Pack n Send Blog

Not all your treasures fit handily inside a standard box but you can't leave them behind. If you've got an odd-shaped item like an heirloom coat rack, a large piece of glass or a one-of-a-kind surfboard, you'll have to custom pack those items. You don't have to move items without the confidence that you are doing it correctly. Have confidence by using the right techniques and tips for moving your items.

You really can pack anything!
•    For certain items we suggest inserting one inch sheets of Styrofoam on the inside of the box to cushion the box.  We also suggest using bubble wrap around your items before you insert it into a custom made box.  Depending on the item, you may also want to use foam peanuts to cradle the item in the box.
•    You can order a custom made crate or pallet. This is especially necessary if your piece is heavy or has an unusual shape.  Wood crates can be custom built to fit your specific piece. Standard pallets are forty inches by forty eight inches, but you can have a custom built pallet or platform built to fit your specific needs.
•    Invest in double-walled, boxes if your piece is too heavy for a single wall box, but does not need a full wood crate. 
•    Have plenty of foam peanuts, bubble wrap and packing tape on hand for custom packing. However, never tape directly to your furniture or item. Tape can leave a gummy residue behind.
•    If you prefer, you could let the pros custom pack your items for you.

No more worries about transporting that craftsman chair or those important golf clubs. You can truly pack just about everything! Don't wait until the last minute to prepare for your packing or moving, Contact us for more tips and help with your move. We offer a variety of options for custom packing and specialty moving. Our experienced team would love to answer your questions.

 There are ways to save money when you are moving glass top tables, furniture, artwork and other valuable possessions. Preventing damage and breakage during transit is one of the best ways to save money during transport of goods.

 In order to move a glass top table, a custom built crate is highly recommended. You can line the crate with one inch of Styrofoam on each side. That would be top, bottom and all four sides. By placing the glass on top of the Styrofoam that fits perfectly around the glass, you have insulated the glass from shock. We suggest that you use a custom built crate when you are moving or shipping the glass. Let your mover of store where you have purchased the table top give you the exact dimension for the piece of glass.  This will help attain a secure fit inside of your custom built crate.

 The movers will be able to uncrate the glass for you, and place the glass on top of your table. They can then take the wood from the crate and recycle the crate or the wood.

 While placing the glass between two pieces of cardboard looks easy and is inexpensive, it does not prevent the glass from breaking during transit.

 When freighting furniture, we recommend building a wood skeleton around the furniture.  Our website www.pack-n-send.com hosts a pallet building video.

 You can see from the video that the bottom of the pallet is lined with Styrofoam. This helps protect the furniture and goods that are placed on the pallet.  Once the frame is built, the entire pallet is wrapped in cardboard on all sides. This protects the entire shipment from scrapes, just in case one pallet is placed to closely to another pallet inside the freight truck.

 Then, the pallet is wrapped in black security stretch wrap.  This prevents anyone from looking inside the pallet to see what is being shipped.  We have found this to be a good idea. If individuals do not know the contents of a pallet, there is less chance of a theft occurring during transit.

 The wood skeleton protects the shipment from shifting around during transit.

 There are a few ideas to save money and prevent damage during freight shipping and moving. For more suggestions, please feel free to contact pack n send in Houston at 713 266 1450.

 I asked a customer what she worried about when shipping artwork.

 Her answer was “Just about everything.”   This blog is for my customer. 

When you want to ship artwork, look for a company that specializes in shipping high value items.  If the company is experienced at  shipping delicate and valuable items for their customers, you can then ask about how they intend to ship your artwork. 

If it is a picture with glass, do they use tape to protect the glass? If it is a sculpture, can they build a crate in their warehouse that will specifically fit your sculpture? If it a valuable oil painting, can they build a custom crate for you to match the size of your painting?

We have a few basic questions to ask the company that you would like to use to ship your art work. 

We make these suggestions because art work shipping requires special  knowledge about shipping, custom box making and custom crate making. 

Ask if the company ships for private collectors. Do they ship for art exhibitions and then offer to ship the artwork back to the private collector? 

Ask if the company that you are using ships for both auction houses, art galleries and art dealers.

Can the company offer freight, moving and common carrier shipping options. This is not a one size fits all shipping arrangement. Ask if the company can offer both international and domestic shipping. Ask if the company can offer both residential and commercial pick up and delivery of art.

