Container shipping

News and analysis of ocean containerized cargo movement, logistics, supply chains, technology, and end-to-end connectivity.

The latest Container shipping News & Analysis

Trans-Pacific preps for weak, shorter peak season before new capacity hits

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 21, 2023, 1:48 PM EDT

With a significantly shorter peak season expected this year, the ability of carriers to match capacity to demand will be tested over the next six months as they seek to keep spot rates from dipping below contract levels.
Container shippingMaritimeContainer linesTrans-PacificPortsNorth American ports

NWSA auto imports up sharply amid new business from Hyundai, GM

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 21, 2023, 9:30 AM EDT

New and expanded auto imports landing at the Northwest Seaport Alliance come as carriers take advantage of its proximity to Asian ports during a time of scarce ro/ro tonnage.
Ro/ro cargoTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Clock ticking on Europe’s new multimodal green transport proposals

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 21, 2023, 8:58 AM EDT

With European parliamentary elections set for early June 2024, road and rail lobby groups have emphasized the urgency of getting the latest freight transport measures adopted.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesAsia-Europe

Forwarders eager to transition to digital ocean freight booking: study

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 21, 2023, 8:39 AM EDT

Research by ECU Worldwide found that about half of ocean freight bookings are made via email, highlighting the importance of connecting booking platforms to email systems.
Logistics technologyForwarding

GRI success, rising imports drive spot rates higher as trans-Pac peak season nears

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 20, 2023, 2:42 PM EDT

Retailers and NVOs aren’t sure if spot rates will continue to increase steadily through the peak season or whether new capacity expected to enter the trans-Pacific in the coming months will cause rates to fall again.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

UPDATE: Western Canada longshore workers retract notice of Saturday strike

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 20, 2023, 12:18 PM EDT

The rejection of last week’s tentative contract deal by a caucus of ILWU Canada narrows the prospects of a resolution without one imposed by Parliament through back-to-work legislation.
Longshore laborTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Email technology provider Sedna snares funding targeting maritime, forwarding sectors

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 20, 2023, 11:24 AM EDT

Sedna’s approach of allowing companies to retain their email systems while extending their value has won new forwarding and bulk customers and a fresh capital infusion.
Logistics technologyMaritimeContainer shippingForwardingSupply Chain

India-US contract rates tick up after July GRI activity

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | Jul 20, 2023, 10:35 AM EDT

Freight forwarder sources in India believe the success of a fourth round of general rate increases scheduled for Aug. 1 will hinge on the ability of carriers to hold firm on recent pricing gains.
Container shippingContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

Longshore labor unrest a new daily fact of life for North American shippers

Peter Tirschwell | Jul 19, 2023, 3:42 PM EDT

Part of the new dynamic on the waterfront reflects wider transportation labor activism where rail, aviation, trucking and longshore workers have achieved or are seeking to achieve substantial enhancements in pay and work rules, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Longshore laborContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Asia-Europe blank sailings hit two-year low despite sluggish market

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 19, 2023, 12:04 PM EDT

Ocean carriers are showing a lack of urgency to blank sailings even as China’s exports weaken and new vessels continue to come online.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesAsia-Europe

Antwerp-Bruges H1 volumes slide on weak demand, poor industrial outlook

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 18, 2023, 1:32 PM EDT

The fall hid some upbeat trends, with the number of refrigerated containers rising more than 10% in the first half and the rate of decline in overall volumes easing in the second quarter.
International portsContainer shippingContainer linesAsia-EuropeBreakbulk shippingRo/ro cargo

Logistics technology market grappling with pandemic period overhiring

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 18, 2023, 11:38 AM EDT

A return to normal freight demand is part of the reason for layoffs across the logistics technology sector, but just as important is investor focus on cost controls and a path to profitability.
Logistics technologyMaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesForwardingSupply Chain

Post-COVID ocean market has normalized, not collapsed: analyst

Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner, Vespucci Maritime, and JOC Analyst | Jul 17, 2023, 12:06 PM EDT

