Maritime

The Journal of Commerce is the most trusted source for maritime news and analysis about ocean container shipping, logistics, supply chains, global shipping ports, shipping technology solutions and end-to-end connectivity. Coverage tracks the movement of containerized cargo — from origin to destination — handled by marine terminals in the US and abroad, depots, container ports, container lines, drayage, consignees and shippers, forwarders, non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) and off-dock warehousing providers, as well as pricing, capacity, volume and reliability on the trans-Pacific, Asia-Europe, North America-Caribbean, Central and South America and intra-Asia trades.

Subsections

The latest Maritime News & Analysis

Longshore labor unrest a new daily fact of life for North American shippers

Peter Tirschwell | Jul 19, 2023, 3:42 PM EDT

Part of the new dynamic on the waterfront reflects wider transportation labor activism where rail, aviation, trucking and longshore workers have achieved or are seeking to achieve substantial enhancements in pay and work rules, writes Peter Tirschwell.

Longshore laborContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Asia-Europe blank sailings hit two-year low despite sluggish market

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 19, 2023, 12:04 PM EDT

Ocean carriers are showing a lack of urgency to blank sailings even as China’s exports weaken and new vessels continue to come online.

MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesAsia-Europe

Antwerp-Bruges H1 volumes slide on weak demand, poor industrial outlook

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 18, 2023, 1:32 PM EDT

The fall hid some upbeat trends, with the number of refrigerated containers rising more than 10% in the first half and the rate of decline in overall volumes easing in the second quarter.

International portsContainer shippingContainer linesAsia-EuropeBreakbulk shippingRo/ro cargo

Logistics technology market grappling with pandemic period overhiring

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 18, 2023, 11:38 AM EDT

A return to normal freight demand is part of the reason for layoffs across the logistics technology sector, but just as important is investor focus on cost controls and a path to profitability.

Logistics technologyMaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesForwardingSupply Chain

Global demand for high and heavy cargo drives secondary vessel ‘spillover’ market

Janet Nodar, Senior Editor, Breakbulk and Heavy Lift | Jul 17, 2023, 5:07 PM EDT

Breakbulk ro/ro shippers are hunting for solutions as carriers deal with high vessel charter rates, tight capacity and port congestion.

Breakbulk shippingRo/ro cargo

GPA’s Brunswick seeing significant growth in auto imports

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 17, 2023, 4:23 PM EDT

Brunswick’s growth comes amid rising automotive production, pent-up consumer demand and an easing of the semiconductor shortage that occurred during the pandemic.

Ro/ro cargoPortsNorth American portsPort infrastructure

Post-COVID ocean market has normalized, not collapsed: analyst

Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner, Vespucci Maritime, and JOC Analyst | Jul 17, 2023, 12:06 PM EDT

It’s easy to paint developments in the global shipping market as extreme, but when context is provided, the market is on many levels almost boringly normal at present, writes analyst Lars Jensen.

Container shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

Kontainers founder starts new shipper-focused rate management tech provider

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 17, 2023, 10:09 AM EDT

Most of the landscape for container rate management vendors has focused on tools for forwarders, leaving a gap in software targeting shippers.

Logistics technologyContainer shipping

Post-strike recovery for western Canadian ports measured in weeks, not days: sources

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 14, 2023, 4:29 PM EDT

Forwarders, shipping lines and trucking interests are advising their customers it will take weeks — possibly into September — for operations at Prince Rupert and Vancouver to return to normal.

MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

CIMC, Singamas issue profit warnings on weak demand for new containers

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 14, 2023, 1:40 PM EDT

The expected declines followed a drop in demand for marine containers due to weakened economic and trade growth this year, both companies said in filings to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Container shippingContainer linesForwardingTrans-Pacific

New Jersey union claims ILA blocked it from terminal construction project

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 14, 2023, 9:25 AM EDT

A union of construction equipment operators in New Jersey alleges the International Longshoremen’s Association sought to take away marine terminal work it was hired to perform.

Longshore laborNorth American ports

Western Canada port strike ends after deal reached on tentative four-year contract

JOC Staff | Jul 13, 2023, 5:15 PM EDT

The end of the strike comes less than two days after Canada’s Minister of Labour ordered the federal mediator overseeing negotiations between the union and employers to provide recommendations for a settlement.

