29th Annual Quest for Quality Awards: Ocean carrier’s lead the way on the water

As Executive Editor Patrick Burnson reported last month in our expansive State of Logistics Report (logisticsmgmt.com/sol2012), nearly 60 new vessels of at least 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) are being staged for deployment.

In the meantime, LM has been reporting that the active global ocean cargo container fleet has grown by 2 percent so far in 2012, and analysts feel that it will expand more than 7 percent by the end of this year. With this news, ocean carrier analysts will now be looking closely to see if the buying spree of last year will pay off. “Most indicators reveal that overspending and rate cutting to win market share proved to be profoundly damaging strategies for all but a few ocean carriers,” reported Burnson.

Well, the 13 carriers listed below have certainly seen their way through the fog of their recession strategies in terms of service performance in the eyes of LM readers. In fact, we’re happy to report that the overall weighted average jumped up 2.7 points, signaling a slightly more satisfied shipper base.

Horizon Lines posted an impressive 50.02 overall weighted score, a category high this year and a whopping 6.73 jump from its overall score in 2011. Horizon got there by posting a top mark in Customer Service (10.57). On Horizon’s heels are Seaboard Marine (49.78) and Evergreen Line (49.13). Seaboard posted the best scores in On-time Performance (12.14) and Value (10.82) and makes it back to the winner’s podium after missing the cut in our 2011 survey.

Crowley Liner Services put up the top mark in Equipment & Operations this year (10.00), while Maersk Line posted the highest score in Information Technology (8.41). Along with Seaboard, LM readers welcomed MOL (47.15) and Hamburg-Sud (46.54) back to the podium this year after those carriers missed the cut in our 2011 survey.

2012 Quest for Quality Winners Categories NATIONAL LTL | REGIONAL LTL | TRUCKLOAD | RAIL/INTERMODAL       OCEAN CARRIERS | PORTS | 3PL | AIR CARRIERS | FREIGHT FORWARDERS	home page

2012 Quest for Quality Ocean Carrier Winners

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