It’s easy to paint developments in the global shipping market as extreme, but when context is provided, the market is on many levels almost boringly normal at present, writes analyst Lars Jensen.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

Kontainers founder starts new shipper-focused rate management tech provider

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 17, 2023, 10:09 AM EDT

Most of the landscape for container rate management vendors has focused on tools for forwarders, leaving a gap in software targeting shippers.
Logistics technologyContainer shipping

CIMC, Singamas issue profit warnings on weak demand for new containers

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 14, 2023, 1:40 PM EDT

The expected declines followed a drop in demand for marine containers due to weakened economic and trade growth this year, both companies said in filings to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Container shippingContainer linesForwardingTrans-Pacific

Zim expects EBIT loss up to $500 million in revised 2023 guidance, citing soft rates

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 13, 2023, 11:08 AM EDT

The carrier’s CEO said the company would continue to “actively manage and rationalize” its fleet and services during the current downturn in the global shipping market.
Container linesContainer shippingTrans-Pacific

Fewer empty imports reconfigure Indian containerized trade patterns

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | Jul 13, 2023, 9:53 AM EDT

The new trade pattern reflects in large part a sharp drop in empty equipment imports amid weakening demand conditions, rather than sustained export trade, industry observers say.
Container shippingContainer linesInternational ports

Evergreen confirms orders for 24 methanol-ready container ships

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 12, 2023, 2:51 PM EDT

The ships add to the growing order backlog of methanol-powered container ships that currently total at least 100 vessels, equivalent to about 12% of vessels on order, according to ship brokers.
Container linesContainer shipping

Cargo recovery along USWC began prior to tentative labor deal: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting; and JOC analyst | Jul 12, 2023, 2:05 PM EDT

The doom and gloom regarding cargo diverted away from the US West Coast during recent labor strife may have been excessive, as importers are not eager to permanently adopt higher-cost routings when a reliable lower-cost option with reasonable service exists, writes analyst Larry Gross.
North American portsContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

Wholesale weakness slowing US inventory destocking, freight demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jul 12, 2023, 10:59 AM EDT

US businesses may have passed the inventory peak, but data shows stockpiles remain high, and a weak wholesale retail market is depressing imports and surface freight shipments.
SurfaceContainer shippingTruckingRailSupply Chain

Holt Logistics, HMM step into bidding fray for new operator of Wilmington’s port

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 2:27 PM EDT

Delaware’s Port of Wilmington received an improved offer from a stevedoring firm to take over operations, but the bid faces a challenge from Holt, who claims the search process was unfair.
North American portsContainer shipping

Visibility product launches show cargo market open to new options

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 10:02 AM EDT

Three new visibility products — from a hardware provider, a forwarder and a data provider — are evidence of a diverse cargo visibility market that is expanding options for shippers.
Logistics technologyContainer shippingSurfaceAir CargoSupply Chain

Raft's focus on AI yields fruit as investors re-up in logistics software provider

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT

A variety of technology providers are aiming to arm forwarders with AI-backed tools that help with areas like customer service and rate quoting, while others are focused on technology enabling internal operational efficiency.
Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

Volume boost, construction snarls Jacksonville’s Blount Island drayage traffic

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 10, 2023, 4:04 PM EDT

The problems flared in recent weeks after Ocean Network Express shifted a vessel service out of Jacksonville’s other primary container terminal, Dames Point, causing a volume imbalance between the two terminals.
North American portsContainer linesPortsPort infrastructureSurfaceTrucking

Prior NY-NJ empty container woes linked to FMC complaint against Hapag-Lloyd

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 7, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

 The carrier is the target of another shipper complaint regarding demurrage and detention fees, this time the indirect result of empty container congestion at the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingNorth American ports

US imports building toward August peak, but labor concerns weigh: retailers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 7, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

