Maersk beefing up IT staff
Maersk says technology is core to its vision and wants more of its 6,000-strong IT workforce to be direct employees and not contractors.
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.
Maersk says technology is core to its vision and wants more of its 6,000-strong IT workforce to be direct employees and not contractors.
The new IMO regulation reducing ships’ sulfur oxide emissions aims to improve the health of the environment and human population, especially near coasts and ports. This also means increased costs and a shift in strategies for maritime shippers. A panel at the Edge 2019 conference will explore these regulations and their predicted effect on logistics.
Move to non-tariff sources means switching ports, intermodal executives say.d
Ohio-based container yard/terminal management software system Depot Systems has today been bought by Sydney, Australia-based WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC) for an undisclosed sum.
Global logistics provider Agility (DFM: AGLTY) reported a 20 percent increase in net profit for the second quarter of 2019. Agility reported a more modest rise in revenues.
FreightWaves, the industry-leading provider of 24/7 news, data and analytics for the global freight and logistics markets, announces the start of the nomination process for the 2020 FreightTech 100 Awards. […]
The CEO of Maersk says the impact from the U.S.-China tariffs and trade tensions on global trade has been quite manageable.”
West Coast sees slower import volumes as service changes and market downturn take toll.
Earlier today in Europe, Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk (NASDAQ: Maersk A; NASDAQ: Maersk B) reported a massive increase in second quarter profit and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. Revenues “grew slightly,” the shipping mega-conglomerate said.
Evergreen Marine reports a second quarter profit and says it will add 23,000 TEU ultra-large containerships to its fleet.
Hyundai Merchant Marine, South Korea’s largest container carrier, said it had a smaller loss in the second quarter this year than in the same period in 2018.
Major U.S. drayage carrier sees Southeast ports as areas of growth in freight.
The announcements confirming Canada’s planned investments in rail infrastructure come as the country prepares for a federal election in October.
Multi-modal data and channel checks with freight brokers point to a good setup for peak season.
Yang Ming had an operating profit in the second quarter but notes U.S.-China trade conflict has weakened demand for container transportation.
But Japan’s biggest shipping line looks to restart Long Beach service after summer hiatus.
Manila, Philippines-based international container terminal operator, ICTSI (PSE: ICT) has reported a massive increase in profit and a substantial increase in revenues for the first half of 2019.
A container fire aboard the APL LeHavre comes as many liner companies are cracking down on misdeclared cargo.
Third-party logistics provider aims to grow presence in its West Coast markets.
Shifting rules at marine terminals pose challenge to drayage.
Learn about the six most common reasons cargo gets delayed during the customs process.
Canadian government to invest C$18.5 million for logistics system, bridge, signs and “intelligent” communications to boost flow of trucks as part of a broader effort to improve trade infrastructure.
Third busiest U.S. port prods carriers and owner-operators to use low- and zero-emissions trucks.
CSX and Canadian National’s partnership to create new intermodal service between Montreal and Toronto and the greater New York City area is a strategy to expand each other’s geographical reach and compete with the long-haul trucking market.
Many of north-east Asia’s mega ports are directly in the path of two super-typhoons. The first is about to blow in from the Pacific and will make landfall within the next few hours.
China’s ports are the most connected ports in the whole world, mega-study reveals. Ports elsewhere in Asia flesh out the top twenty. U.S. ports don’t make an appearance until way down the list.
Matson, the largest U.S. domestic container carrier, said it is lowering its operating income projection for 2019, citing lower container volumes to Hawaii.
In partnership with Slync… learn about how predictive exception management can keep freight flowing smoothly.
A supply-demand imbalance and oceanic low-sulfur fuel regulations are making air freight more attractive relative to ocean freight. Or, at least, that is what air carriers hope.
New CEO at Los Angeles container terminal treats trucking as a customer
Southern California drayage and logistics firm looks to add to customer base with deal.
Seaspan says high demand for containerships has shielded it from the U.S.-China trade war.
FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye is scheduled to deliver her demurrage and detention recommendations to her fellow commissioners on Sept. 3.
Hapag-Lloyd says it outlook for the second half of 2019 is unchanged even if it has to deal with more trade restrictions.
