Shipping out at Intermodal Europe

A meeting of the world’s leading port authorities this month sets out to solve the biggest problems facing the logistics industry.

Called Operation Port Unity – Improving Global Logistics One Port at a Time, the event will be hosted by Intermodal Europe 2012 and will see port authority CEOs examine ways to tackle increasing costs and further streamline supply chains.

New research

The forum will discuss the findings of new research from the Global Institute of Logistics, which studies how port communities meet the demands of full integration into the global supply chain.

According to Kieran Ring, CEO of the Global Institute of Logistics, there are several issues that are currently affecting the logistics and container industries that will be discussed. These include:

fuel costs
excess capacity
cascading – large new ships replacing older large ships, which then replace smaller ships
the widening of the Panama Canal and the effect that might have on shipping routes and port competition.

Rising costs

“The cost of fuel now accounts for 70 per cent of shipping costs, which means shipping lanes are being slowed down in order to reduce fuel usage,” says Mr Ring. “For this reason, the forum will be addressing how to increase terminal operational efficiency to compensate for the longer sailing times.

“The panel will be looking at global best practice in vessel call operations, and using IT systems to improve decision making and operational efficiency. This will all be happening alongside over 50 other conference sessions that cover all aspects of container transport and logistics across road, rail and sea.”

Intermodal Europe 2012 will be held at the RAI in Amsterdam from 27-29 November.