Port of Los Angeles

U.S. ports just booked their largest import hikes in memory, according to The McCown Report.

Imports into Los Angeles at not slowing down. Can the backlog be cleared before the peak-season swell begins?

Container shipping spot rates haven’t budged from COVID-fueled peaks. Cargo shippers’ hopes for a rate pullback are fading.

Pearl service customers’ imports likely will be delayed arriving from Asia.

Bad timing: Still-rising cargo demand is coinciding with container-shipping constraints in the wake of the Suez Canal crisis.

Daniel Maffei becomes chairman at a time of massive disruption in the world of trade.

Add Nike (NYSE: NKE) to the growing list of retailers being severely hampered by port congestion and supply chain bottlenecks. The congestion at West Coast ports in particular strained Nike’s supply chain and negatively impacted revenue, which declined 11% yoy in the quarter ending Feb. 28.

California’s container-ship traffic jam is slightly less jammed but import pressure remains high. One analyst warns the worst may be yet to come.

The Port of LA will use tax funds for repairs needed to address its booming business.

The world’s largest shipping line says it has changed its ways and is no longer playing the spot market, instead going steady with long-term partners.

Fireworks could be stuck at sea by the time the Fourth of July rolls around. Blame massive port congestion and overloaded freight networks. The fireworks industry is asking the Biden administration to provide a fix, but what can it do?

“Today we are in the seventh month of a historic import surge driven by unprecedented demand by American consumers,” says Gene Seroka.

Anchorages are filling up with ships off multiple ports — not just California’s. Yet the reasons behind the traffic jams are not always the same.

The lack of Lunar New Year shutdowns contributes to the busiest February on record.

How does California congestion rank versus 2015 logjam caused by tensions with dockworkers union? It’s not even close: 2021 wins by a long shot.

“As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to accelerate our throughput and growth,” says Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

“Ocean Insights has dominated the container-tracking space, and we look forward to providing the industry not only the best ocean capabilities but also the most comprehensive end-to-end visibility platform,” says project44 CEO Jett McCandless.

Northwest Seaport Alliance reports January exports dropped 13.4% year-over-year.

“American customers will be able to choose to transport their goods using LNG, a new technology that helps to preserve air quality by eliminating almost all atmospheric pollutants,” said CMA CGM CEO Rodolphe Saadé.

Amazon may get the headlines for promising fast deliveries, but if it can’t get the product from overseas, the efficiency of trucks and delivery vans won’t make a difference.

The ocean carrier has not said when customers can expect to receive damaged or intact cargo.

AgTC’s Peter Friedmann said Hapag-Lloyd’s Rolf Habben Jansen failed to mention in a press conference that the container shipping lines are enjoying record profits “while pushing their customers into real financial trouble, some towards bankruptcy.”

It’s not just small and midsized importers that face massive contract rate hikes. Even the biggest shippers will feel the pain.

The Maersk Eindhoven, which lost 260 containers overboard, is slated to berth for repairs in Japan on Thursday.

More than 2,900 containers have gone overboard just since the end of November.

“We have really a perfect storm of demand that’s surging like there’s no tomorrow, everybody needing to get the boxes back, COVID-related restrictions,” says Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen.

Using domestic reloads and street turns are among Blume Global’s strategies to reduce empty miles and emissions.

Peloton is riding a wave for the history books right now. It has grown revenues by triple digits year-over-year for three consecutive quarters while building one of the most recognizable brands in not just fitness, but all consumer segments. If it should continue this meteoric rise, it must sort its supply chain issues before either the vaccines or competition prematurely puts out its flame.

“If we do nothing, we will still have vessels at anchor come midsummer,” says Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka.

The Federal Maritime Commission is stepping up oversight of charges imposed on trucking companies and U.S. exporters by containership companies.

Here’s a helicopter view courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard of container-ship armada off Los Angeles and Long Beach (WITH VIDEO).

Thanks to COVID, there are no seasonal highs and lows for international shipping. There is so much demand for goods that the peak season never seems to end — and ports, railroads, truckers and warehouses are reaching the breaking point.

Due to shipping snarl and container congestions, delays in retail inventories will be felt from Christmas through Easter.

Demand for its products skyrocketed, but port congestion and freight capacity constraints have prevented their delivery, and now Peloton is spending $100 million to try and fix its supply chain.

“ZEBOX will assist innovative startups in developing new technologies in transportation, logistics, mobilities and industry 4.0,” says CMA CGM CEO Rodolphe Saadé.

The discharging of damaged containers continues nearly two months after the storm-battered ONE Apus arrived in Japan.

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero delivers a melodious annual report.

The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been infected with COVID-19 — with at least 700 positive test results from port employees.

California calls on feds to protect exporters. Shipping groups claim California export cure will worsen congestion — including for importers.

FMC commissioners appeal to President Joe Biden to immediately vaccinate the maritime workforce.

Two FreightWaves SONAR charts illustrate Union Pacific’s views of the West Coast intermodal spot market.

“Not only are we at the height of the Christmas season, but we’re at the height of the Y2K concern as well. Importers and major trading houses are trying to move their goods now to beat any chance of problems with the changeover to the new millennium.”

Nearly 700 dockworkers in California have COVID. Hundreds more are out due to quarantines. Pleas for fast-track vaccinations intensify.

FreightWaves identifies importers who use the Asia-West Coast service.

The past 12 to 18 months have been nothing short of spectacular for Peloton. It has cemented itself as a prominent fitness brand with a base of fiercely loyal customers while growing revenues 233% yoy in Q3. But the company has outkicked its coverage and capped potential growth due to its supply chain constraints and lack of visibility.

