container shipping

Just when it looked like West Coast port labor drama had dissipated, the ILWU has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Cargo volumes were a mixed bag for Gulf Coast ports in August, with Corpus Christi and New Orleans reporting gains, while Houston saw a 20% decline in container shipments.

Inflation and economic fallout from the war are curbing demand just as a tidal wave of new ship supply hits the water.

The recent rate rebound turned out to be fleeting. As rates deteriorate yet again, shipping lines face mounting losses.

The supply chain crisis is over, but exporters are still paying more — and facing more logistical challenges — than they did before the pandemic.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

The plot thickens in the legal battle between Bed Bath & Beyond and container lines. More carriers are in the crosshairs.

Project44’s Jett McCandless comments on the state of technology as the company completes a round of layoffs on Thursday.

Now that supply chains are back to normal, the typical effects of seasonality have returned, bringing U.S. imports up.

Fuel costs were overshadowed by skyrocketing freight rates amid the supply chain crisis. Now, fuel costs are much more important.

Have shipping stocks been a good bet? Here’s a look at their performance year to date and versus pre-COVID.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

Asia-U.S. spot shipping rates have pulled back after a strong run-up, implying peak season may have passed its peak.

Houston and New Orleans reported increased monthly cargo during July, while Corpus Christi posted a rise in crude oil exports.

Average CEO compensation rose as ocean shipping company earnings increased, fueled in many cases by share-based compensation.

Panama’s drought poses a serious challenge to the country’s canal operations, but fallout to global trade remains limited.

Unprecedented supply-demand imbalances amid the pandemic led to historic dividend payouts by container shipping lines.

Spot ocean shipping rates from Europe to the U.S. held up much longer than trans-Pacific rates. Now they’ve sunk to historic lows.

Zim lost $213 million in the second quarter. Will rising trans-Pacific spot rates help it reverse course in the third?

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

Ocean carrier HMM attributed much of its first-half net-profit nosedive of 90% to overcapacity in the container shipping industry.

Containerized imports are rising seasonally, as expected. This year is on track to top pre-pandemic volumes by low single digits.

Investors in Danaos thought they were buying a container shipping stock. Now they’re invested in dry bulk, too.

After double-digit gains since June, trans-Pacific spot rates have just surpassed contract rates, according to Xeneta data.

Despite upgrading its full-year outlook, container shipping giant Maersk no longer sees a second-half demand rebound.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

Shipping lines are seeing higher cargo volumes and successfully integrating newly built vessels into their fleets, says Textainer’s CEO.

“It is extremely difficult to announce a reasonable business forecast at this time,” said ONE, citing container shipping market uncertainties.

Because container liner profits plummeted off an extraordinarily high peak, some carriers are still posting hefty profits despite huge declines.

Two of the top three global logistics powers took a big profit haircut during the second quarter and aren’t very optimistic about a seasonal upturn in shipping.

Cargo volumes were a mixed bag for Gulf Coast ports in June, with Houston reporting container declines, while crude oil shipments boosted Corpus Christi.

After rapidly expanding its fleet during the boom, ocean carrier Zim is backpedaling and shedding ships.

Container lines did not manage post-boom vessel capacity as well as expected. In the trans-Pacific, they may be belatedly getting the hang of it.

Expectations for peak season have waned, but container lines may have bounced off the bottom.

Spreads between high- and low-sulfur fuels are down to pandemic levels and LNG has become much more economical.

Shipowners have invested billions in the LNG fuel option in the belief that it will benefit regulatory compliance and the environment.

U.S. rail imports from Vancouver and Prince Rupert are imperiled again. ILWU Canada has rejected the proposed dockworkers contract.

Shipping stocks in sectors with high deliveries of new ships are doing better than those with low orderbooks.

“I think this acquisition sends the message to the market that we are here to add real value,” said Ship Angel founder Graham Parker.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

The National Defense Authorization Act amendment is aimed at blocking China’s ability to monitor U.S. container flows.

The extended strike in western Canada was beginning to affect U.S. supply chains. Its resolution limits the fallout.

The agreement should keep tanker and bulker orders in check, while increasing the risk of a future carbon tax on container shippers.

Tive’s technology advancements allow customers to see blind spots in air and ocean cargo.

June volumes of containerized imports were higher than normal and the National Retail Federation predicts more gains ahead.

U.S. imports via Canadian ports face rising fallout as the war of words escalates between dockworkers and employers.

This report shares an in-depth overview across the trucking, maritime and intermodal markets.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

Sluggish demand is capping shipping lines’ income. In response, at least one carrier is reportedly moving to limit losses on legacy charters.

Declining demand for Chinese exports and reduced stimulus options threaten bulk commodity import prospects.

Two ships in 1975 traveled between Mediterranean and U.S. ports on a fixed 14-day schedule. But they also caught attention because they were able to carry different types of cargo, including containers as well as liquids.

Trans-Pacific spot shipping rates remain under pressure, slumping back again as U.S. import demand comes up short.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

The U.S. supply chain has dodged a bullet. A new dockworker labor deal will keep the peace at West Coast ports.

