Container lines

Maersk’s order of up to twelve 16,000-TEU methanol-powered ships raises the question of how other container lines will follow, as some carriers are betting on LNG to meet tightening emission restrictions and others are waiting to see how best to shift away from traditional bunker fuel.

The seeking of legal resolutions to conflicts between shippers and container line shippers and carriers over service contracts brings a new set of challenges to both sides, writes analyst Lars Jensen.

Disruption across major ocean trade lanes has tightened capacity at a time of soaring demand, pushing container rates to historically high levels and generating extreme profits for carriers.

The US Department of Transportation outlines projects along the US West and East coasts, Midwest, and Pacific Islands that aim to promote coastal transportation of freight.

Zim Integrated Shipping Services said it expects governmental pressures on container lines to slow steam ships will blunt significant new capacity additions slated to hit the water 2023.

DB Schenker’s Thorsten Meincke says container lines are doing their “best possible to get the supply chain running,” although he warns US landside challenges will continue to challenge efforts.

Although US imports from Asia have returned to single-digit growth after 11 consecutive months of double-digit increases, the cargo base is so large that even incremental growth this peak season will result in record import volumes.

Maersk’s acquisition of Visible Supply Chain Management last week adds nine fulfillment centers to its distribution network, allowing it to reach 95 percent of the US direct-to-consumer market within 48 hours.

Maersk has shifted its call at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) on the India/Middle East–Mediterranean ME2 service to the PSA-operated BMCT after increasing vessel capacity on the loop to an average of 10,000 TEU.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is adding a new string connecting India with the US and revising its two existing loops to capitalize on growing demand in the capacity-constrained trade.

The Tuesday introduction of a bill that would significantly change US shipping law for the first time in two decades drew sharp fire from container lines, who argue the legislation is infused with “unfairness” that risks making imports and exports more expensive.

The head of India’s container shipping lines group says carriers have pulled out all the stops to improve equipment flow and vessel capacity, noting that supply challenges have been compounded by congestion across international hub ports.

OOCL has launched a first-of-its-kind, multi-modal service that will use the Asian land bridge and rail to transship to US East Coast ports.

Maersk’s acquisition of a US parcel logistics provider and its plan to acquire a European-based provider provide the missing links in the container’s line strategy to offer shippers end-to-end solutions from Asian factory floor to final delivery.

A US importer’s complaint to US regulators of not getting trans-Pacific service contracts honored underscores how cargo demand and diminished efficiency leading to tighter capacity across all modes including ports is creating conflicts with carriers over agreed contracted volume allocations.

Federal maritime regulators have ordered eight container lines to provide details showing how port congestion surcharges meet legal and regulatory requirements, the latest escalation in increased US oversight of container shipping.

Maersk upgraded revenue and profit expectations for the full-year 2021 as it sees a better-than-expected demand for trans-Pacific shipping.

A formal complaint from a US home goods importer to maritime regulators is the first of its kind since the COVID-19 pandemic began and speaks to a growing sentiment among shippers and some forwarders that container lines have unfairly taken advantage of the resulting disruption.

Matson said the trans-Pacific continues to see high demand coupled with congestion at load ports, adding that all its premium services look to be nearly full through the first quarter of 2022.

The average price to ship an FEU from Shanghai to Los Angeles hit an all-time record, according to the Drewry World Container Index, and container lines will begin levying another round of surcharges starting as early as Aug. 1.

The average price to ship an FEU from Shanghai to Los Angeles hit an all-time record, according to the Drewry World Container Index , and container lines will begin levying another round of surcharges starting as early as Aug. 1.

FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye on Wednesday made recommendations on how Congress and the agency itself can beef up its enforcement of unlawful detention and demurrage.

The reopening of the US and European economies after last year’s COVID-19 lockdowns spurred a resurgence in the trans-Atlantic container trade as business activity in two of the world’s largest economies showed better than expected growth in May.

The reopening of the US and European economies after last year’s COVID-19 lockdowns spurred a resurgence in the trans-Atlantic container trade as business activity in two of the world’s largest economies showed better than expected growth in May, with increases concentrated at US ports that have undergone major expansions.

Expectations are that reliability is likely to fall further in the coming months as carriers add new services and deploy extra-loader vessels to meet peak season demand that arrives amid the never-ending onslaught of imports from Asia.

North American companies are signaling that they will need to build up larger inventory buffers to meet strong US consumer demand, something that will keep up pressure on ocean freight.

Forwarders say US importers of lower-value cargo from Asia and those with low margins are increasingly priced out of the trans-Pacific market as peak season volumes further tax the shipping system.

US retail inventories as a percent of sales sits at an all-time low, but many importers and shippers are getting priced out of restocking because of high ocean freight rates.

US retail inventories as a percent of sales sits at an all-time low, but many importers and shippers are getting priced out of restocking because of high ocean freight rates.

Forwarders say US importers of lower-value cargo from Asia and those with low margins are increasingly priced out of the trans-Pacific market as peak season volumes further tax the shipping system.

A liner-led consortium aimed at using blockchain to digitize key container shipping processes has launched a cargo release product in China.

A liner-led consortium aimed at using blockchain to digitize key container shipping processes has launched a cargo release product in China.

The carrier-led standards consortium DCSA on Wednesday established definitions for five key port call phases to improve messaging between carriers and terminals.

US maritime regulators have told the top container lines operating in the US to open up their books for an audit of how they assess storage charges amid increased pressure from Congress and the White House to crack down on unreasonable detention and demurrage fees.

US maritime regulators have told the top container lines operating in the United States to open up their books for an audit of how they assess storage charges amid increased pressure from Congress and the White House to crack down on unreasonable detention and demurrage fees.

A bill expected to be introduced in Congress in August would drive a sweeping bipartisan overhaul of US shipping law if passed.

The MSC-Shell deal shows that commercially viable solutions for zero-emission fuels are a long way from being available at scale.

The container shipping industry orderbook has continued to grow this year as carriers shake off the restraints that kept the order-to-fleet ratio at a record low for the past two years.

While there are many elements involved in the US’s renewed scrutiny of ocean shipping, some added perspective is useful, particularly related to consolidation among container carriers.

The agreement creates a framework for Federal Maritime Commission and Department of Justice officials to share information and expertise when relevant and useful to monitoring and enforcing shipping law.