When Ken MacDonald was approached by former colleagues looking for someone to lead their global commercial team, he jumped at the opportunity and challenge. He’d always had an avid interest in international trade, and choosing to lead their team marked a significant start to his incredible career story. Eventually, this path would lead him to become the President and CEO of CLARITY Sales Enablement—a company that guides businesses to achieve maximum potential.

Acting quickly to solve a complicated partner issue

Among his favourite career stories, Ken remembers sitting in the CFO’s office at Acadian Seaplants Ltd. in Dartmouth Nova Scotia Canada. It was mid-morning and they were discussing a complicated partner issue: Their partner had legal ownership of some inventory stranded in Port dos Santos, Brazil, but this inventory could not be cleared by customs due to the partner’s financial issues.

The only way to sort out the matter was to deal with it in person. Acting upon an impulse, they made an on-the-spot decision to fly to Brazil that very afternoon to find a solution.

“After a weeklong negotiation with lawyers, accountants, regulatory and customs officials, we were able to transfer ownership back to Acadian and avoid a significant financial hit”

This incident taught Ken a valuable lesson:

“Issues and opportunities can arise very quickly with international business and the ability to act quickly is paramount.”

Sharing a common goal with talented people across the globe

With many stories that span the globe, it’s no surprise that Ken’s proudest accomplishment has been his ability to work with incredible people from around the world. He’s found the entire experience extremely enriching, as it has given him the opportunity to interact with many capable and knowledgeable individuals from diverse cultures. Working together, they’ve achieved great success.

“It has been an honour to be associated with so many amazing and talented people who come from different cultures but shared a common goal.”

Find mentors to guide you through complicated situations

Ken’s advice to individuals in international trade is to look for mentors who have successfully developed and established businesses in international markets.

“I believe that there is no better sounding board to help guide you through very complicated situations.”

Adding a prestigious credential to his already impressive repertoire of knowledge and experience

Ken earned his CITP®|FIBP® designation in March 2020 and is confident that this unique credential will bring advantages to his career.

He notes that it has been “very gratifying” to earn this official stamp of excellence, as it is industry-backed and validates his competencies in international business.

“The CITP designation is widely recognized and lends significant credibility to my dialogue as it relates to international business development.”

Ken is already thinking ahead about how he is going to leverage his special designation.

“I plan to promote it as a competitive advantage and to help mentor young entrepreneurs to achieve the designation.”

Today, as President and CEO at Clarity Sales Enablement, Ken partners with businesses to help them scale-up and enter new markets. There is no doubt that he’ll continue to expand his breadth of knowledge in international business, adding to his catalogue of worldly stories and sage advice.

As Ken prepares to guide and inspire young talent towards a fulfilling career in international business, we wish him continued success and can’t wait to see what’s next.

The post CITP Spotlight: Ken MacDonald – President & CEO, CLARITY Sales Enablement appeared first on Trade Ready.

Dealing with rising logistics costs

From sourcing materials to storing goods to shipping to your customers, logistics costs add up. They can be a major part of your business’s expenses, and they seem to be continually rising. If you’re not looking at how you can scale back your logistics costs, you’re hurting your business’s bottom line. While tackling these kinds of costs might seem overwhelming, there are some things you can do to manage your business’s logistics costs.

Understand your logistics costs

Reducing your logistics costs begins with evaluating them. Until you understand how your business is spending money on logistics, you can’t understand how to reduce logistics costs. Take the time to understand how much you are spending on packaging, shipping, labour and storage. Know how much each container costs you to ship, and how much you are spending on logistics for each item in your inventory.

Once you understand where your logistics budget is going, you can begin to look at how to pare back on those costs. Break apart the fixed costs that you don’t have the power to change and the variable costs. By knowing which costs you can influence, you can begin to identify where you can save money in your supply chain.

Understand your inventory

When it comes to reducing logistics costs, many experts will suggest maintaining higher inventory levels. Carrying higher inventory levels means less frequent supply shipments and you don’t risk paying more for last-minute supplies. Unless you evaluate and understand your inventory, your supply needs and your space, it can be difficult to maintain higher inventory without running the risk of overstocking.