Chinese port throughput volumes (all cargoes) for the first half of 2019 are up 7.3 percent compared to the first half of last year, according to the latest official Chinese data. First half 2019 foreign cargo volumes through China rose 2.5 percent compared to the prior corresponding period. And box throughput rose 5.1 percent. Read on to find out more!
U.S. Customs and Border Protection marks the 230th anniversary of the first customs processing of a ship in the new United States.
North Asia revenues were down 8.5 percent, but EXPD improved productivity.
Jim Blaze writes about the recent history of intermodal rail service and what may happen in the next few years.
CARB is making $40 million available in the form of vouchers to reduce emissions. Eligible equipment includes everything from rubber-tired gantry cranes, to airport cargo loaders to truck and trailer refrigeration units.
Top 10 intermodal company in the U.S. looks to broker to for drayage supply.
Escalations in trade tensions between the U.S. and China could discourage containership owners from ordering new ships.
Drewry says it expects a brief spike in transpacific freight rates to the U.S. West Coast following President Trumps threat to impose a new round of tariffs on imports from China.
A pair of enormous crates carrying parts of a South Korea-bound drilling ship will be transported along highways through the Houston area over the next four days. According to Ronnie […]
Goods like clothes and toys are on the proposed tariff list.
Ports are asking that Chinese-made container cranes be excluded from the list of products on which President Trump has threatened a 10 tariff.
The U.S.-China trade war has dropped trade volumes between the two countries to date in 2019. One result – Mexico is now the #1 trade partner of the U.S.
The new tariffs, announced a day after the Fed cut rates, will affect mostly consumer goods.
Morgan Stanley, Susquehanna, and Deutsche Bank cut their price targets; Stifel maintained.
Ocean Network Express (ONE) expects slightly better profit this year than previously forecast as costs drop one year into its full operation. But overall demand remains tepid as it lowered […]
GSC handles 12 percent of import containers in Oakland, but its leadership is concerned about plans to build a baseball stadium on port property,
Jens Bjørn Andersen, chief executive officer, said the company was “very pleased with the strong results for the second quarter of 2019. Global transport markets are soft – especially within air freight, but DSV has managed to outgrow the market while still delivering market leading profitability.”
Eternity México recently launched ELIS, a new cloud-based platform to track international freight shipments in real-time between major markets from Asia to Latin America. ELIS (Eternity Logistics Intelligent System) was […]
The Port of Savannah saw container volumes drop from year-earlier levels as the outlook for international trade remains weak. But the fourth largest U.S. port is still seeing some of […]
CHRW grew net income by 6.3% but increasing earnings per share by 8% with buybacks.
Germany’s DB Schenker is joining the ranks of logistics companies that aim to bring cargo booking online. One of the top five freight forwarders in the world, DB Schenker said […]
As peak shipping season gets underway and more containers arrive at ports, the ability of North America marine terminals to handle the extra truck traffic is coming into sharper focus. […]
OOCL reported its second quarter 2019 earnings while also announcing that it was canceling several Asia-Europe sailings for a three-month period.
E-commerce packages are flooding the U.S. The vast majority contain legal products, but U.S. Customs and Border Patrol worries about those that contain illegal or dangerous products.
After California, New Jersey is the next battleground for trucking’s owner-operator business model. And motor carriers fear the war there may be largely lost. The latest skirmish centers on a […]
The Netherlands-headquartered shipping line Universal Africa Lines (UAL) recently added Port Houston’s City Docks to its liner service that connects the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico with West Africa. UAL, […]
MTC Logistics broke ground July 24 for a 12 million-cubic-foot temperature-controlled distribution center in the Port of Mobile.
Chris Connor, the new president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities, is enthusiastic about advocating for the varied needs of its members.
Flexport’s customers have seen average landed unit costs rise by 30 percent due to tariffs.
The quarterly results of Costamare reveal continued rise in container-ship charter rates.
Owners of ships, railcars and trucks face increased risk from environmental regulations, credit rating agency Moody’s said. The value of $265 billion in debt owed by transportation companies may be […]
The Port of Los Angeles is a test bed for the latest in logistics technology, and a target for the threats facing that technology. To stave off those threats, the […]
In this commentary by Ekim Saribardak, he writes about new track and trace technologies that can revolutionize the shipment of ocean freight.
