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.
A truck carrying lithium-ion batteries overturned and caught fire Thursday near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
With a strike by East and Gulf Coast dockworkers just days away, port employers on Thursday asked the National Labor Relations Board to order the International Longshoremen’s Association to resume contract negotiations.
While a potential East and Gulf Coast port strike likely won’t hamper the holiday shopping season, industries such as automotive and food and beverage could be negatively affected, a transportation lawyer says.
Facing an Oct. 1 strike deadline by the International Longshoremen’s Association, ports and other waterside logistics providers along the East and Gulf coasts are advising customers to brace for a shutdown of the container business.
The families of those who died in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore have filed wrongful death claims in federal court against the owner and operator of the container ship Dali.
Container traffic at the second-busiest U.S. port complex will come to a halt Oct. 1 absent a new contract covering 45,000 union longshore workers from Texas to Maine.
A work stoppage by 45,000 union longshore workers set for Oct. 1 would bring waterside commerce to a halt at ports from Texas to Maine.
Container management software provider Gnosis Freight announced it has accepted a strategic capital investment from Vista Equity Partners.
The Port of Los Angeles handled 960,597 twenty-foot equivalent units in August, a 16% increase over the previous year and the busiest month ever outside the pandemic. Eight months into […]
Freight forwarder and logistics provider Seko Logistics announced it has entered an agreement to recapitalize.
Continued robust demand for container shipping services could help balance supply and demand, the world’s second-largest vessel operator said, easing strains despite disruptions across the global supply chain.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday filed a federal suit against the owner and operator of the Dali, the container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.
Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan increases rail capacity by 250 cars and adds hundreds of feet of new dock for expanded all-water cargoes.
A shippers’ coalition on Tuesday asked the White House to help restart stalled contract negotiations and said President Biden should be prepared to intervene to prevent a strike.
East and Gulf Coast port employers insist a new union contract is still within reach before an Oct. 1 strike deadline, and urged the International Longshoremen’s Association to return to the bargaining table.
A potential longshoremen strike could severely hamper operations at ports in Savannah, Georgia, and Wilmington, North Carolina, that have nonunion as well as union workers, experts say.
German railway Deutsche Bahn is selling its Schenker logistics unit to DSV of Denmark in a deal that will create the world’s largest forwarder.
Schenker has been sold, but not to the U.S. private equity group vying for control of the German logistics provider. Transport provider DSV of Denmark has emerged as the winning […]
The International Longshoremen’s Association has adopted a resolute stance in negotiations with East Coast port employers from Maine to Houston. There’s speculation that sympathy work stoppages could spread to West Coast container gateways.
Solidarity between the ILA and ILWU was on display the last time the ILA narrowly avoided a strike (and the ILWU did not).
U.S. retailers and manufacturers are taking steps to mitigate a potentially multibillion-dollar hit if the International Longshoremen’s Association goes on strike at the beginning of October.
As a possible strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association looms over U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports, here are five port strikes from around the globe that made history.
No talks are scheduled between employers and the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents unionized workers at ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. Bargaining has stalled over technology and pay issues.
The ILA maintains that it will not accept any extension of their current contract nor any potential mediation by the federal government.
China State Shipbuilding Corp. said it has received approval in principle for a liquefied natural gas dual-fuel vessel of 27,500 twenty-foot equivalent units, the largest boxships afloat.
The Montreal Port Authority is spending more than $42 million to restore and upgrade the Pie-IX rail bridge, a project that will also help a port-based sugar refiner boost capacity.
International Longshoremen’s Association representatives unanimously backed President Harold J. Daggett’s call for a coastwide strike at ports from Maine to Texas on Oct. 1.
In the latest move to strengthen the largest U.S. container gateway, a key Port of Los Angeles terminal will receive $52 million to upgrade its on-dock rail capacity.
A new plan calls for public-private investment in the Port of Portland’s money-losing Terminal 6, the state’s only international container facility.
In a lawsuit dating back to 2018, CSX accused rival Norfolk Southern of jacking up rates for dockside access to the East Coast container gateway.
