Logistics Management - October 2011

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO:Special ReportTop 30 Ocean Carriers:New era of collaboration?Big shippers and the world’s top carriers vow to work collectivelytowards leveraging technology to improve business processesand relationships. Will they make good on the promise or slip backto business as usual?By Patrick Burnson, Executive EditorOne of the biggest stories to unfold this fallin the ocean carrier arena was when TheGT Nexus Shipper Council announcedthe challenge for the Top 30 players tomake good on their promise to collaborate.Created in 2007, the GT Nexus Shipper Councilis a group of large shippers, across many industryverticals, with combined annual revenues in excessof $1 trillion. Collectively, the group moves over5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) ofocean freight each year.The Council has now engaged Maersk Line inresponse to the carrier’s recently announced “Manifesto”that calls for changes in the way carriersand shippers conduct their business. The ShipperCouncil is also working with executives at otherleading carriers to drive change at an industry level.“Maersk has risen steadily from its initial lowranking in our annual Ocean Carrier PerformanceSurvey,” says Peter Friedmann, executive directorof the Agriculture Transportation Coalition. “Thiscomes as the direct result of diligent efforts to addressspecific issues identified by shippers relatingto documentation and bills of lading.”Maersk Chief Executive Officer Elvind Koldingunveiled the Manifesto initiative a few monthsback, stating that “reliability is not good enough,the industry is too complicated for customers, andtransparency of its environmental performance andrecord needs to be greatly improved.”Logistics Management • October 2011 53S