Port of Long Beach nears record TEUs
The Port of Long Beach is on course to handle 9.6 million TEUs in 2024, which would top record volume set in 2021.
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.
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The Port of Long Beach is on course to handle 9.6 million TEUs in 2024, which would top record volume set in 2021.
Frontloading by importers ahead of 2025 helped Asia-U.S. ocean freight rates stay elevated into mid-December.
Total freight movements were up in Houston, Corpus Christi and New Orleans, boosted by shipments of consumer goods, machinery and crude oil.
Liner operator Yang Ming of Taiwan announced plans to modernize its fleet with orders for as many as 13 newbuildings.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the unanimous re-election of Chairman Kevin O’Toole.
American forces said friendly fire was responsible for shooting down an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet during military operations battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
Fears of new tariffs and a strike at East Coast ports combined to push up ocean container rates on Asia-U.S. routes in December.
Shippers would have to move 10% of all seagoing Chinese imports on U.S.-flagged and -crewed vessels under the terms of proposed bipartisan legislation.
The International Longshoremen’s Association has the backing of President-elect Trump in its contract fight with East and Gulf Coast port employers, who may yet have the final say.
The rebel militia that has spent the past year terrorizing Red Sea shipping may be taking a new tack as events unfold in the Mideast.
Continuing consumer demand and frontloading by importers in November helped the Port of Los Angeles to double-digit gains in container volumes.
American military forces protecting Red Sea shipping launched an airstrike against Houthi rebel bases inside Yemen.
Credit evaluator Fitch Ratings is changing its outlook for global container shipping in a move that could make it easier for vessel operators to issue debt or borrow money.
President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend again backed union dockworkers in their fight to block automation technology at East and Gulf Coast container ports.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association called on port employers and the International Longshoremen’s Association to work out their differences over automation and avoid another strike in January.
President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the East Coast longshore labor standoff Thursday, urging foreign-based ocean carriers to forgo automation technology in favor of hiring more union dockworkers.
Rates on Asia-U.S. West Coast and Asia-U.S. East Coast container transport fell for the latest week tracked by Freightos but rose by double digits for Asia-Europe/Mediterranean traffic.
The Port of Jacksonville is taking on a larger role in 2025 as ocean container lines add the north Florida hub to their global services.
US forces defeated an attack by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on a trio of merchant ships and two destroyers in the Gulf of Aden.
The National Retail Federation forecasts containerized imports to continue to surge through U.S. ports ahead of a possible longshore strike and tariffs planned by the Trump administration.
Resilient consumer spending and a healthy jobs market underpinned record intermodal volumes through November, a new report finds, as the U.S. economy enjoys stable footing approaching 2025.
A plethora of factors will weigh on container prices in 2025 as shippers manage their businesses in a changing supply chain.
As a January deadline nears, a coalition of exporters and importers calls on East Coast port employers and their longshore union to resume bargaining on a new contract.
The International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance aren’t bargaining, but that hasn’t swayed Polymarket bettors wagering against another dock strike.
A new four-lane bridge is a key piece of a logistics project aimed at making Burns Harbor a destination for international cargo.
A Chinese national illegally residing in the U.S. was arrested Tuesday on allegations that he exported firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea from Long Beach, California.
The International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance make claims and counterclaims amid stalled contract negotiations.
Ocean container rates to the U.S. remained steady as shippers maneuver to minimize the effects of higher tariffs and a potential port strike in 2025.
A.P. Moller-Maersk has signed contracts for 20 new dual-fuel container ships set for delivery in 2028-2030.
U.S. Navy warships fought off airborne attacks on a trio of American merchant vessels by Yemen-based Houthi militia.
Container rates to the U.S. West and East coasts stayed above $5,000 per FEU as tariff talk and labor issues shadowed shippers’ plans.
Maritime transportation could be vulnerable to remote attacks, the U.S. Coast Guard states in a new security directive.
Port of LA-Long Beach short line Pacific Harbor Line has won partial federal funding toward the purchase of zero-emission locomotives.
Terminal operators and ocean carriers at the Port of Montreal have agreed to mediation in bargaining on a new longshore contract.
