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.
Retail inventories jump ahead of the holiday buying season but the need for restocking will extend well into 2022, which bodes well for freight demand.
Drivers at one of two Port of Vancouver trucking companies facing a strike have reached a tentative agreement with their carrier.
Canada’s supply chain is in a “crisis situation” as over 50 ships wait to dock at the Port of Vancouver and CN struggles to restore service.
Container truckers at two carriers serving the Port of Vancouver are set to go on strike Friday over benefits and detention pay.
Southern California ports and private operators are using carrots and sticks to help eliminate a massive pileup of cargo.
Here’s how omicron variant could impact tanker, container and dry bulk shipping rates.
Innovation and investment are the watchwords at the Georgia Ports Authority, where officials are rushing to deal with supply chain constraints.
Double demurrage in Seattle: A terminal operator is adding a second layer of fees for extended container dwell times.
CN hasn’t been able to reopen its rail main link to the Port of Vancouver due to weather issues as large backlog of vessels continues.
Container truckers at two carriers serving the Port of Vancouver have voted to authorize a strike, threatening to bring more disruption as rail service resumes.
Record number of container ships waiting but they’re harder to see, as new plan spreads queue across Pacific.
Kuehne + Nagel is one of the largest, most profitable international freight management companies in the world. Its CEO announced he will leave next year.
Price of low-sulfur fuel is rising faster than high-sulfur fuel. Ships with scrubbers stand to gain.
Cargo is moving a bit more smoothly at the Southern California ports, giving officials reason to hold off assessing stiff storage fees.
Air Canada is adding cargo capacity equivalent in weight to 860 adult moose in and out of Vancouver.
The board of commissioners for the Virginia Port Authority unanimously approved a $61.5 million construction bid for a project that would increase on-dock rail capacity to 1.1 million containers a year.
J.B. Hunt announced it has launched a new transload service in the New York metro area to address network congestion.
Ship arrival data confirms seasonal surge to Southern California has ebbed — even as port congestion has risen.
Air and ocean asset-light logistics provider STG has acquired International Warehouse Services.
CalTrans is boosting the weight limit for port truckers. The regulatory change was made with good intentions, but can it work?
Zim’s profits are still going up — way up — despite more vessels getting snared in West Coast port gridlock.
Los Angeles and Long Beach hold off on charging highly controversial fee on import containers.
Air transport is usually the mode of last resort because it is expensive. The pandemic has turned that thinking upside down.
Rates expected to remain strong into 2022, fallout from new ship deliveries in 2023-2024 to be muted.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Georgia port officials are pulling every lever possible to reduce shipping delays that are having a national impact.
SC Ports and the Virginia Port Authority are benefiting from customers seeking less congested ports, they said.
President Biden was Professor Biden at the Port of Baltimore, explaining Supply Chain 101 to the American people.
Just five days before emergency SoCal container fee is set to begin, offshore traffic jam reaches new heights.
A small number of non-U.S. entities determine vessel and container levels for U.S. ocean supply chains.
Third-party logistics provider Radiant Logistics again posted record quarterly results on Tuesday. On a call with analysts and investors, company officials called out strength in virtually every segment Radiant serves.
The Biden administration is racing to cut red tape so the government can expedite port and freight transportation infrastructure investments.
Port congestion forced container ships to go faster. Congestion remains extreme, yet ships are slowing down.
Private marine terminals in Tacoma are putting more pressure on importers to pick up containers that are left for weeks and choking the movement of cargo.
Port America, Ceres and SSA Atlantic have formed joint venture Gateway Terminals at the Port of Savannah as a way to consolidate terminal, truck gate and stevedoring services.
California congestion hits charter rates as ship operators waste millions waiting to get to terminals.
CEO Rodolphe Saadé says the CMA CGM Group is acquiring Fenix Marine Services to effectively manage its West Coast port operations.
Virtually every U.S.-listed shipping stock fell on a day that the S&P 500 hit a record high.
Shipping giant Maersk has transformed itself into a one-stop shop for logistics services and now is growing its airfreight capability.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are turning into makeshift warehouses. Officials hope new fines on lingering cargo will end the practice.
Maersk expands air business after earning more in a single quarter than in any prior full year.
TCA and Blume Global will present a free webinar on the current congestion at the ports and how digitization can help ease the backlog.
The Port of Los Angeles is hoping to scare the freight community into more efficient behavior with big fines for the slow retrieval of containers.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach haven’t informed federal regulators yet about their plans to hit ocean carriers with big fees for excessive storage of containers.
Inventory restocking and demand for domestic intermodal service will support Hub Group into next year, executives said.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are turning to heavy-handed tactics to address a container logjam that is gumming up supply chains.
Shippers, carriers and logistics companies aren’t getting many answers yet about hefty surcharges for lingering containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Trans-Pacific container shipping rates remain exceptionally strong despite a dip earlier this month.
California and federal officials are partnering to speed up future freight infrastructure investments, as well as reduce delays impacting cargo flows today.
Biden-backed plan to tackle container congestion could make logjam even worse, critics believe.
The Port of Long Beach is trying to innovate its way out of container gridlock. The latest move is regular shuttle trains to Utah to reduce less efficient truck moves.
The Los Angeles/Long Beach cargo community is confused about punitive fees on ocean carriers designed to expedite the clearance of containers from marine terminals.
