As evidenced over the past chaotic 24 months, dry cargo demand and the supply of reefer equipment are more intimately linked than it might first appear.

Canada is reconsidering how its port system operates in the wake of disruption tied to the pandemic and amid inland hub congestion putting upstream pressure on its Pacific Coast ports.

Container analysts and carriers differ widely on how much impact two new IMO rules will have in softening a wave of tonnage hitting the water in two years, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Rising tensions between China and the United States underscore how even as supply chain congestion is easing, geopolitical threats pose disruption on an entirely different scale.

The Port of Portland is on pace to recover approximately half of the volume it once handled.

New White House port envoy Gen. Stephen Lyons tells JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi how transport providers and shippers can help accelerate the recovery of the US container shipping system as import pressures wane.

DOJ said the deal between CIMC and Maersk would have merged two of the four largest producers of reefer containers in the world, increasing the risk of collusion among remaining suppliers.

Eastbound trans-Pacific spot rates won’t find a floor until capacity loosens up through the unwinding of US port congestion, the CFO of carrier Zim told JOC.com.

The modernization of Vancouver's Centerm terminal provides a lesson for other land-constrained terminals looking to speed up truck turns and rail cargo flow to, ultimately, create more functional container capacity, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Maritime regulators are wrestling with how to refine rulemaking on when it is unreasonable for carriers to refuse export bookings, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Yilport's Robert Yildirim tells JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi the container shipping industry is well-poised to keep up profits through an expected slowdown in global container volumes in the fourth quarter and into next year.

The US Federal Maritime Commission is casting a wider net for potential investigations into container demurrage and detention billing with new steps for initiating complaints.

Peak season import volumes amid ongoing supply chain woes are raising the stakes if labor unions and US Class I railroads can’t return to the bargaining table without disruption.

A series of European port strikes show the rising risk of industrial actions, as global inflation squeezes workers throughout containerized supply chains, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Northbound capacity from Brazil to the US is tight due to ongoing strength in US imports, a reality that has boosted freight rates and is likely to continue until at least the fourth quarter of 2022.

With new incentives, the Port of New Orleans and Louisiana state economic officials are targeting retail distribution centers to ease export-import balance that’s cost the port service and volumes.

President Joe Biden has promised to sign ocean shipping reform legislation, but the bill won’t do anything to address US port and inland congestion or the record freight rates he’s railed against.

US container shipping regulators are signaling measured moves aimed at providing more structure to commercial exchanges without stepping directly into them, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Trans-Pacific container lines are adding capacity ahead of an expected early peak season, but blank sailings will continue to challenge North American importers even as Shanghai reopens.

US retail spending is increasing despite inflationary pressures, while bookings and port volumes remain strong, suggesting the inventory warnings of Walmart and Target have not hit the larger retail industry yet.

The presence of container shippers at JOC’s recent breakbulk conference shows that while global container volumes are slowing, plenty of logistics managers are concerned enough about future capacity on US trades.

Chinese exporters could produce another trans-Pacific bullwhip when stalled shipments start moving again, with major stakeholders warning of a surge of delayed shipments.

The longer the Chinese lockdowns last the more intense the scramble by US importers to secure factory production and transport capacity, potentially mirroring the whiplash of order cancellations in early 2020 that were followed by unprecedented demand.

Major retailers and multinationals may have gained greater control of their container shipping supply chains, but smaller US importers lack the scale and are still scrambling for transport capacity.

Through its acquisition of Ceres container terminal, PSA can make better use of its other terminal in Halifax, the South End Container Terminal, or the Atlantic Hub, which is capable of handling mega-ships.

The Senate’s passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 brings the container shipping industry one step closer to new US regulations affecting container storage fees and the willingness of carriers to accept export cargoes.

Spot pricing highs for the eastbound trans-Pacific and truckload rates may be over, but so-called normalization is not around the corner.

Democratic senators took the opportunity of a recent committee meeting to drill FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei on sky-high freight rates charged by ocean carriers amid declining service levels.

US ports, labor unions, and US-flag interests are joining container lines in a bid to stop the Biden administration and Congress from stripping the limited antitrust immunity carriers enjoy.

In reporting a $4.6 billion profit in 2021, Zim Integrated Shipping Services warns shipping disruption could bleed into 2023 but it expects some spot rate normalization in the second of half of this year.

Speakers at TPM22 and TPM Tech made clear that although US import growth may have peaked last year, the resulting supply chain challenges aren’t letting up, and port congestion and disruption could bleed into 2023.

The launch of a new Canadian Pacific service between Vancouver and Ashcroft Terminal serving Canadian Tire and agricultural exporters taps inland port potential.

Two years after the pandemic reached US shores, logistics managers at US companies that import from Asia are in the toughest service contract negotiations of their careers, according to conversations with more than a dozen importers.

CMA CGM will no longer accept plastic waste exports beginning in June, giving up roughly 8,000 TEU of annual US export business in the name of protecting biodiversity amid growing environmental pressures.

The US Senate on Thursday voted to confirm former longshoreman Max Vekich to the Federal Maritime Commission as the agency considers further detention and demurrage rulemaking.

The Senate’s Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 calls for container lines and terminal operators to validate container storage fees while strengthening their common carriage responsibilities.

The impact of investigations by the Federal Maritime Commission into container shipping — driven by new leadership and pressure from the White House — pales in comparison to fast-moving reform legislation making its way through Congress.

Chinese exporters to Europe that aren’t shipping time-sensitive goods are ignoring the pre–Lunar New Year rush, as they expect container spot rates to continue easing, forwarders tell JOC.com.

Savannah’s $250 million berth extension will ultimately increase the port’s capacity and reflect the increased pressure on major US ports to maximize their docks amid increased demand, both from regular services and extra-loaders.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 represents yet a further setback for railroads, warehouse operators, and trucking companies to keep workers moving freight.