Recently, Drewry Maritime Research, a leading research firm watched closely by carriers and freight forwarders, released their report from the 2nd quarter of 2014. It is important to look at their report, whenever they release it, because it provides a factual snapshot of the international freight shipping industry and expert projections for the future.
Beyond the vital bill of lading, there is another important document used in international freight shipping. The commercial invoice is that document. While the document may seem like all of the others, it is unique. There are specific requirements for a commercial invoice. Certain items must be listed.
Lowering the emissions from ocean freight vessels is an obligation that everyone in the industry, including freight forwarders, must respect. After all, protecting the environment is important. In the coming years, there will be new laws that shipping entities must follow in order to respect our environment. One of these laws is slated to take place in 2015. This particular law will impact the fuel for ships.
Bad things can happen to ocean freight during the transportation process, including theft of freight through piracy. And while the piracy levels are dropping to new lows, there is still a threat of piracy that plagues global shippers everywhere. Shippers lose billions of dollars worth of cargo annually due to theft. The Journal of Commerce recently released a study and an infograph about this subject.
Recently, there was a bit of a nuclear alert scare on a vessel in Halifax. There was a possibly radiation leak on this ship from a container after 4 canisters of the material fell 20 feet. The substance in question was uranium hexafluoride and the carrier was the Atlantic Container Line (ACL). First responders rushed to the ship to conduct inspections and examinations. After some time, the first responders found that no substance spilled, there was no damage and no one was contaminated or injured.
When a shipper orders a vessel for the purpose of shipping ocean freight, there could be numerous vessels that are used. One type of ship that has been used in the international shipping industry for many years has been the bulk carrier. Essentially, the bulk carrier is a vessel that specializes in transporting bulk cargo. If a shipment is not packed neatly in a container, and is loose while in transit, then it is considered to be bulk cargo.