For my customer, I hope that these suggestions helps you ease your mind the next time you would like to ship a piece of artwork. 

For any other customers who have questions about artwork packing and shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

It is now time to ship from Houston and all over the world for Father's Day.

While companies can ship small items via common carrier, why not surprise your dad with a gift delivered via LTL delivered right to his front curb.

A chandelier made from Antlers is a unique idea. What about a handmade table for your dad’s poker game?  For children wanting to surprise dad with a roomful of furniture, you can purchase the furniture in one and do a small move and have the furniture delivered where ever dad may now be living.

Socks are always nice, but we have compiled at list of common and not so common gifts for Fathers Day.

Back Pack

Bottle Opener

Tent

Picture Frames

Gardening tools

Custom m & m's

Cell Phone

Camera

Can Opener

Front Porch Swing

Appliances

Personalize Magazine cover prints

Digital Photo Frame

Engraved Photo Frame

Movies

Music

GPSSystem

iPod Touch

MP3 Player

Bathrobe

Personalized Cookie Jar

Chocolate

Personalized T Shirts

Magazine Subscription

Outdoor Furniture

Comforter

Monogrammed Towel

MonogrammedBathRobe

Wallet

Outdoor Grill

Home made cards

While pack n send may not have listed every Fathers Day gift that can be shipped, made or given, we have tried to help out the  "Gee I cannot think of a gift." customer.

If you need further ideas or need to ship something, build a crate in Houston, or need assistance with Houston crating, please give us a call. And Happy Fathers Day from pack n send. 713 266 1450

Crating vs. Boxing-Advice from Houston Shipping Company

Do you ever wonder what you need to crate for shipping, and what you can box when shipping or moving? There are actually no easy answers.

Some of the decision criteria are as follows:

1. Size of the item you are shipping or moving.
2. Value of the item that you are shipping or moving.
3. Delicate Nature of the item you are shipping or moving.

Marble and animals heads that have taxidermy for preservation usually need to be crated. Chandeliers should be crated when being shipped by freight. If a mover is moving the chandelier, then hanging a chandelier in a box with padding inside the box may work well.  It will depend on the value of the chandelier and how delicate the chandelier is.

Lamps, paintings and sculptures may or may not require a full wood crate. Some sculptures may go on a pallet, protected by wood and cardboard, or some may need a full wood crate.

 High value artwork that you are sending via common carrier or via freight should usually be crated. Large artwork that is valuable should be crated. 

Custom crating is a good way to have a wood box made that will exactly fit the item that you are shipping. When asking for a price for a crate based on the size of an item, remember to add for the Styrofoam that will be added inside the crate to protect your item.  There may also be inches added for the bubble that will be wrapped around your item for protection.

 If you have questions about custom crating or boxing, feel free to contact pack n send in Houston at 713 266 1450.

Pack n send receives many phone calls about our international shipping services. We are providing the list of countries that we ship to so that our customers have a handy guide to look at.  We offer air, ground, cubic meter, freight  and container shipping options. Once you call us and let you know what you would like to ship, we can help you by providing  you with the most cost effective option for you shipping needs.

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Baruba
Belarus
Belize
Belgium
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia|
Bonaire
Botswana
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Brittish Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Chile
China
Colombia
Congo
Congo Republic of
Cook island
Costa Rica
Croatia
Curaco
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
DPR of Korea Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia |
Faeroe Islands
Falkland Islands
Faroc Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guinana
French Polynesia
Gabon
The Gambia
Germany
Georgia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Ginvea-Bissau
Ginvea-Exquatorial
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea Republic
Guyana

Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran-Islamic Republic of Tersey
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korpa
Kosovo
Kosrae Island
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Libyan Arab Jamahiriy
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macao
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Nive
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
|Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papa New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Phillipines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar

Republic of Nevis
Reunion
Romania
Rota
Russia
Rwanda
Saba
Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Somaliand
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Barthelemy
St. Croix
St. Eustatius
St. John
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Maarten
St. Thomas
St. Vincent
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tadjikistan
Tahiti
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tinian
Tonga
Tongo
Tortola
Trinidad and Tobago
Truk
Tunisia
Turkey
Turks and Caicos Islands
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands(Brittish)
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Gorda
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe 

For more information about international shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

As the economy improves, more businesses are purchasing art work and sculptures to decorate homes and offices.