Know which items move faster than others and what you should have more of on hand. Monitor the flow of your inventory, and keep an eye on peaks in demand that call for increased inventory. Evaluate your inventory space and determine whether you could be shelving your inventory more efficiently to store more items in less space. Be sure to keep and regularly evaluate your inventory data so you can make better decisions on your inventory levels to save on shipping and storage logistics.

Plan regular shipments

Consider when you order items or contract shipments for your business. If you are waiting until you need to ship something or until you need something in stock, you’re spending more on shipping than you need to. When you’ve analyzed your supply and inventory needs, you can begin to contract your shipping in advance to save your business money on shipping costs. Many companies will offer savings when you contract multiple shipments at once or when you contract for shipping further in advance.

When logistics companies have orders on the books in advance, they can better manage how they’re filling their shipment containers to lower their costs, which means your costs are lower. Contracting logistics in advance, or working with the same companies for supplies and shipments over and over again, can help you develop good working relationships with your logistics partners. When you have those solid relationships, you can work with your partners to lower costs, and they likely will reward you for your loyalty with better pricing over time.

Involve everyone in logistics savings

If you’re committed to keeping your logistics costs low, you’ll need to involve every team in your business. That’s because nearly every department impacts your logistics costs. Product developers can look at supply or design options that will lower your supply logistics costs and your product distribution costs. Your marketing team can keep a calendar of initiatives that are likely to bring a surge in business to help you beef up inventory in advance. Your warehouse team can find efficiencies in their operations or in their storage methods.

When all of your teams are aware of how they play a role in logistics and keeping the costs low, they can contribute to this goal on a consistent basis.

Logistics is an expensive part of every business, which makes keeping logistics costs in line essential to maintaining your business’s profits. Keeping those costs low involves constantly monitoring data that will help you make better decisions, planning your logistics as far in advance as possible and involving your teams in moderating logistics costs. By actively tracking, evaluating and controlling your logistics costs, you can save money and better protect your business’s bottom line.

The post How your small business can save money on rising logistics costs appeared first on Trade Ready.

Because of the complexity involved with importing and exporting goods, many companies use customs brokers to act as their agents. Customs brokers clear shipments of imported goods, prepare required documentation for export shipments and collect duties and taxes. They act as an intermediary between importers and the government, helping companies deal with legislation.

Customs brokers charge a brokerage fee, which is usually determined as a percentage of the value of the imported shipment. A set rate or fee can be negotiated by the importer and the customs broker. It’s based on complexity of customs entries, frequency of customs entries as well as noted value of imported goods.

Most importers engage the services of a customs broker or consultant who offers some or all of the following services:

• Customs valuation
• Tariff classification
• Customs clearance
• Automated customs clearance through government-initiated programs
• International trade consulting and facilitation services
• Freight management and consolidation services
• Import and export purchase-order management
• Regional and national warehousing
• Non-resident import services
• Valuation, Origin of Goods or Harmonized System (HS) Code Ruling requests with government of importing country

The preparation of customs accounting documents usually requires specialized knowledge in fields such as tariff classification, rates of duties and taxes, and origin of the goods.

Most customs brokers maintain a database where they enter all the required data. Because the data is online, any tariff changes or special instructions can be accessed rapidly, ensuring that accurate information is used.

Customs brokers are the primary source of knowledge and skills that help importers develop appropriate systems and procedures in reporting trade data.

Many countries have systems in which brokers are electronically linked with customs through automated customs systems. This enables electronic transfer of accounting documents and payments and greatly speeds up clearance of shipments.

Want to learn more about managing your company’s supply chain, logistics and how to mitigate risks? Check out the FITTskills Global Value Chain online course.

