OOCL chosen as best Ag ocean cargo carrier

The results of the The Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) 2014 Ocean Carrier Performance Survey were announced at the 26th Annual Meeting in San Francisco last week with OOCL taking first place honors.

Hamburg Sud and Evergreen finished closely behind in the voting, and were also recognized for their superior performance.

Each year, the AgTC surveys the broad and diverse cross-section of our members, the U.S. agriculture and forest products exporters and importers from all geographic locations, of virtually all dry and refrigerated products, via dry and refrigerated 20-foot and 40- foot containers, to determine the ocean carrier performance.

“The AgTC’s Ocean Carrier Performance Survey has become a much anticipated means for ocean carriers to benchmark their performance on critical factors which determine the customer experience with their line,” says Peter Friedmann, AgTC’s Executive Director.
While the complete rankings are not released publicly, the AgTC does individual carrier ratings, both overall and for each performance element, with that carrier, upon request. This then can be a constructive means to gauge performance relative to competing carriers.

All Annual Survey responses are aggregated, and the individual responses discarded, to assure confidentiality of each shipper’s response.

According to Friedmann, this year’s survey was again expanded to gain more insight into agriculture and forest products shippers
who completed the survey.

The survey collected data on the shippers’:

- Cargo origins in the U.S. and Canada
- Global cargo destinations
- Volume of cargo/containers shipped each year

The AgTC members were then asked to rate ocean carriers in eleven categories of service.

· consistent availability of correct sizes and types of container equipment needed
· consistent availability of slots on vessels and equipment needed each week by port and service
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· overall document accuracy and efficiency
· accuracy in shipment rating and bill of lading release/turn time
· willingness to accept shippers’ export documentation as close to cargo cut-off as possible
· advertised vs. actual vessel schedule and transit time
· intermodal door service and availability from shipper facilities or interior gateways
· terminal service and efficiency at US ports
· terminal service and efficiency at foreign ports
· understanding and adaptation to commercial needs of the agriculture community
· representatives’ response time and ability to address problems.

The fact that all three top carriers made a stretch run for the title speaks volumes about the value they place in this contest. Congratulations to all three top finishers.