 In Houston, we have noticed purchases that  are being shipped to both the east and west coast and worldwide.  The prices in the Houston market are competitive, and some times are less than east coast prices.

 With the cost savings in the purchase price, purchasers are inquiring about the best shipping method.

 Depending on the composition and price of the artwork, custom crating is often recommended.

 When looking for a custom crater, you need to look for experienced artwork shippers.  Can the company pick up your purchase and take it to their warehouse to measure and weigh the art work?

 Is the custom crate built on site, or farmed out to another company?  Has the company you chosen discussed the details of the packing with you?  Has the company you chosen discussed bracing the art work with in the crate?

 If the piece of artwork needs to go overseas, has the company you chosen discussed using the proper heat treated wood needed for international shipping?

 Just because a company is capable of building crates, does not mean that they have experience with high value art work and sculptures.

 Make sure your art work is valued for loss or damage during the shipping process.

 For more information about artwork shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

  Custom crates should be made for high value, delicate items.  A custom crate should be built to ensure an exact fit.  Proper padding is needed to further protect valuable items. Crating charges should include calculations of both size and weight of the item being crated. Certain items will need to be braced for shipping within the crate.  Runners will be needed for crates that need to be shipped upright. 

Reusable crates are recommended when the crate will be shipped more than one time.  There are different types of wood that need to be used for domestic or international shipping. 

When shipping a crate, the recipients address should be written directly on the wood to prevent any paperwork from falling off the crate, and thus, the crate being misdirected. A phone number for the recipient is also recommended on the outside of the crate.

 Look for  a shipper who can decide if a crate is actually needed, since the weight of a crate can add to the shipping price. Lamps, paintings and sculptures may not need to  be crated.  Sometimes just bubble wrap, peanuts Styrofoam and double boxing will suffice.

 High value artwork, chandeliers and high value antiques are common items that will usually require crating.

 For more information about custom crating and custom packing, please feel free to call pack n send at 713 266 1450.

1. You will need to give your shipping company the following information:  City, country and closest airport.

2. You will need to give your shipping company the following information: City, country and closest airport.

3. Date of Travel: Does your pet have a set or flexible travel date?

4. Do you have an approved airplane crate?

5. Does your pet need transportation service to and from the airport? Does your pet need overnight boarding?

6 Some airlines allow you to take small animals inside the cabin. Some only allow your pet to be shipped as cargo.

7. Remember, your pet will need customs clearance if traveling outside the United States.

8. Make sure that shot records are up to date, both in the United States and for the country your pet is traveling to.

For more information on pet shipping please contact pack-n-send at 713 266 1450.

www.pack-n-send.com

When looking for a custom built crate, you will need to ask many questions.

First, ask if they can supply the wood for both domestic and international shipping.

Can they build reusable crates?

Do they have experience with both large and small items.

Have they crated delicate or valuable items in the past? Be sure and ask for examples of these items.

Do they know the proper amount of padding to add inside the crate for different types of items. High value painting with glass require different preparation and padding from artistic statutes.

How do they bind the crate? Do they nail it or use screws to close the crate? Do they secure the crate with metal banding?

Is a full wood crate really what you need for the shipment?  If the item is something like an engine, you can probably strap it to a pallet and not incur the cost of a full wood crate.

Make sure that the crater has many options available so that  you can analyze your choices and pick the best one for your shipment.

For an experienced  crate builder and   freight shipper with  over 25 years experience, contact pack n send at 713 266 1450 for your next freight or shipping job.

JAPAN – 2011 may well be remembered as an annus horribilis by those in the freight and passenger industries with the unsettled situation in North Africa now breaking out into an international conflict to add to the earthquakes which have rocked New Zealand and Japan in recent days. Good logistics are essential when one is faced by a disaster of the scale faced currently in Japan where the tsunami has devastated large areas and caused a major nuclear alert as well as disrupting container and bulk freight shipping schedules.

According to the latest information available from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization, international flight and maritime operations can continue normally into and out of Japan’s major airports, including both Haneda and Narita, and all sea ports excluding those directly damaged by the tsunami.

