Finally, the BBC Box has returned home, as I was made aware of from a post on @risk the other day. I had near forgotten about this project. A year ago I made a post on the BBC project “The Box”, where BBC News is following a shipping container for a whole year to tell the story of globalisation. The Box is back where it started, and what a voyage it has been, since the voyage coincided with some of the most dramatic developments in the global economy including the first global recession in 60 years.
Trading simply stopped…almost
The BBC Box project was intended to tell the story of the global economy and international trade over the course of a year, but as global trade slumped to near nothing at the height of the turmoil , the Box followed:
From April until July it sat forlornly (if containers can be forlorn) in the Japanese port of Yokohama.
Piracy – the new supply chain risk?
A year ago, “piracy” was on everbody’s lips, sparked by news reports of highjacked tankers and press leases from shipping companies taking the long route NOT via the Suez Canal, which also lead a story on supply chain disruption on the BBC NEWS. Even “the box” was affected by this:
Along the way, literally, we were able to cover developments in international piracy, including its impact on insurance and the profitability of the Suez Canal through which the Box passed early in its journey.
All sorts of cargo
There is an interesting illustration on the BBC Box website, sowing some of the cargo that has been inside the box and how far it has traveled:
Supply Chain Disruptions – still?
The post on @risk mentions TI’s Chief Executive, John Manners Bell, who says that the downturn in global trade, and thus, in global shipping has lead to a drastic decrease in the shipping industry, with possible dire consequences:
Flexibility, availability and customer service have been dramatically reduced – issues that will likely become exacerbated during the upcoming holiday season. There is a considerable supply chain risk for retailers and gaps on the shelves are possible for popular lines.
So, it’s not over yet. Perhaps the pirates are gone, but so are the ships, too.
Links
- bbc.com: The Box
- atrisk.com: Shipping lessons learned
Related
- husdal.com: The BBC Box