The Jacksonville Port Authority handled more than 1.4 million TEUs in its 2021 fiscal year, an all-time annual record, and it says it’s ready to take on more for those wanting “congestion-free” service.
Media coverage increasingly links consumer price inflation to container shipping and supply chain chaos.
To make room for more containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, UP and BNSF are offering incentives to ocean carrier customers to move out the containers already there. UP is also temporarily pausing westbound marine container movement to its Long Beach facility.
Many media outlets are reporting that a Long Beach city order will allow bigger container stacks at the port. Not true. It’s for container yards outside the harbor district.
It’s no coincidence that spiking trans-Pacific trade coincides with more boxes overboard and more shipping accidents.
Ocean cargo shippers are paying more than they ever have before for the worst service they’ve ever experienced.
The Port of Los Angeles had its busiest September ever, while Long Beach had its second busiest.
California port congestion is as bad as ever. Some imports have been stranded offshore for over a month.
Port volumes across the Gulf Coast were boosted in September by exports of petroleum and steel and imports of refrigerated cargo.
Barbara Melvin will succeed Jim Newsome at the helm of South Carolina Ports next summer and will become the first woman to lead a top-10 U.S. container port.
The ocean shipping boom is spreading across vessel types. Spot LNG shipping rates just topped $150,000 per day.
The Biden administration is pushing industry to take immediate and long-term steps to get ports and intermodal transport working smoothly.
For the time being, two ocean services will not call Georgia’s busy Port of Savannah.
Liner deals in the ship-leasing market imply strong confidence in high freight rates for the foreseeable future.
Supply chain constraints are keeping a lid on freight volumes while rates continue to reach new highs, according to September data from Cass Information Systems.
“The growth we’re seeing is not artificial, and the movement of loaded and empty containers is up, for both exports and imports.”
As America struggles with a growing supply chain crisis, ocean carriers rake in even more profits.
“By investing more than $2 billion in port infrastructure in recent years, we have the capacity to handle the influx of imports we are seeing today,” says SCPA CEO Jim Newsome.
Pullback in trans-Pacific shipping rates: beginning of the end or brief reprieve with end still not in sight?
“This record result was achieved despite severe congestion around the network,” says the Hong Kong ocean carrier.
Despite Ikea’s many climate-related goals, Ship It Zero is calling out the Swedish retailer and other major players such as Amazon and Walmart via “die-ins” to highlight shipping emissions’ impacts on human and environmental health.
New forecasts from the National Retail Federation call for retail imports to stay high through at least February.
Cost of fuel consumed by container ships, bulkers and tankers is effectively at a seven-year high.
Yes, despite the headaches, the ocean carriers are making boatloads of money.
Officials say a proposed inland port near where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet will have ample capacity to serve Midwest customers seeking export access via barge, rail and truck.
If you thought President Joe Biden would quickly reverse Trump’s controversial trade policy toward China, guess again. U.S. importers aren’t happy.
Shipping Asia-U.S. via regular ocean service and rail? “I would bet your goods will not arrive in time for Christmas,” says Flexport’s Nerijus Poskus.
FreightWaves’ Anthony Smith talks about the ways shippers are building reliant supply chains with Nate Shutes, VP of global fulfillment and logistics at Blu Dot, during FreightWaves’ OceanWaves Summit.
Ports and inland transportation connections are choking on ocean imports. A top economist says don’t blame ocean carriers.
The NS terminal will serve “strong growth in the Louisville intermodal market.”
Los Angeles is at the front line of the port congestion crisis. Its executive director outlines his strategy to clear anchorages.
How will public view ships anchored off Los Angeles/Long Beach if one of them is tied to Huntington Beach spill?
Third-party logistics provider Unique Logistics filed for a public offering, which is expected to raise at least $35.5 million in net proceeds.
With no end in sight for global supply chain crisis, importers warned to brace for high costs throughout next year.
Containerized exports continue to struggle but overall, U.S. exports are rising. Sales are at record levels for some commodities.
With disruptions likely to linger well into 2022, intermodal equipment provider DCLI sees the labor shortfall as the biggest hurdle in the supply chain.
Freight Farms is turning shipping containers into productive farms that require only 5 gallons of water per day.
The East Coast ports of Savannah and Jacksonville are adding more container capacity amid long-term plans to serve as an alternative to West Coast ports.
As some Chinese factories go dark, more delays for container imports but bullish sign for coal, LNG and oil shipping.
Costco is going boating. Unwilling to wait for space on commercial vessels, it is now renting its own ships to haul exports from Asia.
Trans-Pacific traffic snarl is bicoastal: More container ships waiting off Shanghai and Ningbo than Southern California.
One of the largest container terminals in Southern California is testing a system for 24-hour cargo pickup.
Southern California ports would need two weeks with zero vessel arrivals to clear logjam — but the ships keep coming.
Dry bulk shares suffer double-digit declines, with tanker and container stocks also caught up in the sell-off.
Supply chains are melting down and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are taking steps to ease truck delays.
A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled the International Longshoremen’s Association cannot force the use of union labor at the Port of Charleston’s new Leatherman Terminal.
Liner profits still rising: second half looks stronger than first and Deutsche Bank sees even higher earnings next year.
Supply chain crisis deepens as more imports snared in historic ship queue off Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Container ships named The Brady, The Belichick and The Gronk just sold for six to eight times their purchase price, spurring a nine-figure payday.
