Ports

An emerging trend of sending smaller shipments more frequently is leading to growing demand for LCL services across the major trade lanes.

Union Pacific’s launch of direct intermodal service from Houston comes two weeks after competitor BNSF announced it would begin a new service from the port’s Barbours Cut marine terminal.

Shippers and port executives say the post-COVID shift of cargo back to Hong Kong is being hampered by the global slump in demand as developed countries grapple with elevated inventories and inflationary pressures.

Thanks to a recent GRI push, average contract rates for India to the US have seen modest gains in recent weeks and carriers are now looking to build around that limited success.

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.

The ruling could place an additional burden on US chassis manufacturers to ensure their subcontractors are using US materials or paying duties on parts from China.

End-to-end supply chain visibility remains an elusive goal for providers in a market where shippers are expecting better data quality than they have seen.

With spot freight rates largely stabilized, ocean carriers have blanked fewer sailings in May and instead opted for more biweekly sailings.

While indicators may point to a “normal” container shipping market in the wake of the pandemic, it is important to remember that disruptions large and small are all part of that normality, writes analyst Lars Jensen.

Shippers want Congress to address their inability to challenge rail demurrage fees when they contract for merchant haulage, but finding a solution will be tricky, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Geodis has acquired Southern Companies, a South Florida-based container drayage provider, the latest in a series of trucking and warehousing acquisitions in the US over the last two months.

Relative to other US East Coast ports that saw high import volumes in 2022 due to diversions from West Coast ports, PhilaPort saw more modest inbound growth.

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.

A decrease in US housing construction from the fever pitch seen during the COVID-19 pandemic is reducing demand for imports of furniture, appliances and other household goods.

The carrier will pay the penalty to avoid the Federal Maritime Commission launching a formal investigation into whether it violated US detention and demurrage shipping laws.

With a proposed baseball stadium at the terminal location off the table, the Port of Oakland is considering options to expand maritime support activities at the 50-acre site to complement overall growth at the port.

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.

The bipartisan legislation does not identify specific countries that manufacture the cranes that would be subject to inspection, but a statement from the co-sponsors specifically mentions China.

Some paper products remained in high demand last year, but a decline in China’s real estate economy and a ban on a certain type of pine logs put additional downward pressure on forest products exports.

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.

With import volumes sharply lower than last year, trans-Pacific carriers are more willing to consider requests for fixed-rate pricing and inland transportation bookings in 2023-24 service contracts, sources say.

Global vehicle manufacturers are still recovering from widespread semiconductor shortages, while domestic automakers and body shops face ongoing delays in components ranging from rear suspensions to front bumpers.

The railroad will start a twice-weekly service to Dallas and once-weekly service to Denver, but no ocean carrier as yet is offering inland moves from Houston.

US exports of plastic resins rebounded in 2022 after an uncharacteristic decline in 2021, but increased production in China and an uncertain global economy could dampen demand this year.

The International Longshoremen’s Association should be able to sue ocean carriers that do not abide by work preservation rules, according to several briefs filed in support of the union’s dispute involving jobs at the Port of Charleston’s new terminal.

The growth in participation in FLOW is a signal that the private sector views the voluntary nature of the project as more amenable than governmental data-sharing mandates or legislation.

Unlike last year, when apparel importers front-loaded volumes in the first half, apparel shippers are waiting for more clarity on consumer spending before they bring back-to-school and holiday inventory into the US.

The influx of new drivers to the New York-New Jersey port helped it handle record volumes in 2022, but the downturn means less work and possibly more turnover.

US imports of beer, wine and spirits could have been even stronger over the last two years if not for widespread supply chain disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision by ocean carriers to not charge per diem fees when gates are closed will result in money remaining in the pockets of importers and exporters rather than flowing to carriers and terminal operators — and anyone who thought that would happen without a fight is dreaming, writes Peter Tirschwell.

The change comes in advance of the FMC’s final rule on detention and demurrage billing that is due to be published in mid-June and has already generated pushback from marine terminal operators.

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.

One might expect that Western Canadian ports have benefited from cargo bound for the US Midwest being diverted from the US West Coast to avoid potential labor disruption, but that has not been the case, notes analyst Larry Gross.

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.

Nearly three years of record Asia imports tested Savannah’s cargo flow at times, underscoring the port’s need to ensure it had sufficient buffer capacity to handle growth.

Consumer spending in the coming months will be compromised somewhat by high inflation, while retailers are being conservative in placing purchase orders with factories in Asia because of bloated inventories, according to the Global Port Tracker.

Obtaining all required governmental approvals and choosing a contractor and operator is likely to push the opening of Vancouver’s Roberts Bank Terminal 2 into the early 2030s.

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.

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.

The rule changes will not have much of an initial cost impact on shippers as almost all New York-New Jersey terminals are closed on weekends and holidays, thereby not counting toward free time, and containers are now moving off the port faster.