Customs brokers can help in a wide variety of ways

A customs broker can assist an importer in a number of complicated areas, such as tariff classification, customs valuation, appeals and dispute settlements, refunds, drawbacks and remission of duties, sales and excise tax implications, payment of taxes and duties, seizure appeals, reviews of past customs accounting documents (entries), and anti-dumping and countervailing issues. A customs broker or consultant can also review a company’s operations with a view to improvement.

Some customs brokers offer freight-management services, based on the buy-and sell principle. A customs broker buys freight rates in bulk from carriers and resells them to its brokerage clients. In addition to freight rates, a customs broker also purchases cargo insurance packages and makes them available to its brokerage clients. Customs brokers also offer warehousing and distribution services, including inspection and storage of goods and processing of small orders.

Non-resident importer

A foreign company can become a non-resident importer by authorizing a customs broker to clear its goods through customs. Books and records, including books, letters, accounts and invoice statements (financial or other), must be maintained in the importing country for a specified period of time. In Canada, the record keeping period is six years.

A customs broker’s non-resident import services include preparing customs accounting documents, paying duties and taxes, making delivery arrangements on the non-resident’s behalf and maintaining certain records.

In some countries, using a customs broker or a customs agent is mandatory. Even where it’s not, it may be cost effective to use one.

A broker can secure passage through a customs examination in the shortest possible time and minimize the risk of loss and pilferage at the lowest possible cost.

An exporting firm can find foreign brokers through their country’s department of foreign affairs, its bank, chambers of commerce, the domestic embassy of the country to which it is exporting and its freight forwarder. Freight forwarders, in particular, are usually able to arrange for foreign customs brokers to handle reception and clearance of goods.

The post What do customs brokers do, and how can they help your business? appeared first on Trade Ready.

Atsushi Nozaki, CITP|FIBP is a Shipping Agent in Osaka, Japan for Senko Co. Ltd., a logistics information company dedicated to helping businesses improve the efficiency of their supply chain management.

He works closely with shipping captains all around the world to ensure that their loading, discharging, scheduling, and any other requests are taken care of ahead of time, and their overall experience is as smooth as possible.

Springboarding from an internship into a long-term career

As Atsushi finished his degree in international relations from the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in 2011, he looked for ways that he could use everything he learned in the previous four years in a real-world context.

This not only led him to discover his interest in an international trade career, but also to an internship with Senko, his current employer.

“After the internship, I not only gained new knowledge and experiences, but also realized how important international trade is and how it affects the economy, global market, and our lives. Additionally, I gained a better understanding of international trade and logistics. This internship program influenced me to pursue a career in this field.”

“I decided to continue to work at Senko when my internship program was over because I wanted to deepen my knowledge and improve my international trade skills.”

Managing a work-life balance in the busy world of global trade

For Atsushi, one of the most difficult parts of starting to work in international trade was the demand of dealing with various clients all around the world, many operating on different schedules.

“I had already been living by myself for three years, so I thought I could easily balance a new work-life environment, but it was not as simple as I thought.”

“A foreign shipping agent’s schedule can be very long and unstable as it strongly relies on vessels’ schedules. In addition, vessels basically move 24/7; therefore, my working time can also be 24/7. Sometimes I work during the day, sometimes at night and even in the middle of the night. In addition, the clients also have access to my personal phone number, and I would receive calls during the night from them due to the different time zones.”

While he found the adjustment difficult at first, he says placing a stronger focus on his health “is the most important thing when working in international trade” and has helped him to establish his ideal work-life balance.

Having now worked for Senko for five years, Atsushi’s responsibilities are extensive. He is responsible for all arrangements with foreign shipping vessels, inventory management needs, particularly in cases of dangerous cargo, and handling customs and shipping regulations.

Many shipping vessel arrangements come directly from either the captains of the vessels or representative agents. Most relate to logistics, scheduling, clearances and other similar issues. One particularly memorable request, however, taught him a valuable lesson about managing and taking care of the people working for you.

“Four years ago, a captain requested to arrange Wi-Fi and tablets when the vessel arrived at the port. At first, I was wondering why he requested those items, because normally the vessels already have communication tools.”

