Maritime

Carrier profits are reaching previously unimaginable heights as supply chain disruptions supercharge gains.

E-commerce is becoming an increasing area of focus for some ocean carriers.

The investments rely on expectations that customers will want easy or green access to railroads’ intermodal offerings.

Legislation affecting the world’s largest gantry crane manufacturer brings supply chain risks along with it, according to a port security expert.

The FTC wants to know if large corporations are engaging in anticompetitive supply chain practices.

While there are other factors in driving up supply chain costs, it cannot be refuted that maritime costs are adding to inflation.

“International collaboration is essential to decarbonize global supply chains. It’s time to get started on this important work,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

Despite voluntary sustainability efforts and increasing regulations, shipping emissions are on the rise.

SoCal imports suffering multimonth slide, not because of falling demand, but because of supply chain bottlenecks.

Volkswagen aims to support sustainability in shipbuilding and ship recycling through the initiative, said Simon Motter, head of Volkswagen Group Logistics.

Shipping analysts rethink outlooks on crude and product tanker rates: already grim market appears even grimmer.

The Port of Savannah handled a record 5.6 million TEUs in 2021.

MSC, a giant shipping line, wants to buy an Italian airline. If successful, it will then be in the passenger airline and air cargo businesses.

An attack on Ukraine could hike costs for shipowners and cargo shippers across the globe.

Shippers are “fed up” with the West Coast logjam and “happy” to pay extra for East Coast destinations.

Family comes first for Lionel van der Walt, who has left PayCargo.

Supply chain disruptions are blamed for mixed results at Gulf Coast ports.

Kubed Living is turning shipping containers into homes, offices and gyms.

Could container shipping and tanker stocks end 2022 very differently than they began it?

“Historic, pandemic-induced import surge” drove record-smashing volume at the Port of Long Beach.

“An earlier transition will allow more gradual changes, thereby reducing the risk of significant disruptions of the sector and of asset stranding,” the report said.

For bulk commodity shipping, a rough start to the year. For container shipping, the profit bonanza continues.

“Climate protection is an issue that impacts everyone. While we can work towards this goal internally, we also wanted to provide an opportunity to enroll our customers in our mission toward carbon neutrality,” said Mark McCullough, Gebrüder Weiss USA CEO.

“The global supply chain will be further strained because of these lockdowns in China and the result would be a further gap in global demand and supply,” says Container xChange CEO Johannes Schlingmeier.

FedEx Logistics is the latest company to find an alternative to big-port congestion by taking freight business to the Port of Hueneme in California.

No letup yet: It’s taking even longer for Asian exports to get across Pacific to American buyers.

The finger-pointing of blame and the political promises and suggestions are not improving the flow of trade.

“This year will be the year for Maersk to ensure green solutions are developed end to end,” said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of fleet and strategic brands at Maersk.

DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted holiday season wins at the ports of LA and Long Beach while addressing shipping-sector prices.

2021 was a banner year for The Port of Virginia, SC Ports and Alabama Port Authority.

More COVID control measures in China are impacting international goods movement.

Shares of Zim are flirting with a new peak while shares of ship-leasing, dry bulk and tanker companies lose ground.

The Biden administration wants consumer protection regulators to examine whether giant retailers are creating supply chain distortions for smaller businesses.

Popular interest in the supply chain may have faded, but the pileup of ships waiting offshore keeps growing.

A small COVID outbreak is curtailing industrial operations in the Chinese city of Ningbo and the port could soon feel the ripple effects.

The latest partial closure of the Port of Ningbo has forwarders shifting strategies to keep the flow of trade moving.

The leading spokesman in Washington for the world’s container trades offers his take on the implications of potential regulatory changes in 2022.

The U.S. government is monitoring for omicron-related disruptions “at ports overseas and at home,” according to port envoy John Porcari.

New barometer from NY Federal Reserve highlights how extreme supply chain crunch has become.

“2022 must be the year where commitments are turned into concrete steps and binding regulations,” said Madeline Rose, climate campaign director at Pacific Environment.

Alabama officials announced plans for the A-USA Corridor, a $231.6 million program of rail projects to upgrade rail infrastructure throughout the state.

Agriculture exporters on the West Coast are feeling neglected by ocean carriers. The Port of Oakland is trying to make more equipment available so they can ship their goods.

How could the consensus — that container spot rates will remain extremely high — be wrong?

Small ports were one solution for big-port problems in 2021. Shippers that could find a vessel were able to get their cargo processed quickly by shifting to a secondary port.

FreightWaves writers look at the most important issues on their beats heading into the new year.

Port of Los Angeles is going vessel operators to clear out empty containers or else face big fines.

MSC sues Deere, patent owner sues six shipping lines, box-overboard cases pile up, and Hanjin’s ghost tries to collect.

The Federal Maritime Commission is ratcheting up pressure on ocean carriers to reduce logistical challenges for their customers.

Putting money on what American Shipper readers were clicking on in 2021 would be a safe bet.

There has never been a year like this for container shipping. Here are the biggest stories of 2021.

CBP and vessel operators will save money through a new rule requiring that crew-list inspections go paperless.

