now a pressing need for third-party, remote LTL training that prepares logistics workers for transportation success. Global Scope Can Overlook Local Intricacies In the past, professionals looking to move into a supply chain career learned about the basics of supply chain from universities. However, many of these college supply chain programs are now global in scope, focusing on worldwide supply chain management instead of the intricacies of specialized domestic transportation. And even these programs, which used to be widespread, are becoming less common. LTL is not an industry of broad-brush strokes; supply chain professionals really need a pointillistic understanding of the logistics of LTL in order to excel in the industry. Accelerating Need for Dedicated LTL Education This lack of specified training put the onus on employers to prepare new hires with the LTL knowledge needed to do their jobs. Dedicated LTL study is a necessity, not a luxury. At the same time, changes in LTL and the broader supply chain world are accelerating. The reliance on e-commerce has ballooned since the start of the pandemic, and last-mile LTL shipments and related e-commerce strains on the supply chain won’t diminish once social distancing abates. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle. So supply chain employers need logistics workers that are fully versed in all aspects of the industry, ready to solve unique shipping and delivery problems based on their extensive supply chain knowledge But why care about LTL? It’s been reported that some shippers in today’s world are no longer concerned with what mode is used to ship their goods. A Multimodal Approach Ensures On-Time Delivery This mode agnosticism means supply chain stakeholders have to be well versed in all modes of transportation. As unforeseen weather events and other disruptions, such as protests, become more common, savvy logistics employees will need to be armed with familiarity of all modes, not just the most popular, to ensure that freight is delivered on time, without damage, and in the most financially expedient way possible. Offerings like SMC³’s LTL online education courses cover a wide range of topics from LTL basics and operations to more advanced concepts like pricing analytics and transportation law. The company also has plans to continually refresh content, adding new expert presenters and taking the feedback of students to make the courses even better as time goes on. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://logisticstrainingcenter.com/smc3-courses/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">SMC³’s LTL Online Education program</a>&nbsp;and view the 2021 hybrid schedule, featuring live industry experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smc3.com/onlinelearning2021/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">here.</a>

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Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

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