Port News

US East Coast ports anticipate a busy third quarter and are bracing now to handle the volume with off-dock storage of long-dwelling imports and empty containers to keep cargo flowing smoothly.

Older container trucks serving the Port of Vancouver will begin to be phased out from mid-September as the port looks to replenish the fleet with cleaner-running vehicles.

Falling import volumes into North Europe amid rapidly deteriorating economic conditions have not provided any relief for hub ports in the region as logistics challenges mount.

German port union ver.di and port employers are locked in their sixth round of wage negotiations this week in a dispute over inflation-matching increases.

With Friday’s expiration of the contract between the ILWU and West Coast marine terminal employers, negotiations for a new deal enter a new and more unpredictable phase that has shippers on edge.

A report commissioned by the International Longshore & Warehouse Union suggests California levy a tax on automated terminals in Los Angeles-Long Beach, with revenues directed to communities that suffer economic harm from the loss of dockworker jobs.

A Federal Maritime Commissioner is calling on the White House to step in and help end the labor dispute that has kept Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal significantly underutilized since its opening last year.

After two years of keeping supply chains moving in a heavily disrupted logistics sector, and now facing rapidly rising inflation, transport worker unions in Europe are turning up the heat on employers.

Jacksonville Port Authority’s chief executive sees a chance to reverse a downward trend in the port’s Asia business with the completion of dredging and marine terminal improvements that will allow post-Panamax ships to call.

The South Carolina Ports Authority will extend Sunday hours for truckers through September, one of several initiatives officials believe will help the port navigate the upcoming peak season.

The commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers has endorsed a study about the merits of deepening and widening the Port of New York and New Jersey to allow larger ships to call and reduce wait times.

The US Supreme Court will allow New York and New Jersey to file legal arguments about whether a 70-year-old compact for joint port policing powers also allows either side to exit the deal.

With new incentives, the Port of New Orleans and Louisiana state economic officials are targeting retail distribution centers to ease export-import balance that’s cost the port service and volumes.

The congested North Europe hub of Antwerp is having its container terminal operations and inland logistics connections further tested by industrial action.

The US Department of Agriculture plans to help fund additional chassis for reefer cargo at the Port of Houston and to subsidize dray moves to a Port of Tacoma pop-up yard.

Robust imports from Asia in May produced a new record, defying concerns about high inflation in the US and COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai.

West Coast employers and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, in a rare joint statement while contract negotiations are under way, pledged to continue negotiations beyond July 1.

BNSF and Union Pacific say shippers are letting their containers sit too long at inland hubs, especially Chicago, delaying the return of trains to Southern California.

A breakdown in wage negotiations between German port employers and labor comes at a particularly inconvenient time, with supply chains heavily disrupted and peak season about to begin.

In a hot breakbulk market, carriers are asking for — and getting — far higher detention fees to cover their potential losses when shippers delay loading or picking up their cargo.

A drayage technology provider in the ports of LA and Long Beach that has prioritized dual transactions for its driver network said it is seeing a majority of moves in 2022 involve coordinated empty container drop-offs and laden import pickups.

The Port of Houston is trying to expedite a $1 billion dredging project as an ongoing surge in containerized freight shows the need for more capacity at the Gulf Coast’s busiest port.

Already congested ports in North Europe are bracing for a spike in volume this summer following the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns in China, but deteriorating economic conditions in Europe could cause demand to drop in the fourth quarter.

West Coast terminal operators and the ILWU are weighing a proposal that would allow terminals to open their gates at 6 a.m., a move that has the support of truckers.

Three importer groups have sent a joint letter to the Biden administration calling on the White House to intervene in West Coast labor talks in order to avoid further stressing the US supply chain.

Brooklyn marine terminal operator Red Hook Container Terminal lost its bid to collect a $13 million demurrage bill that it claimed was due from an ocean carrier under a Federal Maritime Commission tariff.

US retailers are forecasting near-record imports through the peak shipping season as back-to-school goods that have already begun landing are followed quickly by holiday season merchandise.

Canada’s Class I railroads have been dealing with a surge of freight from Vancouver that has taxed a shrinking pool of available truckers across the country in Ontario.

A new working arrangement that for the first time allows pilots from Hong Kong and Shenzhen to navigate in each other’s waters aims to mitigate delays stemming in part from a pilot shortage in Yantian.

The Port of Houston’s two container terminals will be open on Saturdays through at least the rest of 2022 as an import wave continues to tie up capacity at the gateway.

The second service to call on Charleston’s year-old Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal arrived last weekend amid an ongoing labor dispute that has other carriers steering clear.

The Port of Baltimore will receive almost $16 million in additional federal funds that will complete on-dock rail improvements needed as part of the project to raise the Howard Street Tunnel for double-stack service.

Contract negotiations between the ILWU and West Coast marine terminal employers started up again on Wednesday after an unexpected halt in late May.

A backlog of vessels is building off Savannah, but the Georgia Ports Authority says it’s in a better position to handle the heavy volumes now than it was when delays hit last fall.

Customs software provider KlearNow has added a drayage service to its product in order to sync cargo availability to capacity from its network of dray providers.

A new report on marine terminal automation found that while reducing labor costs is a major driver, multiple benefits throughout the operation must be considered in order to justify the large capital expenditure involved.

Government investments are expected to triple capacity at Port Saint John amid accelerated growth brought on by partnerships with Canada Pacific, DP World, and more.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is looking for additional land well ahead of dredging that would bring larger ships and double the freight coming into the busiest US East Coast port over the coming two decades.

Drayage operators at California ports are concerned that the final phase of the state’s clean-truck regulations that take effect on Jan. 1 will take a sizable bite out of truck capacity shortage in the harbors.

West Coast port officials say excessive rail container dwell times due to insufficient rail assets and capacity threaten the gains ports are making in clearing vessel backlogs and lowering truck turn times.