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Container Shipping

Stay Up to Date on the Container Shipping Industry

The global shipping industry is constantly evolving, and the COVID-19 pandemic began a marked shift in how container shipping operates. Disruption caused by the pandemic has forced the industry to expand its capacity and reduce costs to remain profitable.

At the peak of the pandemic, containers essentially stopped moving. As manufacturers went into lockdown and closed factories, many of the containers used to ship those manufactured goods were left stranded at ports or storage depots, where they weren’t needed. Simultaneously, freight shippers were reducing the number of vessels in use due to the manufacturing slowdown. This limited global shipping capacity and disrupted the worldwide flow of containers and goods. As a result, some regions were left with an excess of stored containers, while other places were left with no containers at all.

As the pandemic slowed and the global economy began to rebound, labor shortages and congestion at ports have left many of these stored containers stuck where they aren’t needed. Now, instead of a shortage of shipping containers, the industry is dealing with too many. Many container storage depots are turning away new clients due to lack of space, and some shippers are even giving containers away to make room. Blank and cancelled sailings are increasing as well, as shippers decide to skip a port or cancel a trip altogether in order to manage changes in demand and capacity.

Check back here for the latest news and insights on the state of the container shipping industry. You can also visit our maritime news archive to learn more about cargo shipping, or our American Shipper archive for air cargo shipping industry news.

Stuart Chirls Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Maersk wins China cargo relay extension

Maersk has won an additional two years for domestic container transshipments between ports in China. China’s Transport Ministry this week announced an extension of the pilot cabotage program through December 2027. The program aims to improve domestic export and import container flows between Yangshan port in Shanghai and select ports in northern China. It will […]

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Stuart Chirls Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Will container purchase prices continue their climb?

A strong shipping market helped secondhand container prices grow to an above-average finish in 2024, but it’s unclear whether that will be sustained heading into the new year. “With inflationary pressures persisting and central banks maintaining higher interest rates for longer, container owners will face increased total asset costs,” said Christian Roeloffs, co-founder and chief […]

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Stuart Chirls Friday, January 17, 2025

ILA to review tentative longshore contract; union ratification vote next

The International Longshoremen’s Association expects to shortly take the next steps toward ratifying a new contract with East and Gulf Coast port employers.  Union leadership will be scheduling meetings “in the next few weeks” with ILA wage scale delegates to review the tentative agreement with terminal operators and ocean carriers of the United States Maritime […]

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FreightWaves Staff Wednesday, January 8, 2025

ILA, USMX reach contract agreement on automation, avoiding port strike

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master contract. The agreement will replace the expiring contract which had been extended after a short strike in October 2024.  The two groups issued a joint statement late Wednesday evening, saying “the two sides […]

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