Container lines

Sentiment heard with greater frequency from within the industry and from financial analysts holds that overcapacity will overwhelm constraints on capacity in a possible multi-year swoon.

The Israeli carrier said it’s taking steps to comply with a purported ban on its ships at Turkish ports as relations between the two countries sour over the war in Gaza.

The unit cost of moving a container has been pushed higher compared with the prevailing pre-pandemic price structure, according to carrier executives, prompting cost-control measures.

The Premier Alliance is revamping a trans-Pacific service that would otherwise incur hundreds of millions of dollars in US port fees on Chinese-built vessels.

Fiori joined NYK Line (North America) in 1990 as executive vice president with a mandate to grow the newly formed liner agency and position it closer to US-based BCOs.

The announcement of Leatherman’s expansion comes as MSC looks to bring in more trans-Atlantic services to call the terminal.

The carrier said trans-Pacific services have been especially susceptible to the erosion of business and consumer confidence and the disruption to long-term planning caused by frequent shifts in US tariff policy.

Just over 7,000 TEUs of capacity is scheduled to be withdrawn through blank sailings in September even as carriers increase their deployed capacity by 2%.

With a global capacity surplus in the offing, or already biting, now is a great time to invest and move capacity off surplus trades, writes Jeremy Masters.

The difficulties have led to transshipment delays and rolled cargo, which have caused increased yard density at some ports that has exacerbated delays, shipping sources say.

The incident has sparked a wave of claim filings from individual shippers and state authorities against the world’s largest container carrier, resulting in arrest orders for as many as five sister ships thus far.

With 70% of its volume moving under spot rates, there was no escape from the volatile US-China tariff battle.

The upbeat results have led several carriers to invest in new tonnage, with vessels scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is adding new calls to West Africa on its South Africa service as former alliance partner Maersk pulls out of direct services from the continent.

The Hong Kong-based JV will provide coordination, performance management and strategic oversight of all origin locations across Asia for members of the BCO group.

But the growing synergy and efficiencies of its Gemini network with Maersk are expected to generate significant savings over the next few quarters, CEO Rolf Habben Jansen says.

Ports in Europe and Asia, especially Rotterdam, Antwerp, Singapore and Shanghai, have been grappling with congestion-related issues such as berthing and cargo delays for several months.

Taiwan-based ocean carriers say US tariffs are taking a toll on trans-Pacific volumes.

OOCL’s newest express shuttle service from China to Mexico joins other carrier services linking the two and underscores the ongoing growth in trade between the two countries.

Exporters’ proclivity for rate shopping leads to choppiness in a market that is also beholden to vessels being pulled into larger ocean freight markets.

Import volumes for September through December are expected to come in each month about 20% under the comparable 2024 levels, according to the latest Global Port Tracker, with tariff-linked frontloading one of the primary reasons.

But standing in the way of accelerated margin improvement is the volatile North American market to which the carrier is heavily exposed in logistics.

Globalization is accelerating on the back of the commercial success of Chinese companies that are taking market share on the global stage, according to the Maersk CEO.

Vincent Clerc said while the solid on-time performance levels had to be maintained before any commercial discussions would be held with customers, the time was coming.

Forwarders said space for bookings, especially to the more-demanding West Mediterranean market, has become acutely tight due to multiple blank calls in recent weeks.

Trans-Pacific rates are falling sharply, but the ability of carriers to withdraw capacity, the potential for continued diversions away from the Red Sea, and long-term changes to the global trade landscape due to US tariff policy mean liners have levers to pull.

The number of unique services on routes navigating through Houthi-controlled waters has doubled since the third quarter of last year, according to data from eeSea, as carriers who do not call Israel feel growing comfort sailing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

The sanctions list targets the shipping interests of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of Ali Shamkhani, a political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The trans-Pacific carrier said China volumes were whipsawed by the Trump administration’s trade policy, with shippers likely to slow their ordering during the third quarter.

Trade uncertainties are limiting visibility for the latter half of the carrier’s fiscal year, prompting it to significantly reduce its profit expectations.

Development of the new terminal comes as gains in transshipment volumes are outpacing the increase in gateway cargo at Busan, where transshipment business has been bolstered by the launch of the Gemini Cooperation earlier this year.

Local liner sources who spoke with the Journal of Commerce signaled that carriers would cancel increase notices scheduled for Aug. 1 and instead extend existing prices through the first half of the month.

As tariff fatigue sets in, US retailers are concentrating more on their product delivery needs rather than adjusting their supply chains on the fly to the vagaries of the Trump administration’s trade policy.

The Marseilles-based carrier said the unstable operating environment was disrupting trade flows and leading to growing uncertainty about demand in the major markets.

The company did not disclose the identity of the potential Chinese investor in the $23 billion deal, although it is widely thought to be Cosco Shipping Holdings.

Double-digit demand is expected to continue through the third quarter on the Asia-Europe trades, piling more pressure on terminals that have been overstretched for months.

The carrier announced in March it would spend $20 billion over the next four years to significantly bolster its logistics presence in the US, including expanding its US-flag fleet and increasing capacity at key US ports.

Local freight forwarders have reported rate increases in the range of $300 to $500 per FEU month over month and expect further slight gains if the pace of demand remains steady.

The joint venture is accompanied by a long-term agreement that will lock in the supply of LNG to the ocean carrier’s fast-growing dual-fuel fleet that will increase to 123 vessels by 2029.

MSC’s orders at two Chinese shipyards continue the carrier’s long association with Chinese shipbuilders, with the liner seemingly undeterred by US proposals to levy hefty port fees on Chinese-built ships.