Twenty-five port projects in 19 states are receiving U.S. Maritime Administration grants aimed at bolstering port infrastructure.

Shipping lines are flush with cash and using it to expand into logistics services.

After an exceptional year for ocean shipping, the data points to more action ahead in 2022.

The White House will be “shining a light on profiteering” by ocean carriers in an effort to fend off inflation and keep supply chains moving.

“Expectations are that high consumer demand and low inventory levels will keep rates elevated well into next year,” says Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta.

The biggest, baddest space observatory ever built is ready to ride into space on Dec. 25. How did NASA safely deliver it to the launch site in South America?

Maersk is becoming an integrated logistics goliath with the ability to provide freight management, transportation, warehousing and e-commerce fulfillment for big retailers and manufacturers.

Spot rates topped $300,000/day, sank to teens, rose to over $360,000, now back near $100,000.

The pilot program in Chicago and Kansas City aims to encourage trucks to come — and go — with a shipping container.

The latest example of an ocean carrier expanding into the logistics space involves MSC trying to buy a piece of Bolloré Logistics.

The addition of three cranes along with dredging and the construction of a freight corridor has Boston big ship ready.

Carriers and shippers are turning to East Coast ports as Los Angeles/Long Beach remains mired in congestion.

The White House is asking carriers to play nice with exporters, but next year Congress may give it a hammer to use if shipping practices don’t change.

The Health Industry Distributors Association said that between 8,000 to 12,000 containers filled with millions of critical medical supplies are delayed.

Port Hueneme is an example of a niche port that is attracting more container shipments because of bottlenecks at big seaports.

While the Port of Long Beach is still dealing with a lineup of container ships waiting to berth, it is looking ahead to providing more cargo visibility.

New York City has released several blueprints on its freight future during the de Blasio administration.

Import demand remains exceptionally strong but volumes through America’s largest port are falling.

SoCal port crunch “has really become as bad as it’s ever been,” reports industry veteran Jon Monroe.

A new report by Shifl shows the impact the massive congestion off the coast of Los Angeles and Long Beach has had on transit times from China.

November volumes rose nearly 4% year-over-year, although on a sequential basis, volumes fell nearly 9% from October.

Christmas is just around the corner, but the supply chain remains snarled, says a C.H. Robinson exec.

The four, 100-foot tall gantry cranes are scheduled to begin work at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal early next year.

After brief reprieve, trans-Pacific shipping rates head back up, pointing to ongoing supply chain pressure.

Some public shipowners are turning toward more diverse fleets. Others are moving in the opposite direction.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Port Houston’s trade in October jumps 51% to nearly $17 billion; automotive production in Mexico drops 20% in November; Mexico OKs another state to export avocados to the U.S.; and Constellation Brands will build an export brewery in Mexico.

The Port of Savannah handled 6.7% more containers in November compared to a year ago, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.

California drayage company Orange Avenue Express alleges ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd is forcing it to act as a storage facility for refrigerated containers.

The container shipping surge shows no signs of letup, but the Southern California ports say they are slowly clearing out the backlogs.

Not only critical for the safety of seafarers on vessels, the terrestrial AIS data provides specific commodity and port information so trading decisions can be made.

The unique design will improve port efficiency and increase capacity, according to Maersk.

The number of ships waiting to berth at the Port of Vancouver reached 60 as congestion continues while rail service slowly recovers from storms.

Controversial plan to charge for containers lingering on terminals keeps getting delayed. Yet containers still linger.

An FMC shipper advisory recommends prioritizing container automation ahead of next year’s labor negotiations.

Ocean shipping reform legislation passed on Wednesday in the U.S. House as the Senate prepares companion legislation.

Crowley wants to be “the most sustainable and innovative maritime and logistics company in the Americas by 2025,” says Alisa Praskovich, sustainability director at the company.

The deal continues the trend of steamship lines adding logistics capabilities to their portfolios.

The World Shipping Council warns of too much government intrusion while taking heat for sky-high carrier profits.

South Carolina Ports experienced an all-time high for the number of containers handled in November amid higher import volumes.

Georgia port officials are engaged in what appears to be the largest current expansion of a port in North America.

Container, dry bulk and tanker stocks are down from recent highs. Temporary setback or something more?

Commission).Bentzel: “Let’s face it, it’s taking two or three times longer to deliver cargo because of congestion and conservatively prices are three to five times higher.”

Industry cooperation removing containers from the docks has convinced port officials to hold off imposing penalties for excess storage.

CN begins moving trains on the Kamloops-Vancouver corridor three weeks after flooding and landslides in British Columbia knocked out its main Port of Vancouver rail link.

Radiant Logistics announced Monday that it acquired digital logistics services provider Navegate for $35 million.

A container vessel made an emergency call at a Mexican port so sailors could seek medical attention for COVID-19.

COVID exposed underlying chinks in the supply chain, especially at the ports. The White House has lit a fire under the industry’s feet to improve the container shipping system.

Marine Exchange now counts ships waiting farther out to sea, confirming just how big the backlog really is.

The terminal says it has “abundant space” at the Millennium Marine Rail facility in New Jersey, as well as competitive import dwell time.