Commentary

Failing to pay attention to a motor carrier’s tariff rules could drastically limit a claim payment.

The uncertainties from a year ago are still with us in the trans-Pacific market.

The maritime academies face many challenges in our traditional way of preparing students for careers in the maritime industry: ever-increasing domestic and international regulations (standards, training, certification and watchkeeping; MARPOL; and ballast water, for example); growing demand for online education vs. face-to-face classroom; shrinking state and federal budgets; and the aging state of maritime academy training ships.

The two most important changes we believe will affect maritime executive search in the coming year are dramatic shifts in top leadership positions within many of our nation’s seaports and significant growth in the NVOCC and freight forwarding sectors.

The shipping market in 2013 may hardly see a fundamental rollover of its current downturn, but the industry will definitely experience a transition that will feature a reshuffling of shipping companies and innovations in their operation and management.

The economic environment remains challenging and volatile. We must use this time to leverage stakeholder management across the supply chain with an emphasis on increased public-private partnerships and strengthened cooperation.