Other conflicting reports say that services at the main airports are being restricted due to a limited fuel supply. Japan produces 3-4% of global jet fuel supply, some of which is exported to Asia. Some of this refinery capacity has been lost due to damage caused by the earthquake and ensuing water damage. This supply restriction, coupled to the current Middle East situation could lead to higher jet fuel prices.

Already reports are coming in from Malaysia to the effect that intra Asian air cargo rates are up between 50 and 60% and ‘emergency’ surcharges are being imposed on ocean freight containers within the week. It is said that emergency bunker charges will be imposed on all air freight cargo unless destined for Japan itself.

Currently available information indicates that increased levels of radiation have been detected at some airports, but these do not represent any health risk. In the meantime US import officials are increasing the levels of scanning inward containers for radiation. This is routinely done anyway but the authorities are insisting on extra vigilance.

The US Coast Guard have issued a notice to all shipping en route to America to avoid passing within 50 miles of the damaged nuclear reactors. Ships which pass within the radiation buffer zone must report for inspection before sailing to within 100 miles of the US coastline (details HERE). The U.S. Coast Guard site will provide an updated notice as additional guidance becomes available but ship owners and operators should keep abreast of information being provided by the Japanese Government relating to any further developments.

Container sailing schedules are being adapted as the situation unfolds, the ports at Hachinohe, Hitachi, Hitachinaka, Ishinomaki, Kamaishi, Kashima, Ofunato, Onahama, Sendai-Shiogama and Soma have all suffered serious damage and shippers are advised to check with their carriers directly for updates and news of re-routings. It is likely that the difficulty of maintaining fuel supplies, plus the need to utilise all available port facilities for the urgent import of emergency aid will continue to impact on the ocean freight sector for some time.

Meanwhile Mitsui OSK Line (MOL) who we reported on last week, have issued more details of both the aid they have so far provided plus news on how they will continue efforts to try and mitigate the problems afflicting their home country. MOL Ferry Company Ltd., a Mitsui subsidiary, transported about 2,700 Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF) personnel and about 930 emergency vehicles from Tomakomai in Hokkaido to Aomori, the capital of Aomori prefecture, on the main island of Honshu. The transport support was accomplished with four ferries, which made eight trips in total as part of MOL’s ongoing effort to provide aid to the quake- and tsunami stricken areas.

The group is to provide containers for relief supplies to container yards at their normal available loading ports before the end of May 2011. As shipping capacity is limited, transport of those supplies will be on a first-come first-shipped basis. This offer covers grant aid supplies from public institutions such as governmental institutions and municipalities, or government-approved aid organizations to be shipped to disaster areas like the earthquake affected Tohoku district. However, some of the items such as dangerous articles, animals, and other regulated items may not be accepted.

Portions of this article were taken from the Handy Shipping  Guide.

 As improvements are made in Japanese freight, we will post these improvements on our website.  For information about freight, cargo and container shipping from Houston and the Untied States, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Three is the magic number. Turkish Airlines has signed an order for three A330-200 freighters to add to its existing A330-200F and four A310 freighters.

The airline has a further 27 aircraft on order with Airbus from contracts placed in 2009 and 2010. Turkish Airlines has also signed an order for 10 passenger aircraft.

 Air cargo news reported this order on its website.  While three freighters does not seem like a high order, the fact that these orders have been placed adds to the impression that the worldwide economy is improving at a slow but steady pace.

 Pack n send is continually monitoring both air and ocean orders of equipment as a way to monitor economic improvement.

 Pack n send is located in Houston Texas. For assistance with your freight preparation, freight receiving, crating and packing please feel free to contact pack n send at 716 266 1450.

Ships are full, containers are picked over and truck drivers are in demand.

 Houston's trading community is moving more cargo these days as higher oil prices and a rebounding economy have driven up  exports  and  imports.

We're definitely seeing the wheels of the economic engine starting to turn," said Jeff Joachim, president of World Trade Distribution, a Houston company that provides warehousing, trucking and container storage, among other services. "You're starting to see people stock inventory again."

Houston's trade with the world rebounded by 26 percent last year compared with the doldrums of 2009, according to a recent report by WorldCity, which tracks trade data.

But it still hasn't reached the levels of 2008, a banner year for many in the local shipping business.

