Logistics, Trade Administration and Supply Chain

Air transportation is being considered by increasing numbers of shippers for regular service, even though air freight rates exceed those of trucking by more than two times and those of rail by more than 16 times. The appeal for air transportation is its unmatched origin to destination speed, especially over long distances. Air service dependability and availability can be rated as good under normal operating conditions. Delivery time variability is low in absolute magnitude, even though air service is quite sensitive to mechanical breakdown, whether conditions and traffic congestions. Variability when compare with average delivery times, can rank air as one of the least reliable modes. The capability of air has been greatly constrained by the physical dimensions of the cargo space in the aircraft and the aircraft's lifting capacity. This is becoming less of a constraint, however, as larger aircraft are put into service. For example, jumbo airplanes such as Boeing 747 and L...

Last year proved tough for transporters on the world’s busiest trade routes between Asia and Europe. Both the sea and air markets suffered from weak demand and overcapacity as new orders of airplanes and ships continued to come on line. The container shipping market was down around three percent worldwide by volume in 2012 compared to the previous year, says Denis Sanguinetti, sea-freight procurement manager at Bolloré Logistics. Routes between Asia and Western Europe suffered the biggest drop of between seven and eight percent, he adds. Similarly, the volume of goods transported by air fell by around 2.5 percent worldwide, says Georges Van Hove, manager of airfreight procurement at Bolloré Logistics. “The air-freight market will remain weak as long as the global economic recovery is uncertain and capacity stays high,” he warns. In particular, the sea container market looks set to continue its record level of volatility as shipping companies seek to balance supply and demand. ...

The Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) is a document prepared by the shipper and presented to a government authority specifying goods expected along with their quantities, weight and destination. Each country has its own SED form. Certain elements are likely to be required in the SED for all countries. The SED typically includes the following elements: Name and address of seller, Name and address of buyer, Issuance date, Export license number (if required, based on certain countries' requirements and goods exported), Country of origin of the goods shipped, Country of final destination of the goods, Quantity and description of the goods, Country of export statistical classification number (some countries do not require this information for shipments under a certain level), Shipping details like, weight of the goods, number of packages and shipping marks and numbers. The SED is used by a nation's customs authority to control exports and compile trade statistic...

The Regional Trade Pact Import/Export Declaration is a standardised import/export document used in common by members of a regional trade group containing compliance, administrative and statistical information. This document is typically issued by the exporter or seller (shipper). The typical trade pact import/export declaration contains the following elements: Name and address of the exporter/seller/consignor/shipper, Name and address of the importer/buyer/consignee, Description and value of the goods, A statement of origin of the goods, Country of destination of the goods, Carrier and means of transport, Other compliance, administrative and statistical information. This document is used as an export declaration when exporting from any trade pact member country to a non-member country and as both an import and export declaration when transporting goods across country borders within the trade group. Because of its standardised format, this document is often linked to a...

An air waybill is a non-negotiable transport document covering transport of cargo from airport to airport. A complete air waybill contains the following criteria: Name of carrier with a signature identified as that of carrier or named agent for and/or on behalf of the carrier, An indication that the goods have been accepted for carriage as well as the date of issuance or date of loading, In a documentary letter of credit, an indication of the actual date of dispatch if required by the documentary letter of credit or if the actual date of dispatch is not required by the credit, the issuance date of the document is deemed to be the shipment date, An indication of the airport of departure and the destined airport, Appears on its face to be the original for consignor/shipper, Terms and conditions of carriage or a reference to the terms and conditions of carriage in another source or document, Meets any other stipulation of the sales contract or documentary letter of credit. C...

A multimodal transport document is a bill of lading covering two or more modes of transport, such as shipping by rail and sea. A complete multimodal transport document should contain the following elements: Name of the carrier or multimodal transport operator with a signature identified as that of carrier, transport operator or ship's master or agent for or on behalf of either the carrier, transport operator or ship's master, An indication that the shipment has been dispatched, taken in charge or loaded on board along with a date, Indication of the place of receipt of the shipment that may be different from the place of actual loading on board and the place of delivery of the shipment which may be different from the place of discharge, A sole original or if issued in multiple originals, the full set of originals, The terms and conditions of carriage or a reference to the terms and conditions of carriage in another source or document other than the multimodal transpor...

C-TPAT qualifications for air carriers: Active air carrier transporting cargo shipments to the US; Have an active Airline Code registered with CBP; Possess a valid continuous international carrier bond registered with the CBP; Have designated company official that will be the primary cargo security officer responsible for the C-TPAT program; Commit to maintaining C-TPAT security guidelines for air carriers; Create and provide CBP with a C-TPAT supply chain security profile, which identifies how the air carrier will meet, maintain and enhance internal policy to meet the C-TPAT security guidelines for air carriers. Security Guidelines for Air Carriers Air Carriers must conduct a comprehensive assessment of their international supply chain based on the C-TPAT security guidelines. Where an air cargo outsource or contracts elements of their supply chain such as conveyance, foreign facility, domestic warehouses or any other elements, the air carrier must work with these busi...