The importance of obtaining adequate insurance has been highlighted these past few days with the wrecking of the cargo ship MSC Napoli off the coast of Devon, England.

The ship was travelling from Belgium to Portugal when it was caught in bad weather.  Fortunately the crew were all rescued but the ship itself suffered damage in the storms.

At least 200 (out of about 2400) of the ship’s 40 foot long containers were lost overboard, some of them have washed up onto nearby beaches to the delight of some locals who have been helping themselves to the contents - automotive parts, babies nappies, perfume, dog food, barrels of wine and even BMW motorcycles!!!

Under UK law people are supposed to report any items they’ve salvaged to the quaintly titled ‘Receiver of Wreck’ within 28 days.  Chances of this happening or of the police following up any/all leads are pretty slim - some goods are already being sold on Ebay!

None of this will be at all amusing to anyone with products in those containers.  There’s not much they can do about the goods themselves if they are lost but you would expect any trader to have arranged adequate insurance (assuming it is their responsibility under the terms of sale). 

Marine cargo insurance covers the risk of damage or loss to your goods when they are in transit.  It covers the goods whether they are being transported by sea, air, rail or road.

Or perhaps I should say Happy Holidays?

Apparently our friends in the US are getting themselves a bit worked up over the more traditional Christmas greeting.  They feel its insulting to people of other faiths, this has got to be political correctness gone a step too far.

Anyway, since most visitors to this site are international import-export traders, I can rest assured you won’t be fussed about a good natured greeting.

When you trade with people from every part of the world you have to be far more accommodating towards foreign customs.  Tolerating, understanding, participating in and even enjoying foreign cultural events.  Even when you don’t accept the underlying belief systems, show them respect and you will build the trust you need for successful business.

Keep those trade leads coming and I’ll see you in the New Year.
           

Everyone is talking about China, the potential there is just huge.

Take a look at their exports:
China exported $132.5 billion to the United States alone (and imported $39.8 billion - what a surplus!).

They export a wide range of goods - electrical machinery, apparel, toys and games, footwear,
furniture, minerals, fuel.  And you can see this reflected on our portal, lots of members based in China offering a variety of goods.

What kind of goods should you be selling to our Chinese members? -
Iron and steel, mineral fuel and ore, power generation equipment, optical and medical equipment, man-made filaments, vehicles and vehicle parts.

Whilst we’re on the topic of China, here’s an interesting report that might make you re-think
your strategy towards that country:
The Role of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Exports to China: A Statistical Profile

It was interesting to read that the majority of exporters to China are like most of you: SMEs (Small to Medium Sized Enterprises).