Ports

News and analysis of ports, terminals, dredging, expansion, hinterland connectivity, labor, disruption, congestion, cargo flow

The latest Ports News & Analysis

US warehouse vacancy rose in first quarter as demand waned

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 4, 2023, 2:19 PM EDT

CBRE’s latest figures on industrial real estate demand show the supply of new and existing warehouses grew faster than tenant demand, with vacancy spikes expected through 2023.
Industrial real estateContainer shippingNorth American ports

Weak Southern California port volumes hurting domestic intermodal

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | May 4, 2023, 10:19 AM EDT

Activity at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has a direct impact on the domestic intermodal market, large intermodal providers say, which is why rail volumes were so poor in the first quarter.
North-American railNorth American ports

ILWU, management approve manning deal for non-automated LA-LB terminals

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | May 3, 2023, 5:00 PM EDT

An agreement on manning requirements at conventional terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach could open the door for a deal on a tentative coastwide contract in the next couple of weeks, sources say.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

FMC crackdown on ocean carrier billing prompts Houston per diem change

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 3, 2023, 4:19 PM EDT

The Port of Houston is changing its tariff to align with ocean carriers who are no longer charging detention and demurrage fees when terminal gates are closed, but it’s also increasing its own fees to incentivize cargo movement.
North American portsContainer shippingTransport, trade and regulation

Textainer CEO sees better H2 ahead for container shipping

Teri Griffis, Associate Editor | May 3, 2023, 1:39 PM EDT

While the executive expects some level of demand rebound in the second half, he hedged that the summer season may not be as healthy as a typical year given uncertainties in the economy and consumer sentiment.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificPorts

Crowley, CN strike Mexico intermodal deal through Port of Mobile

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 2, 2023, 4:12 PM EDT

Jones Act carrier Crowley will offer a new international container service from Mexico’s Gulf Coast into Mobile that will use Canadian National for inland reach to the US Midwest and Canada.
Container shippingNorth American portsIntermodal providersNorth-American rail

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

Drayage rates fall sharply amid downturn in NY-NJ port volumes

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 2, 2023, 12:12 PM EDT

New York-New Jersey port truckers who worked five days per week last year are now down to about half that amount, sending spot drayage rates well below levels seen in 2021 and 2022.
DrayageNorth American portsTruckingTruck brokersIntermodal providers

Mexico, Houston port volumes boosting US Southwest trucking: U.S. Bank

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 1, 2023, 12:46 PM EDT

Shippers are moving more freight in the US Southwest, and paying more to do so, despite weak trucking markets elsewhere in the country, according to U.S. Bank.
TruckingNorth American portsTruckloadLTL

California ports to share $27 million grant for new data portal

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 28, 2023, 3:05 PM EDT

California wants to give shippers a single view into freight operations at five state ports with a joint grant for those gateways to create a single data system that can provide visibility.
North American portsContainer shippingMarine terminals

Savannah wins environmental clearance for new inland terminal

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 28, 2023, 2:12 PM EDT

The Georgia Ports Authority expects to begin construction on the approximately $170 million terminal in early 2024, which will have a focus on manufacturing imports and poultry exports.
North American portsPortsPort infrastructureNorth-American rail

Recent GRI success hastens signing of 2023-24 trans-Pac service contracts

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Apr 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT

When it became apparent the carriers’ recent GRI had succeeded in bumping up spot rates by several hundred dollars, sources say customers moved to sign their contracts out of concern that rates would only go higher the longer they waited.
Container shippingContainer linesForwardingTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Jaxport looks to redevelop land at Talleyrand terminal

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 27, 2023, 10:36 AM EDT

Jaxport is seeking a new tenant or tenants for a 79-acre parcel at the Talleyrand Marine Terminal in preparation for Toyota vacating the property in 2025.
Marine terminalsPortsNorth American portsPort infrastructure

Broad reshaping of detention, demurrage billing possible in FMC rulemaking

Peter Tirschwell | Apr 27, 2023, 9:30 AM EDT

The FMC is poised to implement potentially far-reaching changes in how detention and demurrage fees are assessed, a move that could cloud how to incentivize the movement of cargo through US marine terminals.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

MSC slows ships, adds Mobile to Latin America-Gulf Coast service

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 26, 2023, 4:32 PM EDT

The use of slow steaming, which will also reduce emissions, is one method for MSC to absorb more ships coming into its fleet this year without adding more weekly capacity.
Container linesNorth American ports

PSA leveraging forwarder acquisition to serve shippers directly

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Apr 25, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

The scale of PSA International’s ambitions to expand its reach beyond its 60 container port terminals by leveraging the acquisition of a non-asset-based global logistics provider parallels Maersk’s own integrator ambitions.
Marine terminalsContainer shippingContainer linesForwardingLogistics technologyTransport, trade and regulation

ILWU Local 13, PMA meeting on critical manning issue for LA-LB

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Apr 24, 2023, 4:15 PM EDT

Coming to an agreement on the manning issue at Los Angeles–Long Beach would allow the ILWU and PMA to move on to other big matters such as wages and retirement benefits, sources say.
Longshore laborContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American 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

Planned Vancouver mega-container terminal wins environmental clearance

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Apr 21, 2023, 1:03 PM EDT

Vancouver’s proposed Robert Banks Terminal 2 cleared a major federal environmental hurdle this week, putting the focus on who will construct and build the facility with a planned annual capacity of 2.4 million TEU.
North American portsContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificMarine terminalsLongshore laborPort infrastructure

