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Greg Miller

Greg Miller covers maritime for FreightWaves and American Shipper. After graduating Cornell University, he fled upstate New York's harsh winters for the island of St. Thomas, where he rose to editor-in-chief of the Virgin Islands Business Journal. In the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn, he moved to New York City, where he served as senior editor of Cruise Industry News. He then spent 15 years at the shipping magazine Fairplay in various senior roles, including managing editor. He currently resides in Manhattan with his wife and two Shih Tzus.
Jun - 2023 -
23 June
Greg Miller

Controversy swirls over shipping stocks that sink as rates rise

Concerns over highly dilutive share offerings by microcap shipowners have been building for years. The debate just intensified.

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20 June
Greg Miller

Container shipping divide: Cargo rates weaken, ship rents ‘robust’

Trans-Pacific spot shipping rates remain under pressure, slumping back again as U.S. import demand comes up short.

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16 June
Greg Miller

Supertanker rate roller coaster: Surprise spike to $91,000 per day

The International Energy Agency predicts Asia will buy growing volumes of U.S. crude through 2028. That’s good news for supertanker demand.

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15 June
Greg Miller

West Coast port labor deal reached; peak season chaos averted

The U.S. supply chain has dodged a bullet. A new dockworker labor deal will keep the peace at West Coast ports.

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13 June
Greg Miller

Confusion reigns as labor dispute ‘fog’ blankets West Coast ports

“Patience is wearing thin. Neither side imagined it would take this long,” says the head of the Port of LA on dockworker contract talks.

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12 June
Greg Miller

Profiting from sanctions: Shipping premiums surge for Russian oil

Mainstream European tanker owners that are willing to load Russian oil are far outperforming the broader market.

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08 June
Greg Miller

Labor unrest, canal woes could complicate ‘normal’ peak season

This year’s peak season could see West Coast labor disruptions coincide with Panama Canal water levels impeding cargo flows to the East Coast.

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07 June
Greg Miller

West Coast dockworkers making $200K demand higher pay

Dockworkers who keep West Coast cargo flowing are highly paid. Their bid for even higher pay is starting to affect the cargo flow.

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05 June
Greg Miller

Trans-Pacific spot container shipping rates are inching up

Demand remains tepid, yet shipping lines have pushed spot rates off the bottom and secured contract rates above spot levels.

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04 June
Greg Miller

West Coast container ports hit as labor talks take ominous turn

The dockworkers’ union and terminal employers are still sparring over wages and benefits more than a year after contract talks began.

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02 June
Greg Miller

New way to place your bets on boom and bust of shipping cycle

Five years after bringing dry bulk freight futures to the masses, Breakwave makes a splash in tanker investing.

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01 June
Greg Miller

Fear of catastrophic shipping accidents rises despite safety gains

Older ships are being kept in service longer in pursuit of profits, heightening the risk of accidents and spills.

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May - 2023 -
31 May
Greg Miller

How does summer driving season affect demand for tanker shipping?

Despite a slow Memorial Day start, summer demand is expected to hike tanker rates in the months ahead.

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25 May
Greg Miller

Sun still shines on South America’s container shipping trade

Not all cargo markets are back to pre-COVID “normal.” Container shipping rates to South America remain elevated.

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24 May
Greg Miller

Giant tankers full of American propane are making waves

Large liquefied petroleum gas tankers are riding high on rising U.S. exports and higher Chinese import demand.

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23 May
Greg Miller

Shipping line fires back at bankrupt Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond “failed to manage its own supply chain” and “exacerbated the bottlenecks faced by other shippers,” alleges OOCL.

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22 May
Greg Miller

Shipping line Zim gets hammered by high spot-rate exposure

Zim outperformed competitors on the way up and is falling faster than other carriers on the way down.

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19 May
Greg Miller

Container shipping under pressure as peak season hopes dim

Trans-Pacific spot rates have pared earlier gains and remain at loss-making levels. Demand has yet to rebound.