Last year, Houston traded $211.5 billion in goods with the rest of the world, up from $167.5 billion in 2009, WorldCity reported. That's still less than the record $240.8 billionthe Bayou City traded with world markets in 2008.

Nationwide, trade increased to $3.2 trillion in 2010 from $2.6 trillion in 2009. Last year's numbers were still below the $3.4 trillion in trade during 2008.

Like much of the rest of the U. S..Houston imports more than it exports and had a trade deficit of about $22  billion in 2010.

Pack n send has republished portions of this article written by Houston Chronicle journalist Jenalia Moreno.  We look for positive upswings in the Houston and US economy for both freight and cargo.

 For more information about packing, crating, cargo and freight shipping from Houston, Texas please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

  US – UK – After the   recent discovery of explosive devices in freight consigned via passenger aircraft at two airports there was a review of security by politicians of both countries with British Home Secretary Theresa May and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond meeting with  U S Homeland  Security  Janet Napolitano during her London visit last week, to discuss the overall situation and the implementation of new techniques and procedures for verifying cargo safety in the future.

Last week Ms Napolitano announced the scrapping of the much derided ‘Traffic Light’ system for identifying security threat levels and its replacement by a threat specific alert christened the ‘National Terrorism Advisory System’ and the high level discussions are believed to have concentrated on establishing unified programmes for cargo inspection centred around securing the supply chain.

New procedures and initiatives agreed with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and with the cooperation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), whose Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos also had talks with the Homeland Security secretary whilst she was in the UK, are the first step in ever tightening controls.

The main thrust of the new initiatives seem to be designed to improve the odds for the security services who are currently very dependent on what Ms Napolitano describes as the ‘better intelligence streams’ the authorities are benefitting from by introducing a ‘Trusted Shipper’ programme and redoubling efforts to inspect any freight that lacks a spotless pedigree.

Such a programme may well weigh heavily against smaller freight forwarders who lack the muscle of the major shipping groups to whom the loss of such status might prove catastrophic. The scheme will parallel the trusted traveller schemes in which US residents can volunteer large amounts of personal information, including biometric identity, to ensure a rapid transit through airport passenger security checks.

Pack n send has reprinted this article taken from the Handy  Shipping News as a service to our customers.  With increasing worldwide security, we try and provide our customers with the latest adjustments in shipping.

 For more information on Houston shipping, packing, crating, cargo, freight and container shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

This article posted on the KTRK website highlights the diffuculites that ships are having with the temporary closure of the Houston Ship Channel.  Pack n send will try and post daily updates for our customers until the Port of Houston is fully operational once again.

 HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Coast Guard is working to reopen the Houston Ship Channel after a barge collided with a highline tower. Due to the accident, the Ship Channel is closed to marine traffic and it will remain closed until at least Tuesday or possibly Wednesday.

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The accident basically shut down the entire Ship Channel from mile marker 105 to124. So unless you are in a local vessel that is conducting business between those two markers or if you are outside of those two markers, you are basically out of luck. This could be the case until Tuesday or even early Wednesday, according to the Coast Guard.

That's a big problem because there are 18 inbound vessels waiting at the Ship Channel and 14 outbound. The longer this repair takes, the more that number will grow.

On Sunday at around 6am, a tug boat owned by American Electric Power was pushing three barges carrying scrap metal when it collided with an electrical tower that was fortunately under repair, so the lines were not live at the time.

Nineteen miles of waterway are affected by the Ship Channel closure. The Port of Houston says $322 million are lost each day it's closed. The Coast Guard has two cranes performing the work to try to clear the Channel as fast as possible. One of them is called 'Big John.'

"We have the crane, Big John, on scene and the Big John is going to connect to the tower to take the tension off the tower. Right now the tower is sitting partially on the barge and is probably being supported a little bit by the power lines that are there between the other towers," said Captain Markus Woodrings with the U.S. Coast Guard. "Once the Big John hooks up and takes the load on the tower, then CenterPoint energy can get up there, disconnect the line and reel them in and then we can cut the base of the tower, pick the tower up and put it over on the bank and get the Ship Channel open."

According to the Coast Guard, the six tug boat crew members were not injured in this accident. They have been tested for drugs and alcohol. However, those results have not yet been released. The incident is still under investigation. The tug boat's owner will be responsible for repairs.

