Commentary

I expect three major events in shipping this year.

The shipping market in 2013 may hardly see a fundamental rollover of its current downturn, but the industry will definitely experience a transition that will feature a reshuffling of shipping companies and innovations in their operation and management.

I anticipate our industry will see several changes and forms of evolution this year as all sectors try to find a solid foundation for sustained success. One of the most important developments I suspect we’ll witness will be one of increased internal focus by relevant stakeholders, and that won’t necessarily be detrimental to our industry.

The economic environment remains challenging and volatile. We must use this time to leverage stakeholder management across the supply chain with an emphasis on increased public-private partnerships and strengthened cooperation.

2013 promises to bring considerable uncertainty, as well as opportunity for the shipping and ports sector. While the U.S. economy appears to be on a slow path toward recovery from the Great Recession, Europe and Asia face challenges such that the long-term global trade outlook is for more tempered growth in global trade.

Global Trade Management has been defined as “the total optimization of the end-to-end international supply chain — from product conception to final delivery — with focus on the integration of regulatory, strategic and system components to ensure a seamless, secure and cost-effective flow of goods, data and payments across international borders.” In other words, GTM is a holistic approach of managing all of these separate, disparate tasks as a single seamless process.

A few weeks ago an intermodal executive asked me a question to the effect of, “Where should we be headed?” As I talked out my answer and the rationale, it occurred to me that on the surface I sounded cringingly mundane, my observation the type that could have been made in 1995, 2007 or today.

Global economic uncertainty and excess shipping capacity are two key factors that will drive the maritime industry in 2013.

The maritime sector has seen substantial recovery in trade volumes since the dark days of late 2008. This fact appears to support the notion that world trade, while not immune from cyclical economic downturns or temporary disruptions in trade finance, is very much on a trajectory for healthy growth.

The success of the coming year depends largely upon the global economic climate.

We are entering a new, Big Ship era for the port industry.

Those ports across the nation not blessed with naturally deep harbors are in a race to either benefit from an expanded Panama Canal or sit on the sidelines while their competitors reap the rewards.

The National Rifle Association’s refusal to support background checks is befuddling given that more than 2 million transportation workers already are required to get them for employment.

Who's liable for cargo loss on a through bill of lading involving an ocean shipment that extends beyond port limits?

Organizations crave more visibility into operations to make smarter business decisions and unlock potential within the value chain.

Shippers this year will continue to search for more ways to balance production and procurement with demand for sales orders.

The past year has been one of great uncertainty, from the eurozone crisis and slowing Chinese economy to the U.S. presidential election and fiscal cliff negotiations.

2012 was a rollercoaster ride, and the cards dealt for 2013 promise excitement.

Following a presidential election in which the word “outsourcing” became such a lightning rod, industry needs to do a better job of helping policy-makers understand the reality of today’s global marketplace, the central role American business plays in worldwide production and value chains, and the benefits of all this for our workers, consumers and small businesses at home.

What’s ahead for the maritime industry in 2013? In a phrase — cautious optimism.

The source of energy that we may anticipate will continue to propel increasing activity at ports of Texas and beyond has been around for more than 80 million years.

This year, seaports must continue to re-analyze their ability to handle increased containerized cargo loads from larger ships, whether those ships are transiting a wider Panama Canal or serving other trade routes.

On Monday Oct. 29, the Port of New York and New Jersey was closed in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy’s winds and the 13-foot storm surge it brought with it.

The closely watched unemployment rate will inch up again as layoffs at defense contractors create a ripple effect through small and medium-size companies.

Competition will be tough for anyone who isn't leveraging cloud technology in 2013.

A year ago, we predicted new distribution channels and emerging markets would continue to expand, along with greater supply chain flexibility, efficiency and alignment. These trends are clearly in place and continuing, as are concerns about demand volatility and supply chain risks.

Transportation is an asset-based network-operating business.

From the perspective of Wall Street, 2013 is shaping up to be another year characterized by uncertainty

The financial problems in Europe and the U.S. are accelerating a redesign of the global trade map, with new winners and losers emerging as companies develop increasingly complex supply chains.

In past essays, I may have touched on this point when discussing the economics of port operations, but I think it bears repeating, and with a bit more emphasis as our industry moves into increasingly hopeful but still challenging waters after the national economic downturn of years past.

We had another record in PC/UMS (Panama Canal Universal Measurement System) tonnage recorded during fiscal year 2012 despite a 0.95 percent decrease in transits.

While West Coast ports face a number of competitive challenges, the greatest threat may be internal and related to port governance.

Fortunately, the shipping industry has not witnessed major casualties as may have been expected.

In line with our earlier forecast, 2012 proved to be another tough environment for the container shipping industry with weak demand growth, volatile fuel prices and unsustainable freight rates for many major trade lanes.

Governments around the world are taking action to improve the external environment of their trading community by, for example, improving existing infrastructure, creating a better general business environment and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their national economic, institutional, regulatory and competition policies.

The inland waterways industry looks ahead to 2013 with optimism. The inland system’s locks and dams are aging rapidly, and this critically important infrastructure requires capitalization. Momentum for positive change is moving forward in Congress.

For more than 222 years, we have been America’s lifesavers. We protect people on the sea, protect against threats delivered by sea, and protect the sea itself. We’re proud of our unique service and the thousands of lives we save.