Soon after, I figured out the reason for the captain’s request: he cared about his crew members, who wanted to contact their families. The captain knew that talking to or face-time with family is the best way to motivate crew members during long voyages.

“After that, I understood if a person wants to be successful in management, they have to discover what exactly is the most valuable thing for every employee, and try to provide that to them.”

The benefits of working as a team

Another major component of his work is building relationships with potential new clients, engaging in negotiations and signing contracts with them.

This type of work, however, can often require several people and emphasizes the importance of a talented, committed team in any aspect of international trade.

“During my five years of work experience, there was one contract we concluded with a foreign shipping company that I would list as one of my biggest accomplishments. And it is also one of the longest periods I’ve worked with the same group.”

“Our team took six months in total to prepare the document, edit the agreement and paperwork with our lawyer, and negotiate with the client. At the end, our team was successful with the contract.”

“After that, I understood that good teamwork does not only depend on the talent of the team leader, but also the team members’ cooperation and commitment. Anyone might face challenges and difficulties working in a team which might cause them to want to withdraw from the team. Therefore, I believe “NEVER GIVE UP” is a critical component of teamwork.”

Learning how to “think global, act local” with international trade training and certification

In 2014, Atsushi began taking FITTskills courses through Ashton College in Vancouver, BC to build his international trade skills, and found the experience extremely helpful.

FITTskills courses provide very powerful knowledge for those who are learning about, or working in, international trade. I definitely recommend FITTskills courses for those who are going to work in the field. The course contents cover all necessary knowledge of international trade that one has to learn.

“Additionally, I strongly recommend the International Marketing course, since it not only helped me to open my mind, but also enabled me to “think global, act local.”

After completing his courses in 2015, he set a new goal to earn his elite CITP®|FIBP® designation, and speaks very highly of its importance to his career.

“I wanted to earn the CITP®|FIBP® designation because I believe it will give me more opportunities to connect with other excellent international professionals around the world, and gain more international knowledge and experiences in my career.”

“I am very proud to obtain the CITP®|FIBP® designation, which makes me feel more confident to be an international trade expert. I believe this designation is the most priceless asset of my entire career.”

Please feel free to congratulate Atsushi in the comments, or pass along other advice and well wishes!

The post Atsushi Nozaki, CITP|FIBP – Shipping Agent appeared first on Trade Ready.

There are even some drones that are capable of operating underwater. Whether the drone is in the air or underwater, there are many ways that these incredible machines are being used to help ship goods around the world safely and effectively.

1. Having an eye in the sky to avoid obstacles and physical danger

If a cargo ship is traveling through a narrow or dangerous passageway and the captain wants a better look at what’s ahead, he can simply have one of the crew launch a drone high into the sky, above or in front of the ship, to gain a significantly improved vantage point.

Doing this can help the captain see what the swells may look like as they approach the ship. He or she could also better detect any sandbars or reefs in the way, and get a better look at clouds on the horizon. Currently, drones are even being used to patrol beaches for sharks. The technology could also be used in the same way to locate someone who falls overboard.

Additionally, drones can be used by ice breaker ships, or any ship in regions with ice, to take a look at the ice flows ahead. Doing so can help the ships find the paths with the least ice-based resistance. Trying to do this without a drone is much more difficult. The bird’s eye view that drones provide greatly improve the view of the captain or crew.

If a ship captain is having difficulty navigating through heavy, low-lying fog, then a drone may also be able to provide viewing assistance. The drone could potentially be flown above or around the fog to help the captain ensure he or she is not in danger of hitting anything, such as other ships, light houses, or islands.

2. Making transportation safer by inspecting where other eyes can’t go

Drones can be used to conduct a wide variety of international trade inspections, and can dramatically improve the efficiency and safety of the process.

For example, drones can currently inspect wind turbines four times faster than traditional methods. They can also be used to inspect hulls and containers on cargo ships to make sure they are stacked correctly. These inspections are particularly important if any sort of collision has taken place.

