Shipping

No one was prepared for the global shipping disruption caused by COVID-19, but Mike Meierkort said Damco’s resiliency program is “the closest thing to having a playbook.”

Coronavirus will inevitably infect more seafarers. How ports respond will be pivotal.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will do its part to keep imports of medical gear flowing efficiently into the country.

FIATA questions the reasonableness of assessing demurrage and detention charges against shippers and forwarders during pandemic.

Canceled sailings surge, schedule reliability sinks and import demand evaporates.

Global container carrier sails deeper into North American warehouse and distribution services.

The Comfort and Mercy, now assisting America through the COVID-19 pandemic, started as crude oil tankers.

CNBC’s Lori Ann LaRocco provides commentary on how the Phase One trade deal between the U.S. and China has not worked as thought, at least to date….

As most of the transport sector suffers, crude-tanker owners haul in boatloads of cash.

Leader of container and chassis provider organizations heartened to see cooperation during the coronavirus crisis “to minimize the impact for the greater good.”

Commissioner Rebecca Dye will lead the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission effort with industry to identify “operational solutions to cargo delivery challenges” caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

CEVA and DHL free themselves from contractual constraints to realign operations and facilitate pricing flexibility during pandemic.

More booking cancellations equal more ocean-service cancellations equal more delivery uncertainty.

Crew members evacuated from container ship, tested for coronavirus and hospitalized in China.

An in-depth look at coronavirus risks to Panama Canal transits.

Some believe Capesize rates will remain depressed. Others see light at the end of the tunnel.

Carrier generates $815 million in cash with sale of stakes in eight port terminals.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s legal staff is expected to deliver its final demurrage and detention rulemaking assessment to the commissioners in the next several weeks.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen laying off 2,500 workers in the United States and Mexico, retiring and recycling about 15 vessels.

Social distancing will wreak havoc on trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe box volumes.

An exclusive interview with Nerijus Poskus, global head of ocean freight at Flexport.

One of the world’s largest suppliers of disposable rubber gloves may resume exports to the U.S. after resolving forced labor concerns, Customs and Border Protection said.

International Maritime Organization secretary-general stresses that world trade during the coronavirus pandemic depends on the mariners who move goods.

China-to-U.S. box rates are losing steam after last week’s rise.

Once America’s largest merchant ship, oil tanker, icebreaker and research vessel.

“Vessel-sharing is the backbone of the global liner shipping network,” John Butler, the World Shipping Council’s president and CEO, said.

“IT strength and capability” helping Orient Overseas (International) Limited service customers during coronavirus crisis.

Ocean shipping has functioned well during the outbreak but pressures are mounting.

Petchem shippers are keeping inland barge owners busy, but upside could be temporary.

UNIX Line’s tanker, Zao Galaxy, discharged the contaminated water overboard in early 2019 during a voyage between the Philippines and California’s Port of Richmond.

The Chinese government is using the reason “Acts of God” to void many contracts due to coronavirus. Darren Prokop explores whether that is hurting current trade and will impact trade in the future.

Hall of fame induction and trade conference postponed until September.

“Regulated entities remain obligated to comply with all filing requirements and deadlines,” the U.S Federal Maritime Commission said.

America had been on track to become the world’s largest propane exporter until Saudi Arabia opened its crude spigot.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control adds five U.A.E. companies to SDN List for facilitating embargoed Iranian oil sales.

Americans for Free Trade, which represents more than 100 trade organizations, said eliminating existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would boost the American economy by $75 billion during the COVID-19 crisis.

Halt of cruise voyages will slash HFO demand, a positive for cargo ships with scrubbers.

The Trump administration notified Congress that it will begin bilateral trade agreement talks with the East African country.

Lois Zabrocky explains how two black swans — the outbreak and oil price war — reshaped the market.

Crude-tanker rates are skyrocketing, but leading analyst Michael Webber urges caution.

Office operations that remain open implement CDC guidance to protect employees from spreading or contracting COVID-19.

Why are share prices and tanker freight rates going in opposite directions?

“With ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus, there is real concern about these fees being assessed when there are equipment issues beyond the control of the shipper or motor carrier,” 67 trade associations told the Federal Maritime Commission.

Investors appear increasingly worried that the coronavirus will spark a global recession with no quick bounceback.

Coronavirus has strained supply chains and had a huge impact on the movement of freight.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added Russian oil company overseas affiliate TNK Trading International in Switzerland to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

American Association of Port Authorities and Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association among organizations canceling meetings.

As the world reels from coronavirus, crude-tanker owners are raking in massive returns.

“Right now, I believe most ocean carriers and marine terminal operators are acting responsibly and fairly in these challenging conditions,” FMC Commissioner Daniel Maffei said.

Coronavirus is having an impact on many industries. One of those impacted is the global seafood industry.

Coronavirus left containers scattered in the wrong ports. Liner companies are trying to get them back into position.

