MTMC seeks carrier help to speed overseas shipments.

American shipping executives have reacted positively to an initiative to speed the overseas movement of Department of Defense freight.

The Military Traffic Management Command wants to trim overseas freight shipping times by synchronizing cargo between transshipment points.

Military freight shipments--from requisition to receipt--take 56 days for American military units in Germany, said Frank Galluzzo, Director, Distribution Analysis Center.

"We are working on a perfect move model of 40 days," said Galluzzo.

MTMC officials met with shipping executives Jan. 23 at the Logistics Management Institute, Tysons Corner, Va. Cutting shipping times on maritime shipments is part of an overall U.S. Transportation Command and Defense Logistics Agency's effort to speed freight shipments known as the Strategic Distribution Management Initiative.

"We want to optimize customer wait time," said Galluzzo, "We want to re-establish customer confidence with time definite delivery."

Containers typically sit at a terminal an average of 15 days waiting for an ocean shipment, said Galluzzo.

Shipping executives say they will work with MTMC.

"It looks as though you're compressing time in each node," said Lou Lambremont, of Maersk Sealand, Arlington, Va. "I believe it all can be done with planning."

Jim Wachtel, of Lykes Lines, Tampa, Fla., agreed.

"We are doing some of this now," said Wachtel. "If we are aware of it, we'll push a container to a ship that's leaving earlier."

Quick turnover of containers at busy West Coast ports is essential, said Eric Mensing, of American President Lines, Washington, D.C.

"We do see containers that come in three weeks ahead of the ship it's booked on," said Mensing. "We'll challenge shippers, to advance the cargo to an earlier sailing.

"We don't want cargo sitting around terminals--especially at West Coast terminals."

Mensing said some delays reported by MTMC were, in fact, requested delays from military customers who were unable to process all received containers at once.

"We want it to hit the terminal and load on the next available ship," said Mensing. "We operate our ships by the hour."

MTMC faces a real need to speed maritime cargo shipments, particularly to Europe and Southwest Asia, said Galluzzo.

While a ship voyage is consistent at seven or eight days across the Atlantic, considerable time is lost in transshipment synchronization.

"I've seen data showing that 50 percent of our containers sometimes miss two sailings," said Galluzzo.

His comments were reinforced by Lt. Col. Scott Hill, of the Strategic Distribution Management Initiative Core Team, of U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

"Each service has built a distribution system that is not coordinated and synchronized," said Hill.

Time cuts may be possible in a number of areas, said Galluzzo. They include:

* Cutting container waiting times at ocean terminals.

* Synchronizing depot delivery to ports.

* Improving cargo documentation--especially customer program work.

* Using commercial systems for ocean cargo booking.

* Improving movement process for oversize cargo.