In addition, drones can be used by authorities to inspect the underside of bridges, long stretches of railroad track, or ports from above. In terms of port inspections, the authorities can use the drones to ensure that no unauthorized ships are docking in the ports, causing congestion and navigating difficulties.

Companies are also able to use drones to inspect land for surveying purposes.

In fact, they are so efficient in surveying that some estimates declare that a drone can do in 20 minutes what it would take a week to do without one.

This can be highly beneficial for mining companies, or other businesses that need detailed land surveys.

3. Finding problems so you don’t end up 20,000 leagues under the sea

There are a number of drones that are designed to operate underwater. These submarine drones are currently being used to look for submerged mines that could potentially threaten cargo ships. Using drones to do this work can help reduce risk to both shipping professionals and the personnel who would otherwise be doing the mine sweeping manually.

These submarine drones can also be used to take a better look at underwater wreckage. Using drones in this capacity can help crews get a better understanding of how to salvage sunken ships, or to determine if any danger is presented by the sunken vessel to ships passing above.

Sunken ships can be a real problem if they sink in shallow water, near ports or other narrow waterways, such as canals. Submarine drone footage can help the involved parties determine what action needs to be taken to prevent the sunken ships from causing harm to ships on the surface.

4. Improving safety and recovery when an accident does happen

The unique views that drones provide can be highly useful for rescue purposes. For example, if the Coast Guard is searching for a distressed vessel in a storm, it can launch a drone to acquire an expanded view of the surrounding area. This can make this task significantly easier and safer in trying conditions.

Further, drones can be used if a fire breaks out on board a ship to help locate trapped crew members, and to help find a safe passageway to rescue them. Drones can also help locate the source of the fire safely, without having to risk crew members.

Additionally, if a ship strikes a reef, iceberg or another object in the sea and starts leaking, submarine drones can be piloted to the area of the hull underwater. There, they can be used to find out exactly where the leak is and see how bad the damage is. This kind of information could save the lives of those on board the ship.

Drones just might be your new best friends

Whether they are being used for weather and geographic feature detection, inspection, underwater hazard detection, rescue purposes, or for a multitude of other tasks, drones are quickly becoming more and more important to the international trade industry.

The ability of drones to provide enhanced viewing power from a safe distance, without putting anyone in harm’s way, makes this invention an incredibly important development for any industry.

Anyone from shipping professionals to military agencies or inspection authorities can find uses for these devices. Due to their versatile nature and unique capabilities, these handy machines are likely to be used more and more in the world of global trade. Without a doubt, there will soon be even more uses discovered for these nimble devices!

Is your company making use of drones? How have drones changed the way you do business?

The post 4 ways that drones are making international trade safer appeared first on Trade Ready.

So when I first heard about Hyperloop technology, a new mode of transportation theorized by Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX (and probably the closest thing the real world has to Tony Stark), suffice it to say that I was intrigued.

As Musk stated in his 2013 whitepaper on the subject:

…Short of figuring out real teleportation, which would of course be awesome (someone please do this), the only option for super fast travel is to build a tube over or under the ground that contains a special environment…

Musk then went on to explain that the technology relies on propelling capsules at low pressure, accelerated by magnetic technology and riding on an air cushion to reduce drag and friction and maximize speed.

In theory, the technology can permit speeds of up to 750mph (1,207kph), just short of the speed of sound, which is 768mph. These speeds would allow people or cargo to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in half an hour, or from Toronto to Vancouver in three hours.

The technology is estimated to be applicable for routes as short as 40km and as long as 10,000km – so theoretically, it could be used to ship goods from the western tip of Spain to the eastern tip of Russia, or from New York City to Buenos Aires.

While Musk has elected to devote his time and energies to other projects, he gave his blessing to others to pursue the technology. One company, Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One, has just made its first major step to bringing his dream to reality.

Boldly going where no tube has gone before

On May 11, 2016, Hyperloop One completed its first major land test outside of Las Vegas, accelerating the sled over the short track above 100mph.

