CONTAINER availability will be mapped out for 18 inland intermodal points within the United States alongside two-week fo

CONTAINER availability will be mapped out for 18 inland intermodal points within the United States alongside two-week forecasting based on advance carrier bookings, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Inland container availability is a serious problem for agri-shippers, whose perishables are bound to specific locations where insulated reefer containers are hard to find.

Data will be taken from 10 carriers on the westbound Pacific trade to the US through partnership with the USDA and the Westbound Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement (WTSA) showing both deficit and surplus.

The Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) is an attempt to avoid the capacity crises of 2010 that followed the bounce back in demand after global recession.

"The main purpose behind OSCAR is to provide visibility into how equipment flows trade-wide on a week-to-week and seasonal basis so that exporters are able to work with their carriers to access containers in the most efficient way possible," said WTSA executive administrator Brian Conrad.

To access the first OSCAR report visit the USDA's website: www.ams.usda.gov/oscar