ocean container shipping

Radiant Logistics’ fiscal second-quarter earnings beat was largely tied to one-time project freight.

SONAR market experts say Trump’s tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico might have spurred shippers to “pull forward” orders and rethink their supply chains.

Cass Information Systems rounds out its freight payments platform with the acquisition of AcuAudit.

This week in Borderlands: Surging cross-border flows a boon for operators like DHL; Cargo rail theft up 99% across Mexico in May; Australian clothing retailer selects Cart.com as US fulfillment partner; and Venture Solutions opens logistics warehouse in Laredo, Texas.

The end of Panama’s dry season is in sight, and the Panama Canal Authority plans to welcome more vessels in the coming weeks.

Ship recycling has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years, per a recent report by the Baltic and International Maritime Council.

If China and Russia find the Houthi problem in the Red Sea as intractable as the U.S. and its allies have, it would all but halt what little maritime traffic remains in the region.

This week in Borderlands: Container shipments from China to Mexico skyrocketed in January; construction set for border logistics park in West Texas; Nippon Steel set to build $71M plant in Mexico; and China-based auto supplier announces $178M investment in Mexico.

Dockworkers are fully prepared to swap pallet jacks for picket signs come October.

A recent string of Houthi attacks have reignited concerns about the Red Sea crisis, raising the floor for tanker rates.

A rise in Chinese imports indicates seasonal trends are playing out as usual, very much unlike 2023’s anemic performance.

A recent round of U.S. and British strikes raise fresh questions about the impact of container shipping in the Red Sea.

Houthi attacks and Red Sea diversions will not spur inflation or a new supply chain crisis, claims consultancy Drewry.

Spot rates remain very high, but appear to have plateaued. The question ahead: Will they fall back after Chinese New Year?

Container lines faced overcapacity and huge losses in 2024. Then the Houthis flipped the market in favor of container lines.

Houthi attacks have been a plus for shipping rates. The latest to benefit: Owners of container vessels that can be rented to shipping lines.

The upsurge in rates due to ship diversions did not come soon enough to rescue container lines’ fourth-quarter results.

U.S. imports kept chugging along, despite all the talk of supply chain problems due to Red Sea attacks and Panama’s drought.

The combination of Red Sea detours and Panama Canal restrictions is having a knock-on effect: higher Asia-West Coast rates.

White House spokesman John Kirby said shipping risks caused by the Middle East conflict could become a “pocketbook” issue for Americans.

Imports to Europe and the U.S. East Coast face heavy delays as Operation Prosperity Guardian fails to bring shipping back to the Red Sea.

Tanker stocks rose as expected in 2023, container shipping shares surprised to the upside, and dry bulk stocks lagged the pack.

Shipping stocks are under pressure as some ocean carriers show faith in military protection from Red Sea attacks.

Ocean shipping kept the world’s cargo flowing amid two wars and disruptions at both the Panama and Suez canals.

The key question for container shipping rates: How soon can Operation Prosperity Guardian woo traffic back to the Red Sea?

Container ships have forsaken the Red Sea route but many bulk commodity vessels continue to transit the danger zone.

A growing number of ship operators are refusing to transit the Red Sea and taking a very long detour around Africa instead.

Container-ship route diversions — first to avoid the Panama Canal, now to avoid Red Sea chaos — could help offset rate pressure from newbuilding deliveries.

Panama’s drought initially affected transits through the smaller locks. The pain has now spread to the larger Neopanamax locks.

Next year, U.S. importers must navigate canal restrictions, diversions from the Red Sea, more canceled sailings and, possibly, a port strike.

Imports have held up surprisingly well this year, but peak season’s end and canal restrictions are finally curbing volumes.

As the Panama Canal scales back on reservation slots, more ships without reservations wait longer to get through.

MSC, the world’s largest shipping line, faces the largest-ever shipper claim for alleged damages suffered during the supply chain crisis.

There has been a surge of attacks and threats targeting Israel-linked ships, including one incident where the U.S. Navy came to the rescue.

Time is running out for container lines as contract rate renewal season nears and spot rates fail to recover.

Zim’s headline loss looks ugly, but most of the decline was non-cash and it still has ample reserves to weather the downcycle.

A fleet of container vessels is up for sale as a company backed by Greece’s Evangelos Marinakis switches its bets to LNG shipping.

Cargo volumes are holding up, but rising transport capacity is outpacing demand, pushing container shipping rates even lower.

Containerized imports have rebounded strongly in 2023, with October volumes up 33% from February’s low.

The union representing East and Gulf Coast dockworkers warned members to prepare for a possible strike starting Oct. 1, 2024.

“This is not a diet. This is a resetting of the baseline,” said Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc on his company’s job cuts.

The water crisis at the Panama Canal is getting worse and will force more ships to take much longer routes.

Profits being reported by container shipping lines are down from the stratosphere but many still surpass pre-COVID returns.

Now that port labor unrest is over, West Coast container terminals are starting to claw back some of their lost volumes.

Cosco earned more than $800 million in the third quarter, while one analyst expects Zim to lose more than $200 million.

Peak season demand propelled imports higher in September, although softening spot rates point to a fourth-quarter slowdown.

The Chapter 11 filing of the ILWU dockworkers union dates back to a dispute over two electrician jobs in Oregon a decade ago.

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

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

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Zim outperformed competitors on the way up and is falling faster than other carriers on the way down.

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

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.

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

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

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

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