A New York-based venture capital firm and European transport specialist are vying to acquire Schenker, the logistics unit of German national railway Deutsche Bahn, which could shake up the market for logistics services in the U.S.
Despite peak season stress, supply chain bottlenecks failed to materialize during the recovery from the brief lockout of union employees by CN and CPKC.
Minnesota’s federally mandated State Freight Plan identifies key areas for investment in the statewide transportation system to ensure goods movement that is safe, efficient and sustainable.
A nationwide strike by port workers in India threatened further stresses to a global supply chain struggling with congestion and delays.
The Port of New York-New Jersey was the latest gateway to benefit from the early peak shipping season as importers stocked up on holiday inventory to circumvent a host of supply chain issues.
Ports in Houston and New Orleans recorded slight drops in container movements in July, while shipments of crude oil bolstered freight flows at the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Panama Canal Authority said the severe drought that affected operations over the past 12 months has shown officials they need to be more customer-oriented.
The Port of Los Angeles has named Erica M. Calhoun deputy executive director overseeing the city of Los Angeles Harbor Department’s Administrative Bureau.
As eastbound import traffic continues to grow, Union Pacific announced surcharges for its premium EMP and UMAX services out of the Southern California gateway.
CN and CPKC early Thursday locked out 9,300 union employees, bringing trains to a halt in a move that could disrupt supply chains throughout North America.
CN said it received no response from Teamsters after making a final contract offer in a bid to avoid service disruption.
While contract talks between Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and union employees continue, a rail shutdown would reverberate through the supply chain connecting Canada and the U.S.
Amid lockout and strike notices, contract bargaining continues as Ottawa makes a push for both sides to come together on a new rail labor contract.
Canada’s busiest import gateway is managing port fluidity as railroads issue lockout notices, and Teamsters are warning of a planned strike as the latest contract talks fail.
A feasibility study of nuclear-powered container ships to lower emissions teams Maersk, the world’s second-largest container line, with vessel classification society Lloyd’s Register and nuclear power specialist Core Power.
The outlook for supply chain congestion this fall led importers to move holiday goods earlier than usual through Long Beach, the second-busiest U.S. port.
Construction continues on a Chicago bridge project designed to reduce delays and improve flow by untangling freight and passenger rail lines.
Vessel delays and labor concerns had importers rushing to get holiday merchandise into the Port of Los Angeles before the traditional peak season in the fall.
Eastern Class 1 railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX will help reach Midwest cities with double-stack trains from the newly expanded Port of Virginia central rail yard.
Importers are advised to seek alternative routes and plan for extended delays as the peak shipping season gets underway, following an explosion involving hazardous materials at China’s Port of Ningbo.
The Blue Ridge Connector will improve intermodal services to the northeast Georgia logistics center.
Importers are moving goods ahead of a possible longshore strike, fueling an August surge.
Shipping spot rates tracked June’s record volumes from the Far East to the U.S. West and East coasts, soaring by 144% and 139%, respectively, between April 30 and July 1, according to Xeneta.
Digital freight forwarder Flexport has appointed Trine Nielsen as global head of ocean freight.
The Zim Kingston ship fire in 2021 shows Canada isn’t adequately prepared for marine emergencies, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
U.S. officials announced a delay on the start of new tariff increases on Chinese imports, including a 25% tariff on China-made ship-to-shore cranes.
Port Houston saw a surge in container exports in June, while crude oil exports rose at the Port of Corpus Christi.
The U.S.-flag subsidiary of shipping leviathan Maersk has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. government over the termination of a seaman who alerted authorities to potential unsafe conditions on a cargo vessel.without first notifying the company.
A massive technology outage Friday morning caused widespread disruptions across industries around the globe, but it’s mostly business as usual at America’s ports.
Extremely rough seas have made it impossible for commercial shipping to operate around the lower end of South Africa, adding to supply chain disruptions.
Ongoing attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis continue to disrupt shipping lanes in the chemical industry’s supply chain.
As the bar code turns 50, many large companies are working with GS1 US to create a more effective product code process, which may result in switching from bar codes to QR codes.