DP World (Dubai: DPW) said July 24 that it has reached agreement to create a $1.2 billion container port and industrial logistics port in East Java with the Indonesian conglomerate […]
Stock market analysts are not excited by the initial public offering (IPO) of the container- and forestry-products focused Port of Napier on New Zealand’s east coast.
Criminal syndicates are smuggling huge volumes of methamphetamine around the globe by hiding it in the lawful flow of freight. Find out where meth flows, how it flows, and who profits as it flows.
Kuehne + Nagel (K + N) said it is cautiously optimistic on the outlook for the second half of 2019, but it will be a “tough ride in a tough […]
Ecommerce continues to grow and Amazon and its competitors continue to innovate and grow. Read insight into the phenomenon by Anothy Smith.
Fenix Marine Services aims to make faster dwell and truck turns the capstone of a nearly two-year project to upgrade the second largest marine terminal in Los Angeles. Fenix is […]
This article brought to you courtesy of NEXT Trucking The ability of marine terminals to move ocean containers quickly is becoming a selling point for shippers frustrated with long delays […]
West Virginia may look to sell an intermodal port that it developed, but which has failed to generate the expected level of freight volumes. The state’s Port Authority developed the […]
APM Terminals reached a deal with the longshore union at the Port of Los Angeles to retrain dock workers in repairing the automated cargo handling equipment that will take their […]
It’s hard to blame the skeptics, given what has happened in the past, but dry bulk freight rates are getting pretty impressive.
The South Carolina Port Authority (SCPA) said ocean container moves were up 9 percent in its fiscal year, setting a volume record for the port. The Port of Charleston’s two […]
A simmering industrial dispute in Australia burst into fire this morning when maritime box terminal operator DP World Australia used local media to threaten longshoremen with job losses. Strikes confirmed at Sydney, Fremantle and Brisbane.
Sudden surge in marine fuel costs could spur shippers to consider switch to California over Panama Canal route.
Busiest port in the world, Shanghai, may have to deal with tropical storm-related delays
Mexico’s government wants to build a new marine terminal that could nearly double the annual volume of containers moving through the country’s busiest seaport. The Port of Manzanillo said the […]
Waterfront tensions are increasing as the Maritime Union of Australia declares more wharfside strikes around the country.
Four of the largest shipping lines and five ports operators committed to support a blockchain development platform for the shipping industry. Hong Kong-based CargoSmart said the agreement with CMA CGM, […]
Ben Thrower recently visited the Panama Canal. He writes about the canal’s expansion and what that means to global trade and the maritime industry.
The Port of New Orleans has reopened after Tropical Storm Barry swept through the region, although officials still stress dangerous flooding conditions for area residents.
Hurricane Barry made landfall in Louisiana on July 13, and as it did, it caused disruption to travel and cargo movement in the region.
This article brought to you courtesy of NEXT Trucking Transloading services are becoming an increasingly popular option for international shippers looking to beat the cost of carrier haulage by an […]
Union Pacific’s (NYSE: UNP) intermodal rail service saw average speeds sink to a two-year low in the second quarter, with shippers and intermodal marketing companies reporting extensive delays in getting […]
An end to growth-stopping financial penalties on the Port of Newcastle is definitely not on the agenda after the NSW state government re-committed to its existing policy to keep the port in a crippled state.
The Caribbean is container shipping’s all-important crossroads of the Americas.
Maersk, for the second time, was granted a permit by the Port of Los Angeles that would allow its APM Terminals subsidiary to install infrastructure for electrified, automated container handling […]
Patrick Terminals in Sydney, Australia, shut down for about 19 hours over Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9 after a worker tragically committed suicide.
Capesize owners were afraid to ballast to Brazil when a key Vale mine was closed. Now there are too few Capesizes in the Atlantic Basin, pushing up rates.
U.K.-based Kontainers is releasing a new version of its freight booking software platform aimed at the small and mid-size enterprise market and priced per transaction. The software-as-a-service company said Kontainers […]
Commentary by Bill Driegert, Senior Director of Uber Freight, explores the current and near-future of on-demand freight.
Brian Aoaeh writes about changes that need to be made to the food supply chain to deter food waste and food loss.
The Port of New York and New Jersey published its plans on how it will handle an expected doubling of container volume over the next 30 years, all while trying […]
Appeals court rejects CMA CGM’s attempt to avoid paying up.
The November 2019 contract is being bid at $2.01/mile and falling.