Industry Insights

Cyber Attacks Rise Against Maritime Industry The International Maritime Bureau warns that the maritime industry could become “the next playground for hackers,” and 2014 has been a banner year with cyber attacks against the industry increasing considerably. Carriers, ports, terminals and other transport operators are targeted by cyber criminals, who take advantage of the sophisticated […]

Ebola Can Wreck Supply Chains Shippers are likely to experience major delays and growing supply chain costs as they transport goods to and from West Africa as Ebola containment measures become more stringent, according to an analysis done by Business Monitor International. At least one cargo carrier has initiated Ebola inspections on all shipments to […]

Contract Failure Leads to Port Congestion Congestion at U.S. and Canadian West Coast ports is getting worse by the day in the absence of a signed contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association. The congestion problem is causing containers to back up on the docks, trucks to wait in […]

No Increase for Forwarder, NVO Bonds The Federal Maritime Commission’s proposed revisions to ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) rules have been amended to eliminate some mandates that were unpopular with freight forwarders and OTIs. Proposed bond increases, which met with industry pushback, have been eliminated from the FMC’s newest version of the guidelines. The June 2013 […]

Workers’ Compensation: Making Warehouse Safety A Priority Workers’ Compensation insurance is a significant expense for all businesses, including warehouse operators storing cargo for third parties.  While the frequency and severity of workplace accidents for this sector is not at the level as some others (construction, for example), a series of even minor incidents can still […]

Congress Holds Off on Deciding Export-Import Bank’s Fate Until Next Summer The operating authority of the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank), the federal government’s export credit agency, was set to expire next week on September 30th but has received temporary reprieve after Congress approved a short-term extension of its charter. House Speaker John Boehner included a […]