Forwarding

German-Russian business ties were on full display at a reception in St. Petersburg hosted by the Port of Hamburg, where politics was a main theme of discussion.

The International Maritime Bureau said the threat of cyberattacks in the maritime sector has intensified in the past few months, as shipping and supply chains become the “next playground for hackers.”

Containerized furniture imports into the United States saw growth in the first half of 2014, as a strong number of shipments in the second quarter offset weak volumes in the first quarter.

At least two ships have been quarantined and all others coming from Asia to the United States will be heavily scrutinized as officials attempt to block an invasive species from making landfall in the U.S.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in the coming months, although any gains achieved could be fleeting as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Containerized footwear imports into the United States plummeted in the first half of 2014, although the industry is optimistic sales will pick up in the second half of the year.

Thousands of containers of agricultural products heading to Russia are still on the water, in limbo until shippers can find new destinations for their goods.

A good peak season will lead to a shortage of containers, with the inventory of new boxes standing at less than two months of the required levels, Singamas chairman Teo Siong Seng said in Hong Kong.

Singamas chairman Teo Siong Seng does not believe the antidumping and countervailing duty investigation the company is facing in the U.S. will have a lasting effect on its business.

Port Metro Vancouver is receiving a modest windfall in container volume thanks to the uncertainties surrounding longshore contract negotiations on the U.S. West Coast, but it might have profited even more if its terminals had more capacity to handle diverted cargo. Projects are planned to expand its capacity substantially over the next 10 years.

The melting polar icecap is reheating ages-old dreams of cross-Arctic shortcuts for deep-draft ships sailing between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But logistics managers shouldn’t count on it happening next year — or even in the next decade.

A shift from small container ships to fewer but larger ships could result in a decline in the number of vessels on the water this year, the first decrease in 20 years, Drewry Maritime Research said.

Nine straight weeks of steady declines in pricing of low-sulfur bunker fuel have brought the price per metric ton down to the lowest levels in more than three years.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in August, although any gains achieved could be fleeting as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Diversions related to the ongoing negotiations on the U.S. West Coast between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association continue to have an impact elsewhere.

Containerized auto parts imports into the United States continued to trend upwards in the first half of 2014, in a market that has seen growth of over 10 percent in the past two years.

The top four ports on the U.S. East Coast saw delays in both arrivals and berth times in June, partially because of a surge in traffic from cargo diversions to East Coast during peak season.

Refrigerated capacity in the container ship fleet is expected to surge around 22 percent through 2018, at the expense of a declining specialized reefer fleet, according to Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review & Forecast.

Container terminals in gateway ports around the world, already suffering from congestion caused by mega-ships, may not be able to keep up with their ever-increasing size because of limits on crane technology and the lack of yard space.

Nearly half of all post-Panamax ships saw delays of 12 hours or more at North and South American ports in July, according to a new study released by CargoSmart.

U.S. container imports could hit an all-time record in August, as July data shows container numbers soared year-over-year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Within days of it being officially announced, work on a second channel of the Suez Canal has apparently already begun and, according to Egyptian authorities, will be completed within a year.

Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA, the world’s largest deep-sea roll-on, roll-off carrier, posted a 30 percent decline in second-quarter profit as one-off charges offset a double-digit increase in cargo volume.

Troubles in the Pacific Northwest dominated the news this week.

Starting Aug. 8, DP World Vancouver will stop accepting U.S.-bound containers intended for direct transfer to rail, citing a lack of railcars to handle the surge of cargo headed across the border.

Egypt today unveiled plans to build a “second” Suez Canal alongside the existing waterway to keep pace with growing traffic on the Asia-Europe shipping lanes.

More gloom has darkened the outlook for the export of U.S. distiller dried grains now that China is requiring all shipments to have a certification showing the feed ingredient doesn’t include an unapproved genetically modified strain.

The first half of 2014 saw the start of several stories that JOC.com will most likely be covering for the next year and perhaps beyond.

China will remain the clear leader in U.S. footwear imports even as Vietnam and other countries nibble away at its market share, according to a new forecast by the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America.

More shippers contracting with C.H. Robinson Worldwide shifted loads from railroad to highway in the second quarter after seeing intermodal rail service deteriorate.

DSV today became the latest top 10 freight forwarder to post market-beating growth in ocean container traffic as the consolidation of the fragmented global logistics industry gathers pace.

The Suez Canal’s major deepening project is just over the horizon as crews will start widening and dredging a 34-kiliometer strip in order to improve wait times for vessels using the canal.

When the Nicaraguan government earlier this month approved plans by a Hong Kong-based company to build a canal linking the Pacific with the Caribbean and thus the Atlantic, observers in the maritime industry were largely left scratching their heads.

Container volume at the Port of Philadelphia jumped 29 percent during the first half of the year, aided by two new services and a continuing shift of breakbulk to containers for shipments of imported fruit.

Several container lines have planned general rate increases in multiple trade lanes in August, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is seeking authority to use its website instead of the Federal Register to provide public notice when it revokes or suspends the licenses of ocean transportation intermediaries.

INTTRA has hired John F. Fay, formerly of brokerage Newedge Group, as CEO, effective immediately.

Multiple carriers have announced general rate increases on several trade routes to take effect in August.

First-quarter 2014 numbers are in for the U.S. containerized ocean trade, with year-over-year results essentially flat.

The U.S.-Asia ocean container trade increased 2.7 percent to 20 million 20-foot-equivalent units in the 12 months ending March 2014 compared with the prior 12-month period, according to data from PIERS, the data division of JOC Group.