The U.S. Coast Guard has close the following ports in response to Hurricane Harvey:

• Houston
• Galveston
• Texas City
• Freeport
• Corpus Christi

Currently, the only work allowed at these ports is storm related. The ports will be allowed to reopen once Harvey is no longer considered a threat.

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(chron.com – Andrea Rumbaugh)

The dockworkers of Serikat Pekerja Jakarta International Container Terminal (SPJICT) will be on strike from August 3 to 10 in response to terminal managements position on pension rights and performance bonuses.

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(World Maritime News)

On May 12^th, 2017, over 2,200 riders from all nine chapters of the Unity Tour for Fallen Police Officers arrived at their destination: The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Continuing our support of worthy charities once again United Van Lines agents were honored to logistically support this annual event. Over the last 20 years the Unity Tour has raised $23 M for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The History of the Unity Tour

The Unity Tour was founded by Patrick P. Monturoe (a New Jersey Police Officer), who in 1997 organized a four-day bicycle ride from New Jersey to Washington, DC to raise awareness about law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty. He wanted to ensure their ultimate sacrifice is never forgotten and to honor their memory. What started with 18 riders on a four-day fund-raising bicycle ride from is now annual event run by an organization that includes nine chapters with 2,500 members nationwide and whose motto is “We ride for those who died”.

Over the years funds raised have gone to National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) to sponsor:

• the NLEOMF museum’s “Hall of Remembrance”
• the restoration of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
• the “Officer of the Month Program”
• “Recently Fallen Alerts”

United Agent Participation

Crown Worldwide Moving & Storage was approached by Lieutenant Mark Dang (Fremont Police Department) several months ago regarding shipment of three police Harley Davidson motorcycles to the East Coast. Three police officers from two precincts in Northern California were intending to participate in this year’s Unity Tour by serving as police escorts for the bike riders.

Though eager to help, Crown needed support from other members of Unigroup to make this project a reality. Due to the start (Florham Park, NJ) and destination (Washington, DC) locations of the tour, Crown contacted Bohren’s and Suddath to ask for their participation. Both Denise Hewitt (President of Bohren’s Moving & Storage) and Bob Fructerman (Vice President of Logistics for Suddath) happily agreed to assist. The transportation part of the move was handled by Katie Stryhorn and her team at Unigroup Logistics.

The participating officers were: Lieutenant Mark Dang (Fremont Police Department), Sergeant Alan Zabonin (Fremont Police Department) and Officer Robert Medenhall (San Leandro Police Department).  They delivered their motorcycles to Crown on April 25^th  where the operations team had them individually crated, labelled and delivered to the Unigroup cross dock in San Jose, CA.

Pictured at the Crown warehouse from left to right Debbie Green (Senior Commercial Service Coordinator), Officer Robert Medenhall, Andy Husary (Warehouse Manager), Lieutenant Mark Dang, Tori Ferrante (President and CEO), Sergeant Alan Zabonin, Ron Gibson (Executive Vice President of Operations and Commercial Services).

Katie Strayhorn arranged for the moving van to transport them to Bohren’s facility in Robbinsville, NJ.

Bohren’s received, uncrated and returned the motorcycles to the three officers on May 8^th.  They then transported the empty crates to Suddath’s warehouse in Virginia, so when the officers completed their ride, Suddath could re-crate motorcycles for return shipment to California.

Upon completion of the Unity Tour on May 12^th, the  plan was for the officers to deliver the motorcycles to Suddath’s facility by late afternoon, go to the airport and return to California. They were able to make their scheduled flight only by riding through a rain storm and arrived at Suddath absolutely drenched. Bob Fruchterman generously spent part of his Friday evening tending to the officers, which included hanging up their leather gear to dry.

All of the United Agencies involved provided their logistical services gratis. The California Police Departments and the officers who participated have expressed gratitude to the team.

We would like to recognize the following individuals who played key roles in the shipment of the motorcycles:

BOHREN’S MOVING & STORAGE
Denise Hewitt – President
Mike Sanford – Facility Manager

CROWN WORLDWIDE MOVING & STORAGE
Debbie Green – Senior Commercial Service Coordinator
Andy Husary – Warehouse Manager

SUDDATH
Bob Fruchterman – Senior Vice President, Logistics

UNIGROUP LOGISTICS
Katie Strayhorn – Implementation Manager
Ed Danzer – Director, Ground Transportation
Chris Wallace – Logistics Coordinator

You can find more information on the Unity Tour on their website. If you’d like to participate in logistical support please contact Robert Bowen

The Ports of LA, Long Beach want to upgrade their harbor craft in order to make them 70% greener. They are offering 500K for advanced technology programs that would elevate their engine standards from Tier 2 to Tier 3 or 4. Currently, diesel run harbor craft contribute 18% of San Pedro Bay emissions.  “We need more viable cost effective technologies, and as the Green Port, we’re going to leverage all of our tools to lead the goods movement industry to a more sustainable future,” said Heather Tomley, Port of Long Beach Director of Environmental Planning.

