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Trans-Pacific dysfunction can seed carrier-shipper collaboration

Shippers can complain, but pricing power — at least for now — has shifted away from shippers due to carrier consolidation and growing capacity discipline seen most dramatically in the swift spring withdrawals following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That puts pressure on shipper to engage more with carrier not less.

Record Asia–Europe container rates squeeze lower-value cargoes

Importers of higher-value cargo from Asia have been better able to withstand higher spot rates, forcing some shippers of lower-value cargo out of the market completely.

Hong Kong hopes to lure bigger ships, more cargo from increased bridge limit

Without easing the air draft limits under the Tsing Ma bridge, ships calling at Hong Kong and the western Shenzhen ports face a lengthy transit south of Hong Kong through Chinese waters.

UPS Freight sold to Canada’s TFI for $800 million

The sale of its $3.1 billion less-than-truckload (LTL) subsidiary narrows UPS’s focus and gives TFI International a much bigger presence in the North American LTL market, from Canada to Mexico.

Ex-CMA CGM terminal chief Sartini joins Yilport as co-CEO

The long-standing connections between CMA CGM and Yilport were again on display with the carrier’s former ports and terminals division head joining the Turkish port operator.

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The pricing data found here allows shippers and transport providers to more accurately benchmark and forecast for their supply chains. The various spot prices and indices are collected from third-party sources and updated weekly, monthly and quarterly, depending on the data set.

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Maritime News

Trans-Pacific dysfunction can seed carrier-shipper collaboration

Shippers are moving away from transactional procurement engagement and toward a willingness to discuss what their broader supply chain needs in the coming years. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Record Asia–Europe container rates squeeze lower-value cargoes

Asia–Europe spot rates have soared 376 percent from Oct. 1 and 353 percent year over year to $4,394 per TEU. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Importers of higher-value cargo from Asia have been better able to withstand higher spot rates, forcing some shippers of lower-value cargo out of the market completely.

Hong Kong hopes to lure bigger ships, more cargo from increased bridge limit

Hong Kong’s Marine Department said it would ease air draft restrictions under the Tsing Ma bridge from January 28, ending a seven-year campaign by the Hong Kong Liner Shipping Association. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Without easing the air draft limits under the Tsing Ma bridge, ships calling at Hong Kong and the western Shenzhen ports face a lengthy transit south of Hong Kong through Chinese waters.

Trans-Atlantic container trade growth accelerating

US demand for wine and spirits from Scotland, Ireland, and Europe strengthened during 2020. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

US imports from Europe have been rising steadily since August, with the trans-Atlantic so far able to shrug off the severe disruption experienced on the trades out of Asia.

Trucking News

Trucking Logistics

UPS Freight sold to Canada’s TFI for $800 million

UPS Freight will be rebranded TForce Freight and operate independently within TFI’s subsidiary network. Photo credit: Sundry Photography/Shutterstock.com.

The sale of its $3.1 billion less-than-truckload (LTL) subsidiary narrows UPS’s focus and gives TFI International a much bigger presence in the North American LTL market, from Canada to Mexico.

RoadOne expands domestic drayage network

RoadOne expects transloading demand to rise, and says that will require more logistics resources. Photo credit: RoadOne IntermodaLogistics.

The acquisition of DDI bolsters RoadOne's 53-foot domestic container business and transloading capabilities on the East Coast as import volumes rise.

Trucking firms betting on autonomous driving

The autonomous truck is entering a new phase of development, spurred by the need for capacity and improved safety. Photo credit: TuSimple.

Companies such as Werner Enterprises, Schneider National, and U.S. Xpress are taking an active role in the development of autonomous trucks, but not, they say, to replace drivers.

Outlook 2021: Latest US driver shortage requires long-term solutions

US truck driver employment was down 65,700 jobs year over year in October despite adding 63,500 jobs since the low point in April. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Motor carriers must do more than raise driver pay to counteract the current shortfall, including driving greater efficiency in their networks and at shipper facilities to allow existing truckers to make more trips in a given day.

Port News

Ex-CMA CGM terminal chief Sartini joins Yilport as co-CEO

Former head of CMA CGM's port division, Nicolas Sartini, has been appointed co-CEO of Yilport. Photo credit: Yilport.

The long-standing connections between CMA CGM and Yilport were again on display with the carrier’s former ports and terminals division head joining the Turkish port operator.

COVID-19 surge hurting productivity, but won’t close LA-LB ports: employers

ILWU leaders and employers praise longshore workers for working amidst dangerous conditions due to COVID-19. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Despite an acceleration in COVID-19 cases among longshoremen in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, waterfront employers say there are enough general dockworkers to handle near-record container volumes, although a shortage of trained equipment operators is a problem.

Late 2020 scramble saves LA-LB shippers from heavy duties

A rough estimate was that more than 20 ships were supposed to have docked at Los Angeles and Long Beach marine terminals by the end of the year, but remained at anchorage positions due to backups at the ports. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Rapid collaboration by stakeholders as 2020 wound down helped prevent more than half a billion dollars in tariffs from being imposed on goods waiting at anchorage off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

LA port taps $7.5 million to reward productive terminals

The entire Southern California supply chain benefits when cargo velocity at the ports improves, truckers say. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Amid continuous double-digit year-over-year increases in imports, the Port of Los Angeles will financially reward terminal operators that achieve key metrics in improving cargo velocity.

Technology News

Technology

Trucking firms betting on autonomous driving

Companies such as Werner Enterprises, Schneider National, and U.S. Xpress are taking an active role in the development of autonomous trucks, but not, they say, to replace drivers.

World Bank, IAPH urge rapid maritime digitization

Barely half of ports surveyed by IAPH have actively examined their peers to gauge the effectiveness of piloted or implemented electronic data exchange systems. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The World Bank and International Association of Ports and Harbors are urging ports and maritime ecosystems to quickly find public and private solutions to digitize operations and build data-sharing initiatives to bolster trade growth.

Shippers urged to rethink container allocation strategies

Container lines can often hold shippers to less-than-scientific cargo allocations that are based on their minimum quantity commitments divided by 52 weeks. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Shippers facing a challenging ocean freight environment in 2021 are being urged to develop a plan to tackle a particularly thorny operational aspect in the industry: container allocations.

Flexport vets take aim at apparel production management

SILQ tethers their approach to a network of inspectors at about 10 apparel sourcing hubs in China, India, and Vietnam, currently. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

Startup SILQ is aiming to provide apparel retailers with an alternative to buying houses, which act as agents that find suitable suppliers in overseas locations.