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Unprecedented trans-Pacific volumes and steadily growing exports of petrochemicals, agricultural products, and resins have prompted members of THE Alliance to launch a new direct service between Asia and the US Gulf.

Because asset owners can’t economically invest in excess capacity for volumes that may never materialize, the risk of supply chain disruption caused by external shocks, especially surprise surges in demand, likely will never go away.

Hapag-Lloyd’s order for LNG-powered vessels comes as carriers and shippers are placing greater emphasis on decarbonization measures.

Carriers believe new Indian rail incentives, coupled with the recent lifting of a 14-day quarantine for incoming Chinese vessels, will have a positive impact on inventory flow.

With import volumes exceptionally high for this time of year, terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach are bracing for a labor shortage as workers take time off during the holidays.

In addition to higher contract rates, container lines can expect increased regulatory scrutiny in 2021, especially if the trajectory of carrier profitability and services widens further.

Approval of the Water Resources Development Act this year includes authorization to begin spending down the more than $9 billion balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

The integration between AscendTMS’s widely-used transportation management software with predictive pricing and historical benchmark trucking data from DAT Solutions is a signal that users of such systems want more value piped directly into the platforms on which they rely.

Despite an all-time record in container throughput last month in Norfolk, the Port of Virginia has maintained fluidity through terminals and ensured equipment is available to truckers.

US ports are preparing for a possible worsening of terminal and landside congestion issues that could arise as increasingly larger vessels call at the gateways.

AIT Worldwide Logistics expands its e-commerce capabilities and geographical footprint through the acquisition of Fiege Freight Forwarding.

Visibility provider project44 has raised $100 million in its latest funding round to build out its multimodal platform while hinting it may seek to go public in the next two years.

US-based project forwarders say they’re struggling to secure capacity as rebound demand and multipurpose and heavy-lift capacity is tapped by container lines in reaction to even stronger container demand.

Lifting the COVID-19 quarantine comes after industry stakeholders voiced concerns that the mandate was causing widespread sailing disruptions, combined with a knock-on effect on inventory flow.

Freightos has developed an application programming interface (API) to allow e-commerce marketplaces to plug international freight services directly into their broader offerings to business-to-business sellers.

There’s debate about how much of a knock-on effect COVID-19 vaccine distribution could have on other types of cargoes, but US shippers are cautioned to plan for some disruption.

A weekly service will carry 53-foot domestic intermodal containers between Tampa and Brownsville, Texas, for cross-border shipments between the United States and Mexico.

The planned New Orleans container terminal would handle rising container volumes, particularly Asian imports, and enable the port to make larger play for Midwest cargoes routed through the West Coast.

Parcel carrier FedEx warned surcharges will be a “necessary part” of its pricing strategy after a quarter in which increased efficiencies in its Ground operations led to large gains in operating income.

Less-than-containerload (LCL) operators are driving the bulk of technology development in their market owing to its niche nature and inherent complexity, but that may change as more volume gravitates to LCL.

Brazilian forwarders are also facing the problem of rolled cargo that is adding up to a month to cargo transit times, even as importers delay placing orders amid the economic uncertainty created by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The truck driver turnover rate is rising at truckload carriers as they compete for employees; that is spurring a new round of pay hikes for drivers.

Global container carrier schedule reliability in November declined for the fourth consecutive month, reaching especially dismal lows in the eastbound trans-Pacific trades to all US coasts.

The warning from two FMC commissioners comes as some carriers are refusing export bookings so they can ship empty containers back to Asia faster to be refilled with higher-paying exports to the United States.

Convoy is integrating with AscendTMS, another sign of the importance of enabling small truckload carriers with software to manage driver dispatch and scheduling, which helps give shippers electronic access to more capacity.

Building a presence in the inland intermodal hub of Duisport will give Maersk direct access to strategic river and rail services in the heart of Europe.

The import surge that hit Los Angeles-Long Beach this summer has arrived at major East Coast gateways, with a year-over-year increase in November imports from Asia of more than 30 percent.

BNSF Railway is limiting the amount of containers its partners can bring into a terminal in Southern California and on certain Chicago lanes due to volumes that usually tail off after Thanksgiving but have stayed elevated this year.

Resin exports jumped 32 percent at the Port of Mobile during the first seven months of the year compared to the same period a year ago.

Fluor grinds its way out of a long run of financial trouble, but the EPC is facing an anxious oil and gas segment struggling with COVID-19-driven demand declines and an evolving market.

The widespread distribution of coronavirus vaccines early next year will compete for limited transport capacity amid peak air cargo season, with the shipments channeled through the same hub airports.

While cargo volumes at the main Indian terminals have rebounded markedly since the sharp setbacks earlier this year, current trends do not signal a “V-shaped” recovery that would warrant significant terminal capacity growth.

Momentum for software that helps small carriers manage their businesses keeps growing, with CloudTrucks getting $20.5 million in venture capital to build its “virtual carrier” model and an instant pay product for drivers.

COVID-19 and the wave of imports reaching the US will keep pressure on transportation capacity and pricing, from ports to the last mile, shippers warned Tuesday.

Supply chain management software provider Blue Yonder is suing its competitor Kinaxis over alleged patent infringements that Blue Yonder says have cost it $20 million in customer deals.

There will be no rapid resolution to the container equipment shortages disrupting global supply chains, with the benefits of an expanding box fleet offset by widespread port congestion.

BlueX Trade and Catapult are partnering to pipe instant rates from BlueX’s container line customers to Catapult’s forwarder customers, a further sign that instant quoting is gaining traction as an alternative to traditional spot quoting.

FedEx and UPS are on track to make on-time last-mile delivery of most parcels by Christmas Eve even as promotions such as “free shipping Monday” add additional volumes to delivery networks.

US imports from Asia in November were unusually strong, down only slightly from the peak months of October and August.

Norfolk Southern has shut the gates on containers and trailers entering its 63rd Street terminal in Chicago to five Northeast locations due to a crush of volume, likely sending the loads to full truckload.