Premium News

Premium AJOT reporting and analysis for transportation, logistics, maritime, ports, air cargo, trade and supply chain professionals.

Covid-19 and the challenges ahead

Stas Margaronis | April 27, 2020 | Ports & Terminals | Ports

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic swept into the Pacific states, the ports on the West Coast were facing serious challenges that could frame the region’s outlook for decades to come.

Canadian East Coast box ports see cargo numbers decline

Leo Ryan | April 13, 2020 | Ports & Terminals | Ports

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian ports, categorized by the federal authorities among essential services, have remained opened for business while taking all the necessary measures to protect the health and safety of their employees.

Ports & Terminals

George Lauriat | Top Story | April 13, 2020

Ports and trade in the time of Covid-19

The Northeast Corridor of the United States, running from Maine to Washington DC with a population of over 56 million and a GDP of approximately $5 trillion, is the largest economic region on the planet.

Altering apparel supply chains?

Peter Buxbaum | April 13, 2020 | International Trade

With supply-chain risk mounting, industry and technology developments point to more near-shoring and on-shoring production possibilities.

Gourmet chocolate, a sweet business for Ecuador

Matt Miller | April 13, 2020 | International Trade | Commodity

In a small hotel lounge in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito one bright morning a few weeks back, Mario Ramache poured small disks of chocolate into bowls and laid them out in front of two appreciative visitors.

Ecuador’s niche cacao business looks to expand

Matt Miller | April 13, 2020 | International Trade | Commodity

Ecuador, the birthplace of cacao, produces some of the world’s very best cacao for producing premium chocolate. But with only a sliver of market share how the business expands in the future is a vexing question.

Railroads Post-PSR

George Lauriat | March 31, 2020 | Intermodal | Rail

Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) is an operating strategy, largely attributed to railroading legend the late Hunter Harrison, designed to make rail operations more efficient and thereby more profitable. But with new economic and technological challenges of the ‘20s, what’s next for railroads?

Mississippi, Alabama ports adding facilities to meet spectrum of needs

Paul Scott Abbott | March 23, 2020 | Ports & Terminals | Ports

Ports of the mid-Gulf area encompassing Mississippi and Alabama are augmenting facilities with additions of varied infrastructure befitting of the broad-ranging nature of the region’s commerce.

Louisiana ports enjoying growth mode, fueled by energy industries, byproducts

Paul Scott Abbott | March 23, 2020 | Ports & Terminals | Ports

Facility expansions and enhancements are the order of the era at ports of Louisiana, with energy industries and byproducts (think petrochemical resins) fueling much of the growth scenario.

Ports & Terminals

Paul Scott Abbott | Top Story | March 23, 2020

LaGrange enthusiastic as ever about US Gulf ports – and life

With a spiritual reawakening following a successful liver transplant, Gulf region port industry icon Gary LaGrange has, at 74, as much love for life as ever.

Ports & Terminals

Paul Scott Abbott | Top Story | March 23, 2020

Lone Star State ports setting records, enhancing diverse cargo infrastructure

With record cargo volumes seemingly becoming commonplace, ports throughout Texas are assertively forging ahead with a multitude of infrastructure enhancements to handle even more activity in the future.

Amazon is deploying logistics as ‘secret weapon,’ analyst says

Paul Scott Abbott | March 09, 2020 | Logistics

Soon to be a larger supply chain provider than either FedEx or UPS, Amazon is putting logistics to use as a “secret weapon,” according to a prominent Wall Street analyst speaking at a Retail Industry Leaders Association forum.

Canadian agri-food exporters face bumpy road

Leo Ryan | March 09, 2020 | Maritime | Breakbulk News

The last year has been rough for Canada’s agri-food exporters and this year looks every bit as challenging.

Great Lakes ports work on building cargo diversity

Leo Ryan | March 09, 2020 | Maritime | Breakbulk News

Throughout the vast Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system in the United States and Canada, most ports seek to diversify their customer base by developing new business beyond traditional bulk markets.

Ports & Terminals

Paul Scott Abbott | Top Story | March 09, 2020

Port of Virginia welcoming business with enhanced facilities, efficiencies

With enhanced terminal infrastructure and efficiencies and construction under way to bring channel depth to 55 feet – the most among U.S. East Coast maritime gateways – The Port of Virginia clearly is putting out the welcome mat for cargo business.

Iron ore prices climb as steel prices dip

AJOT Staff | March 09, 2020 | Maritime | Breakbulk News

It’s why steelmakers find themselves in a profits squeeze, while miners are doing well but an uncontrolled coronavirus threatens to change all that.

International Trade

Peter Buxbaum | Top Story | March 09, 2020

US citrus: No help from Phase One trade deal

California citrus growers were hoping that the Phase One trade deal between the United States and China would boost their export prospects. That appears not to be the case.

Inland port of Walla Walla and UP Cold Connect team up to ship precious cargo

Robert L. Wallack | March 09, 2020 | Logistics

The fertile soil of the Columbia River Basin is Wallula county, Washington produces delicious apples, pears, cherries and sweet onions craved by consumers across America and abroad.

Logistics

Robert L. Wallack | Top Story | March 09, 2020

US chicken exports to China back in business

Consumers in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will be relieved by the lifting of the ban on United States (U.S.) chicken imports amidst the widespread coronavirus, African swine fever and a recent avian flu outbreak at a chicken farm in Hunan province of the PRC.