Israel’s richest man exits Zim shipping as Red Sea attacks send ocean lines’ profits soaring.
There are some delays as Canada’s top import gateways work off backlogs of containers from labor-related shutdowns.
The Port of Los Angeles posted record container volume in October on resilient consumer spending and a strong economy.
Zim saw a decision to leverage its business against spot rates pay off on surging demand in the trans-Pacific trade.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association said the U.S. should do more to protect Mideast shipping as attacks on vessels spur “unsustainable” higher costs and delays.
The New York Shipping Exchange announced it has closed a Series C funding round and launched a series of shipping rate indexes.
Four new container cranes will help the Port of Virginia handle ultra large container vessels at Virginia International Gateway.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered port operations to resume in British Columbia and Montreal after lockouts of union dockworkers halted container traffic.
Supply chain services giant Kuehne+Nagel said it has acquired a majority share of IMC Logistics, a marine drayage provider handling 2 million TEUs per year.
The International Longshoremen’s Association broke off negotiations on a new contract with the United States Maritime Alliance, charging employers want to eliminate union jobs.
Canada Labor Secretary Steven MacKinnon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order operations to resume at the ports of Montreal, Vancouver and Prince Rupert and send employers and longshore unions back to the bargaining table.
Terminal operators and ocean carriers on Sunday locked out striking dockworkers at the Port of Montreal after the union said the contract proposal doesn’t address scheduling or automation concerns.
he third-largest ocean container carrier, CMA CGM, saw bottom-line improvement as higher rates on vessel diversions amplified a single-digit volume increase.
Western Canada port employers and their longshore union met separately with a federal mediator Saturday, but the talks ended quickly with no new bargaining scheduled.
As a strike by longshore workers cripples container handling, Port of Montreal employers plan to lock out union employees.
The United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association are scheduled to resume bargaining next week on a new master contract covering 45,000 workers at 36 East and Gulf Coast ports.
As a strike by dockside workers disrupts container handling, Montreal’s port chief executive calls on Ottawa to force union employees back to work.
Ships are waiting at anchor after port employers at Vancouver and Prince Rupert on Monday locked out union forepersons after contract talks broke down.
Hapag-Lloyd’s dual-fuel-powered container ships will replace older vessels and reduce emissions.
An extensive study by a U.N. panel found that Yemen’s Houthi rebels are taking in as much as $180 million a month in protection money from shipowners.
The Swiss container carrier MSC said it is adjusting the port rotation on its United States to South America east coast service.
Alone among major liner operators, CMA CGM of France has maintained scheduled voyages between Asia, the Mediterranean and North America ports via the turbulent Red Sea.
Employers at the Port of Montreal say they will suspend salary guarantees for striking longshore workers who have shut down two container terminals.
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association representing ocean carriers and terminal operators plan to lock out union forepersons after the International
Longshore and Warehouse Union rejected a final contract offer.
Ocean shipping and logistics services provider Matson saw improved third quarter profits as higher China and domestic freight rates offset mixed container volumes. Operating income was $227 million for the […]
Ocean Network Express posted soaring results in the second quarter on strong demand in the major trades, an early peak season in the U.S. and attacks on the Red Sea trade route.
The parent of container liner operator Maersk turned in quarterly revenue and profits higher than a year ago as attacks on Mideast shipping led to higher operating costs – and higher rates for shippers.
The ONE alliance of container vessel lines posted second-quarter revenue on an early peak shipping season thanks to attacks on a key Mideast route and looming East Coast longshore strike.
The parent of Maersk container line said strong demand for shipping services and higher ocean freight rates fueled growth across all businesses as it raised estimates for full-year results.
Newly announced federal spending on zero-emission equipment and infrastructure at container ports won the approval of the International Longshoremen’s Association.
Transport Canada is funneling millions of dollars to expand grain-handling facilities at the Port of Montreal.
CSX launched double-stack service to and from the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore on Monday thanks to clearance projects that have been completed north of the Howard Street Tunnel.
International container volume gains more than doubled domestic traffic in the third quarter, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.
