Monthly Archives for March 2017

Forwarders question Europe-Asia surcharge as capacity dries up Europe-Asia shippers believe that capacity tightness is not due to higher demand alone. The world’s forwarding industry has weighed into the Europe-Asia capacity issue, questioning the justification of a “peak season recovery surcharge” being levied by some carriers on the backhaul trade and expressing doubt that the […]

Half of new trans-Pac port pairs promise faster transits Although transit times will be shorter on certain routes, a key issue for shippers will be reliability. US importers from Asia will have fewer sailings and port pairs in the new alliance networks beginning April 1, but they will see faster transits on nearly half of […]

More consolidation needed before supply meets demand, MOL says MOL does not expect supply to match demand for at least another year. TOKYO — Smaller container lines will find it increasingly difficult to survive in the global container shipping marketplace and more industry consolidation can be expected before the market finds a healthy balance in […]

UK forwarders and customs team up to monitor Brexit A new group wants to ensure that Brexit does not result in excessive trade barriers. The impact of Brexit on customs clearance will be assessed by a high level committee of government and private executives to mitigate and address any potential fallout as Britain moves closer […]

DHL targets China cross-border trade with new Hong Kong facility DHL has opened a new Hong Kong fulfilment centre to serve the fast growing demand for cross-border products in Asia Pacific, and especially from China, allowing online retailers to move their goods closer to their main regional markets.Zhi Zheng, managing director of greater China for […]

Brad Jacobs: Completely plugged in and here to stay Less than an hour before XPO Logistics CEO Bradley Jacobs took the stage to deliver the keynote address at the 17th Annual TPM Conference on Feb. 27, the unexpected happened: About 50 Teamsters-affiliated protesters crashed the Long Beach Convention Center to call for XPO’s workers to […]

Simplified US ocean service contract rule only applies to errors The US Federal Maritime Commission has clarified the scope of a recent rulemaking. WASHINGTON — US maritime regulators Friday emphasized that their recent vote to scrap a rule requiring container lines file service contracts before they go into effect does not apply to rate increases […]

Trans-Pac spot rate resilience buoys carriers’ hopes Spot rates have declined more slowly in the wake of the Lunar New Year than in 2016. Spot rates to move a 40-foot-equivalent unit (FEU) from Asia to the United States are down roughly a quarter from the highs hit in January, but still about 70 percent higher […]

Spring forecast to bring double-digit US import gains Spring is expected to bring more containers to US shores. US ports this spring will handle double-digit increases in containerized imports thanks to strong consumer demand and an economy that shows no signs of slowing down in the near future, according to Global Port Tracker. Imports in […]

THE Alliance details network, bankruptcy failsafe NYK Line and its partners in THE Alliance will offer five joint services to North Europe. With three weeks before launch, THE Alliance on Thursday released details on its 32 joint services as well as a mechanism to protect beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) in the event of a collapse […]