Amazon On The Ocean

Amazon Takes Steps to Move into Ocean Shipping

Rich McCormick | January 15, 2016

Amazon is expanding its operation so that it doesn't just send items across the world — it ships them, too. The retailer's Chinese wing has this week been awarded a license by the Federal Maritime Commission to operate as an ocean freight forwarder in the United States, marking the first step Amazon is making into the $350 billion ocean shipping market. In addition to shipping its own goods, the license  — first spotted by freight forwarding company Flexport in the FMC's database — means Amazon China is legally an ocean transport intermediary, and allowed to ship goods to the US by boat for other companies.

Source: http://qz.com/595755/amazon-is-cutting-out-middlemen-to-stop-bleeding-billions-in-shipping-costs/

<more at http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/15/10774124/amazon-ocean-shipping-china-license; related links; http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/01/14/amazon-makes-move-into-shipping-china-freight-forwarder/78810804/ (Amazon could be moving into the $350B ocean freight market. January 14, 2016) and http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-now/corporate/amazon-takes-steps-to-move-into-ocean-shipping/videoshow/50592828.cms (+Video) (Amazon takes steps to move into ocean shipping January 15, 2016); further: http://arstechnica.com/business/2016/01/amazon-gets-permission-to-subcontract-freight-ships-from-china-to-the-us/ (Amazon gets permission to subcontract freight ships from China to the US. The company’s China arm wants to provide logistics—maybe even to third parties. January 15, 2016)>