Longshore laborNorth American ports

Zim expects EBIT loss up to $500 million in revised 2023 guidance, citing soft rates

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 13, 2023, 11:08 AM EDT

The carrier’s CEO said the company would continue to “actively manage and rationalize” its fleet and services during the current downturn in the global shipping market.

Container linesContainer shippingTrans-Pacific

Fewer empty imports reconfigure Indian containerized trade patterns

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | Jul 13, 2023, 9:53 AM EDT

The new trade pattern reflects in large part a sharp drop in empty equipment imports amid weakening demand conditions, rather than sustained export trade, industry observers say.

Container shippingContainer linesInternational ports

Canada’s Minister of Labour intervenes in bid to end dockworker strike

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 12, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

If ILWU Canada or longshore employers reject the recommendations of a federal mediator, the next step will be for the Canadian government to reconvene Parliament, which is on summer recess, to address the situation.

MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Evergreen confirms orders for 24 methanol-ready container ships

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 12, 2023, 2:51 PM EDT

The ships add to the growing order backlog of methanol-powered container ships that currently total at least 100 vessels, equivalent to about 12% of vessels on order, according to ship brokers.

Container linesContainer shipping

Cargo recovery along USWC began prior to tentative labor deal: analyst

Larry Gross, president and founder, Gross Transportation Consulting; and JOC analyst | Jul 12, 2023, 2:05 PM EDT

The doom and gloom regarding cargo diverted away from the US West Coast during recent labor strife may have been excessive, as importers are not eager to permanently adopt higher-cost routings when a reliable lower-cost option with reasonable service exists, writes analyst Larry Gross.

North American portsContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

ILA Charleston protest aims to up ante on expanded work jurisdiction

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 12, 2023, 11:59 AM EDT

The International Longshoremen’s Association says it is willing to wait as long as it takes to control the jobs it believes belong to the union at South Carolina’s new Leatherman terminal.

Longshore laborMaritimePortsNorth American ports

Wholesale weakness slowing US inventory destocking, freight demand

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jul 12, 2023, 10:59 AM EDT

US businesses may have passed the inventory peak, but data shows stockpiles remain high, and a weak wholesale retail market is depressing imports and surface freight shipments.

SurfaceContainer shippingTruckingRailSupply Chain

Western Canada dockworker strike disrupting billions in trade: employers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 3:49 PM EDT

With the strike by ILWU Canada now in its 11th day, some C$7.5 billion in Canadian imports and exports has been compromised thus far, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association says.

MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Holt Logistics, HMM step into bidding fray for new operator of Wilmington’s port

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 2:27 PM EDT

Delaware’s Port of Wilmington received an improved offer from a stevedoring firm to take over operations, but the bid faces a challenge from Holt, who claims the search process was unfair.

North American portsContainer shipping

California’s major container ports get $735 million in state funds for upgrades

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 11:51 AM EDT

The ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland will use the grant money for infrastructure projects that will promote more efficient freight movement as well as emissions-reduction efforts to meet clean-air goals.

MaritimePortsMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Visibility product launches show cargo market open to new options

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 10:02 AM EDT

Three new visibility products — from a hardware provider, a forwarder and a data provider — are evidence of a diverse cargo visibility market that is expanding options for shippers.

Logistics technologyContainer shippingSurfaceAir CargoSupply Chain

Raft's focus on AI yields fruit as investors re-up in logistics software provider

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT

A variety of technology providers are aiming to arm forwarders with AI-backed tools that help with areas like customer service and rate quoting, while others are focused on technology enabling internal operational efficiency.

Logistics technologyForwardingSupply Chain

Trans-Pacific carriers altering port rotations to avoid strike-hit Vancouver

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 10, 2023, 4:08 PM EDT

ILWU Canada and employers are engaging with federal mediators as a backlog of vessels builds outside of Vancouver and Seattle-Tacoma as the Western Canadian dockworker strike enters its second week.

MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Volume boost, construction snarls Jacksonville’s Blount Island drayage traffic

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 10, 2023, 4:04 PM EDT

The problems flared in recent weeks after Ocean Network Express shifted a vessel service out of Jacksonville’s other primary container terminal, Dames Point, causing a volume imbalance between the two terminals.