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17 May
Greg Miller

How LNG shipping kept Europe’s wartime energy supply secure

Europe faced a potentially disastrous energy shortage after war broke out. LNG shipping played a vital role in limiting the fallout.

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16 May
Greg Miller

COVID boom not over yet for ‘landlords’ of shipping lines

Outsize profits are still flowing to companies like Danaos and Costamare that lease ships to container lines.

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15 May
Greg Miller

Shipping boom hangover: When measuring markets gets tricky

The container shipping party is over — that’s old news. Yet headlines continue to focus on comparisons to the peak.

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11 May
Greg Miller

Hapag-Lloyd: Higher costs will inevitably push up shipping rates

The CEO of shipping line Hapag-Lloyd argues that current freight rates are unsustainable and will correct upward over time.

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09 May
Greg Miller

Shipping stock sell-off: Shares down double digits since March

Is the sharp decline in shipping stocks a canary in the coal mine or an opportunity for investors to buy the dip?

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08 May
Greg Miller

US imports up again in April as market mirrors pre-COVID ‘normal’

America’s imports are not signaling a recession, at least not yet. Inbound volumes are rising from the bottom.

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06 May
Greg Miller

What will happen if Russia blocks Black Sea grain ships?

The war has stoked fears of global shortfalls of wheat, corn and fertilizers, but the flexibility of shipping trades has limited the risk.

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04 May
Greg Miller

Maersk: Downturn on predicted course, liners acting ‘rationally’

Inventory destocking is the biggest container shipping headwind, says Maersk. Its data shows no evidence of inventory pressures alleviating yet.

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02 May
Greg Miller

As oil tumbles, marine fuel gets cheaper — and so do tanker stocks

The price of crude oil is now lower than it was when OPEC announced its latest cuts, fueling more concern on tanker demand.

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01 May
Greg Miller

Bankrupt Bed Bath & Beyond goes after container shipping lines

Bed Bath & Beyond got pummeled by the supply chain crisis. The company is now targeting shipping lines for allegedly compounding its woes.

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Apr - 2023 -
28 April
Greg Miller

Trans-Atlantic shipping rates keep sinking as imports from Europe fall

The Europe-U.S. trade held up a lot longer than the Asia-U.S. trade, but trans-Atlantic premiums are now fading away.

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26 April
Greg Miller

Tanker shipping stocks sink despite talk of looming rate boom

Tanker investors have been disappointed before. Is the current stock pullback a bump in the road or something more?

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25 April
Greg Miller

Container shipping warning: Green shoots are ‘transitory illusion’

As new container ships flood the market amid weak demand, Drewry expects low freight rates to persist through 2024.

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24 April
Greg Miller

As Asia-US shipping rates rise, so does skepticism on staying power

There is growing sentiment that higher trans-Pacific spot rates will not hold and prospects for shipping lines remain weak.

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20 April
Greg Miller

Price cap on Russian crude could soon face its biggest test

Mainstream tankers have moved into the Russian crude export trade. The price cap might push them back out again.

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18 April
Greg Miller

Geopolitics, container shipping rates and an ominous sign from Taiwan

“We are starting to see ocean carriers systematically take geopolitical risk into consideration,” says Xeneta’s Erik Devetak.

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17 April
Greg Miller

Container shipping sees signs of a bottom (at least, for now)

Jefferies’ Omar Nokta believes container shipping investors are starting to look toward “the end of the destock and beginning of the restock.”

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13 April
Greg Miller

European tanker owners make a fortune off Russian oil trade

More Western tankers are jumping into the Russian trade — legally, under the price cap — to pocket big freight premiums.

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12 April
Greg Miller

Port of LA boss: Good Friday work stoppage was ‘a call to action’

“Simply put, there’s no bigger priority right now than this contract agreement,” says Gene Seroka of the Port of Los Angeles.

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11 April
Greg Miller

US imports bounce back in March despite dwindling China cargo

Although import volumes show signs of a nascent recovery, the inventory overhang remains daunting.