The ONE vessel alliance plans to add a new East Asia string to the Port of Jacksonville’s modernized SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal.
Overall volume helped maritime terminals of the Georgia Ports Authority to their second-busiest September on record.
Canada’s second-busiest port is bracing for another protest by 1,200 longshore employees who have been refusing overtime work since Oct. 10.
Ports in Houston and Corpus Christi posted modest gains in freight movements during September, while the Port of New Orleans saw mixed results.
Despite a first-half lull in domestic network demand for logistics services, the world’s largest forwarder saw overall volume growth in the third quarter.
Zim Integrated Shipping Services is restructuring its Cross-Atlantic services connecting Mediterranean ports with North and South America.
Russia conveyed Iranian data to help Houthi rebels in Yemen attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
East Coast ocean carriers and terminal operators will resume bargaining with the International Longshoremen’s Association on a new contract in November.
German transportation provider Hapag-Lloyd reported preliminary nine-month profits and raised its full-year forecast as vessel diversions pushed up shipping rates.
Funding from FEMA will help protect operations and infrastructure at the second-busiest U.S. container hub.
The second-busiest U.S. container gateway moved record levels of cargo in September and in the third quarter on diversions ahead of an East Coast work stoppage and continued demand for holiday merchandise.
Strong third-quarter volumes have the world’s second-largest ocean container line upgrading its forecast for higher full-year returns.
An early peak shipping season, strong economy and resilient consumer spending boosted container volume to a record quarter at the Port of Los Angeles.
A record number of port calls by container ships presages higher forecast growth for the sector, according to a U.N. report.
Ocean Network Express and terminal operator DP World created a message on a dockside canvas during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Importers with the National Retail Federation fear a second Trump administration could hurt business with higher tariffs on consumer goods.
An early peak shipping season, strong economy and resilient consumer spending boosted container volume to a record quarter at the Port of Los Angeles.
Taylor Swift, who is currently on her Eras Tour, paid over $15 million to ship stage equipment from the United Kingdom to the United States.
Port-owned New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and logistics specialist Heniff Transportation Systems have opened a new state-backed transload facility aimed at dry and liquid bulk customers.
Portwide expansion and upgrades for ship, rail and truck have Charleston, South Carolina, officials eyeing annual capacity of 10 million TEUs for the fast-growing Southeastern maritime hub.
SeaPort Manatee near Tampa, Florida, is slated to get millions of dollars in emergency state funding to help recover from the effects of Hurricane Milton.
The Port of Long Beach has $2.2 billion earmarked for accelerating zero-emission initiatives over the next decade.
A partial work stoppage at the Port of Montreal follows a three-day strike earlier this month by union dockworkers at Canada’s second-busiest port.
Container handling resumed this weekend at dozens of ports on the East and Gulf coasts following a brief strike by dockworkers as the International Longshoremen’s Association and shipping lines prepare to resume bargaining.
East and Gulf Coast ports were lined with International Longshoremen’s Association members picketing against the United States Maritime Alliance before coming to an agreement. This is a firsthand look at the strike at Port Houston.
President Biden claims a major victory late in his term while the International Longshoremen’s Association negotiates a curious compromise after months of talking tough on the docks.
Port employers have come to a tentative agreement with unionized dockworkers on a 61% hourly wage increase, ending the three-day strike that shut down major East Coast container ports.
While tens of thousands of unionized longshore employees picket at ports along the East and Gulf coasts, the number of container ships waiting outside major maritime hubs continues to grow by the day.
While tens of thousands of unionized longshore employees picket at ports along the East and Gulf coasts, union leaders say they have received death threats during a work stoppage that has shut down vital container imports.
Shipping lines say they’re open to resuming contract negotiations with the International Longshoremen’s Association, which has shut down container imports at major East Coast ports.
Switzerland-based DSV added to its stable of logistics providers, buying Schenker from the debt-laden German national railway.
The International Longshoremen’s Association is accusing container shipping lines of ripping off customers, but rates are four times lower than the union claims.
Shippers and a wide range of port-related businesses will be affected by the International Longshoremen’s Association strike that began Tuesday at maritime hubs from Texas to Maine.