Cargo Vessels Used in Freight Forwarding: Tanker

From my previous article about ‘Cargo Vessels Used in Freight Forwarding: Dry Cargo Vessel’, here is the continuation of the cargo vessels used in forwarding.

In the early ages, transporting goods to neighboring states or countries can only be done through the sea with a trusted shipping company in the Philippines by your side unless the area is connected with enough landmass to walk or pass by on without hassle. To make trades with another country, one must convey sea freight forwarding through ships or vessels yet could not afford to transport in bulks. But as the years passed by, magnificent innovation have ruled the world. Being a freight forwarder  in the Philippines will not be a hassle anymore. The society now has modernized means of transportation resulting to secured and delivered goods.

In a sea freight business, most of the products to be delivered are heavy duty, some are liquefied and most of the time temperature-conscious. One must consider the needs of the products to be delivered to result to effective forwarding.

A liquid vessel or mostly known as the tanker (or tank ship or tankship) is a merchant vessel designed to transport liquid gasses in bulk. These vessels range its size capacity to several hundred tons depending upon the amount of freight to be delivered. Major types of tankship where oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and gas carrier. Fun fact about tankers, any type of tanker used to refuel other ships is called an oiler.

Oil Tanker

An oil tanker or petroleum tanker was built for bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers:

Crude Tankers	Oil Tankers
- Are tankers that weigh large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries.	- Are tankers responsible for moving refined product from refineries to points near consuming markets and much smaller than crude tankers.
- These tankers have difficulty in docking due to their supersize so instead, it was unloaded at offshore pumping stations/ terminals.	- These tankers carry petroleum, diesel, asphalt, jet fuel, tar and lubricating oil. They also carry petroleum bulk products such as palm oil.

These tankers classification varies from their size as well as their occupation. Their size ranges from inland or coastal tankers of a few thousand metric tons of deadweight (DWT) to the mammoth ultra-large crude carriers(ULCCs) of 550,000 DWT.

Source: Wikipedia

The Zoroaster tanker is the world’s first tanker named after the Persian prophet Zarathustra. It was operated on 1878 and built with steel (Bessemer variance) while its oil holds were built with iron.

Chemical Tanker

A chemical tanker is a tanker ship solely built to forward industrial chemicals and clean petroleum products in bulk, these ships also carry other types of sensitive cargo that requires heavy cleaning of tanks, these are palm oil, vegetable oils, tallow, caustic soda, and methanol.

These tankers have identifying specialize coatings to determine the type of cargo the tank is carrying, such as aggressive acid cargoes: sulfuric and phosphoric acid and easier cargoes such as vegetable oil could be carried in epoxy coated tanks. Through its coatings, determining the level of cleaning should be taken effect from the coatings of the vessels. The coatings have such huge influence in this type of tanker.

Gas Carriers

Gas carrier or gas tanker is designed to forward liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied chemical gasses in bulk. It has a design feature of having spherical tanks for cargoes with strict temperature which is under high pressure and often at low temperatures. These carriers require specialist terminals and handling equipment in loading and unloading of the freight.

Source: Wikipedia

LGNs are usually larger than LPGs, Q-Max being the largest type of liquefied gas vessel. Q-Max name was a combination of names, ‘Q’ being Qatar and max as the maximum size of ship able to dock at the LNG terminals in Qatar. It size measures to 345 m (1,132 ft) being the length, beam sizing to 53.8 m (177 ft) and height of 34.7 m (114 ft) with an LNG capacity of 266,000 cubic meters (9,400,000 cu ft), equal to 161,994,000 cubic meters (5.7208×109 cu ft) of natural gas. Making Q-Max as the largest LNG carriers in the world.

This article is brought to you by Metro Combined, the leading land, air, and sea freight forwarder in the Philippines founded since 1997.

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Trucking Road Hazards and Safety Tips

While on the road, unwanted circumstances could arise and could not be avoided. There are times due to too much road hazards the trucking services philippines is experiencing quite a huge setback on their business. The road hazards experienced by truck drivers where:

Types of Road hazards Experienced by Truck Drivers:

Truck road hazards could be specified and caused by different things such as people, animal, and many more. These intolerable situations could truly put a dent on our business. This could cause major loss on the business’ progress. Other factors that could contribute to these hazards where non-vehicular activities, weather condition and even environmental factors.

These truck road hazards could be seen everywhere and could happen to truck driver and even non truck drivers:

Debris: These are falling objects coming from the sky or from the top of the mountain. Debris could range from sand to rocks to ice to water and even litter. Sudden things falling from the sky could truly shocked a driver most especially when the situation was on a dark night and most surroundings was dim and quiet. It could really startle anyone even none drivers and cause them to react thoughtlessly leading to mishaps.

Potholes/ Uneven Roads: These are roads with unseen holes and uneven roads means the road is not level and could put the truck into an unbalance situation. When the truck pass by an unseen holes could shake the vehicle and cause the driver a short or severe panic. Uneven road could cause the vehicle to major damages to too much shaking up for it makes the vehicles’ loosen some screwed knots and the drivers’ grip be a bit loosen that could lead to motor vehicle collisions.

