Marine terminals

Shippers who have built East and Gulf coast routings into their supply chains are taking no chances, raising the need for contingency plans in discussions with carriers and NVOs ahead of 2024 contract renewals.

The spending program will target the company’s logistics and services arm with a “substantial amount of investment” earmarked for its ocean and terminals infrastructure in the region.

The incident comes as dockworkers announced a further series of strikes this week at DP World's four Australian terminals in an ongoing row over new rostering arrangements.

DP World Australia plans to hike terminal access charges by up to 50% at its four terminals in the country from Jan. 1.

The ILA president says further progress on a new master contract, as well as port-specific local deals, can’t happen until the two sides agree on coastwide pay hikes.

While the carrier will not hold the controlling share, expanding its presence in Hamburg will cement MSC’s terminal operating position in Europe’s third-largest container shipping port.

Crowded terminals and a truck driver shortage in Europe and the Mediterranean are increasing landside delays and driving some shippers to consider calling secondary ports.

Meeting the Biden administration’s target of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy installed by 2030 will require floating offshore wind, which means building new, specialized port facilities to facilitate development in much deeper waters.

CMA CGM chairman Rodolphe Saade said he is seeing more customer demand than ever for Southeast Asia services that will eventually call at the carrier’s two recently acquired terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Transportation sensor provider Nexxiot and Deloitte are aiming to connect cargo visibility data with the consulting firm’s “know your customer” process to fast-track container movement.

While more port dredging will also be necessary, New York-New Jersey marine terminals are installing more of the cranes needed to handle 18,000-TEU ships that may eventually call the port.

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.

MSC’s move to extend its partnership with Eurogate in the north German gateway port follows a bid by the carrier for a half-stake in Hamburg’s largest terminal operator.

Emissions spiked at the ports during the pandemic due to record container volumes and unprecedented supply chain bottlenecks that caused ships to idle at anchorage and trucks to back up at terminal gates.

The facility will offer a unique option to transfer ocean containers into domestic equipment without the need for outside drayage or pool chassis.

Owning and operating potential supply chain chokepoints is a competitive advantage, and we should expect to see major carriers — flush with cash post-pandemic — be very active in attempting to secure such assets, writes analyst Lars Jensen.

The carrier has made a cash offer to acquire just under 50% of HHLA in a deal that will significantly expand its terminal and intermodal reach.

The head of terminal operator SSA Marine says ports along the US Gulf and Southeast have a strong cost advantage over the West Coast that is fueling their growth, with that gap only expected to widen.

Although the ITS terminal in Long Beach lost two major services in less than a year, the facility will remain open while it attempts to find customers to make up for the volume shortfall in the ongoing down market.

The regional air quality board is pushing back against what it says is “grossly inaccurate rhetoric” from transport interests who say a cap on Southern California cargo volumes may be on the horizon.

Sailing schedules showed delays of up to five days on some services due to the typhoons, including one that hit the coast of southern China Tuesday after sweeping across Taiwan at the weekend.

Beyond the supply chain snarls, permitting bottlenecks and high costs that are hampering offshore wind development generally, the Gulf is a less-than-ideal location for offshore wind compared with other parts of the US.

The completion of the terminal acquisitions gives the carrier a stronger footprint in the US’s largest East Coast gateway.

Some 75% of union members participating in the vote agreed to ratify the tentative contract that was reached in mid-June, opening the door to labor peace at West Coast ports at least through mid-2028.

For any number of product categories, relocating sourcing brings with it less efficient logistics, occasional lower quality and overall higher costs at a time when cost control is rapidly assuming a higher priority for shippers.

The Harbor Trucking Association is teaming with Yusen Terminals in Los Angeles to increase the number of appointment slots each day by cutting the container receiving window from two hours to 90 minutes.

Two congress members, backed by terminal operators, are insisting maritime regulators follow the congressional intent that underpins OSRA-22 or risk “severe” disruptions to the US supply chain.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the new leases attempt to “strike a balance” to reflect current market realities, but other MTO sources called the practice of sharing demurrage uncommon.

Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert are clearing out the backlog of containers that built up during the two weeks of dockworker strikes in July, with no significant vessel, rail or trucking delays to report, according to stakeholders.

Demand for container shipping in major destination markets remains subdued, so some of the world’s largest port operators are channeling their attention — and money — on growing business in emerging nations.

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.

Maritime employers expect New Jersey State Police oversight of longshore hiring in the state will be easier and less burdensome than it was under the soon-to-be dissolved Waterfront Commission.

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.

A weak global economy and limited demand in Europe has set the continent’s largest port on course for a second year of declining volume.

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.

The ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland will use the grant money for infrastructure projects that will promote more efficient freight movement as well as emissions-reduction efforts to meet clean-air goals.

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.

In addition to a 32% increase in dockworker wages over the life of the six-year deal, the tentative US West Coast longshore labor agreement includes a one-time $70 million bonus for staying on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After 13 months of contentious negotiations that spawned numerous job actions by dockworkers, the ILWU and waterfront employers will engage in a ratification process expected to take several months.