The Global Port Tracker says prospects for a recession in the second half of the year are dimming and imports should increase as consumer demand ticks up and retailers reduce the inventory overhang that has kept warehouses full over the past year.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Revised IMO emissions targets set clear timeline: shipping groups

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 7, 2023, 11:58 AM EDT

The London meeting of the IMO’s environment committee has upgraded its emissions goals, but it is only the starting point in a long and difficult decarbonization journey.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer lines

US House bills keep shipping reform effort alive even after freight rate plunge

Peter Tirschwell | Jul 7, 2023, 11:06 AM EDT

Although there remain multiple obstacles to further legislation being signed into law, bipartisan support that shipping reform attracted in 2021 and 2022 has led to a situation in which certain additional provisions stand at least a 50-50 chance of being enacted this year, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Container shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Strategic investment underpins ONE’s ‘sustainable profitability’ target: Nixon

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 7, 2023, 9:50 AM EDT

The Singapore-based carrier’s multi-billion-dollar investment plan into terminals, new ships and decarbonization is meant to secure the right assets in the right areas to keep it in the black.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Singapore port body joins cross-industry decarbonization alliance

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 7, 2023, 9:33 AM EDT

Deeper public-private sector collaboration between global maritime industry players and the MPA will unlock key investments across the Indian and Pacific oceans, Lloyd’s Register believes.
PortsContainer shippingInternational ports

Trans-Pacific services get reworked as freight downturn continues

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 6, 2023, 5:28 PM EDT

Ocean carriers are pulling a variety of levers, such as cancelled services, new port calls and slow steaming, to keep ships on the water in the face of weak demand.
Container linesContainer shippingTrans-Pacific

Japan’s Nagoya port resumes cargo handling operations after ransomware attack

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 6, 2023, 1:27 PM EDT

Ocean Network Express said container operations on three vessels were affected by the disruption, but that loading and unloading had now been completed.
Container shippingContainer linesInternational ports

Ocean carriers in Europe facing multi-billion-dollar emissions price tag

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 6, 2023, 9:42 AM EDT

While the International Maritime Organization battles to reach agreement on a global carbon levy, the huge cost of compliance with Europe’s market-based carbon levies is becoming clearer.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer lines

New capacity wave heading for trans-Pac trade: Sea-Intelligence

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 5, 2023, 4:06 PM EDT

The long-anticipated wave of container ship newbuildings will hit the water by the end of August, despite a weak cargo market that threatens to keep the new ships underutilized.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

First-half revenue, earnings contract sharply at Cosco, OOCL

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 5, 2023, 9:31 AM EDT

The extent to which the rapidly cooling container shipping market is hurting China’s main carriers is likely to be repeated across the industry as reporting season approaches.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-Europe

Maersk warns of hefty Asia-Europe rate hike from July 31

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 4, 2023, 8:58 AM EDT

The carrier is attempting to stem the spot rate slide in a weak demand-high-capacity environment that has seen freight prices fall more than 80% from the record highs of early last year.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesAsia-Europe

Weakening ocean market puts renewed focus on Maersk integrator strategy

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 3, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

The carrier accelerated its reach into the direct shipper market during the pandemic when access to vessel space was severely limited, but as demand slows and capacity grows, the company may need to increase its forwarder business.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

Shipping industry braced for extended strike at BC ports

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 2, 2023, 1:57 PM EDT

The pressure is on the Trudeau government to use its political capital to force a deal between employers and longshore workers at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert after the latter began a strike Saturday.
Longshore laborMaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Logistics integration partnerships defy freight demand downturn

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jun 30, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

Growing partnerships between software vendors and integrators with expertise in their solutions and their customers systems highlight the importance of the technological plumbing that underpins logistics networks.
Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

No sign yet of recovery as trans-Atlantic, Asia-Europe rate decline continues

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jun 30, 2023, 10:41 AM EDT

Sustained weakness in demand, excess capacity and ongoing economic uncertainty are undermining the container trade in and out of Europe, making a third-quarter rebound increasingly unlikely.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-Europe