Container shipping

No carrier was untouched by a 22.4% drop in containerized US imports through May, with 36 of the 40 largest lines registering year-over-year volume declines, according to the Journal of Commerce’s Top 40 Container Carriers by US Imports and Exports.

The Panama Canal’s limits on vessel drafts and transits have yet to make big impact on container shipping, but at least one forwarder is warning shippers not to be complacent.

The rapid normalization of container shipping markets claimed its first victims as tumbling rate levels dragged Yang Ming and compatriot carrier Wan Hai into the red in the second quarter.

Sources say USMX has made the ILA an offer on par with the increases the ILWU secured in its latest contract. However, the ILA also wants stronger protections for work jurisdiction and automation.

Shippers and forwarders recently surveyed by Freightos believe artificial intelligence will reduce headcounts in the logistics industry, even if they have yet to figure out how best to use the still-emerging technology.

The first-half results of Hapag-Lloyd and HMM mirror those reported by their peers, with earnings severely challenged by the rapidly normalizing market.

A district attorney for the parish that would be home to the proposed new Louisiana International Terminal alleges the Port of New Orleans has no legal basis to operate there.

The Hamburg-based carrier is testing a prototype container with a steel floor that is easier to repair and clean than traditional wooden floors, decreasing the chance of cargo contamination, particularly invasive pests.

Despite unfavorable comparisons with last year, volume between Asia and the Mediterranean has surpassed that recorded in pre-pandemic 2019.

The German forwarder aims to make significant cuts in emissions for customers on the ocean leg of their container transport.

The latest lawsuit from International Longshoremen’s Association ups the damages the union is seeking from ocean carriers that used the Port of Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman terminal.

AlisCargo will join MSC’s air freight division in early 2024 as the ocean carrier steadily builds out its global air network.

The latest China–India service follows the announcement of another new string from CULines and capacity increases from other carriers, including Pacific International Lines, Evergreen Marine and Regional Container Lines.

The disruption laid bare the limits the Trudeau government will exercise to push both sides to a deal that was ratified Friday by longshore union membership at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

Maersk has invested $10.5 billion in its logistics and services business to date, but results are falling behind plan after last year’s volumes evaporated.

The carrier has more than two-thirds of its volume under long-term agreements, which provided some insulation from the tumbling second-quarter spot market.

The deal with Yang Ming follows similar slot charter agreements that HMM inked with Hapag-Lloyd in mid-July and Ocean Network Express in March.

A report card from the environmental campaigner claimed there was distinct lack of progress from the world’s largest retailers and ocean carriers on reducing supply chain emissions.

While the magnitude of peak season in any given year may have macroeconomic significance in shedding light on the strength of consumer spending and the economy overall, it is only one factor driving the market conditions that affect the physical movement of goods, writes Peter Tirschwell.

The rulemaking has underscored sharp divisions in the industry on whether the maritime regulator needs to take a heavier hand with liners following complaints by shippers.

Ocean rates for North Europe to North America have fallen significantly below pre-pandemic levels on some trade lane indices after a wild three-year ride that took container shipping prices to record levels.

Familiar reminders of the disruptions to supply chains caused by climate change, such as low water levels on the Rhine River and in the Panama Canal and wildfires in North America, are becoming more frequent and intense.

Inclusion in the European Union’s emissions trading system will affect not only the cost of shipping to and from the EU, but will likely put upward pressure on pricing for cargo that doesn’t touch the EU at all, writes analyst Lars Jensen.

A challenging operating environment pulled down revenue and earnings at DHL, but the Germany-based integrator remains in a highly profitable position ahead of an uncertain second half.

The value of Brazil’s exports to European and Mediterranean countries is rising faster than those to the US, while Europe is also increasingly taking a greater share of Brazilian exports in percentage terms, trade figures show.

The financial results of the Singapore-based carrier reflect a return to a more normal container shipping market, albeit one characterized by weak demand from inflation-hit destination markets.

The membership of the International Longshore Warehouse Union Canada has rejected a four-year contract at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, which employers say would have included a 19.2%. compounded wage increase.

The latest decision upheld an initial ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that allowed the International Longshoremen’s Association to sue ocean carriers that called Charleston’s Leatherman terminal.

"Normalizing" container shipping market conditions slashed more than $6 billion from CMA CGM's quarterly earnings compared with an overheated 2022, but the carrier remains in a healthy financial position.

Forwarders have an opportunity to reduce labor costs and improve margins using artificial intelligence (AI), but managing the transition away from a human workforce could prove difficult.

The FMC commissioner wants to implement uniform empty return dates and define “container availability” as when the container is available for pick up, among other proposals.

Concerned over the trade chaos at Mundra, India’s Container Shipping Lines Association said that vessel scheduling on services out of the country had become a major challenge for carriers.

Only local unions at the ports of New York and New Jersey and Baltimore have come to tentative terms on local issues, with the ILA’s chief negotiator saying employers in other ports “have not taken the talks seriously.”

CN said it will take up to eight weeks to clear the cargo backlog at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert as the industry waits to see if ILWU Canada’s rank and file will accept terms of the tentative deal reached last week.

The decision by DSV and Kuehne + Nagel to protect yields at the expense of volume is allowing the forwarders to move into an uncertain second half in a solidly profitable position.

The CEOs of DSV and Kuehne + Nagel, shrugging off heavily distorted year-over-year comparisons, described their second-quarter results as “solid” and reflective of the evolving normalization of the air and ocean markets.

The president of the International Longshoremen’s Association says automation and new technology are an existential threat to union members and other maritime employees worldwide.

The Georgia Ports Authority has acknowledged the added berth capacity was sorely needed during the worst of the pandemic-driven port congestion when Savannah’s queue hit more than 30 ships in September 2021.

The new price levels signal the intent of carriers to drive up freight-all-kinds rates in a move to capitalize on any increased buying should a peak season emerge.

GSC intends to combine its expertise in servicing containerized imports in the retail sector with MacMillan-Piper's experience in warehousing and transloading of primarily export commodities.