Tag: Ships

“How the world’s deepest shipwreck was found”

  That’s the title of a fascinating article at the BBC about the search for the wreck of USS Johnston, a Fletcher class destroyer sunk during the Battle off Samar in 1944.  For her actions during that battle, her commanding officer, Commander Ernest E. Evans, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the ship was… Continue reading “How the world’s deepest shipwreck was found”

When ships at sea become cheaper storage than warehouses

  The Loadstar reports on an unforeseen side effect of the current supply chain crunch. The combination of congestion at US west coast ports and low interest rates is allowing US importers to use containerships as ‘offshore warehouses’, mitigating logistics costs. According to freight visibility company project44, transit times from China to Los Angeles have… Continue reading When ships at sea become cheaper storage than warehouses

Saturday Snippet: The Merchantmen

  We’ve met Rudyard Kipling several times in the pages of our Saturday Snippet excerpts.  I thought it was time for another of his poems.  This one’s titled “The Merchantmen”, from his collection “The Seven Seas”, published in 1896. King Solomon drew merchantmen,Because of his desireFor peacocks, apes, and ivory,From Tarshish unto Tyre:With cedars out… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: The Merchantmen

A potentially huge development in shipping containers

  As we’ve discussed in recent weeks, one of the biggest problems in dealing with supply chain issues is where to store emptied shipping containers and how to move them from where they’ve been unloaded, back to US ports, and thence back across the Pacific to China to be loaded with more goods.  There are… Continue reading A potentially huge development in shipping containers

An insider’s perspective on the container bottleneck at California harbors

  I’m obliged to reader “Ray – SoCal” for sending me the link to an interesting series of tweets by Ryan Petersen about what he saw at the port of Long Beach yesterday, and his suggestions for dealing with the problem.  (He’s the CEO of Flexport, a freight forwarding and customs brokerage firm, and therefore… Continue reading An insider’s perspective on the container bottleneck at California harbors

Doofus Of The Day #1,086

  Today’s award goes to the Staten Island Ferry for their brand new $100 million white elephant, currently moored at Staten Island. The dazzling new $100 million Staten Island Ferry boat named after a local war hero and christened by Mayor Bill de Blasio with much fanfare two weeks ago has been grounded — because… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #1,086

Empty containers are now a big part of the supply chain logjam

  For a long time, commenters (including yours truly) have noted that part of our supply chain problems is that empty containers can’t get to factories on schedule, in order to be filled with goods for shipment to markets.  That’s still a problem:  but it’s being aggravated by much more serious problems with empty containers. … Continue reading Empty containers are now a big part of the supply chain logjam

Something fishy in the food supply pipeline…

  The ingenious ways in which producers try to get around laws and regulations are on display in a customs dispute up in Maine. A customs dispute at the U.S.-Canada border is threatening America’s supply of a key fish used for popular products such as fish sticks and fast food sandwiches. The Alaska pollock has… Continue reading Something fishy in the food supply pipeline…

The “Green New Deal” turns out to be at the root of supply chain blockages in California

  Sundance has done a deep dive into what’s causing the massive container traffic snarl-up at California’s ports and on its railways and roads.  It turns out to be two interrelated factors. The trucking issue with California LA ports, ie the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), is that… Continue reading The “Green New Deal” turns out to be at the root of supply chain blockages in California