International ports

News and analysis of international ports, terminals, dredging, expansion, inland distribution, labor, disruption, congestion, cargo flow 

The latest International ports News & Analysis

Ocean carriers’ schedule reliability rose in April amid falling volumes

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | May 26, 2023, 2:41 PM EDT

The port congestion in Asia and North America that compromised vessel on-time performance during the pandemic began to ease last fall with declining cargo volumes, and the reliability improvements have accelerated since.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Top US Shippers: Recyclables export decline continues as environmental restrictions tighten

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | May 22, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

Price volatility, economic uncertainty and China’s ongoing efforts to keep adulterated scrap products out of the country held back US exports of recyclable materials for the third straight year in 2022.
Supply ChainMaritimeContainer shippingNorth American portsInternational ports

India-Europe contract prices tumble as demand rebound eludes carriers

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | May 19, 2023, 10:39 AM EDT

Forwarders do not expect prices to stabilize or trend up any time soon, with carriers increasingly struggling to secure steady booking levels to fill their export allocations out of India despite capacity readjustments.
Container shippingContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

Hamburg Q1 volume drops as loss of Russia business bites

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | May 17, 2023, 12:26 PM EDT

Challenging economic conditions, compounded by sanctions against one of its largest trading partners, led to a sharp drop in first-quarter volumes at Europe’s third-busiest container port.
PortsContainer shippingAsia-EuropeInternational ports

Top US Shippers: US toy imports ‘normalizing’ after slipping from record 2022

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 10, 2023, 9:58 AM EDT

Toy and game manufacturers front-loaded traditional holiday merchandise in 2022, resulting in an exceptional first half of the year followed by a weak fourth quarter that coincided with a broader decline in consumer spending.
Supply ChainContainer shippingTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Top US Shippers: Price inflation pulls the plug on surging US electronics imports

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 9, 2023, 11:48 AM EDT

Last year’s dip in electronics imports is a sign that US consumers were holding back on some discretionary purchases after two years of heightened spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supply ChainContainer shippingTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Top US Shippers: Continued poor service threatens budding ag export recovery

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | May 8, 2023, 10:12 AM EDT

Better vessel reliability helped fuel a return to growth in US agriculture exports in the second half of 2022, but those green shoots could be ripped up at the root if service doesn’t continue to improve.
Supply ChainContainer shippingTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

China to remain top for logistics investment despite regional sourcing shift

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | May 5, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT

Logistics and industrial investment in the Asia-Pacific region was estimated at about $50 billion last year, down from a record $72 billion in 2021.
Transport, trade and regulationInternational portsIndustrial real estate

GRI attempts yield partial recovery success for India-US carriers

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | May 2, 2023, 1:47 PM EDT

Forwarders generally believe the limited GRI gains that have been achieved or are anticipated in the coming weeks on the India-US trades will be short-lived unless more capacity is withdrawn or a large increase in volumes occurs.
Container shippingContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

Asia import drop, Russian sanctions hit Rotterdam’s Q1 container volumes

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Apr 24, 2023, 10:43 AM EDT

Weak import demand, Russian sanctions, and the loss of cargo to neighboring ports combined to drag down volume at Europe’s largest container port in the first quarter.
PortsContainer shippingInternational ports

Antwerp-Bruges Q1 volumes slip amid Europe’s economic woes, Ukraine war

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Apr 18, 2023, 10:41 AM EDT

The poor economic conditions affecting Europe’s major economies and the ongoing war in Ukraine continue to drag down container volumes at the continent’s second-largest port.
PortsContainer shippingTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeInternational ports

Rising capacity prompts ‘tough freight war’ on Japan-US trade

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Apr 17, 2023, 9:41 AM EDT

Forwarders said the capacity increase is due to carriers no longer skipping or blanking calls at Japanese ports following the normalization of demand and the easing of port congestion in the US.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

Cosco Shipping Q1 profit plunge bodes ill for ocean carrier earnings

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Apr 11, 2023, 1:31 PM EDT

The first-quarter profit estimates came as Cosco Shipping announced plans for a general rate increase on all dry and reefer cargo to the US from Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East from May 15.
Container linesContainer shippingNorth American portsInternational ports

Trans-Pacific capacity fills as risk of GRIs hangs over shippers

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 11, 2023, 11:33 AM EDT

How successful ocean carriers are in securing general rate increases comes down to the health of so-called green shoots of demand and the effectiveness of increased blanking of capacity.
Container shippingContainer linesForwardingTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

India-US carriers line up more GRIs ahead of service contract deals

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | Apr 6, 2023, 9:04 AM EDT

Forwarder sources in India say they view the latest GRI attempts as nothing more than contract negotiation posturing on the part of the carriers.
Container shippingContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

Carriers implement sailing cuts amid berth work at India’s JNPT

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | Apr 3, 2023, 1:28 PM EDT

On top of erratic berth availability at JNPT, ocean carriers have received a cost escalation blow with India’s national port regulator approving significant tariff hikes at two key terminals.
International portsContainer shippingContainer lines

APM plans to double container capacity at Rotterdam terminal

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Mar 31, 2023, 5:33 PM EDT

APM said the new section of the terminal will operate with net-zero emissions and be fully automated and prepared for shore power installation.
International portsContainer shippingAsia-EuropePort infrastructure

Terminal operators, Cosco join Saudi chemical shipper in eBL deal

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Mar 30, 2023, 3:30 PM EDT

Data from eBLs issued via GSBN’s infrastructure will also be used to electronically release SABIC cargo at Hutchison and PSA terminals in Asia.
Logistics technologyContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsInternational portsTransport, trade and regulation

European shippers sign up for waterborne biofuel initiative

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Mar 30, 2023, 11:25 AM EDT

Dutch multimodal operator Samskip will offer carbon-neutral ocean transport to shippers using biofuel in its intra-European operations.
PortsInternational ports

April blanks from China grow as US import decline continues

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Mar 29, 2023, 3:35 PM EDT

For ocean carriers, the decision to cancel sailings suggests they expect no rebound in trans-Pacific freight rates that are now at two-year lows.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports