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Port News

The latest port news from the Journal of Commerce spans the globe from North Carolina and Florida to Shanghai and Singapore. Port news includes port automation, terminal construction projects, the future of decarbonization and net-zero shipping, dredging, port hinterland connectivity, labor, disruption, port congestion and cargo flow.

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The latest Port News News & Analysis

ILWU bankruptcy filing provides dramatic twist to long-running Portland dispute

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
The financial health of the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union is in jeopardy as the union seeks to avoid paying $19 million in damages to a Portland, Ore., terminal operator over disruptive job actions years ago.
MaritimePort NewsLongshore laborNorth American ports

California drayage operators seek help meeting zero-emission regulations

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
Drayage companies in the state say existing incentive programs will not be enough to enable them to meet regulations that mandate a zero-emission drayage fleet by 2035.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsPort NewsNorth American ports

SC Ports turns to US Supreme Court in bid for relief over Leatherman dispute

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
While the South Carolina Ports Authority cited the “urgency and importance” of the Leatherman terminal issue to the state and regional economies, getting on the Court’s docket is a daunting task.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Montreal’s uncertain mega-project opens window for Halifax, Saint John

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Halifax and Saint John are expanding their container terminals as Class I railroads see an opportunity to serve major inland destinations from the Eastern Canadian ports.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsNorth-American rail

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

First green shipping corridor will connect Shanghai with Southern California

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
Los Angeles, Long Beach and Shanghai will work with ocean carriers and an organization of cities committed to emissions reductions to develop the first-ever green shipping corridor along one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsPort NewsNorth American 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

CSX, NS Gulf Coast rail deal with Amtrak receives federal funding

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The US Transport Department will back improvements along tracks that span the ports of Mobile and New Orleans to allow freight and passenger service to coexist.
North-American railNorth American ports

New ZIM service takes advantage of Savannah’s expanding cold storage network

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Savannah attracted the new service due to its growing third-party logistics network and proximity to East Coast and Midwest markets, allowing for quicker and fresher imports.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesCool Cargo News

Pandemic, shipping reform boost caseload for harried FMC

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Shippers more than tripled their formal complaints in fiscal year 2022, emboldened by the maritime regulator’s sharpened focus on how ocean carriers interact with their customers.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

LA-LB must do more to reduce port emissions despite 2022 declines: regulator

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
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.
MaritimePort NewsMarine terminalsNorth American ports

August volume boost, FAK rate revisions drive India-Europe rates higher

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent |
Signaling some growth expectations, Indian container volumes saw gains in August, hitting 1.9 million TEUs, up 14% from 1.7 million TEUs a year earlier.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesInternational ports

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

GPA-sponsored transload facility opens in Savannah

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
The facility will offer a unique option to transfer ocean containers into domestic equipment without the need for outside drayage or pool chassis.
Marine terminals

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

Lower demand from China, high prices stunting US ag exports

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
West Coast ports are bearing the brunt of a steep decline in US agriculture exports, as are carriers such as CMA CGM that pivoted to serving exporters amid weaker import demand.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American ports

Ocean carriers will look to ‘chokepoint’ assets for next wave of spending: analyst

Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner, Vespucci Maritime, and JOC Analyst |
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.
Supply chainContainer linesPort NewsMarine terminalsRail News

Possible MSC deal brings ‘respite’ for competition-hit HHLA: Drewry

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The carrier’s commitment to bring an additional 1 million TEUs per year across HHLA’s wharves in Hamburg if it wins a bid for almost half the company will come as an attractive sweetener for the terminal operator.
Port NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesInternational 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

Ocean carriers on India-US trade cut sailings to keep rates afloat

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent |
The Indamex 2, the weekly loop touted as the fastest connection between western India and the US East Coast, is set to see a 50% capacity reduction for loads out of India this month.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

CMA CGM looks to boost usage of New York terminal with new investment

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The carrier aims to increase capacity by more than half at the Staten Island terminal it took over as part of its acquisition of Global Container Terminals’ US assets.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsContainer lines

MSC makes bid for a half-stake in Hamburg’s main terminal operator

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
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.
Port NewsContainer Shipping NewsMarine terminalsInternational ports

Greek operator Neptune orders two 4,200-unit car carriers in fleet expansion move

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
The carrier’s dual-fuel newbuildings will be the first in a series of vessels to be delivered over the next decade.
Ro/ro cargoNorth American portsInternational ports

US cold storage supply struggling with costs, aging facilities amid high demand

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Investors aren’t lining up to sink money into aging facilities, given that warehouses built in the last 20 to 40 years require nearly 50% more energy consumption and double the maintenance costs than newbuilds.
Industrial Real Estate NewsNorth American portsCool Cargo News

SSA aims for US Gulf, Southeast port growth as Ceres deal closes: CEO

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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.
Marine terminalsContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

CORRECTION: ITS Long Beach to remain open amid search for new carriers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
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.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Drayage industry faces technology dilemma in down freight market

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
While the importance of drayage came to the fore during the pandemic, the current freight hangover is cramping the sector’s ability to take advantage of technology options on the market.
Logistics Technology NewsPort NewsNorth American portsTrucking News

LA-LB port interests spar with agency over emissions rule under development

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
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.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsMarine terminalsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

String of Asia storms cause port closures, cargo delays

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
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.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesMarine terminalsInternational ports

Bidders hold back on first Gulf of Mexico wind lease auction  

Autumn Cafiero Giusti, Special Correspondent |
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.
Breakbulk NewsEnergy projectsMarine terminals

CMA CGM closes deal for two New York-New Jersey marine terminals

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The completion of the terminal acquisitions gives the carrier a stronger footprint in the US’s largest East Coast gateway.
Port NewsContainer Shipping NewsTrans-AtlanticMarine terminalsNorth American ports

ILWU ratifies new labor contract with West Coast waterfront employers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
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.
Longshore laborContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Southeast US ports reopen after Hurricane Idalia blows through region

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Given the short duration of the port and terminal closures, impacts appeared minimal as Jacksonville, Savannah and Charleston resumed normal operations.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsTrucking News

'Rushed' sourcing shift out of China prompts some reconsideration

Peter Tirschwell |
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.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesMarine terminalsInternational ports

Jaxport, Savannah closed; Charleston halts vessel moves as Idalia moves ashore

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Ports along the southeast coast of the US were experiencing various stages of disruption after a major hurricane made landfall on Florida’s west coast.
North American portsContainer Shipping News

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

Jaxport receives $30 million in state funds for new cranes at Blount Island

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
The cranes are part of overall improvements to update and expand Blount Island operations and double its current capacity to 500,000 TEU by 2025.
North American portsPort infrastructure

Pilot project aims to open more trucker slots in Los Angeles-Long Beach

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
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.
North American portsMarine terminalsDrayageRail News