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Plaquemines’ grand ambition for a container terminal comes as other Gulf Coast ports are vying to host larger vessels and offer easier access to the US Midwest.

New service offerings announced recently by CMA CGM demonstrate that while alliances serve the carriers well in terms of cost efficiencies, the benefits may not extend much further.

The US import surge that began in late June now looks like it will continue at least through October as consumers turn to e-commerce for purchases, including holiday season merchandise.

A proposed Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pilot project would let truck drivers stop the hours of service clock for up to three hours and then resume driving, giving them more control over their schedules, but a longer day.

Both of Houston’s container terminals were shut for two days this week as a precaution as Hurricane Laura approached the Gulf Coast.

UP will raise surcharges again out of Los Angeles on all shippers, as previous rate increases have been ineffective in slowing volumes that threaten to overwhelm the railroad’s network.

Average air freight spot rates on the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe trade lanes weakened this week, but forwarders and analysts are predicting that rising demand will drive rates back up in the fourth quarter.

More US small parcel carriers are implementing peak season surcharges as retailers prepare for an atypical holiday season.

Truckers and cargo owners are urging the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to incentivize ocean carriers to share more shipment information earlier to improve cargo velocity in Southern California.

Shippers need quicker access to carrier, rate information as lanes, customers, and pricing shift under COVID-19, C.H. Robinson says.

Shippers will have to plan their supply chains more carefully in Denver and Chicago because Union Pacific Railroad will no longer accept containers more than two days before their scheduled departure due to an onslaught of intermodal volume.

Research into finding a zero-carbon fuel capable of powering international shipping has continued even as navigating the COVID-19 pandemic consumed much of the industry’s attention in 2020.

Truckload freight volumes are still increasing overall, but not at the frenetic pace of July, supply chain visibility provider FourKites says. That's a sign supply chains are "rebalancing," though spot pricing remains elevated.

Cosco’s sale of a large portion of its ownership stake in China International Marine Containers appears to be a state-mandated move to consolidate control around China Merchants Group, CIMC’s largest shareholder.

The Los Angeles–Long Beach gateway’s market share increased in July as retailers focused just-in-time shipments through Southern California, a trend that is expected to continue through September.

Spot rate developments are an indicator of what to expect from the long-term contract market, and current trends show the spot market on Asia–Europe continuing to increase, according to Xeneta.

With carriers refocusing on Colombo or other regional hubs for predictable cost advantages in tighter market conditions, Indian cargo owners may have to wait longer to enjoy more competitive, direct shipping solutions.

After selling its last remaining non-LTL subsidiaries, Roadrunner Transportation plans to shorten transit times on more lanes, improve service, and win over LTL shippers and drivers.

Breakbulk shipper John Deere is signaling mild optimism for the balance of the year even as construction and agriculture machinery sales falter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only eight of the JOC Top 40 Container Carriers by US Imports managed to increase volumes in the first five months of the year, none of which belong to one of the three major vessel-sharing alliances.

Union Pacific Railroad will institute a $500 surcharge on excess cargo for all shippers in Seattle to divert as many assets to Los Angeles as possible amid record-breaking cargo spikes in Southern California.

The availability of IMO-compliant 0.5 percent sulfur fuel oil in Bangladesh’s main port will help lower costs for carriers, particularly the feeder operators that work vessels calling from major regional hubs.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. announced a new weekly service from Asia to the US West Coast to meet import demand that has risen significantly in the past two months.

Despite a COVID-19-driven construction slowdown and a complex permitting regime, the second wave of breakbulk cargo will soon begin delivery to the $40 billion LNG Canada project.

The correlation between blank sailings and volume through the coronavirus-hit second quarter can be used to predict upcoming demand with reasonable accuracy, says Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis.

In proactively and successfully influencing the direction of the market as container lines have done this year, leading to higher rates and stronger profit, the carriers will inevitably provoke a regulatory reaction.

APL Logistics has added Haiphong to its OceanGuaranteed product as demand for premium services from Vietnam increases with the shift of some manufacturing from China.

Port authorities in the US Southeast are closely monitoring terminal fluidity as volume picks up, and making adjustments to ensure cargo owners don’t see service degrade.

Stable high-and-heavy cargo volumes reduced loss margins for Wallenius Wilhelmsen as the carrier slow steams and puts 15 ships in cold layup to cut costs.

Leaders from the Maritime Employers Association and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) say they are confident they can agree to a new contract before the truce expires in March 2021.

Forwarders say shipping lines in the eastbound trans-Pacific are telling them to prepare for a Sept. 1 general rate increase (GRI) that could push West Coast spot rates above $4,000 per FEU.

Container lines have displayed an ability to flex capacity in response to short-term demand changes, and this strategy has paid off across the board despite stunted volumes in the second quarter.

Flagging volumes to and from China trade dragged down first-half throughput at Europe’s third-busiest container port, and Hamburg does not expect volume to reach pre-COVID-19 levels anytime soon.

A chassis dispute between trucking executives and ocean carriers has reached an impasse, spurring American Trucking Associations to seek a resolution from the US Federal Maritime Commission.

DP World subsidiary Unifeeder ISC has agreed to purchase three business units of the Mumbai-based Transworld Group, including the short-sea and transhipment carrier Shreyas Shipping and the forwarder Avana Logistek.

For the third time this month, Union Pacific has increased spot rates and its peak season surcharge in Los Angeles, raising prices on small shippers to record levels and likely pushing excess cargo back to trucking.

With record parcel volumes expected to continue into the holiday peak season, carriers are implementing surcharges to manage demand while shippers struggle to secure capacity and mitigate costs.

New priority services from Asia to the US will allow shippers to move their containers quickly through Los Angeles and to inland destinations.

Freight forwarders in the US Midwest and Eastern Canada fear the rail problems plaguing Vancouver could quickly result in excessive delays in delivering containers to the eastern half of the continent.

The federal government shows no signs of intervening in the Montreal strike, which has caused carriers to send several vessels to the alternative ports of Halifax and Saint John.