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The current disruption exposes a glaring deficit in productivity, infrastructure, and information that predated the pandemic and has made North America the key culprit in the global meltdown in container supply chains.

Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announce new measures and incentives to speed cargo velocity as near-record freight volumes show no signs of slowing and congestion mounts.

Their shared experience amid COVID-19 has brought longshore labor and employers on the West and East coasts closer together and is helping the ports to handle record cargo volumes this year, terminal operators said.

A Brazilian wood importer is the latest shipper to strike back with a Federal Maritime Commission complaint that alleges unfair treatment from CMA CGM and Fenix Marine.

While the issue of container booking cancellations and no-shows is nothing new in the shipping arena, CMA CGM’s surcharge appears to be the first known case in the current acutely imbalanced market scenario.

European regulators will find it increasingly hard to ignore complaints from shippers that supply chain delays and record transport prices are hurting their business, say shipper groups.

Importers’ failure to return chassis equipment in a timely manner is tying up equipment, causing disruption that has spurred the top US rail regulator to ask whether the railroads have gone too far in paring intermodal networks to please investors.

The dispute hangs on a clause inserted into the master coastwise contract in 2003 that requires ILA representation of workers operating ship-to-shore cranes and yard equipment.

A huge funding round for Utah-based digital customs technology provider Zonos shows that online cross-borders sellers new to international trade struggle to accurately calculate the cost of duties.

Norfolk Southern Railway, which expects all chassis subject to a June safety recall to be repaired by next month, will buy more chassis in 2022 to address supply chain congestion.

Car dealers are "screaming" for inventory, but COVID-19 shutdowns and a snarled semiconductor supply chain are throwing up obstacles to production.

Maersk issued its third upgrade of full-year 2021 results thanks to the continued strength of its ocean business and high freight rates.

Port officials in the southeastern US are taking steps to help importers and exporters navigate terminal congestion that isn’t expected to ease anytime soon.

The Federal Maritime Commission said it is taking steps toward addressing detention and demurrage bills that US shippers and truckers are facing.

The failure of importers to move their containers from the docks to their warehouses in a timely manner is the root cause of congestion at both East and West coast ports, terminal operators say.

A consortium of container industry heavyweights has enlisted three banks in Asia to advise it on development of trade finance solutions to tether shipping data to new financing opportunities.

Maersk is acquiring a Portuguese company that specializes in outsourced e-commerce fulfillment services to the fashion industry as the ocean carrier moves deeper into integrated logistics services.

Canadian National has bowed out of its pursuit of Kansas City Southern, two weeks after US regulators threw up a major roadblock to a proposed deal, clearing the way for Canadian Pacific to apply for regulatory approval for its deal with the US-Mexico railroad.

A Drewry analyst sees global port congestion lasting beyond the Lunar New Year of 2022 as retailers decide they do not want to run the risk of stockouts and empty shelves next summer.

Private equity fund Bridgepoint has funneled capital into supply chain technology provider Blume Global, which has customers in nearly every segment of the global logistics industry.

With shippers facing crippling congestion in Southern California, the Port of New York and New Jersey is seeing more volume and the demand has spilled over to long-haul trucking.

TrueCommerce’s acquisition of competitor DiCentral gives it a deeper roster of supplier and transportation partner connections for its now 18,000-strong customer base.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is repositioning vessels from the trans-Atlantic to the trans-Pacific in a bid to meet the market’s high demand for Asia services.

Vessel bunching at US ports and unprecedented bottlenecks landside will continue to cripple the US supply chain because a “fantastic peak” of imports from Asia shows no signs of abating for at least six months, according to industry analysts.

Carrier association Shipping Australia believes the container shipping market will return to normal only when the effect of the COVID-19 shock on supply chains works its way through the system.

Reduced harvesting in Asia has created additional demand for agricultural goods from the US and Australia, but a shortage of intra-Asia feeder ships is preventing exporters from taking full advantage.

Google Cloud is using project44 to boost the visibility prowess of its supply chain solutions, as cloud-hosting giants target the logistics industry.

A US Congressman said other legislative priorities will delay any regulatory relief for US importers and exporters until well after peak season, despite growing calls for more immediate ocean carrier oversight.

A new funding round into London-based forwarding automation specialist Vector.ai highlights the need for forwarders to offload administrative tasks to keep up with industry growth and complexity.

Iowa-based CRST is installing a telematics-based fleet management system the truckload carrier claims will benefit both drivers and shippers seeking supply chain intelligence.

Taking aim at a lack of proof-of-delivery certainty in global logistics, Clockwork Logistics Systems has received financial backing from a range of logistics-focused investors.

Container shippers are increasingly switching to breakbulk solutions to move their cargo, pushing MPV/HL bookings into the fall and driving up rates.

The $1.3 billion acquisition of Echo Global Logistics by a private equity company will fuel an automation drive at the third-party logistics provider as shippers dealing with disruption demand more sophisticated technology.

With their profitability now firmly established, carriers appear to be placing renewed vigor into growing their contracted cargo base.

Asset providers say it will be difficult in the short term to satisfy the transportation requirements needed to handle growing cargo volumes in Southern California.

Container visibility data specialist Vizion’s latest funding round adds more fuel to a market searching for quality, real-time ocean freight milestone information to execution systems.

Chemicals transportation and logistics specialist A&R Logistics is rebranding and reorganizing as Quantix, adding trucking assets to meet growing demand from shippers.

Magaya’s acquisition of two forwarding technology providers lets customers manage instant quoting and customer service through a unified platform to compete with digital forwarders.

As part of the National Shipper Advisory Committee, the likes of Wal-Mart, Amazon, and DuPont will give guidance to the Federal Maritime Commission as the federal agency steps up its monitoring of the industry.

Although monthly year-over-year import growth will be minimal during the peak season, import volumes will still be at near-record levels as they are benchmarked off of unusually large volumes in the second half of 2020.