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(World Maritime News)

Moving items you don’t like or use can be expensive and time consuming. Before you move Realtor.com recommends you “Purge your home of these 9 things.”

1. Old towels and linens
2. Unused or abandoned health equipment
3. Unworn clothes
4. Duplicates and souvenirs
5. Collections you’ve outgrown
6. Half-used cosmetics and toiletries
7. Space fillers
8. Extra cords and cables
9. Unnecessary paperwork

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(Realtor.com)

Understand the Real Costs of Moving

When budgeting for an impending move, there is more to consider than money when evaluating cost. You’ll want to understand the true financial, physical and mental investments before making your final decision. After all, if you underestimate the cost of your time, health and emotions, your move could cost you a whole lot more than originally expected.

Evaluate Your Financial Costs

1) Packing Supplies
An investment in proper supplies will pay dividends when your belongings arrive at your new home.  Sturdy boxes, packing paper, dollies, wraps and straps will ensure that items are secure when being loaded and delivered. Ask your local agent about the supplies they furnish and sell before buying supplies on your own. They may be able to estimate your needs more accurately.

2) Hired Help
The help you choose on moving day can dictate the relative ease and error you are prepared to compromise. Friends and family are attractive options for those willing to stomach the inherent risks, butif you are looking for a little more peace of mind, professional movers can help the process go as smoothly as possible.

3) Professional Packing.
It is all too easy to underestimate the time, materials and effort required to pack and move your home, especially when all of your belongings are all stored neatly away in your closets and cabinets. Consider the following.

Do you have special cargo? You may not want to risk packing and loading all of your belongings on your own – especially if they carry a higher value.  You may want to seek the advice of a specialist before moving antiques, electronics and large furniture.  It’s absolutely necessary to consider potential damage and breakage as you calculate the cost of packing and moving yourself.

Make a Supply Run. You’ll need to purchase boxes, blankets and bubble wrap when moving yourself.  Proper packing demands professional materials including special boxes, wrapping paper, furniture padding and tape. And don’t underestimate your needs or you’ll be making multiple trips to the store to restock.

Can you drive large moving van? If you live in a moderately-sized home, you may need up to 1,600 cubic feet of moving space. This endeavor is more than many drivers can handle – especially if you are tasked with navigating narrow suburban streets and alleyways.

Your Time is Money. Don’t forget to calculate the cost of your time, especially if you are taking off work to pack, load and deliver your own belongings. If you opt to handle the entire move yourself, consider setting aside 2 or more days for both loading and delivery.

4) Transportation
When planning a move, your choice of transportation is potentially the most cost contingent. When it comes to containers, trailers and trucks, your expense will likely scale with the level of your need. You’ll want to consider the timing, distance, volume and complexity of your move before contracting services or renting equipment.

5) Travel& Living
Regardless of distance, the moving processtends toinflatetravel and living expenses. In addition to potential lodging and air fare, incremental purchases like food, fuel and convenience itemscan add up unexpectedly, especially when you are doing most of the packing and moving yourself.

6) Distance Adds Up.
As a rule of thumb, the longer the distance, the more cost-effective professional movers tend to be. This is due to a number of factors.

One-way rental price may include additional fees. The price you pay may include fees to cover the cost of inventory maintenance and truck relocation when you return your moving truck to a location in a different city.

Mileage, Fuel and Insurance costs add up. Truck rentals may require that you pay these fees on top of the base price. This can end up being rather significant considering that some moving trucks only get between 6 -15 mpg.

Unexpected delays add to rental costs. Just when you think everything is going according to plan – something always tends to happen, right? If you fall victim to Murphy’s Law during a move, delays could cost you extra in rental fees.

Longer trips are a greater risk. Let’s face it, you may be able to pack like a pro, but can you drive like one? The longer you are on the road, the more you’ll face opportunities for damage and accidents. When you rent, these risks are placed squarely on you.

7) Real Estate Expenses
For most of us, the moving experience comes coupled with at least one real estate transaction. Whether buying, selling or leasing, you’ll need tocalculate the costs associated with your real estate to properly budget for your move. After all, contracts, estimates, titles and utilities can put a significant dent into your bottom line before you even start to pack.