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10 April
Greg Miller

Container lines still up vs. pre-COVID despite fall from peak

First-quarter numbers from container lines Cosco, OOCL and Evergreen show lingering upside from the tail end of the boom.

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09 April
Greg Miller

LA-LB outlook darkens as labor unrest briefly shutters ports

After labor unrest closed Los Angeles and Long Beach on Friday, ports on the East and Gulf coasts look even more attractive.

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07 April
Greg Miller

China-Russia vs. US-EU: How global shipping is slowly splitting in two

Worsening China-U.S. relations underscore how pivotal geopolitics has become to global shipping and trade.

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05 April
Greg Miller

Mixed signals: Container shipping downturn not following the script

Despite a collapse in freight rates, container shipping is not behaving like an industry facing an imminent crisis.

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04 April
Greg Miller

OPEC+ throws tanker shipping a curveball, shaking confidence

Crude production cuts are inherently bad for tanker shipping, but analysts are downplaying the fallout.

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03 April
Greg Miller

Mighty fall: Container line profits plummet from historic peak

The trend in container shipping is summed up by the adage, “The higher you climb, the further you have to fall.”

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Mar - 2023 -
31 March
Greg Miller

Ship fuel cost way down from war peak, but ‘green’ fallout looms

Surging costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be a taste of things to come as shipping transitions to more expensive “green” fuels.

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29 March
Greg Miller

Hello, goodbye: Shipping’s latest entries and exits on Wall Street

The lineup of shipping stocks is in flux. There are multiple new listings as well as notable departures.

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27 March
Greg Miller

Trans-Atlantic container rates still double pre-COVID levels

A fifth of U.S. containerized imports come from Europe. Shipping on this route remains much more expensive than it used to be.

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23 March
Greg Miller

In search of shipping’s next supercycle: Are tankers next?

Container shipping just experienced a record boom. Some believe crude and product tankers are poised to follow suit.

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22 March
Greg Miller

How push to decarbonize shipping slowed tanker building to a trickle

Shipowners say they won’t order expensive new dual-fuel tankers without charters. They’re not getting charters, so they’re not ordering.

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20 March
Greg Miller

La negociación de los contratos de transporte marítimo transpacífico de contenedores, en horas bajas 

Las próximas dos semanas serán “cruciales” para los precios de los fletes en el mercado de importación de EE.UU.

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Greg Miller

Crunch time for trans-Pacific container shipping contract talks

Flexport projects trans-Pacific contract rates will decline around 70% from 2022 levels but still be around 30% above current spot rates.

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17 March
Greg Miller

West Coast wipeout: Los Angeles, Long Beach imports still sinking

U.S. importers have forsaken their traditional gateway in Southern California. Many may be gone for good.

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16 March
Greg Miller

Could future supply chain crisis hit diesel shipping, not containers?

Tanker capacity for diesel is already tight amid war fallout. With very few ships on order, future transport capacity could fall short.

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15 March
Greg Miller

How much will container lines ‘earn’ in 2023? It depends on the metric

Quarterly net losses could be around the corner for container lines, but EBITDA will stay high even if carriers dip into the red.

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13 March
Greg Miller

Zim Q4 results surprise to upside but 2023 ‘extremely challenging’

Shipping line Zim could face net losses in the quarters ahead, yet it has a hefty cash cushion to soften the blow.

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10 March
Greg Miller

Crude shipping revs up; supertanker rates top $100,000 a day

With virtually no new ships on order and demand strengthening, the tanker business seems poised for a bull run.

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08 March
Greg Miller

Imports sink again as wholesale inventories remain bloated

U.S. businesses overshot in 2022, importing way more than they needed. The hangover is in full swing, depressing 2023 imports.

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07 March
Greg Miller

The Fed’s supply chain pressure gauge just went negative

Supply chain issues are in the rearview mirror for Fed inflation policy, but for importers, there’s still room for improvement.

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06 March
Greg Miller

Container shipping market yet to bottom as spot rates keep slipping

Container lines are unable to prop up rates because they haven’t culled enough capacity to compensate for weak demand.

