Trans-Pacific

News and analysis of trans-Pacific rates, volumes, services, reliability, contracting, ports, end-to-end strategies

The latest Trans-Pacific News & Analysis

US warehouse fluidity returning to normal amid import drop, inventory discipline

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
US importers have finally cleared out most of the inventory overhang that kept their warehouses at capacity and created bottlenecks in their supply chains.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificLast Mile News

Order book more ‘manageable’ if measured in ship numbers, not TEUs: analyst

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Although the incoming capacity will outstrip demand on the major trades over the next two years, the capacity overhang that has been touted in many corners of the shipping sector is being overstated, says an industry analyst.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Ashcroft Terminal to expand railcar storage to alleviate Vancouver congestion

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
The project, in coordination with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, is due to be completed in late 2024 and will help move cargo faster through Western Canada.
North-American railTrans-PacificNorth American portsPort infrastructure

Carriers weigh options as Panama Canal restrictions become a fact of life

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
The soonest the Panama Canal Authority says it could see significant relief is 2028, raising the possibility of persistent drought restrictions and reduced container capacity and transits until then, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Container linesMaritimeContainer Shipping NewsTrans-Pacific

No easy fix on horizon for Panama Canal woes as shipping sector scrambles

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
Carriers, shippers and logistics executives may have to get accustomed to drought-related restrictions along the critically important waterway, with costly water-saving infrastructure improvements years away.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-Pacific

US imports from Asia hit 2023 high in October despite muted peak season

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
While October is typically one of the busiest months of the year for West Coast ports, the region’s market share of imports from Asia slipped markedly from September, but carrier executives said that was an anomaly linked to capacity cuts in the eastbound trans-Pacific.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Taiwan's major container lines see nine-month profits plunge amid market downturn

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
Yang Ming said the imbalance between vessel supply and cargo demand, high inflation and geopolitical risks will be among the factors pressuring the ocean market into 2024.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Hapag-Lloyd prioritizes costs as rates, earnings plummet

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor |
The carrier has followed its peers with a sharp decline in earnings, and although still highly profitable, its CEO warned that rates on the east-west trade lanes are at unsustainable levels.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Zim reinstates China-US fast ship service to target e-commerce demand

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
US e-commerce imports are filling much of the available air cargo capacity out of China, spurring the ocean carrier to bring back an expedited service it was forced to mothball eight months ago.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-Pacific

USWC-bound ships boost reliability in September amid cargo push

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
On-time performance to the West Coast improved during the busiest month of 2023 for Asian imports to date, but East Coast reliability took a dip.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

ILA contract expiration, Panama Canal limits favor West Coast ports: Matson

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
Pacific-focused Matson has already enjoyed the return of some cargoes that had been diverted to the East and Gulf coasts but are now returning to the West Coast after the ILWU ratified its contract in September.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

‘No vacancy’ signs up on trans-Pacific as e-commerce demand absorbs air cargo capacity

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
A month ago, no one was predicting a peak season for air cargo on the trans-Pacific, but finding space from China to the US has become difficult as e-commerce demand heats up.
Air CargoTrans-PacificAir Cargo Carriers NewsAir Cargo Forwarder News

Hobbled Panama Canal pinched further as eastern Asia factory growth favors Suez

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
The Panama Canal faces the prospect of transit and loading limitations becoming a regular feature of all-water transits to eastern North America, while a shift of trade out of China increasingly favors Suez Canal routings in the longer-term, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Kuehne + Nagel sees no inflection point yet for global freight recovery

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The world’s largest ocean forwarder by volume said that despite an uptick in container freight during the third quarter, many customers still have too much inventory on hand from prior years.
ForwardingContainer Shipping NewsTrans-Pacific

Retailers pivot in fast-moving trans-Pacific as carriers accelerate blank sailings

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
Facing the prospect of low-single-digit volume growth through the Lunar New Year in February, carriers so far this month have effectively reduced almost 22% of trans-Pacific capacity through blank sailings, according to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-Pacific

Overcapacity offers trans-Pacific shippers a familiar — and unreliable — bargain

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
Efforts by carriers to mitigate overcapacity via blank sailings amid depressed container spot rates spell sustained deterioration in container service in general for the foreseeable future, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Trans-PacificContainer lines

Supply-demand imbalance drags down Cosco’s nine-month profits

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The normalization of container shipping markets is being accelerated by a surplus of capacity, with predictable results on the profitability of ocean carriers.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Typhoon leaves vessel delays in its wake as ports in China, Taiwan reopen

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
Both Hongkong International Terminals and Modern Terminals confirmed cargo handling operations at their facilities at Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung container port were halted for about 33 hours, gradually resuming late Monday afternoon.
Container Shipping NewsTrans-PacificAsia-EuropeInternational ports

OOCL bucks trans-Pac trend with sharp rise in Q3 volume, but revenue slumps

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The Cosco subsidiary reported mostly positive volume metrics for both the third quarter and nine months through September, although revenues were down sharply.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-Europe

Rail dwells rising along West Coast amid shortage of available rail cars

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor and Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Marine terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach and the Pacific Northwest are dealing with an increase in rail container dwell times owing to an east-west imbalance in rail equipment that has worsened in recent weeks.
Marine terminalsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Rising green fuel costs offer looming challenge for carriers, BCOs