“These best practices are needed now more than ever to relieve pressure on the supply chain due to the ongoing surge,” Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka says.

CIEM’s Pioneer Chassis is gearing up to play a key role in squelching port bottlenecks and filling the chassis shortage gap.

“The way we responded to the challenges, kept commerce moving and preserved jobs is a story that we will all remember for a long time to come,” says Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka during his State of the Port address.

There are more container ships stuck off California than at any time since 2004. What’s behind the pileup? When can it be cleared?

Like clockwork, liner operators sharply reduce their sailings each year during the Chinese New Year holiday. Not in 2021.

Cranes arrive, environmental prizes are awarded and cruise ships are welcomed.

Asia-U.S. container rates had held firm at a record high since September. Now they’re on the move again — and headed even higher.

The World Shipping Council responds to assertions from FMC commissioners of potential Shipping Act violations.

Ocean carrier Maersk says it is “working closely with the Agriculture Transportation Coalition and local trucking associations to address their concerns of equipment availability and detention and demurrage issues.”

More than $32 million worth of fake Viagra pills, knockoff Air Jordans and other counterfeit products were found in shipments arriving from China, authorities said.

Container imports far exceed sales, raising concerns that 2020’s transport binge could lead to a big headache in 2021.

Shippers are looking to speed up delivery and avoid long wait times by utilizing space on the East Coast. As a result, import volumes at eastern ports are on the rise.

Allegations of service and rate violations ocean carriers against U.S. exporters are increasing, according to FMC commissioners.

Container flows into U.S. ports have grown faster over the past three months than they have at any other time in the past decade.

Removal of dislodged containers is expected to take more than a month, and none of the 1,816 units that fell into the Pacific have been recovered.

“In November, 50 of the 88 vessels coming to Los Angeles first went to anchor and averaged two and a half days there.”

The Port of Los Angeles is still working to get toys to retailers’ shelves in time for Christmas.

Empty containers returning to Asia jumped 55% to 283,563 units.

Toyota is using the next-generation fuel cell that powers its 2021 Mirai passenger car in production-intent Kenworth trucks for internal testing as it begins handing off the earlier-generation fuel cells for customer demonstrations.

“Additional stress on an already-overloaded system tends to further destabilize the system.”

Speed, safety and reliability are taken into account when choosing truck routes.

Trans-Pacific spot index rates haven’t budged from the same peak band for the past 10 weeks. How is this possible in a competitive free market?

China is again the top trading partner of the United States, with trade totaling $59.6 billion for October.

Port communities in LA, Charleston and Philadelphia already at risk, officials assert.

“While COVID-19 has fundamentally shifted how many American families will celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we are very proud to be providing a bit of home.”

Quick action comes on heels of a call for action by key trade group; Commissioner Maffei says it may not be enough

Platform is designed to improve efficiency of returning empty containers.

Where we’re seeing the need for ocean freight-related ingenuity, logistics tech companies are beginning to fill the space, but we are far from seeing the full potential realized.

Air cargo carrier names Yulia Celetaria health care director and forms vaccine task force.

Trucking and rail volumes remain elevated while the imports fade. Is this is beginning of the end of the 2020 freight boom?

There are not enough containers in China to handle all the U.S.-bound cargo — and box factories are now sold out into Q2.

The trans-Pacific capacity crunch continues. Container volume that’s either inbound to Los Angeles or stuck at anchorage is surging.

The trans-Pacific market is bursting at the seams as shippers rush in holiday cargoes.

On a collision course: holiday timing, surging consumer demand, thin inventories, and capacity constraints for container liners and ports.

“Several months into this pandemic, we are now seeing positive signs by these cargo volume totals.”

Port of Virginia gets $20.2 million for container yard expansion.

“Regardless of who wins the upcoming elections, our country is in desperate need of a cohesive export plan as well as an infrastructure program and a digitization strategy for ports across the country,” says Executive Director Gene Seroka.

Freight volumes are not the only thing putting pressure on capacity.

Anthony and Zach bring on Maritime expert Henry Byers to discuss the near- and long-term impacts to the domestic freight market resulting from the record-breaking influx of shipments from Asia.

Executive Director Gene Seroka shines spotlight on trade gap on “Squawk Box Asia.”

Earnings reports from retailers show a clear shakeout between winners and losers.

Gene Seroka says the “disruption and breakdown of the global medical supply chain” during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for change in the maritime sector.

Information sharing is part of Executive Director Gene Seroka’s quest for more efficient operations.

U.S. importers now paying three times more per mile than Europeans for transport of Chinese goods.

Intermodal was supposed to be the growth engine for rail.

The pandemic, trade war and a communication gap have muddled implementation of a $10-per-TEU surcharge.

U.S. importers turn to Chinese sellers in the wake of COVID.

Freight is getting crammed into the U.S. West Coast as fast as carriers can pick it up. How long will it last?

Executive Director Gene Seroka does not want to break the 15-month record set during the recession of 2008-09.

Asia-U.S. ocean freight rates are hitting record highs as import demand outpaces vessel supply.

Human error-related insurance claims represented over $1.6 billion in losses, according to insurance report.

Ports on the Atlantic are losing imports from Europe as well as Asia.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission found during its Fact Finding 29 investigation that the Port of New York and New Jersey showed supply chain resolve during the coronavirus pandemic.

With airfreight capacity squeezed and rates high between China and the U.S., ocean freight consolidators offer the option of fast, cheaper less-than-container load, trans-Pacific services.

Freightliner’s test fleet of 30 electric trucks has circled the world an equivalent of a dozen times as they make drayage runs and a variety of deliveries in Southern California. Daimler Trucks North America plans regular production of electric trucks in 2022.