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02 March
Greg Miller

Hard landing? 2023 could be Hapag-Lloyd’s 3rd-best year ever

Shipping lines like Hapag-Lloyd have suffered sharp rate falls from the peak, but they’re nowhere near financial distress.

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01 March
Greg Miller

Las compañías de contenedores siguen fletando buques pese a la caída de la demanda de carga 

GSL y MPC afirman que los arrendadores de buques más pequeños están mejor posicionados para capear el temporal

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Greg Miller

Container lines still chartering ships despite drop in cargo demand

Charter rates are far below the peak but higher than pre-COVID as liners continue to sign new container-ship leases.

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Feb - 2023 -
27 February
Greg Miller

The rise of crude tanker ‘cannibals’ in wake of Russia-Ukraine war

Larger crude tankers are moving more U.S. exports on shorter voyages to Europe as long-haul volumes to China stagnate.

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24 February
Greg Miller

Un año después: La guerra entre Ucrania y Rusia ha transformado el transporte marítimo 

El efecto de la guerra en el transporte marítimo de contenedores, crudo, diésel, GNL y carga seca a granel.

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Greg Miller

One year later: How Ukraine-Russia war reshaped ocean shipping

After a year of sanctions and “self sanctions,” shipping cargoes caught in the crossfire continue to find their way to buyers.

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22 February
Greg Miller

‘Colossal’ tidal wave of new container ships about to strike

New Alphaliner data highlights the enormity of new container shipping capacity that’s poised for delivery.

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21 February
Greg Miller

Container trade’s next turn: Price wars, cheap contracts, new ships

Two container shipping experts give their take on how the hangover after the pandemic boom could play out.

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17 February
Greg Miller

Baltic Dry Index has collapsed: Ominous sign for economy?

The Baltic Dry Index has fallen 91% since October 2021 to one of its lowest levels ever, yet shipowners remain confident.

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16 February
Greg Miller

Beleaguered Los Angeles port pins hopes on 2nd-half rebound

Los Angeles continues to face a double whammy of sinking demand and fears over the port labor contract that expired in July.

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10 February
Greg Miller

Asian shipping lines are reporting steep revenue declines

Ocean carrier revenues fell sharply in the fourth quarter versus the third and continued sinking in January.

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09 February
Greg Miller

Welcome to the dark side: The rise of tanker shipping’s ‘shadow fleet’

Sanctions have split the world’s tanker fleet in two. On one side, those that follow Western rules; on the other, those that don’t.

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08 February
Greg Miller

January imports up from December, but February is looking weak

After a bounce in January, containerized imports could drop this month to the lowest level since May 2020.

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Greg Miller

Maersk: Container shipping contract rates will sink to spot levels

Ocean carrier Maersk sees a rough second half of the year, when remaining support from contract rates “will disappear.”

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05 February
Greg Miller

Lag effect: Why liner profits stay high much longer than spot rates

The reversion in spot rates is pulling down contract rates, with a significantly delayed effect on ocean carrier earnings.

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02 February
Greg Miller

Tanker shipping consolidation saga watched ‘like it’s Netflix’

The tanker industry has a storied history of corporate showdowns. The latest, a three-way tussle involving Euronav, looks far from over.

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01 February
Greg Miller

Just how big are the global container shipping alliances?

The 2M partnership between MSC and Maersk — which is breaking up — is the smallest of the three alliances. The Ocean Alliance is much larger.

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Jan - 2023 -
30 January
Greg Miller

Good times still rollin’ for shipping lines in trans-Atlantic trade

Container shipping rates from Europe to the U.S. are finally falling, but they’re still exceptionally high.

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27 January
Greg Miller

Sanctions effect begins: Crude tankers forced onto longer voyages

Russian crude restrictions are having the predicted effect on tanker trades, soaking up more vessel capacity as sailing distance lengthens.

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25 January
Greg Miller

How will Maersk-MSC split redraw container shipping landscape?