8) Incidentals
Every major move comes with incidentals. They are virtually unavoidable given the scale of the undertaking. Even the most careful shippers are susceptible to mishaps. No matter how well you plan, or how careful you  are, it is inevitable, supplies will run low, pictures will break, bulbs will burn out and paint will be spilled. It’s best to budget a couple extra dollars for human error.

Evaluate Your Opportunity Costs

9) Missed Work
Even when everything goes according to plan, a move can be a timely endeavor. The effort required to research, coordinate, pack, and move is significant.  Considercontracting a couple extra hands or a full-service solution so that these tasks don’t translate into missed work.  Just remember, vacation days have a monetary value too – so don’t waste them on anything less than a trip to the beach.

10) Personal Time
As moving day approaches and critical tasks intensify, time can seem to escape you. Without professional help, you’ll likely be consumed by paperwork, appointments and last-minute packing; unable to negotiate a single moment for family time or rest. For these reasons, you may want to consider the cost of your free time when weighing a do-it-yourself solution.

11) Recovery Time
You should carefully consider your ability to handle the physical demands of your move long before you start packing and loading. With a couple days of intense lifting, cleaning and traveling ahead of you, personal limits and recovery time should be at the forefront of your thought process.

(source: United Van Lines)

Approximately 6.7 billion USD has been approved for programs aiding U.S. seaports by the U.S. Congress. “The funding levels in this legislation will benefit US ports by ensuring the federal government continues to contribute its share of capital to seaport-related infrastructure, port security and voluntary diesel emissions reductions efforts,” Kurt J. Nagle, Association of Port Authority’s president and CEO, said. Programs that will benefit from this legislation include:

• Army Corps of Engineers
• US Department of Transportation’s TIGER program
• Department of Homeland Security’s Port Security Grant Program
• Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA)

Full Story

(World Maritime News)

If you are concerned about the environmental impact of your move, take the following into consideration. If you are not pressed for time, downsizing by either donating unwanted items or having a garage sale can be both beneficial to your pocketbook and to the environment. Using old newspapers, towels or other cloth items to wrap delicate items in transit is also an option. Used cardboard boxes or reusable plastic containers (Crown Crates) can also make your move greener. Finally, when cleaning your new home or your old home there are many green cleaning products on the market that are as effective as traditional cleaning products, but are safer for the environment.

The Positive Approach

Prepare them in advance for the move. Tell them immediately about the move. Give them time to adjust to the idea. Answer all questions. Explain the reasons for the move as explicitly as necessary, depending on the child’s age. An honest question-and-answer session will give you an idea of the specific concerns your children have about the move. This will give you the chance to resolve their fears and let them know you are interested in their opinions and feelings.

Permit children to participate. This will give them a sense of responsibility and self-worth. Choose a professional moving company. A company experienced in moving families will minimize your responsibilities. Then, you can devote more time to your children.

With these steps, you can ease the insecure feelings some children experience when removed from familiar surroundings. It is difficult to break strong ties to the old home, neighborhood, school and close friends. But remember, moving can be a great personal growth opportunity for all family members, including children. Take advantage of the situation and make it a truly exciting experience for everyone.

Take-along Suggestions

Here’s a checklist of things to take in the car with you:

Baby

•     Suitable clothing
•     Diaper or utility bag
•     Blankets
•     Disposable diapers
•     Nursers with plastic throwaway liners, nipples and pacifiers
•     Baby food, formula, fruit juice, water and a cap opener
•     Favorite cuddle toy
•     Baby toiletries such as powder, lotion, oil and cotton balls
•     Safety-approved infant car seat
• First-aid kit (Discuss with your pediatrician any medications you should have on hand. Include a thermometer, baby pain reliever and a small hot water bottle, which also can be used as an ice bag.)

Toddler

•     Collapsible stroller
•     Child’s portable car toilet
•     Safety-approved car seat
•     Favorite small toy

Get the “Moving with Children” Booklet
We recognize the particular needs and emotional reactions of children and have a booklet to help make moving with children easier and enjoyable for the entire family. For a copy of “Moving with Children,” contact us.

(source: www.unitedvanlines.com)

In protest of India’s Major Ports Authority Bill, India’s labor union is planning an open-ended dockworker strike to start on April 19^th. Job security and retirement benefits are the major concerns. Kolkata, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Tuticorin, Cochin, New Mangalore, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Kandla and Marmugao are the ports most likely to be effected.

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(World Maritime News)