“Patience is wearing thin. Neither side imagined it would take this long,” says the head of the Port of LA on dockworker contract talks.

This year’s peak season could see West Coast labor disruptions coincide with Panama Canal water levels impeding cargo flows to the East Coast.

Dockworkers who keep West Coast cargo flowing are highly paid. Their bid for even higher pay is starting to affect the cargo flow.

The Mexican government is offering incentives to attract investors to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec global trade hub project.

Demand remains tepid, yet shipping lines have pushed spot rates off the bottom and secured contract rates above spot levels.

This report shares an in-depth overview across the trucking, maritime and intermodal markets.

The dockworkers’ union and terminal employers are still sparring over wages and benefits more than a year after contract talks began.

This week in Borderlands: Texas seaport completes a $146 million container terminal expansion; a chemical logistics provider expands its Arizona operations; Bollore Logistics opens a supply chain facility in Mexico; and border agents seize $38 million worth of meth hidden in a kale shipment.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

Older ships are being kept in service longer in pursuit of profits, heightening the risk of accidents and spills.

Container volume at ports in Houston and New Orleans fell in April, while Corpus Christi was bolstered by crude oil exports.

Not all cargo markets are back to pre-COVID “normal.” Container shipping rates to South America remain elevated.

More signs are surfacing that the second half of the year won’t be a panacea to the international freight recession. Seko Logistics says there won’t be a surge in orders that fuels transportation spending.

Bed Bath & Beyond “failed to manage its own supply chain” and “exacerbated the bottlenecks faced by other shippers,” alleges OOCL.

“We want [global shipping] to be self-explanatory, easy to navigate and easy for you to find the answer you are looking for,” says Maja Bernstein, vice president of industry relations at Fluent Cargo.

Trans-Pacific spot rates have pared earlier gains and remain at loss-making levels. Demand has yet to rebound.

Outsize profits are still flowing to companies like Danaos and Costamare that lease ships to container lines.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

The container shipping party is over — that’s old news. Yet headlines continue to focus on comparisons to the peak.

It is becoming increasingly clear that hopes of a container boost from the reopening of China are all but gone.

A group representing the nation’s largest container ports contends lawmakers are misleading the public with a bill targeting Chinese-made container cranes.

The CEO of shipping line Hapag-Lloyd argues that current freight rates are unsustainable and will correct upward over time.

Is the sharp decline in shipping stocks a canary in the coal mine or an opportunity for investors to buy the dip?

America’s imports are not signaling a recession, at least not yet. Inbound volumes are rising from the bottom.

SONAR ocean container booking data suggests that the predicted freight rebound in the second half of 2023 may be increasingly unlikely. Import and ocean container booking data is typically used as a leading indicator for future truckload volumes, as containers are offloaded in ports and transferred into intermodal or truckload orders.

Inventory destocking is the biggest container shipping headwind, says Maersk. Its data shows no evidence of inventory pressures alleviating yet.

In 1975, two identical ore/bulk/oil (O/B/O) ships underwent efficiency experiments. During one of these experiments, a new propeller concept broke midjourney, but the ship continued its duty with no changes in performance and the crew had no idea until it reached its destination.

Further downside risks to the U.S. economy make the odds of a rebound in containerized import volumes unlikely.

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

Bed Bath & Beyond got pummeled by the supply chain crisis. The company is now targeting shipping lines for allegedly compounding its woes.

This report shares an in-depth overview across the trucking, maritime and intermodal markets.

The Europe-U.S. trade held up a lot longer than the Asia-U.S. trade, but trans-Atlantic premiums are now fading away.

A collision on the seas involving an American shipping company sparked a heated letter exchange about who was responsible. This fight surprisingly led to the mending of U.S. and China maritime trade.

Cargo flow fell slightly at ports in Houston and New Orleans in March but increased at the Port of Corpus Christi in South Texas.

As new container ships flood the market amid weak demand, Drewry expects low freight rates to persist through 2024.

There is growing sentiment that higher trans-Pacific spot rates will not hold and prospects for shipping lines remain weak.

“We are starting to see ocean carriers systematically take geopolitical risk into consideration,” says Xeneta’s Erik Devetak.

Jefferies’ Omar Nokta believes container shipping investors are starting to look toward “the end of the destock and beginning of the restock.”

The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) is the world’s leading—and most accurate—index of market rates for 40′ containers.

“Simply put, there’s no bigger priority right now than this contract agreement,” says Gene Seroka of the Port of Los Angeles.

Parallel Systems is proceeding with the next step in its development of autonomous rail vehicles, which is to test having multiple vehicles strung together and see how these vehicles can integrate into the existing freight rail network.

Although import volumes show signs of a nascent recovery, the inventory overhang remains daunting.

First-quarter numbers from container lines Cosco, OOCL and Evergreen show lingering upside from the tail end of the boom.

After labor unrest closed Los Angeles and Long Beach on Friday, ports on the East and Gulf coasts look even more attractive.

Worsening China-U.S. relations underscore how pivotal geopolitics has become to global shipping and trade.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been lambasted for his performance. Supply chain insiders don’t entirely agree with the criticism.