 There are 30 yachts that are stuck in downtown Houston, members of the Houston Yacht Club who can't get out because of the closure.

The channel is the lifeline to the Port of Houston, the nation's leader in foreign waterborne tonnage and imports and runner-up in U.S. export tonnage and total tonnage.

For more information on shipping cargo out of the Port of Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

  Pack n send is reprinting this article from today’s Houston Chronicle. Since this will directly impact both incoming and out going ships, it is important to note that there will be cargo delays at the Port of Houston this week.

 By ZAIN SHAUK
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

A set of barges crashed into an electrical tower Sunday in the Port of Houston, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to shut down most of the nation’s second-largest maritime shipping complex, possibly until Wednesday.

A towing vessel pushing three barges of scrap metal through the Houston Ship Channel about 6 a.m. hit a 300-foot-tall electrical tower, which carries lines across the artery, said Petty Officer Richard Brahm, a spokesman for the Coast Guard. No injuries were reported.

The crash happened at the narrowest point in the waterway, leaving three-fourths of the port’s terminals inaccessible.

“Maybe if it was wider we could have got boats around it, but it’s not, so it’s a logistical problem,” Brahm said. “It’s a bad place for it to happen.”

There was no risk of electricity-related injuries or effects to the power grid, which is owned by Houston-based CenterPoint Energy, because lines in the area were deactivated prior to the crash for maintenance work, said Penny Todd, a spokeswoman for the company.

CenterPoint was in the process Sunday of moving equipment needed to clear the steel tower and cables from the waterway — work the company expects will be completed Wednesday, she said.

The 25-mile-long port complex is a major economic engine for the region and in 2009 handled more waterborne tonnage than any port in the country, according to the Port of Houston Authority.

About 60 ships carrying $322 million in goods and resources — ranging from crude oil to finished products in containers — move through the port each day, said Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Bryant, a spokesman for the Coast Guard.

19 miles closed

Items shipped through the Port of Houston move to and from destinations in every state, which could mean delays for companies with vessels in the water.

Those ships will have to drop anchor and wait until the steel electrical tower, which was propped up by the barges after the accident, is removed.

At least eight ships were waiting in an anchoring area outside the port after the crash. Five others were waiting to leave.

The Coast Guard closed 19 miles out of the 54-mile-long ship channel, leaving more than 100 terminals — including those for oil giants Shell and Valero — cut off from the sea.

Further delays possible

The few accessible terminals are mostly for container ships and will not be usable by most companies that would need other infrastructure for loading and unloading or that had planned to arrive at terminals north of the crash site, said Tom Pace, presiding officer of Houston Ship Pilots, a labor association.

Three days of backups could result in further delays, even as traffic begins moving through the port again, Pace said.
“It’s going to take probably three days to get everything back to normal after that,” he said.

Crew members from the towing vessel, the T/V Safety Quest, were removed from the boat and tested for drugs and alcohol.

It was unclear how the accident occurred, but the tower’s location has long been known to ship pilots who work in the port, Pace said.

It was one of six towers in the channel, but was the closest to the preferred waterway for traffic.
“The one problem is the tower’s really close to the navigable channel,” Pace said. “That’s probably one of the reasons it had happened.”

For more information about shipping cargo and freight receiving through the Port of Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

 While US consumers have opened their pocket books, other countries such as Japan and China are still slow to import as freight and cargo US goods.   Imports of foreign made goods are coming into the United States at a faster rate than last  year. While the President envisions increasing US exports, there is no evidence that this is occurring at a rapid pace.

 Part of the problem appears to be the undervaluation of Chinese currency.  Once their currency is allowed to rise to a more realistic level, the Chinese will have the ability to purchase more goods. This will also of course  increase the cost to US  consumers of Chinese goods.

 While pack n send exports goods for businesses and inviduals, it also monitors currency flucuations around the world. As United States goods become  more reasonably priced in comparison to other countries goods, exports of US made goods will defiantly rise.

 This will be good for US workers and their families.

 For more information on exporting goods made in the United States, please contact pack n send at  713 266 1450.

Pack n Send is reprinting this article posted in the Handy  Shipping Guide.  Seeing the United States plan ahead and have freight systems ready when up date to the Panama Canal is complete is quite an accomplishment.