Pedestrian: Due to the heavy load of trucks making it go to a full stop could not be done easily for every pedestrian passing by. Most of the time, pedestrian is not diligently following the rules set by law enforcers causing a number of unwanted serious road accidents.

Animals: They are quite known to be the ‘badass of the road’ for they do not care and lookout for incoming vehicles. This was due to their limited awareness of the road hazards. These should be the ones to be avoided not them to avoid you for if you don’t, the authorities would definitely come and pick you up from the crime you did.

These are quite hazardous but with a little of self-awareness could possibly prepare you for such occasions. Here are some tips for truck drivers’ road safety:

8 Road Safety Tips

1. Watch your blind spots

Blind spots is where the person’s area of view is obstructed. Be sure to make yourself aware of your blind spots. These are:

• Just behind trucks 

• Behind the reach of the side mirrors 

Some might not know of such but as a person who already know these, they should be the one adjusting just to avoid accidents or unwanted situations. Just always remember not to drive too close and be cautious or else.

2. Slow Down on Work Zones

It is a must to reduce speed on road construction being too hot-headed on these occasion could cause major arguments even cause much heavier traffic. These work zones could be avoided by planning different route and knowing the lightest roadways possible. If only the fastest way to go through your destination is going that route, I suggest you to just keep your cool and be patient at most times.

3. Check your vehicle

Always make it a habit to maintain your vehicle from time to time. Be sure to always check for any damages or any old parts that needs repairing. Making sure of your vehicles’ maintenance could not just help you deliver your goods on time but also secure yourself from hazardous situation.

4. Fasten your seatbelt

This safety tip might be a bit of a cliché but it is a must to do so. It may cause some people whose wearing such the feeling of uneasiness or in a state of being uncomfortable due to being too tight or it being irritable while you’re driving. These could be less of a hassle if  you clip on somewhat of a cushion pillow to decrease the irritability being experienced.

5. Arranging cargoes wisely

Trucks drivers delivers quite a heavy amount of goods. These could be bothersome if the goods is not arrange wisely by wisely I mean the weight is being scattered equally not being stacked piles of piles of stacks leaving empty spaces around. From such, it could be prone to damage goods for it could cause the goods to fall then break or lose its quality. Be mindful of the capacity of vehicle and strategize a stacking plan.

6. be mindful of the Weather

Always remember to check for weather updates just so you could prepare for it. Because alertness is a good trait to exercise. Have a sense of what was happening in your surroundings, if the following trucks are pulling over due to bad weather, I think it is best to do the same just so you could avoid any damage that might hurt you or your goods.

7. Reduce speed on curves

Road curves are regular bends provided for a gradual change of direction. These road type could really be prone to accidents because of unseen incoming vehicles. I think it would be wise to reduce speed on such for own safety.

8. Take care of yourself

Trucks could not run by itself so to make it operational always keep yourself in good condition. Always keep mind to hydrate yourself for some weather conditions could really be challenging or demanding. Remember to stop over some pit stops or pull over to take a break and eat and stretch your legs to avoid strain muscles.

From determining the road hazards, we could now be prepared by remembering these road safety tips. Always remember, having a job is important but keeping yourself healthy is more important.

These road safety tips is brought to you by Metro Combined, a logistics company that handles land, sea and air freight forwarding.

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4 Tips on Selecting the Best Warehouse Services

On the growing industry of warehousing, many believe not all can be trusted. Not all can manage your interest resulting to wasted time, effort and money. Having the best warehouse services could be achieve through following these tips. Keeping in mind that things will go smoothly once you’ve analyze your needs as well as your expectations.

Looking for the right one could be tough as you go along and learn. One can easily filter the goods ones from the bad ones through experience but not everyone had experienced such. Here are some tips to have you ground up on what needs to be done and be prioritize.

1. Have a background check

Knowing the company to gain services from is not sneaky nor bad in a way. It’s just like having a little research on the person you wanted to talk to just so you could not get their hopes way up. How to start background checking:

• Do a research on the internet. 
• Look up their former clients and ask them comments about the services. (if possible) 
• Ask for a copy of the services they offer and have a read of the services they offer. Read the fine print as well. To avoid shocking bill dues. 
• Look thoroughly if they do exercise the services you’re interested in. 
• Look for their qualifications for validity purposes. 

2. Have them send a personnel over to broadly discuss their services

If you’re still confused I could suggest you to have the company send over a personnel or a contact person to carefully discuss with you the services they offer and the benefits you can gain from them. No one can gain more than you being all careful and meticulous to details. These are question you could ask and might ease the confusion in you. 

• Do they have the appropriate adequate volume and space? 
• Do they have the right equipment handling for your products? 
• Do they practice warehouse management system (WMS)? 

"A warehouse management system (WMS) is a software application that supports the day-to-day operations in a warehouse. WMS programs enable centralized management of tasks such as tracking inventory levels and stock locations", as defined by Searchmanufacturingp.techtarget.com.

Through such system, an assurance of accurate reports could be delivered in an instant resulting to more time for other business processes.

