Monthly Archives for May 2017

2017 volume on track to beat capacity growth Container shipping capacity growth has outpaced volume for the last several years. A full-year container volume forecast for 2017, revised upwards by Alphaliner after solid first quarter performance, could see global throughput growth beating container ship capacity growth for the second straight year, cutting further into the […]

New York eyes projects to handle rising rail traffic Less than 10 percent of the cargo leaving or entering the Port of New York and New Jersey moves via rail. A freight tunnel across New York Harbor, the expansion of intermodal rail terminals, and a range of track and rail yard upgrades are needed to […]

Rising rates, volumes to lift carrier profits The consolidation of the last two years should soon begin benefiting ocean carriers. The container shipping industry is set close the year with an operating profit of around $1.5 billion, driven by higher freight rates and rapidly growing cargo demand, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants. The market rebound […]

Weak demand, tight margins squeeze Concor profit India’s leading intermodal rail service providers struggled in the last fiscal year. Photo Credit: Adani Logistics. A stagnant export-import freight market is pressuring profit margins for containerized rail operators in India, which could make them wary of expanding operations as the government pushes to shift cargo to the […]

Indian shipping lines struggle against weak demand, pricing Shipping Corporation of India narrowed the losses in its liner shipping segment year over year in the fourth fiscal quarter. Shipping Corporation of India reported sharply lower profits in fiscal year 2016 to 2017 that ended March 31 as plunging freight rates amid continued weak demand took […]

Asia-South America spot rate hits record high Much of South America’s imports enter the continent through the Port of Santos. Credit: APMT Spot market freight rates on the Asia-East Coast South America trade this week reached a record high, with the $3,294 per TEU also the highest rate ever recorded on any trade by the […]

Trans-Pac spot rates slide into Memorial Day weekend Trans-Pacific spot rates continue to sink. Spot rates in the eastbound Pacific dropped for the fourth straight week, bringing rates from Shanghai to the East Coast 15 percent lower than the 2017 peak in late April, and down 21 percent on routing to the West Coast. The […]

UPS and SF Express partner to grow China-US courier business SF Express is the market leading courier firm in China. Credit: SF Express The world’s largest express company and China’s market leader in the express sector are joining forces on the China-US trade to tap into the rapidly growing mainland consumer demand for international delivery.UPS […]

US containerized export growth decelerates Low container shipping rates have helped offset the impact of a strong dollar for US exporters. US containerized growth decelerated quarter-to-quarter in the first three months of 2017 from the fourth quarter of 2016, but rose 4.6 percent year over year from the same period a year ago, as demand […]

Customs closes key US-Mexico border bridge An image of the damage sustained at the World Trade International Bridge border crossing. Credit: Omar S. Gonzalez. US and Mexican authorities have closed down the largest US-Mexico truck crossing point after wind and rain Sunday severely damaged the commercial bridge that connects Laredo, Texas with Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. […]