It is  true; they do thing US – It’s s bigger in the States. In the olden, golden days of pioneering it was the railroads that opened up the country enabling the shipping of vital supplies to all parts of the territory, no matter how remote. This week saw the first freight containers carried on a tortuous, winding route through the Appalachian Mountains to Columbus, Ohio on a track that previously could only cope with the old, low height, coal carrying gondolas.

In an ambitious project costing almost $200 million (train operator Norfolk Southern put up half the money, matched by the federal government with a little help from the state authorities in Ohio and Virginia) they scooped out twenty eight tunnels, shifting power cables and strengthening bridges to accommodate rail cars loaded with double stacked shipping containers, cutting a day off the transit time and saving the nations roads from around 150 truckloads, half a double stacked freight train load.

The entire project, known as the ‘Heartland Corridor’ is part of a battle to upgrade and improve services and increase competition with road haulage services and to prepare for the $5.25 billion worth of improvements to upscale the Panama Canal which will be completed in 2014-15. The canal operators are enlarging capacity in an attempt to increase traffic before the viability of the North East passage becomes a reality for many of the freight carriers.

Norfolk Southern intend to seize their share of the extra containers carried in via Panama, as do intermodal rivals CSX in Florida who have a similar tunnel excavation scheme in progress to increase their own efficiency.

 For more information about freight shipping within the United States and international cargo shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Pack n send is re printing this article first published by the Port of Houston.  Keeping the Port of Houston and Houston Waterways clean is just one way to protect the environment. Maybe even more important, it protects ships from damage due to floating debris, and keeps cargo moving safely and efficiently through the Port of Houston.

 -Freight Shipping & ReceivingTwo events in August showed that keeping trash out of Houston area waterways is an important part of environmental stewardship for Port Commissioner Elyse Lanier, the Port of Houston Authority, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the city of Houston and several other public agencies and private organizations. 

The August 7 Eco Bash on the Bayou brought out more than 200 volunteers — including 20 Port SupPORTers — who helped bag sand for hurricane preparedness and collected debris along the Sabine Promenade of Buffalo Bayou.

Shell Oil Company and PHA were the anchoring partners of the August 13 celebration on Houston’s East End that marked the start of the fourth year of the Clean & Green Port of Houston Program. The ongoing public-private partnership uses community service workers from the Harris County judiciary system to clear debris from the banks along Buffalo Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel. Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the managing partner with support from the Greater East End Management District, Harris County Constable Precinct 6, and the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department.

For more information about cargo shipping and cargo loading from the Port of Houston, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.

Quotes for containers have been rising this year. As we look for ways to obtain excellent prices for our customers, we are faced with higher freight rates charged by shipping lines. Part of the explanation is stated in the article below.

Container Rates from China surge 24 per cent

Bruce Barnard | Jan 26, 2010 2:44PM GMT The Journal of Commerce Online - News Story

Fast-paced change buoyed by surge in demand, shortage of containers

Ocean container spot freight rates on the key export trades out of China to Europe and the U.S. east and west coasts soared by an average of 24 percent in the past three months.

The rate of recovery is much faster than expected, buoyed by a surge in demand this month, according to Alphaliner, the Paris-based container shipping consultant.

Continued high vessel utilization rates on certain trades, especially on services to Europe since Christmas, have also created shortages of empty containers in a number of locations, which in turn, has underpinned the higher freight rates.

The steep rise in rates resulted from successive rounds of rate increases imposed by ocean carriers since October and the extension of the peak season surcharge until February.

"It remains to be seen if the rates are sustainable as the Lunar New Year holidays in China in mid-February could lead to some weakening in freight rates," Alphaliner said.

Spot rates from Shanghai to the U.S. West Coast have risen by 26 percent in the past three months and are 17 percent higher on shipments to the U.S. East Coast.

Asia-Australia and Asia-Africa spot rates also have risen over the past three months, but rates to the Middle East, especially to the Gulf region, remain under pressure.

The high spot market rates on the major trades from China to Europe and the United States have come at a key period as contract rates for 2010 have also strengthened, Alphaliner said.

Twelve-month contract rates for the Far East-Europe trades starting in January or February 2010 are reported to be about 200 percent higher than last year, reflecting renewed optimism about trade prospects.

For more information on international shipping and packing  please fell free to contact pack n send.

http://www.pack-n-send.com/ 713 266 1450