North American portsContainer linesPortsPort infrastructureSurfaceTrucking

Softening summer market weighs on Toepfer multipurpose vessel index

Janet Nodar, Senior Editor, Breakbulk and Heavy Lift | Jul 10, 2023, 11:27 AM EDT

Expected demand for wind cargo, among other factors, is still driving underlying optimism in the MPV sector, but a wind turbine tech “arms race” could cast a long shadow.

Breakbulk shippingBreakbulk carriersEnergy projects

Prior NY-NJ empty container woes linked to FMC complaint against Hapag-Lloyd

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 7, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

 The carrier is the target of another shipper complaint regarding demurrage and detention fees, this time the indirect result of empty container congestion at the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Transport, trade and regulationContainer shippingNorth American ports

US imports building toward August peak, but labor concerns weigh: retailers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 7, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

The Global Port Tracker says prospects for a recession in the second half of the year are dimming and imports should increase as consumer demand ticks up and retailers reduce the inventory overhang that has kept warehouses full over the past year.

MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American ports

Revised IMO emissions targets set clear timeline: shipping groups

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 7, 2023, 11:58 AM EDT

The London meeting of the IMO’s environment committee has upgraded its emissions goals, but it is only the starting point in a long and difficult decarbonization journey.

MaritimeContainer shippingContainer lines

US House bills keep shipping reform effort alive even after freight rate plunge

Peter Tirschwell | Jul 7, 2023, 11:06 AM EDT

Although there remain multiple obstacles to further legislation being signed into law, bipartisan support that shipping reform attracted in 2021 and 2022 has led to a situation in which certain additional provisions stand at least a 50-50 chance of being enacted this year, writes Peter Tirschwell.

Container shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Strategic investment underpins ONE’s ‘sustainable profitability’ target: Nixon

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 7, 2023, 9:50 AM EDT

The Singapore-based carrier’s multi-billion-dollar investment plan into terminals, new ships and decarbonization is meant to secure the right assets in the right areas to keep it in the black.

MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Singapore port body joins cross-industry decarbonization alliance

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 7, 2023, 9:33 AM EDT

Deeper public-private sector collaboration between global maritime industry players and the MPA will unlock key investments across the Indian and Pacific oceans, Lloyd’s Register believes.

PortsContainer shippingInternational ports

Trans-Pacific services get reworked as freight downturn continues

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 6, 2023, 5:28 PM EDT

Ocean carriers are pulling a variety of levers, such as cancelled services, new port calls and slow steaming, to keep ships on the water in the face of weak demand.

Container linesContainer shippingTrans-Pacific

Impact of BC port strike could deepen without Ottawa's intervention

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 6, 2023, 4:54 PM EDT

The strike by ILWU Canada, which entered its sixth day Thursday, is expected to have an increasing impact on Canada’s trans-Pacific trades if it drags into next week and beyond.

MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Japan’s Nagoya port resumes cargo handling operations after ransomware attack

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | Jul 6, 2023, 1:27 PM EDT

Ocean Network Express said container operations on three vessels were affected by the disruption, but that loading and unloading had now been completed.

Container shippingContainer linesInternational ports

Ocean carriers in Europe facing multi-billion-dollar emissions price tag

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 6, 2023, 9:42 AM EDT

While the International Maritime Organization battles to reach agreement on a global carbon levy, the huge cost of compliance with Europe’s market-based carbon levies is becoming clearer.

MaritimeContainer shippingContainer lines

New capacity wave heading for trans-Pac trade: Sea-Intelligence

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 5, 2023, 4:06 PM EDT

The long-anticipated wave of container ship newbuildings will hit the water by the end of August, despite a weak cargo market that threatens to keep the new ships underutilized.

Container shippingContainer linesTrans-Pacific

Duisburg terminal stake extends PSA reach into Europe

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 5, 2023, 12:26 PM EDT

The global port operator is bolstering its multimodal supply chain capabilities with an investment that increases its already significant presence in the region.

PortsInternational ports

First-half revenue, earnings contract sharply at Cosco, OOCL

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | Jul 5, 2023, 9:31 AM EDT

The extent to which the rapidly cooling container shipping market is hurting China’s main carriers is likely to be repeated across the industry as reporting season approaches.

MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-Europe

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