Port News

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.

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.

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.

In addition to the typical annual planning, such as for budgets and freight rates, US importers need to start weighing contingency plans for two potentially disruptive occurrences next year — continued low-water levels along the Panama Canal and the expiration of the International Longshoremen’s Association contract, writes Lars Jensen.

Weak European demand for containerized trade through the first half is hurting port throughput at the region’s top three gateways, but signs are emerging of recovering volume on certain routes.

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.

The proposed rulemaking shows how far the pendulum of power has swung in favor of shippers seeking to hold carriers accountable for practices that occurred during the pandemic, but which were rarely experienced prior to that period, writes Peter Tirschwell.

Portchain has pulled in 76 container terminals into its vessel arrival coordination platform with carriers in the past 18 months, with Port Houston the latest to join.

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.

The clash between shippers and container lines highlights a major challenge for the FMC in finalizing rulemaking on when a carrier can refuse to serve shippers, most notably the risk that it could create a rule that’s so commercially restrictive that it’s unconstitutional.

A sharp increase in new vessel deliveries over the coming weeks is forecast to put more pressure on ocean carriers to blank sailings — or face falling rates.

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.

Average rates from West India to Europe and the Mediterranean have cooled between 10 to 15% from what carriers were quoting at the end of July, deepening the slide seen over the past year.

Spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific continue to move higher, although a planned general rate increase this week could be the last one for a while, as carriers are scheduled to add a significant amount of new capacity into the global fleet beginning later this year.

Stalled since May, the Ocean Shipping Reform Technical Act of 2023 may never be taken up by the House of Representatives as regulators are still struggling to implement last year’s original legislation.

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.

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.

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.

Negotiators for shipping lines and office workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach report that progress is being made in the ILWU Local 63 Office Clerical Unit (OCU) contract negotiations, but the two sides have work to do on the issues of wages, pension benefits and technology.

Consolidated Chassis Management is asking cargo owners to encourage their trucking partners to sign up for the South Atlantic Chassis Pool (SACP) 3.0 before it launches in October.

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.

CIE Manufacturing, a major manufacturer of new chassis, has suspended all imports of chassis into the US in response to an investigation by US customs officials.

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.

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.

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.

The National Association of Waterfront Employees says terminal operators are potentially on the hook for “tens of billions of dollars” to upgrade their cargo handling equipment and allowing them to use tax-deferred funds would increase their purchasing power.

Half of the world’s top 50 container ports grew their volumes last year while the other half saw declines, highlighting the contrasting fortunes of the global gateways.

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.

Negotiators for ILWU Canada and waterfront employers reached a second tentative contract agreement late Sunday after the union’s membership rejected an initial deal that had been struck last week.

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.

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.

After three years of operating at full capacity, warehouses and distribution centers outside the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex are gaining space by shedding excess inventory, and a peak season that some say will be non-existent is not expected to disrupt that newfound fluidity.

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.”

Technology provider QuayChain will arm the Port of Oakland with milestone data in areas near its facilities to improve its visibility portal.

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.

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.