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New UP intermodal service from Houston to provide West Coast reach

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 30, 2023, 5:02 PM EDT

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.
North-American railContainer shippingNorth American portsIntermodal providers

Hong Kong struggles to recover volumes lost amid South China cargo shift

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | May 30, 2023, 2:07 PM EDT

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.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsInternational ports

CPKC adds new reefer containers to Mexico-US service

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | May 30, 2023, 1:06 PM EDT

Weeks after starting a new daily train between central Mexico and Chicago, CPKC is introducing 1,000 temperature-controlled containers to the service in a bid to court freight from reefer shippers.
North-American rail

US truckload market ‘bouncing’ along pricing bottom: analysts

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 30, 2023, 11:16 AM EDT

The long drop in truckload spot market rates has eased, revealing a soft bottom for pricing, but more demand is needed to fuel any upswing benefiting truckers, observers say.
SurfaceTruckingTruckload

CMA CGM attempts peak season surcharge for India-US trade

Bency Mathew, Special Correspondent | May 30, 2023, 10:02 AM EDT

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.
Container shippingContainer linesNorth American portsInternational ports

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

Market headwinds push CMA CGM Q1 revenue, profit sharply lower

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 26, 2023, 1:54 PM EDT

The carrier's CEO said inflation and destocking in global markets heralded a “phase of normalization” for container shipping.
Container linesContainer shipping

CBP rules US chassis manufacturer evaded tariffs on China-sourced parts

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | May 26, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

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.
Drayage

Shippers bemoan lack of progress in ocean visibility despite heavy investment

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | May 26, 2023, 11:15 AM EDT

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.
Logistics technologyContainer shippingContainer linesPortsNorth American portsSupply Chain

Hydrogen-driven barge debuts on Europe’s inland network

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | May 26, 2023, 10:17 AM EDT

The drive to decarbonize European inland transport by switching freight from the road to greener alternatives took a step forward this week.
MaritimeContainer shippingEnergy projects

‘Super’ slow steaming makes a comeback as surplus capacity builds

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | May 26, 2023, 10:01 AM EDT

Ocean carriers are pulling all available capacity management levers to address a supply-demand imbalance that is set to widen significantly through 2024.
MaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-Europe

Shipping icon Bertram Rickmers, 71, succumbs to injuries from fall

Janet Nodar, Senior Editor | May 25, 2023, 4:13 PM EDT

Visionary shipping legend Bertram Rickmers created the Pearl String, the only round-the-world breakbulk liner service, which operated from 2003 until the fall of Zeamarine in 2020.
Breakbulk shippingBreakbulk carriersProject cargo

Shippers hold onto intermodal boxes amid warehouse reshuffling: survey

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | May 25, 2023, 3:49 PM EDT

As shippers scramble to shed unwanted inventory, more than 80% responding to a Journal of Commerce survey reported that they’ve kept 53-foot domestic containers for too long, incurring detention fees.
Intermodal providersNorth-American rail

Carriers pare blank sailings in May as ocean freight rates steady

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | May 25, 2023, 12:37 PM EDT

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

Ocean trade emerges from pandemic haze to face new realities

Peter Tirschwell | May 25, 2023, 11:23 AM EDT

Although the container shipping order book is the highest it has been in many years and demand remains subdued, the ground is shifting under the ocean market in new and unfamiliar ways, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTransport, trade and regulation

Forwarders locked in margin-destroying price war in post-COVID ocean market

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe | May 25, 2023, 10:16 AM EDT

Price is once again on the side of shippers, with excess ocean capacity allowing them to extract lower rates from service providers.
MaritimeContainer shippingForwardingTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-Europe

deugro orders customized ro/ro newbuildings for wind turbine transport

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent | May 24, 2023, 3:08 PM EDT

deugro and partners Siemens and Amasus will build and deploy two specialized offshore wind ro/ro vessels able to accommodate increasingly large wind turbine components.
Breakbulk shippingRo/ro cargo

Don’t equate ‘normal’ ocean shipping market to stability: analyst

Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner, Vespucci Maritime, and JOC Analyst | May 24, 2023, 1:46 PM EDT

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.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropePorts

LTL carrier Roadrunner finds faster network attracts more freight

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | May 24, 2023, 12:51 PM EDT

More freight density, a tighter point-to-point network and better data have enabled successive rounds of transit time cuts at Roadrunner, which company executives claim is gaining shipments.
SurfaceLTLTrucking labor

Shippers, regulators muddle through ‘grey area’ of rail storage fees

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | May 24, 2023, 11:44 AM EDT

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.
Container shippingDrayageSurfaceInternational railTransport, trade and regulation