The company has also raised over $80M U.S. in funding from investors to support its research and testing, and plans a second test later this year using a pod. In 2015, it announced that its first intended project would be a cargo route connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas, a distance of 228 miles (367 kilometres). Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd has also forecasted the use of Hyperloops to ship cargo by 2019, and passenger use by 2021.

The company faces competition, however, from rival Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, who plan to build a system as part of a planned community in central California by 2018. They have also signed an agreement with the Slovakian government to build a Hyperloop connecting the country to Austria and Hungary.

Will investors (and trade professionals) decide the price is right for Hyperloop?

Major hurdles still remain before the technology can be widely implemented. One obvious challenge is the several steps of testing that still need to be done before the technology is proven to work safely, effectively and as quickly as promised.

More importantly, as the technology is still in its relative infancy, there is a lot of speculation and discussion over the cost of building and using Hyperloop systems over the necessary distance to make them worthwhile.

Initial estimates have priced a San Francisco to Los Angeles Hyperloop route at around six billion dollars, and it remains unclear who would pay for it if approved by state government.

In comparison, a high speed rail project to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, which has been agreed upon since 2008, will only go 220mph (less than a third of the speed of the Hyperloop), and will not be finished until 2029, costing an estimated $64 billion.

Most experts agree that the first Hyperloop will most likely be constructed outside of the United States, in a country more willing to amend legislation to facilitate its construction, and to offer cheaper prices for the land used to build the route.

It has also been argued that shipping via Hyperloop could decrease prices for both companies and consumers by facilitating delivery to local distribution centers from major cargo hubs, or even directly to stores in the long-term future.

Though shipping prices are yet to be determined, an option three times as fast and a tenth of the price to construct as high speed rail could conceivably lead to lower prices, and serious questions about the future of rail transport as a mode of moving cargo.

A perspective from one of our logistics experts

Audrey Ross, a Logistics Customs Specialist with Orchard Private Labelling, had this to say about Hyperloop’s potential for moving cargo:

“Immediately, this technology would improve the significant environmental impact that trucks and rail have.  This is a very viable solution to this concerning issue, which as an industry we largely ignore.

Although the high speed claims are impressive, if Hyperloop could improve shipping times by even 30%, it would have a significant impact on the decision to use overseas manufacturing.  In a mobile, instant gratification culture with very agile consumers, lead times from overseas factories are becoming a sticky issue. With the proliferation of global trade agreements, the transportation industry will need to keep up.

Also, a lot of delays in shipping are caused by bad weather or infrastructure that is under repair or under-performing.  If Hyperloop can operate unaffected by hurricanes, ice, snow and traffic jams (situations that completely shut down traditional modes of transportation) we truly will be living in a whole new world!”

Ultimately, the biggest hurdles will be the assumed higher costs and an industry reluctant to change.

“It is ridiculously inexpensive to ship goods via truck and rail.  This seems to be an industry that strives to maintain its standard operating procedure in an attempt to hang on to jobs.  There is a difficulty seeing how new technology can improve the industry, create brand new jobs and potentially better job conditions.”

It will probably be decades before we have a clear picture of how Hyperloop will fit into the larger picture of cargo shipping and transportation options, assuming it becomes as successful as its developers hope.

In the meantime, logistics and transportation experts can keep an eye on how it develops, to assess if and when they’ll be loading containers into a Hyperloop pod anytime soon.

The post Hyperloop has a chance of displacing rail and road options to move cargo across land appeared first on Trade Ready.

The past few decades have brought about key advances in shipment tracking. These advances have improved safety, efficiency and security in the industry, making aspects of shipping significantly easier and less stressful than they had once been.

1. Automated Identification System (AIS)

In use since 2002, the Automated Identification System requires ships of over three hundred tons to carry transponders. These transponders transmit the ship’s position to other nearby ships, and to maritime authorities, if the ship is near land.