Container volumes rose 21% at Port Houston in May, while the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, recorded a 9% increase in crude oil shipments.
Carver Maritime, a shipping company in Charleston, South Carolina, filed a federal lawsuit against the owners and managers of MSC Michigan VII, which lost control on June 5 on the Cooper River.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found 450 pounds of cocaine hidden in a container chassis aboard the Blue Wave merchant vessel arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.
The Port of New Orleans has received $230 million to complete infrastructure projects aimed at boosting international trade.
The shipping channel for the Port of Baltimore has fully reopened to commercial traffic more than two months after a container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
MythosAI is a startup that is looking to fix one “Stone Age” aspect of shipping, according to the company’s founder.
Container shipments rose at Port Houston in April, while New Orleans and Corpus Christi recorded slight drops in movement of some goods.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were awarded a total of $112 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund maintenance and repair projects.
DP World is launching an intermodal service to transport finished vehicles by rail from Mexico to the U.S.
Almost two months after colliding with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, the MV Dali was hauled away from the site Monday.
A new report from CNBC shows consumer spending will not dramatically rise this peak season, but a modest uptick is likely. Companies with a clear view of their businesses have an idea what peak season will look like and are preparing.
Blank sailings are a major factor in maritime shipping and are increasing after ocean carriers gorged on higher Red Sea rates while they could thanks to added capacity. With capacity now cut, rates are rising again.
Peloton filed a complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission alleging that Flexport’s practices cost the fitness company millions of dollars in unreasonable detention and demurrage charges.
Recovery crews have found the body of the sixth and final person who died in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, as crews plan to remove a large section of the wreckage.
Global ocean carriers are targeting the growing trade from China to Mexico with new express services.
The Federal Highway Administration announced $148 million in grants to combat pollution at the nation’s ports caused by idling trucks.
The transportation industry is a major contributor to climate change. Turmoil in maritime shipping is forcing route diversions that are spiking emissions, reflected in data from Xeneta.
Soft freight market conditions continue to create market headwinds as Hub Group’s first-quarter revenue declines 13% year over year.
Cargo flows expanded at ports in Houston, New Orleans and Mobile in March but fell slightly at the Port of Corpus Christi.
Crews recovered the body of a fourth victim this week who died after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when it was struck by the Dali, a cargo ship just minutes into its voyage.
The Port of Los Angeles recently opened a promenade, giving nearby Wilmington residents unprecedented access to the waterfront.
Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the companies that own and manage the cargo ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, want a federal court to limit their liability in the deadly disaster.
New technology and processes in supply chains have helped make the industry more resilient — but not enough to withstand every possible disruption.
Ports in New Orleans and Corpus Christi, Texas, recorded year-over-year increases in cargo volumes in February.
An unusually warm and dry winter might herald drought conditions in key areas of the Mississippi River Basin over the coming months.
Divers recovered the bodies of two men who died when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a cargo ship crashed into it.
The Port of Baltimore’s indefinite closure could cost the state of Maryland as much as $1 billion in total value of goods and services, analysts say.
The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge could significantly disrupt supply chains as shippers and carriers scramble to relocate shipping services to other East Coast ports.
Early Tuesday, a container ship collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore caused a major collapse, leading to a halt in port operations and creating severe traffic disruptions.
Chinese trade flow into Mexico is helping to build up the latter’s manufacturing capabilities, which is a long-term positive for the U.S.
The Port of Virginia recently completed a project to widen its ship channel for ultralarge container vessel traffic.
In 2023, the Port of New Orleans achieved a record-breaking year for its container-on-barge service, emphasizing its commitment to reducing emissions.
Georgia is paying $6 million toward a $17.45 million Port of Brunswick harbor improvement project, which includes more warehousing and roll-on/roll-off storage.
Ports across Mexico moved 728,116 twenty-foot equivalent units during January, a 20% year-over-year increase.
Dockworkers are fully prepared to swap pallet jacks for picket signs come October.
Georgia Ports Authority said it handled 428,000 containers and 65,400 roll-on, roll-off units in January.
Following 15 months of challenges, U.S. ports are once again experiencing substantial growth in inbound containers.