A’s land buy in Las Vegas ends talk of Howard Terminal ballpark in Oakland

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 21, 2023, 12:25 PM EDT

Foes of the Oakland stadium plan said building at the 55-acre terminal site would disrupt the flow of traffic in and out of the port and create a security risk.
North American portsContainer shippingMarine terminals

UPDATE: ILWU says has tentative deal with PMA on ‘key issues,’ but withholds details

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Apr 20, 2023, 12:40 PM EDT

The ILWU statement comes even as Local 13 continued to engage in job action this week that has been slowing cargo handling at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

JOC Rankings: LA-LB shed import market share in 2022 amid stalled labor talks

Teri Errico Griffis | Apr 19, 2023, 11:07 AM EDT

The West Coast continues to lose discretionary cargo to the East and Gulf coasts as shippers seek to avoid the type of disruption that has been occurring in Southern California of late linked to ongoing labor negotiations.
North American ports

New bill in Alabama state house would boost tax credits for Mobile shippers

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 19, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

Alabama legislators are looking to pass a series of new tax credits that aim to encourage more shippers to use the state’s ports and labor force.
North American portsContainer shippingNorth-American rail

Supreme Court rules in NJ’s favor over exit from port watchdog agency

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 18, 2023, 4:06 PM EDT

The Supreme Court turned away New York’s attempt to keep New Jersey beholden to a bi-state police agency charged with labor oversight at their jointly run port.
Longshore laborNorth American ports

NFI, RoadOne expand networks with acquisitions in Canada, US

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Apr 18, 2023, 3:15 PM EDT

Transportation and logistics companies continue to grow by acquiring competitors, and although the wave of acquisitions may have crested there is still plenty of opportunity in a soft market.
SurfaceDrayageTruckingTruckload

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

LA-LB dockworkers target automated terminals as job actions continue

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Apr 14, 2023, 4:01 PM EDT

Members of ILWU Local 13 have been “red-tagging” cargo-handling equipment at Los Angeles–Long Beach’s three automated terminals, which designates the equipment as unsafe and forces an inspection, sources say.
Longshore laborContainer shippingTrans-PacificMarine terminals

MSC’s US EVP sees import demand readying for H2 rebound

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 14, 2023, 2:34 PM EDT

The carrier executive says despite a slow start to 2023, a return to seasonal shipping patterns in August and September could follow a mid-summer lull in import demand.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American ports

JOC Rankings: MSC, Maersk top two carriers in Gulf Coast in 2022

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 14, 2023, 11:20 AM EDT

Although the two carriers are partners in the 2M Alliance, it was the addition of extra capacity in their standalone services that led them to handle a combined 40 percent of the cargo coming into the Gulf Coast last year.
Container linesContainer shippingNorth American portsIndustrial real estate

US ports keen on new funding, but less so on proposed reforms: AAPA

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Apr 13, 2023, 3:54 PM EDT

The main advocacy group for US ports said the step change in port funding over the coming years will mitigate future congestion and allow for better cargo flow.
North American portsMarine terminalsTransport, trade and regulation

Latest push for US shipping reform to test regulatory appetite

Peter Tirschwell | Apr 13, 2023, 9:36 AM EDT

The long-term impact of container shipping’s moment in the sun — and in the crosshairs of regulators — will come down to which of two starkly divergent versions of reality carries sway in Washington in the coming months.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Demurrage invoicing complications cloud FMC’s free time rulemaking process

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Apr 12, 2023, 2:45 PM EDT

The assessment of storage fees inside a terminal creates competitive pressures among marine terminal operators, their container line customers, and the importers that contract with container lines.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesPortsNorth American ports

ILA, Halifax port employers reach tentative labor deal

JOC Staff | Apr 12, 2023, 1:42 PM EDT

Both sides say they won’t disclose details of the tentative agreement that would last through 2025 until it has been approved by their respective membership.
Longshore laborNorth American ports

April GRIs, service contract moves to reveal ‘new’ trans-Pacific

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Apr 12, 2023, 10:21 AM EDT

After the flurry of April contracting action and a rush of cargo to avoid new GRIs, carriers in May will show the industry the extent of their capacity control for their second half of the year, writes Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Trans-PacificContainer shippingContainer linesNorth American 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

ILWU stall LA-LB terminal openings after closures last week

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Apr 10, 2023, 3:46 PM EDT

After effectively shutting down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for two shifts last week, the largest International Longshore and Warehouse Union local on Monday engaged in a job action that delayed the start of cargo-handling.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Hapag-Lloyd joins carriers nixing US storage fees when terminals are closed

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Apr 10, 2023, 12:31 PM EDT

Looming federal rulemaking over detention and demurrage billing policy continues to compel container lines to refrain from assessing free time fees on weekends and holidays, with Hapag-Lloyd the latest to make such a change.
Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingContainer linesPortsNorth American ports

Breakbulk volumes down sharply at Port Houston after 2022 ‘anomaly’

Autumn Cafiero Giusti, Special Correspondent | Apr 10, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

Breakbulk volumes are normalizing at Houston after the market surge of 2022, while “spillover” containers have disappeared.
Breakbulk shippingProject cargoPorts