Container Shipping News

TOTE’s decision means Matson and Pasha Hawaii will not face a three-way competition that analysts and TOTE's CEO had warned would produce overcapacity and rate wars in the US West Coast-Hawaii trade.

The small change in spot rates this week suggests carriers are satisfied with the current capacity/demand economics in the Pacific.

The mega-ships continue to flood in to the Asia-North Europe container trade lane.

Spot rates on Asia-Europe/Asia-Mediterranean are holding steady, but rate increases for Feb. 1 are in the cards as the peak Lunar New Year shipping period approaches.

Hong Kong-listed OOCL, soon to be part of Cosco, reported a massive increase in container volume and revenue for 2017.

The writing was on the wall for the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement after language in a US House of Representatives bill was introduced that would force carriers to choose between membership in rate discussions and ocean carrier alliances.

The first sailing of MSC’s fortnightly roll-on, roll-off West Africa service will begin Feb. 19 from Le Havre.

The Trump administration announced the tariffs Monday in response to complaints from US-based manufacturers that foreign competition was unfairly flooding the US market with cheap imports.

Exchange participants hope the New York Shipping Exchange will increase visibility and certainty for shippers, which they argue will result in a better end-to-end experience for its customers.

Carrier consolidation and projections for continued growth in imports alert beneficial cargo owners to the growing possibility of rate restoration in 2018, but a former shipping executive said carrier discipline is crucial, if service contract rates are to exceed those of last year.

Importers are shipping with a sense of urgency to bring their merchandise into the United States before factories in Asia close down for the Lunar New Year celebrations on Feb 16.

The supply-demand balance will become more favorable to carriers in the second half, believes Jefferies.

Spot rates have flattened on trades from China to Europe and the Mediterranean with Lunar New Year peak season yet to materialize.

CMA CGM is strengthening its presence on the east coast of South America.

Two joint, weekly intra-Asia routes — connecting major ports on India's east and west coasts — are scheduled to start from Shanghai, China, at the end of this month.

With an expanding US economy boosting imports, and carrier consolidation providing leverage on the capacity side, industry experts are putting beneficial cargo owners on notice that the 2018 to 2019 service contracting season could be difficult.

Expanding SM Line will add another China-US West Coast service to its growing portfolio as the carrier continues to grow its market share.

IBM and Maersk estimate the initiatives could save the industry billions of dollars.

When OOCL is part of Cosco and the three Japanese lines merge soon, most of the container ship capacity will be concentrated in just a few hands.

The orders come after Cosco and Yang Ming delayed delivery of roughly 200,000 TEU of capacity to 2019 amid signs overcapacity remains in the market.

The health scandal, called Carne Fraca, disrupted shippers and container operations and resulted in several importers — including China, Chile, the European Union, and South Korea — imposing temporary bans.

Spot rates are rising into a late Lunar New Year, with a host of carrier rate increases scheduled for early February.

From air freight to ocean to trucking, e-commerce is exerting palpable influence on the various transport markets.

Maersk initially set up the program for its own needs and used it to, for example, monitor the temperature of each box and change it if it was too low or high, and also to track the maintenance needs.

In a recent interview, Soo Cheon Lee, co-founder and chief investment officer at investment bank SC Lowy, said SM Line would have to find partners on the trans-Pacific if it was to maintain its competitive edge.

GTI is poised to receive the first call from a new intra-Asia service, jointly announced by Cosco Shipping Lines and Wan Hai Lines.

As capacity floods into service, some carriers have started to delay the delivery of new mega-ships.

Excess capacity in the market is doing carriers no favors in contract talks with shippers, and even though demand is growing, it will not be strong enough to address the surplus in supply.

China last year announced bans on imports of certain types of scrap products from all countries in order to reduce the harmful effect of contaminated waste products.

On a percentage basis, 2017 was one of the strongest increases registered since the end of the Great Recession.

Solid spot rates this week position carriers for possible rate hikes as the Lunar New Year approaches.

In a series of conversations, JOC executive editor Mark Szakonyi surveyed three shippers on how 2017 fared for their supply chains and what 2018 holds.

Economic health is driving growth in cargo volumes.

Carriers have little track record of self-policing in pursuit of overall industry gains. Can carriers change their operational stance?

It would appear that managing infrastructure needs for bigger ships and environmental responsibility are at cross-purposes. But heading into 2018, North American ports have a plan.

Spot rates in the major east-west trades ended 2017 on a high note.

A key, new container shipping partnership will commence operations in 2018's first quarter, and it will affect the intra-Asia supply-demand equation.

As experienced trade professionals know, how 2018 will play out is not something shippers have any influence over and the business of shipping containers in the Asia-Europe trade could take three directions.

Key north-south parties expect the positive trade pattern to continue in the year ahead, but there are challenges that could dent that forecast.

The third direct service supplements the carrier's CIMEX 6 and CIMEX 8 service.