By William Tucker

Earlier today the Singapore Shipping Agency stated that terrorists are looking to attack oil tankers and other ships of significant value transiting the Malacca Strait. The warning was issued by the Singapore Navy Fusion Centre when they "received an indication that a terrorist group is planning attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Straits." The report goes on to say that, "This does not preclude possible attacks on other large vessels with dangerous cargo."

Threats to shipping in the Malacca Strait are not new, nor are these threats solely in the domain of terrorism. In the late 90's piracy was a major concern which generated significant attention from regional powers such as China and Japan. The Malacca Strait is a important transit point for cargo and oil tankers moving Middle Eastern crude to energy hungry powers of the far east. A 2006 study estimated that 15 million barrels of oil transit the strait per day.

Photo: Singapore Navy patrol on the Malacca Strait
Credit: Associated Press

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By Irvin Varkonyi, CSCP, P.Log.

Without risk, there is no reward. Today, risks are much more complex for both passenger travel and freight movement as we function in a global economy where the uncertainties of disruptive events must be factored into strategic planning. Successful companies must find the right balance of risk and operational efficiency to optimize their financial performance and sustain their operations to benefit shareholders, customers and employees.

Continue reading "Understanding your Shippers' Operational Security and Resilience Requirements" »

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American Public University System (APUS) will present a live webcast, Oct 20 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., featuring members of the academic and corporate communities specializing in the transportation and logistics industry for an interactive discussion on Trends, Issues and Career Opportunities in Hazardous Materials Transportation.

Speakers Include:

• Shannon Schick - Hazardous Materials Safety Manager, Schneider National Inc.
• Tom Cuthbertson - Member, Board of Directors - Information Technology and Logistics Council, American Trucking Association and Director of Production Systems Operations and Support, XATA Corporation
• Irvin Varkonyi, CSCP, P.Log. - Professor, American Public University's Transportation & Logistics Programs

Topics & Agenda:

An overview of issues and trends in hazardous materials from the vantage point of leaders in the transportation field, including:

• The impact of homeland security and emergency management issues on this sub-market in the transportation and logistics industry
  
• Social media venues and communications channels that industry leaders leverage to share ideas and best practices

This event is the first of a five-part series of webcasts addressing issues and trends in the public service sector, sponsored by APUS to be held in Fall/Winter 2009.

For more details and registration information, visit http://www.studyatapu.com/web-cast/tlm/index.htm.

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By Irvin Varkonyi
Originally published in NDTA Defense Transportation Journal, April 2009

The Value of Human Capital

The nation has met the harsh challenges of protecting our national security, weakened by the tragedies of terrorism, natural disasters and low priorities of infrastructure protection, with an immense response at all levels of Government and the commercial sector. This response called on its citizens, whether they are the President of the United States, a night watchman at a semi-conductor factory or a university professor of supply chain management to not only exert maximum effort to protect each other but to recognize the value of human capital to detect, plan for, mitigate, respond and recover from disasters. Such action can make the difference in protecting our Defense Industrial Base, the loss of which, or severe weakening, would compound our weakness in maintaining national security.

Continue reading "A Resilient Industrial Base Relies on Human Capital" »

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