Should shippers rely on ocean carriers for first- and last-mile logistics?
On-time deliveries are more complex than knowing exactly when a container will arrive at a port.
Stay Up to Date on the Cargo Shipping Industry
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on shipping industry growth in 2020. With the world in lockdown, demand for non-essential consumer goods (and the means to ship them) decreased. Shipment of manufactured goods also decreased as factories closed in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. On top of that, China — one of the world’s largest exporters — was at the center of the pandemic, leading several countries to stop trade with the nation altogether.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), maritime shipping industry growth will likely slow or remain flat in 2023, driven by inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine. For the overall 2023–2027 period, UNCTAD predicts growth at an annual average rate of 2.1%, slower than the previous 30-year average of 3.3%.
Check back here for the latest container shipping news, updates and trends. Looking for additional information and insights? Check out our Maritime Industry News archives.
On-time deliveries are more complex than knowing exactly when a container will arrive at a port.
Foreign-flagged tanker receives 225 metric tonnes of LNG at the Talleyrand Marine Terminal in Jacksonville, Florida.
After decades of safety improvements, a deadly stretch of casualties for ocean shipping.
A.P. Moller-Maersk’s recent announcement that Damco will no longer exist as a separate brand is expected to drive some shippers into the arms of others.
CMA CGM bonds that traded at 55 cents on the dollar in March are now trading near par.
Crude-tanker rates on the benchmark Middle East-Asia run are now deep in the red.
McKinsey warns that global shocks will become more frequent and shippers must improve the resiliency of their supply chains.
Layoffs loom. Maersk maintains changes are not about cutting costs amid COVID, but about improving service.
Direct ChassisLink has added 1,000 new chassis to the Gulf Coast region since its departure from the OCEMA Gulf Consolidated Chassis Pool earlier this year.
Delta announces Gil West’s departure, Sterling Transportation reports Cristine Olvera’s arrival and Leadership Florida picks Frederick Wong to join class.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s Office of Administrative Law Judges is expected to announce an initial decision in this multibillion-dollar complaint against the ocean carriers by August 2021.
Innovation in the maritime industry relies on top-down mandates that are complicated by multilayered regulatory regimes and compliance requirements.
The trans-Atlantic may not be the dominant container market, but it remains dependable for hungry ocean consolidators and forwarders.
The recent death and destruction at the Port of Beirut from ammonium nitrate reminds us that continued carelessness with handling this substance dooms us to repeat history.
U.S. importers turn to Chinese sellers in the wake of COVID.
Good news: Ocean volumes are recovering from COVID.
Incident management team is assisting in vessel recovery and pollution removal while keeping an eye on approaching tropical storms.
Fire erupts on the Waymon L. Boyd in the Port of Corpus Christi shipping canal.
New normal for container shipping: active capacity management and digital spot bookings.
Shipco Transport and its container freight station subsidiary ICT have adopted Vector Software to reduce human contact and on-site paperwork processing as the coronavirus persists.
COVID-19 could ignite geopolitical clashes and cause “meltdown” in U.S. consumer demand.
Will Iran retaliate after America commandeers four Iranian gasoline shipments?
Asia crude drawdown slashes both the “tons” and the “miles” in the ton-mile equation.
“We’re not doing any victory celebrations because the trade outlook remains unclear as long as the pandemic is with us.”
Asia-U.S. ocean freight rates are hitting record highs as import demand outpaces vessel supply.
State-of-the-art rubber-tired gantry cranes will have 169 feet of lift height.
When times get tough, crude-tanker owner DHT starts buying. Times are getting tough.
PayCargo has become a force in the online payment of freight transportation bills and now offers coronavirus-impacted shippers and forwarders credit lines to smooth their cash flow.
M&A is being blocked by weak share pricing among buyers and lack of desperation among sellers.
Euronav and Scorpio Tankers highlight attractive fundamentals after floating storage wraps up.
Multipurpose marine terminal operator Enstructure says the purchase of Ambassador Services in Port Canaveral establishes its presence in U.S. Southeast.
Ports on the Atlantic are losing imports from Europe as well as Asia.
Deutsche Post DHL saw a significant rise in e-commerce activity during the second quarter due to continued COVID-19 travel restrictions and retail store closures.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission found during its Fact Finding 29 investigation that the Port of New York and New Jersey showed supply chain resolve during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trade has been destabilized by the pandemic. Can trade credit insurance help de-risk trade to a degree and help solidify supply chains?
With airfreight capacity squeezed and rates high between China and the U.S., ocean freight consolidators offer the option of fast, cheaper less-than-container load, trans-Pacific services.
DCLI chief commercial officer warns shippers and truckers who seek a national chassis pool: Be careful what you wish for.
New data reveals just how far ship orders have sunk. The fewer ships ordered, the higher future rates could climb.
Darren Prokop’s commentary concerns whether price gouging is taking place on container shipping between Asian ports and the U.S.
Robintrack.net data reveals what retail traders are buying and when. The question is: Why?
First Atlantic hurricane of the 2020 season could cause substantial flooding to south Texas and northeastern Mexico this weekend, delaying freight traffic at ports and land border crossings.
While the storm is expected to weaken as it passes over the islands, Young Brothers pulls its interisland barges into calmer waters for the weekend.
Dry bulk was riding high just a few weeks ago. Now it’s taking a tumble.
Chairman Michael Khouri explains how the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission keeps track of COVID-19-induced ocean container carrier sailing schedule changes for anticompetitive behavior.
