Automation on the Docks
From time to time, I’m lucky enough to be able to visit container terminals: some […]
What Makes a High Performer?
The World Bank puts immense effort into its Container Port Performance Index. The index, compiled […]
Locked In
Standardizing the shipping container in the mid-1960s was a pivotal step in globalization. Up until […]
Rise and Fall
What do Baltimore, Keelung, Jeddah, Belfast, and Melbourne have in common? Yes, of course, all […]
Trade Secrets
A couple of years ago, an exec at a major freight forwarder asked me to […]
Burdened by Bigness
Suppose your company invested billions of dollars in new equipment. And suppose now, very shortly […]
Thin Ice
The news that Maersk, the container shipping giant, is sailing a containership from Vladivostok to […]
The Language of Globalization
I speak German, or at least I used to. I believe — I hope — […]
Information and Competition
It seems that competition regulators at the European Union are looking into whether “Big Data” […]
Uncomfortable Questions About Our Ports
Sometimes people ask questions to which they really don’t want the answers–especially when the answers […]