3. Accessibility issues

You should always consider its accessibility. Will having their services be a benefit or a setback? One must specifically determine their area of need. Does the place could easily be reach? Have it in your hand to know whether they could be easily accessed. Like, ask them send over a specific amount and be delivered on the time and date expected. Also consider if they are near any port locations, just so you could benefit in your importing and exporting venture. If they could also be accessible to major highway arteries for faster delivery transaction needed in forwarding freight by land. 

4. Risk management

Do they offer insurance for the safety of your products? Though it seems like it was already given, it should still be asked whether the company offers goods insurance. There are times, they do have insurance but you’re not satisfied on what was included so to fully enjoy the services, ask and be keen on details. 

Do they have top of the line security system? If the company practices security system such as alarms, CCTV and be monitored 24/7 would be the best company to avail services from. Though insurance on your goods are already given on the table, being reliable in terms of security will be much approved by most.

This article is brought to you by Metro Combined, a leading logistics solutions that offers reliable warehousing services as well as managed you freight forwarding venture.

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The Role of Logistics Companies In The Philippines and the Undertakings They Need to Commit to

Wouldn’t it be convenient if we can just ride a bus to take us to Cebu, Palawan, or Davao? For an archipelago like the Philippines, traveling has always been a disadvantage. Unlike the United States of America wherein one can easily drive from one state to another, the bodies of water surrounding our country makes this impossible. This is also a major hurdle in business. The topography of our country makes it harder for goods and products to reach other provinces without careful business planning. Luckily, there is a solution that connects us with the other islands in the Philippines.

Freight transport has been the refuge of businesses in the Philippines to overcome the topographical and geographical hurdles. Partnering with a logistics company that offers freight forwarding services, air freight, and sea freight as well as trucking services will make transporting goods easier, opening a window for a wider market. Following the principles of the law of supply and demand, a businessman can take produce that is abundant in one place to another place where that produce is needed but is scarce, and sell it for a higher price. This could lead to higher profit if utilized properly.

In plain view, the freight forwarding system seems simple. People might think that you just need to own a truck, a ship, or a plane and you can ride the freight forwarding business train. If you think it’s that easy, then you’ve never been so wrong. Let us breakdown some of the technical issues that a freight forwarding business needs to undergo.

To start off, it is important to understand that the Philippine Economic Zone Authority is the government office that is responsible for checking the services of logistics companies. A person who would like to start up a logistics business in the Philippines needs to commit to the following undertakings, as enumerated in the registration form to be an Ecozone enterprise:

1. That the applicant is capable of operating, on a sound and efficient basis, and of contributing to the objectives of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in particular and to the development of the national economy in general;
2. That the project is economically, technically and financially sound;
3. The applicant proposes to engage, in good faith, in the creation of a market for its project/product;
4. That the applicant has installed/undertakes to install an accounting system adequate to identify the investments, revenues, costs and profits or losses of the project covered by this application separately from the aggregate investments, revenues, costs and profits or losses of the other business activities of the applicant not registered under Republic Act No. 7916, as amended by Republic Act 8748 or has established/undertakes to establish a separate entity for the project/activities covered by this application if so required by the Authority. (Applicable only if applicant is engaged or proposes to engage in undertaking or activities in addition to the project covered by this application); 
5. The exported products/services meet the standards of quality established by the Bureau of Standards or in default thereof, by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, or by such public organization, Chamber, group or body as the Authority may designate.
6. Domestic raw materials and supplies will be used in preference to imported goods whenever these are available at comparable quality and price.
7. That the applicant shall submit periodic reports and other information, pertaining to its activities in the Ecozone that the Authority may require;
8. That the applicant has read Republic Act No. 7916, as amended, and the Rules and Regulations adopted by the PEZA and commits itself to abide by the provisions thereof as well as amendments thereto;
9. The applicant will start and operate the project covered by this application within such reasonable time as may be fixed by the Authority;
10. That the applicant's Board of Directors has authorized the filing of this application in accordance with the terms thereof if the applicant is a corporation;
11. That applicant has neither opened nor cause to be opened a letter of credit or entered into a contract for the importation of capital equipment for which tax exemption will be claimed, prior to its registration with the Authority. (Approval of the project brief containing a list of capital equipment proposed to be imported does not amount to an implied approval of the tax-free importation of said capital equipment; a separate application for this importation should be submittedfor PEZA approval.)
12. Applicant shall comply with all rules and regulations on exportation of Philippine products/services promulgated by the Central Bank, Department of Finance, Bureau of Customs and other government agencies.
13. Pursuant to the provisions of Sec. 3 and Sec. 14 of R.A. 3019 (Anti-Graft Act), the applicant-enterprise has not given or promised to give and will not give any gift to any officer or employee of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in connection with the filing and processing of this application.
14. The applicant's Board of Directors has authorized the release of the portion of its project study entitled "Brief Description of the Project" to the public.
15. That based on the records of the applicant, no Board member or officer of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority has an investment or any other financial interest, direct or indirect, in the applicant's enterprise; and
16. That there exists no dummy relationship between any of the stockholders and/or principal officers of the applicant and any foreign individuals/business entity.

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