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
While the costs of meeting shipping’s net-zero 2050 target are expected to run into the trillions, Europe’s emissions trading system presents a more immediate decarbonization cost that awaits European cargo owners in the new year.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Aggressive trans-Pac blank sailings likely through Lunar New Year amid freight downturn: sources

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
For importers and forwarders, the blank sailings mean the resulting schedule disruptions and “rolling” of cargo they are already experiencing at Asian load ports will force them to book more of their cargo with carriers they can count on to maintain schedule integrity.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Sourcing shift causes surge in South American logistics investment

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor |
New forwarding and ocean services are being added to South American trade lanes as service providers move to capture rising trade growth in the region.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificInternational ports

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd put shippers on notice ahead of European ETS surcharges

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The phased implementation of Europe’s emissions trading system on the shipping industry beginning next year will generate significant costs for carriers that will be passed on to customers in the form of new charges.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

More trans-Pac service cuts on tap for October as carriers seek to buoy rates

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The decision to suspend a service outright may represent a new leg down in terms of ship capacity, which is expected to grow sharply this year and next.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

Panama Canal draft restrictions offer sustained challenge for carriers

Peter Tirschwell |
Carrier executives and others say the draft limitations imposed due to a shortage of rainfall are creating a more difficult economic rationale for the so-called all-water route to the East Coast of North America.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Largest US ports record 20%-plus declines in trans-Pacific imports

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
The top four US ports, which accounted for 68.2% of US imports from Asia through August, experienced greater than 20% declines in Asian imports in the first eight months of 2023 whereas imports through Houston, the dominant port on the Gulf Coast, declined only 3.7%.
Container Shipping NewsTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Low rates, poor service to mark trans-Pacific trade amid capacity boom

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
Although importers can look forward to paying low freight rates at least into 2024 due to weak volumes and significant overcapacity in the trans-Pacific, aggressive capacity reductions through blank sailings will disrupt service levels, this week’s IANA conference was told.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

‘Golden Week’ surge turns to bust as trans-Pacific rates fall, blank sailings rise

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The gains in spot rates for ocean freight are eroding again as US importers see little need to book more space ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesForwarding

Flexport’s bumpy evolution shows, ultimately, people and relationships matter

Peter Tirschwell |
As many have observed in disparaging the notion of a “digital” forwarder, of which Flexport was the prototype, forwarding at its core is a business of people solving real-world problems for which there is not — and probably never will be — a technology solution, writes Peter Tirschwell.
ForwardingTrans-PacificLogistics Technology News

Zim, MSC ink cooperation deal on services linking Asia, Europe and Med

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Facing an operating loss of up to $500 million for 2023, Zim hopes the sharing arrangement with its larger competitor will help drive efficiencies “amidst continued near-term headwinds.”
Container linesContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Hopes for import rebound on trans-Pacific shift toward pre-Chinese New Year

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
US retailers historically stock up for the spring season and top off inventories following winter holiday depletion and before the Chinese New Year, but forwarders and carriers admit there’s no guarantee this time around.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

Trans-Pac carrier reliability slipped in July amid labor woes, Panama Canal limits

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
The ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert experienced a series of labor disruptions in July during longshore contract negotiations, while the Panama Canal implemented draft restrictions amid a severe drought.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Rate recovery could buoy container shipping in H2: Cosco

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
But in its interim earnings announcement, Cosco Shipping Holdings also maintained a cautious outlook due to challenges it cited, including the global economy, inflationary pressures in Europe and America, and the delivery of new vessels.
Container linesContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

NVOs chase market share or margin in demand downslope

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Supply overcapacity coupled with mediocre freight demand has the top 25 trans-Pacific non-vessel-operating common carriers deciding whether to chase lower margin business or suffer volume losses.
Container Shipping NewsMaritimeForwardingTrans-Pacific

MSC reconnects India to Asia-USWC string as contract rates tick higher

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent |
MSC, which has implemented large-scale network realignments in recent months, halted Indian calls on the Sentosa service in April when it opened a standalone intra-Asia loop.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

Carriers hold fast to trans-Pac capacity cuts amid unclear import demand

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Blank sailings during August held largely steady from July as the outlook for US import demand remains unclear, according to forwarders.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer lines

Lack of market clarity undermines positive sentiment: OOCL

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The Cosco Shipping subsidiary noted that significant uncertainties over economic growth prospects and the huge injection of capacity into major trade lanes made forecasting difficult.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

US July imports from Asia hit 11-month high, portending year-on-year fall growth

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
The fresh data also showed — starkly — how the West Coast’s share of imports from Asia eroded during the 13 months of contentious contract negotiations between the ILWU and waterfront employers.
Trans-PacificContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

Shippers reluctant to shoulder high cost of decarbonization: executives

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Getting shippers to commit to premium-priced, low-emissions shipping services is a hard sell for ocean carriers and forwarders as cargo owners enjoy rates that are now mostly below pre-pandemic levels after two years of record highs.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesForwardingTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-Europe