AIS transponders are helpful for providing accurate location information for traveling vessels. However, because they use very high frequency radio waves which travel horizontally across the globe, they only have a range of about fifty nautical miles.

Effect on trade

The biggest benefit that AIS provides is collision prevention, especially in foggy or inclement weather, or narrow waterways such as the Strait of Gibraltar. In these conditions having accurate positioning information about the ships around is crucial to preventing accidents.

For example, in 1987, the passenger ferry MV Dona Paz crashed into the MT Vector off the coast of the Philippines, killing over four thousand people. If AIS had existed at this time, the accident could likely have been prevented.

AIS also gives other important information to maritime authorities, such as speed, heading, and cargo. All of this data helps sea transport to flow more smoothly, with fewer accidents and greater efficiency

2. ORBCOMM Satellite AIS

Beginning in 2004, the company ORBCOMM began launching satellites into space to attempt to vastly increase the reach of AIS. By 2008, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, ORBCOMM launched a total of six satellites. All of these satellites were equipped with an AIS transponder. This means that the satellites were capable of receiving and transmitting very high frequency radio waves from ships at sea.

These radio waves extend much further into space than they do laterally across the globe, greatly expanding the previous range of only fifty nautical miles. In fact, because of these satellites, ships can now be tracked in near real time from their departure to the time they reach their destinations.

Effect on Trade

Significantly expanding the reach of vessel tracking had many benefits. Chief among them are increased business efficacy, hazardous weather avoidance, and improved search and rescue capabilities.

With greater shipment tracking, businesses can keep a much closer eye on their vessels as they move merchandise back and forth across the oceans. This adds a higher element of security when shipping. It also enables businesses to more accurately predict when a ship will reach port.

This means that companies can unload ships faster when they do come in, because they can time the operation more precisely.

For example, if you have a cargo ship that you know will be arriving at the Port of San Francisco at 9.00 a.m., you can have your entire crew already there waiting to unload by 9.00 a.m. This is much more efficient than trying to guess the time of arrival, potentially being off by hours.

In terms of hazardous weather avoidance, it’s much easier to steer a ship out of harm’s way if you know exactly where the ship is, and where the dangerous weather is going to be. The more accurate the tracking, the more easily bad weather can be avoided. For example, if a shipping company realizes that one of its vessels is heading straight for a violent storm, it can contact the captain, and instruct him to steer the ship west for a hundred miles. Once the storm is avoided, the ship can resume its initial heading.

Finally, satellite AIS enhances search and rescue missions by providing more accurate vessel location data. Imagine trying to find a distressed vessel in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a monsoon without advanced tracking equipment!

Satellite AIS also gives maritime authorities the power to see if there are any other vessels in close proximity to the distressed vessels. If there are, they can contact the vessel and ask the captain to help the ship that’s in trouble. This may be critical if the closest search and rescue authority is thousands of miles away.

3. Vesselfinder.com

Vesselfinder.com is a website created in 2012, offering free AIS tracking for over sixty thousand ships across the globe in real time! Anyone who wants to find a major commercial vessel can simply log on and search for the ship by name.

Vesselfinder.com represents an incredible step forward for the shipping industry. Whereas long-range AIS tracking data used to be exclusive, and require a licensing fee from ORBCOMM, Vesselfinder.com does it for free. This means that ships are now easier to track than ever before.

Effect on Trade

Vesselfinder.com has taken a complicated and expensive process and made it instantly available to anyone in real time. If your company has ordered a large quantity of parts for solar panels in Asia, you can literally log on to VesselFinder.com and watch the ship carrying your parts cross the ocean!

Vesselfinder.com has also added a new level of security to international shipping. It gives companies more power to monitor their shipments. This increased level of security gives companies more confidence in making business transactions that require international shipping. A lot of the mystery has been removed from the process and a considerable amount of oversight has been added. This is a tremendous development for international trade.

Have any of these shipping technology improvements changed your shipping practices? Any others that come to your mind?

The post Global trade professionals all love these 3 advances in shipment tracking appeared first on Trade Ready.