2012 TPM Conference Features Jam-Packed Agenda Focused on Global Container Shipping and the Trans-Pacific, March 5-6, Long Beach, Calif.

NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012 TPM conference in Long Beach, Calif., will feature a robust, two-day program focused on all the major issues in the trans-Pacific market as well as a number of global issues facing container shipping. The event will focus on imports and exports, as well as refrigerated cargo.

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"Once again as the year begins we find ourselves staring at a laundry list of challenges facing shippers in the trans-Pacific," said Peter Tirschwell, senior vice president for UBM Global Trade, the parent of The Journal of Commerce, the organizer of the event.

An opening keynote by Capt. Wei Jaifu, chairman of Cosco Group, the largest China-based container line, will kick-off an in-depth program of speeches, panels and roundtable discussions. Capt Wei will bring in-depth perspective from China, the origin of nearly 50 percent of all U.S. import containers, as well as globally as one of the industry's longtime leaders.  

His speech will be followed by a much anticipated annual Market Outlook session featuring speakers from Drewry, Macquarie Securities and PIERS, designed to give attendees a genuine insight into 2012 supply and demand dynamics as shippers, carriers and non-vessel-operating common carriers prepare for annual service contract negotiations. The session will also offer an assessment on the state of play of carrier financial health, and the prospect for consolidation after a bruising 2011, in which spot rates declined 50 percent on key head-haul trades and the lines collectively lost an estimated $5.2 billion, according to Drewry. Will 2012 see a rebound in rate levels? Spot rates have been rising since late December in the run-up to the late-January Chinese New Year, with carriers achieving most of their announced Jan. 1 GRIs on spot market cargo; the question will be, what will happen to the market after Chinese New Year? Speakers will probe this critical question.

The agenda then turns to the hugely important issue of mega-ships; with 161 vessels of 10,000 TEUs or more on order -- representing 49 percent of the current total container ship order book, according to Alphaliner -- dealing with the impact of these mega-ships will consume carriers, ports, terminals, shippers and others in 2012 and well beyond. Maersk's 18,000 Triple-E orders last year triggered a series of mega-ship orders by other carriers and was a factor that sparked the global alliance structuring seen late in 2011. The size of container ships is expanding at a faster rate than the terminals, roads and rail networks that support them, thus what will be the impact? Speakers from Maersk, Michelin, Kuehne + Nagel and SeaIntel will analyze the diverse aspects of the mega-ship phenomenon.

In other panels at TPM, four East Coast port CEOs/directors -- representing New York-New Jersey, Virginia, Charleston and Savannah -- will discuss in a town hall format how they are preparing for the 2014 Panama Canal expansion. Separately, the heads of the ILA and USMX will discuss the upcoming 2012 East Coast longshore contract negotiations, a scenario that is being closely watched throughout the industry. Additional sessions will focus on chassis, import and export regulation, and using freight rate indices in service contracts.

This year, TPM will also include a full-day refrigerated container transportation, "Cool Cargoes" track organized by longtime transport writer and Cool Cargoes magazine editor Stephanie Nall. The reefer track will include sessions on:

• The impact of container lines'" slow steaming" on reefer container supply chains
• Planning an FDA-proof refrigerated container supply chain
• Will there be a genset or reefer container shortage in 2012?
• How to manage growing environmental or "green mile" expectations of customers          
• The impact on reefer shipments of reductions in direct port calls by Carriers
• Analysis of U.S. import and export reefer container flows based from PIERS/JOC economist  

"It is never easy getting all relevant subject matter into a two-day agenda, given that 2012 promises to be another volatile and turbulent year in the trans-Pacific," said Tirschwell, "But we hope that, with all the input provided by many shippers, carriers, 3PLs, ports, terminals and others who contributed their feedback, the agenda will offer participants in this market the wide ranging briefing on the trans-Pacific that they have come to expect from the TPM agenda each year since the first TPM took place in 2001."

Registration is now open for the 2012 event. To register, or to view our current agenda, please visit: www.joc.com/tpm2012

Register by January 31, and receive a $100 discount.  Use this code: PRTPM12

To hear more about TPM from Peter Tirschwell, the senior vice president of strategy, click here for an audio interview: http://www.joc.com/tpm/qa-preview-tpm-long-beach-2012

To view daily news visit www.joc.com.  For all media enquiries, including article reprints, please contact Editorial Director Paul Page.

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About The Journal of Commerce: Since 1827, The Journal of Commerce has been the most trusted source of intelligence for international logistics executives to help them plan global supply chains and better manage day-to-day transportation of goods and commodities in the United States and internationally.

To become a member of The Journal of Commerce click here. JOC members have access to our weekly print and digital magazine and Web site, as well as a 10 percent discount on all JOC events and trade shows, UBM Global Trade Directories and select PIERS products. Authoritative editorial content in the form of daily news, weekly analysis and regular features ensure our members have the information and data necessary to understand the issues facing trucking, rail and maritime transportation. Members enjoy access to "By the Numbers," an exclusive weekly compilation of key industry statistics that provides detailed views of current market trends across all modes. Regular market intelligence reports -- utilizing PIERS trade data -- include Top 100 Imports and Exporters, quarterly Top 40 Container lines, Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic Maritime Forecasts and Top Container Ports and Terminals. Market-sector supplements, including Breakbulk, Cool Cargoes, 3PL, JOC Guide to Trucking and others, ensure all modes are comprehensively covered. 

About UBM Global Trade -- UBM Global Trade is the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, Breakbulk, RailResource, PIERS and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of UBM LLC, is headquartered in Newark, NJ, with offices throughout the United States. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-223-0243 (+1-973-848-7250 outside the U.S. or Canada).  

SOURCE The Journal of Commerce