The Panama Canal is currently undergoing a major expansion plan which began back in 2007. The purpose of this expansion plan is to make it possible for larger ships to pass through the canal. The expansion involves the placement of two new set oflocks. One set each will be placed on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal. The basins in Gatun Lake and Culebra Cut will also be widened and deepenedto allow for the passage of larger ships. The plan is being financed by the port taxes collected which is current estimated at $32,000 per ship. As a result port cities such as Baltimore, Miami, Jacksonville, Fl., and Charleston, S.C. have initiated projects to expand their ports and related infrastructure however experts are warning that the demand may not be as highas these cities are anticipating when the Panama Canal expansion plan is completed. Experts are saying that the cities are likely not to benefit because they do not have the distribution channels that these large ships need in order to dealwith their cargo loads. The expansion plan was originally anticipated to be completed in 2014, however due to some issues with the current plans involving the delivery…
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As the demand for oil continues to increase around the world, oil transport companies are increasingly competing with freight companies for space on the railroads. Oil demand is only continuing to rise as is the demand for reliable freight transportation. As a result both industries are left fighting for the same space.In North America, railway companies are experiencing a boost thanks to the competition which has mainly been caused by the lack of oil pipelines. Oil producers in Canada and the United States have limited options as existingpipelines are currently at full capacity. In addition, the producers are having trouble getting authorization from regulatory bodies to install additional pipelines such as the current Keystone XL project which is currently on hold. As a result, oil producers are increasingly looking to the railways and are raising prices for freight carriers in the process. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is one of the largest railway systems in the United States and maintains more than 32,000 miles of railroad. From 2011 to 2012 alone,BNF demonstrated a 22 percent increase in revenuethanks to the revenue from transporting shale and tanks containing crude oil. Other railway companies such as Union Pacific and CSX saw similar…
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The usage of reefer containers has been increasing at a rate of 30% year over year and this trend is slated to continue in the near future. As a result reefer containers were a major topic of discussion at Intermodel Europe this past October. Intermodel Europe took place in Hamburg, Germany and brought togethermany of the industry leaders in intermodal shipping across Europe. The hot topic surrounding refrigerated containers was regarding improving their efficiency. Thermo King, an exhibitor at Intermodal Europe 2013, unveiled upgrades to its Thermo King MAGNUM PLUS® transport temperature control system which was originally released in 2009. This company has dominated the industry for more than 20 years and the company’s products are ranked as the lightest, most efficient and most powerful. In addition, there is also discussion that more needs to be done to improve the sales of second-hand reefer containers in order to address the growing quantities of oldreefer containers that would otherwise be retired from use. Maersk Container Industry also announced their efforts for 2014 to help reduce food waste in refrigeration container shipping by joining the United Nations’ SAVE FOOD Initiative. The program aim to increase the efficiency of food logistics. The Food…
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In an increasingly environmentally aware world, going green is getting great for business and having an environmentally friendly community account can now be crucial. Due to the huge amount of fuel that they consume and also the size of several shipping lines, maritime industries are currently coming under closer scrutiny for the impact they are having on the ecosystem. In addition, the execution of the carbon tax in several states has had shipping companies looking critically at how they can manage their carbon footprint. Even though this may seem like a tiny amount when compared with other sectors it still represents the comparable CO2 output of the tiny country and it is also thought that unless the issue is addressed now that it could ultimately increase to around five or six times that amount by 2050. Another problem facing the marine freight business is really one of public perception. Even though transportation by boat is the most carbon efficient system for moving freight, mostly as a result of economies of scale, the boats themselves are known to produce large quantities emissions and to consume enormous levels of fuel. In the face of the many of the greatest shipping lines have…
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After bulk cargo, transport containers account for about 90% of all of the goods transported into the planet. There are currently over 5 million shipping containers in passage to the whole world’s oceans transporting most of the buyer things that we purchase and use in everyday life. While this is just a tiny percentage of the total amount of containers that are shipped each year it comes with an estimated price of $370 million which adds appreciably to freight prices overall. However, there are also other costs related to losing shipping containers to the sea. On the surface this looks alright but many containers feature noxious materials which slowly leach into the environment over time having a long term adverse effect. Additionally it is believed that these new artificial reefs might be creating highways in the shipping lanes for the migration of species into environmentally-sensitive areas. The potential for smaller boats and pleasure craft to collide with one of these loose containers increases every year but they are difficult to locate and salvage. Floating containers also frequently wash up on-shore and get broken up to create another type of environmental risk. Although containers have these downsides they remain the most…
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