Levy is kept modest as report warns high rate would lead to diversions.

Tanker rates are back in the stratosphere as the Saudis move ahead with production push.

The companies that control the bulk of ocean cargo opearte under different rules than most companies. Read Darren Prokop’s explanation of why that is…

Ship scrubbers no longer equate to big savings on fuel costs. Is this only temporary?

CNBC’s Lori Ann LaRocco writes about the ramping up of manufacturing in China, and the subsequent ramping up of cargo headed to the U.S. via ships.

Here’s why tanker stocks are rising as the rest of the U.S. stock market is crashing.

Unprecedented uncertainty will likely delay annual contracts between shippers and ocean carriers.

An exclusive interview with SIA Flexitanks CEO Damien McClean on what’s happening right now with Chinese manufacturing, trucking and ports.

Slashed oil production is bad for tankers, but fallout for container ships hinges on price action.

As fewer ships arrive from China, there’s less capacity and equipment for U.S. and European container exports.

The 2019 Protecting America’s Food and Agriculture Act provides funding to help Customs and Border Protection close a shortfall among its agriculture specialist ranks over the next three years.

CargoMetrics data reveals that Chinese port activity has recovered much faster than some had feared.

“This exception ensures that the declaration requirement fulfills the intent of the Lacey Act while reducing the regulatory burden on importers,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

A proposed $1.8 billion sale of U.S.-origin air defense systems is expected to open a pathway to increased exports to the South Asian economy.

The National Treasury Employees Union tells House appropriators that Customs and Border Protection requires an additional 1,100 officers and staff to carry out its mission at the nation’s ports of entry.

It has been a particularly rough start of the year for tanker stocks despite exceptionally strong results.

Unix Line admitted that its tanker, Zao Galaxy, illegally discharged oily bilge at sea while on route from the Philippines to California’s Port of Richmond in late January 2019.

No evidence yet of coronavirus-induced drop in dry bulk rates. Is it coming?

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said most benefits of “Phase One” trade deal with China should be realized in 2020, despite commercial disruption from coronavirus.

The trade war between the U.S. and China caused companies to adapt supply chains and the transportation of their products. Darren Prokop writes about those changes and their impacts.

An exclusive interview with Jefferies analyst Randy Giveans on the coronavirus-induced shipping-stock collapse.

As risks surge and stocks plunge, a look at the key coronavirus issues and a rundown of FreightWaves’ coverage to date.

A handful of iconic American merchant ships have cloudy futures.

Big data confirms China trade volumes fell off a cliff in the wake of the coronavirus.

The 2018 Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act clarified and enhanced the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s authority over licensed ocean transportation intermediaries.

Outlook of world’s largest container line hinges on timing of coronavirus containment.

The study hopes to produce data that will persuade shippers and cargo owners to move freight using a “marine highway.”

Asian refineries suddenly have too much gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Buyers in the West are taking the overflow, a plus for product tankers.

Cost to ship containers from China is down 6-8% but dearth of cargo may limit discounts.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has added the Swiss-based oil brokerage arm of Rosneft Trading to the SDN List for its recent arrangements to transport sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

The second half of 2020 is shaping up to be either very good or very bad for dry bulk shipping.

The Artic Ocean may be the next area that sees the superpower nations “rubbing up” on each other in search of faster ocean passage and a new source of natural resources.

Inland trucking slowdown in China leaves port reefer plugs full, blocking refrigerated food imports.

Trade risks will intensify if the virus spreads from China to the global pool of seafarers.

“We will continue to work with the FMC to make sure that outdated regulations do not prevent the marketplace from working at maximum efficiency,” said World Shipping Council President and CEO John Butler.

Shipping bosses warn of huge economic knock-on effects from the coronavirus outbreak.

No evidence yet of a rush to expedite exports ahead of feared price increase.

Guest columnist Sri Laxmana writes about the impacts of IMO 2020.

Coronavirus is not yet affecting rates, but it is influencing where U.S. importers look to source cargo.

Earnings calls shed new light on how ocean shipping bosses view coronavirus crisis.

An exclusive interview with Matt Heider, CEO of voyage-optimization platform Nautilus Labs.

The District Court of Hawaii said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Singapore) PTE Ltd. will implement an environmental compliance plan for all of its 38 vessels calling U.S. ports.

Terms of the court-protected restructuring of American Commercial Lines have already been agreed to and no disruptions are expected.

From container shipping to tanker transport, markets are awash in coronavirus fallout.

Momentum builds for decarbonization of ocean shipping but it’s far from a done deal.

Darren Prokop writes about the future of data in for-hire transportation. Data is information and can become knowledge.

It has become even harder to determine what the prevailing bulk ocean freight rate really is.

Lori Ann LaRocco writes about the impact of coronavirus on maritime trade between China and the U.S.

More tariff and sanction risks lie ahead for ocean shipping.