Speculation is swirling on how the end of a global container shipping alliance will affect ocean carriers and cargo shippers.

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Greg Miller

Container shipping shake-up: Maersk, MSC terminating 2M in 2025

Shipping services around the globe will be reconfigured after the top two carriers end their vessel-sharing agreement.

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23 January
Greg Miller

Rough start to 2023 for dry bulk, tanker, gas, container shipping

Are falling commodity shipping spot rates the result of normal seasonality or a symptom of global economic malaise?

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20 January
Greg Miller

East Coast container imports still far above pre-pandemic levels

American imports remain a tale of two coasts, with continued strength in container volumes headed to Atlantic ports.

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10 January
Greg Miller

‘Surge finally over,’ US imports back near pre-pandemic levels

Imports continue to decline and are close to where they were before COVID-19, but the coastal mix is very different.

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Greg Miller

Las importaciones estadounidenses vuelven a los niveles anteriores a la pandemia 

Descartes: Las importaciones de diciembre de 2022 sólo un 1,3% por encima de las de diciembre de 2019

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09 January
Greg Miller

Will sanctions on Russian diesel pay off for product tankers?

Sanctions on Russian crude exports have yet to boost tanker rates. Some question whether sanctions on Russian diesel will either.

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06 January
Greg Miller

Coast is (almost) clear as port congestion fades even further

Remaining queues of waiting ships are dwindling, another sign that supply chain pressure is winding down.

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05 January
Greg Miller

Top 10 container lines: How did rankings change during boom?

The top 10 liner operators hiked aggregate capacity by 13% in 2000-22 and continue to control 85% of the global fleet.

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Greg Miller

Las 10 principales líneas de contenedores: ¿Cómo ha cambiado la clasificación durante el boom? 

Los datos de flota de Alphaliner ponen de relieve el aumento de MSC y CMA CGM y el descenso de Cosco

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03 January
Greg Miller

Crude tanker rates down double digits after Russia sanctions debut

The predicted boost to tanker rates from Russian crude disruptions has yet to materialize. Instead, rates have declined.

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Dec - 2022 -
31 December
Greg Miller

2022’s top shipping stories: Container boom ends, war fuels tankers

Just as the pandemic wound down, another market-altering event for shipping — the Ukraine-Russia war — ramped up.

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29 December
Greg Miller

Chance that container ship arrives on time is still a coin toss

Container shipping lines are gradually getting their services back on schedule, but they still have a long way to go.

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27 December
Greg Miller

El gran cambio del transporte marítimo de contenedores: Los fletes al contado se acercan a los niveles previos al COVID 

Los fletes de la costa oeste vuelven a situarse cerca de los niveles anteriores a la pandemia, mientras que los de la costa este se acercan.

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Greg Miller

Container shipping’s ‘big unwind’: Spot rates near pre-COVID levels

Trans-Pacific spot rates fell first. Trans-Atlantic spot rates and Asia-U.S. contract rates look like they’re next in line.

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21 December
Greg Miller

New shipping regulation to combat global warming is under fire

Backers of a shipping regulation that begins Jan. 1 believe it will reduce carbon emissions. Critics warn it could backfire and increase them.

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Greg Miller

La nueva normativa marítima contra el calentamiento global, en tela de juicio 

Los principales fletadores se negarán a utilizar la nueva cláusula contractual reguladora

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19 December
Greg Miller

Shipping giant MSC faces more fallout from cocaine cases

The U.S. could seek forfeiture of the MSC Gayane, a large ship involved in an infamous smuggling operation, says Bloomberg Businessweek.

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14 December
Greg Miller

LA/LB imports drop double digits; slump predicted through spring

Containerized imports to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have now fallen well below pre-COVID levels.

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Greg Miller

Las importaciones de LA/LB caen dos dígitos; se prevé una caída hasta la primavera 

Un primer semestre “lento para la carga” en 2023, predice el consejero delegado de la compañía de transporte marítimo ONE

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