Starting Off the New Year 2013

Starting out in a new year is always a good feeling. Everything is new and fresh and possibilities seem endless. Everything from the year before can be listed as last year’s issue and we can all move forward together. Let’s move past last year’s shipping rate hikes and economic issues since that is not just last year’s news. Not everything from 2012 was about facing problems although there were a few that stick out, especially about contracts at the ports. 

In fact there are actually a lot of things to be thankful for from last year. When the political protests began abroad and people were killed in American embassies, the world could have really changed. Shipping ocean freight could have really changed. Instead, shipping lines changed their routes and focused on other parts of the world. When Hurricane Sandy came up the coast, the shipping industry was caught back on its heels, but we diverted cargo and worked together to get the east coast ports back in line and the rails moving again. And even with the port strike on the US West Coast or the threats of strikes on the east coast, the shipping industry got prepared to divert cargo albeit with surcharges attached. Last year the shipping industry faced a lot of termoil, but managed to survive and thrive.

If you ask anyone in any part of the supply chain, whether a supplier, a freight forwarder, a customs broker or logistics and warehousing manager, this year was not a particularly different year for anyone. Most companies either banded together and began sharing the loads, or found other ways to keep themselves in the black. This coming year should be even better if we can avoid further recession. We have already made great strides by not beginning the 2013 with a US port strike. That alone is a major accomplishment and surely there are many more to come. Happy New Year!