AMERICA SHIPPER MAGAZINE DEC ISSUE; “OCEANIA/NORTH AMERICA STABILITY REIGNS”

At least someone agrees with me on something; of all the niche trades for shipping lines operating into and out of North America, the South Pacific is one of the most consistent and durable. Australia is one of the few trading nations the States has a surplus (11.6 $billion) with and with New Zealand the balance is in their favor by a mere 0.7 $billion. The bulk of the container traffic ex Oceania is reefer (meat) and from the States there is considerable break bulk traffic the relative orderly marketing by the steamship lines, plus the specialized traffic the profit per vessel on this trade route is huge compared to Asia, where the biggest export is empty containers followed by used newsprint and scrap metal and imports are of similar low value.

Even during the recession there has been little noticeable decline in volumes and shippers remain happy paying “premium” rates. Unfortunately airfreight has lost business to ocean because transit times between major ports particularly have steadily reduced. However, we are starting to see the signs of the low $Yankee creating import substitution down under. Asian and European manufactured goods are starting to find a new competitor hammering at their customers’ doors. Although we have been lead to believe over the years, apart from making a tasty high calorie hamburger, America is not much good at making anything else. Funnily enough, the image outside of America is the complete opposite. We represent innovation and quality with a revered label; MADE IN USA!

Having spent over half my life is N.Z and Australia it is easy for me to maintain a tunnel vision and focus about where we direct our business activity. It certainly has not been wasted. For twenty-one years I wake up each morning wondering how much freight for Aussie and N.Z. has arrived on our dock overnight. Because I still speak to so many Kiwis and Aussies every day, I have never had a chance to lose my Kiwi accent! I feel I am blessed to be part of both worlds.

Tags: Ocean