youship.com - powered by Maersk Line

A.P. Moller - Maersk affiliate www.youship.com, an online site through which shippers can directly book cargo, is in the midst of a publicity drive in which it offers shippers freight rates for as little as $1.

The company said for the second week in a row, it would offer the $1 freight rates to a limited number of customers on Monday and Tuesday as part of its "Week of Fortune" promotion.

The rate is on 20-foot containers moving from Hong Kong to Japan, Australia and Rotterdam as well as from Antwerp to Turkey and Rotterdam to Morocco.
The company said it would offer the rate on "a number of bookings both Monday and Tuesday, but it is first come, first served."

The site, which is using consumer marketing techniques to sell freight also offers "to send flowers to your loved one" for shippers who book freight on Wednesday.

Got questions about the site? The company said those who register at its site in advance can participate in a teleconference on Jan. 23 with the site's director, Lars Jensen, and other executives.

Thursday and Friday? That's Happy Hour High Cube day, youship said.

But the selection is limited -- you can only get boxes that are dry, and nothing on the rocks -- youship doesn't do reefers!

Okay, okay, maybe I am a little too APM focused this month, but lets give credit where credit is due. 20 years, and I never thought they would be this forward thinking...but damn. Here it is. I just registered on youship.com, and suggest you do the same. You never know when you might need to ship a 20 footer of Palm beer from Belgium to Turkey!

Aldridge Joins CEVA, Creates Biz Unit Under International Logistics Solutions Moniker

CEVA Logistics said it has appointed Bill Aldridge as executive vice president for its newly created business unit, International Logistics Solutions.

ILS aims to provide end-to-end supply chain services from purchase order to point of sale, focusing in the Asian and other emerging markets.

Aldridge, who is based in New Jersey, was international supply chain president at DHL/Exel Supply Chain and served as managing and regional director for companies including American President Lines and Hapag-Lloyd (America).

“He has a unique understanding of the complexities of this business, and has had remarkable success in managing trade between Asia and the West,” said Vittorio Favati, CEVA’s chief operating officer for the Asia Pacific, in a statement.

Bill will have this new biz cooking in no time...look for an aggressive growth strategy. In this unstable market, a strong leader, presence in China could sway many clients to finally outsource their origin needs, and then some, across the full supply chain.

ShipsandBoxes.com Launched

Two-dozen container shipping companies on Thursday launched a publicity drive to showcase the industry's crucial role on the global economy to a wider audience.

The Container Shipping Information Service initiative was unveiled in London by Maersk Line Chief Executive Officer Eivind Kolding and Adolf Adrion, Hapag-Lloyd's executive board member.

One of the first steps is a new Web site, www.shipsandboxes.com, that contains a history of containerization and highlights its impact on globalization and the environment and security, among other things. The 24 participating companies will invest more than $1 million each year as other projects are being planned to take it "beyond the Web," said Adrion, who is also chairman of a variety of industry groups including the Far Eastern Freight Conference, World Shipping Council and the Box Club.

Adrion and Kolding conceded the liner industry has remained publicly silent for too long and that it generally only registers in the public consciousness when things go wrong such as when a ship is involved in an accident.

"The choice of goods that consumers have and their availability is largely down to the container shipping industry," Adrion said. "However the wider world is not, on the whole, aware of this. So it is important that as an industry we make them aware of this and explain the wider role and impacts that our industry has on the world."

The London event was attended mainly by shipping journalists. But executives from a number of the participating carriers will over the next few days reach out to the mainstream media.

Companies participating in Container Shipping Information Service are: Atlantic Container Line, China Shipping, CMA CGM, COSCO, Crowley Maritime Corp., Compania Sud-Americana de Vapores S.A.(CSAV), Evergreen, Hamburg Sud, Hanjin Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, "K" Line, Maersk Line, MISC Berhad, Mediterranean Shipping Co., MOL, Neptune Orient Lines/APL, NYK, OOCL, Pacific International Lines, United Arab Shipping Co., Wan Hai Lines, Yang Ming and Zim.

Wow...the shipping lines are finally getting into the 21st century! And along with that, they are dealing with a sharp sense of fear...that all those leviathan class size boats could soon be ghost ships. 2008 is going to be a wild year!

Happy New Year!