Thousands of crew members are stuck on board their ships due to COVID-19 restrictions. Learn more in Darren Prokop’s commentary.
An analysis of daily traded values and volumes of tanker and dry bulk stocks.
The coronavirus’ whipsaw effect on the global supply chain took a toll on Kuehne + Nagel during the first half of 2020, but without a rapid internal response the hit would have been far worse, CEO Detlef Trefzger says.
Will tanker sector see summer lull or more action ahead?
A new interview with AgTC’s Peter Friedmann on how China COVID fears affect U.S. food exports.
U.S. shippers importing cargo from Asia are getting some price relief.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission enters “phase two” of its fact-finding investigation into COVID-19 impacts on container shipping in the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Top Ships, Seanergy, Castor and Globus tap equity markets to buy vessels.
Nordic American Tankers is the best stock performer among larger listed ship owners. Scorpio Bulkers is the worst.
Even before Hawaii imposed COVID-19 travel restrictions earlier this year, Young Brothers lost money and last year sought a rate increase valued at $13 million from state regulators.
Most floating storage has yet to be unloaded while delays in China are mounting.
Tanker rates haven’t been this strong at this time of year for a half-decade.
Deutsche Post DHL said preliminary second-quarter profits, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have it less worried about the rest of the year.
Lori Ann LaRocco illustrates the disruption to global trade by profiling what has happened at the Port of Miami since the coronavirus pandemic began.
ITG offers Catapult an extensive database of nationwide drayage rates to complement ocean pricing.
“Optics” are bad but freight pricing doesn’t appear to meet regulatory bar for intervention.
Challenge to shipping M&A: No one wants to sell in a downturn.
AAL Shipping, an operator of “mega-size” project cargo ships, expects rebound for smaller U.S. import and export project cargoes in 2021, if COVID-19 pandemic subsides later this year.
Global trade fallout from the crew-repatriation crisis has begun — and looks poised to snowball.
Shipboard COVID cases will make it even harder to roll back travel restrictions that block crew changes.
E-commerce and coronavirus fallout are buoying container services from Asia to the West Coast.
CIO Claas Matthies is tasked by SAL Heavy Lift with implementing a digital strategy to streamline and improve the financial outcome for one of the most complex forms of ocean transport – project cargoes.
Long-term institutional investors still steer clear of shipping shares — with good reason.
The Cuban invasion force was to land under the cover of night to begin a counter-revolution against Cuba’s communist government, but the operation unraveled in hours as the invasion fleet floundered in the Bay of Pigs.
For years, exporters and importers have been frustrated by the former U.S. Customs and Border Protection process to withhold their names and addresses in manifest data from the public.
Tanker rates have plunged as predicted. How long until a recovery?
Retail stock pickers bet big on tankers. Dry bulk remains less enticing despite rate surge.
By artificially restricting capacity, carrier alliances have engineered rates higher and may book a profit this year.
More forgiving sanctions approach would avoid rate surge seen after COSCO sanctions.
New court documents shed light on a shipboard drug ring.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has rolled out guidance on how the ocean shipping industry can collaboratively improve the flow of containers among ocean carriers, marine terminals, shippers and drayage truckers in San Pedro Bay during COVID-19 and beyond.
New data reveals third-quarter ocean schedules still largely intact — a positive sign on cargo bookings.
Ships could be idled as thousands of seafarers refuse contract extensions.
The 1920 Merchant Marine Act authorizes the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to investigate and penalize foreign governments with ocean shipping regulations that discriminate against U.S. trade.
Institutional sellers offset retail buyers of supertanker stocks.
Lori Ann LaRocco explains why intra-Asian trade is down and its affect on the United States.
Logistics services provider is optimistic about African continent’s global freight potential, despite economic setbacks from COVID-19 pandemic.
An exclusive interview with Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com.
Three hundred vessels will be equipped to measure and report meteorological data
The World Shipping Council says exemption for ocean container carriers from publishing essential terms of their service contracts with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is a step in the right direction.
Global trade could be the next casualty if the virus resurges, warns OECD.
Crews stranded during the pandemic have garnered media attention — “and that’s a good thing”
COVID effects far from over, but more positive news on the trans-Pacific.
Canada’s largest privately owned bulk carrier said combining its maritime activities in a single department will improve efficiency and better prepare it for a post-COVID-19 economy.
Firefighters injured in explosion aboard Höegh Xiamen after loading operations completed
The stock market is back to pre-COVID levels. Shipping shares still have some catching up to do.
Maritime traffic in and out of the Gulf is restricted, as well as on the Mississippi.
A new intermodal-focused transportation management system brings together the technologies and expertise of Profit Tools, Compcare Services and GTG Technology Group.
Höegh Xiamen still smoldering as authorities investigate cause of Florida explosion
Banner day on Wall Street buoys tanker names as pressure builds.
A recent study by the Institute of International Container Lessors found that traditional hot zinc sprays for refrigerated container steel frames keep them in top shape years longer than zinc-rich primer coatings and should be maintained by box manufacturers.
An exclusive interview with Sea-Intelligence CEO Alan Murphy on how canceled sailings can signal future demand.
Third-party logistics services providers involved in international trade remain concerned about how their businesses will remerge post-COVID-19. They are addressing tough questions about what it will take in terms of staff, systems and office space to operate a successful company.
The global pandemic has strained relations between the U.S. and China. Will that cause the trade deal negotiated earlier this year to break down?
Trump administration seeks to squeeze crude exports from Venezuela.
‘Blue economy’ provides about $373 billion of nation’s gross domestic product