Monthly Archives for August 2017

Trans-Pac spot rates drop despite tightening space Trans-Pacific spot rates to the United States have fallen gradually over the past month. Despite growing imports from Asia and tightening capacity, spot rates dropped 7 percent this week to both the East and West coasts, showing that the tipping point carriers are hoping for hasn’t arrived. The […]

Flat Asia-Europe rates in late summer lull The market’s reaction to upcoming rate increases will be a key indicator of the Asia-Europe peak season’s strength. There was little movement in the Asia-Europe spot rate this week as summer draws to a close, with a week to go until carriers levy yet another increase to ensure […]

Platform aimed at cutting empty container moves build steam After two years, xChange, an online marketplace that helps match importers and exporters and eliminate empty ocean container moves said it is beginning to see major growth, illustrating the challenges technology start-ups have in gaining industry buy-in. Today, xChange hosts just over 100 users on its […]

Eimskip revenue soars, earnings slip Eimskip’s acquisition efforts were set back in April when Norwegian regulators blocked a deal with Nor Lines. Eimskip’s earnings soared more than 37 percent year over year in the second quarter, driven by acquisitions, but adverse currency movements slashed the Icelandic shipping and logistics group’s earnings. Revenue rose to 173.1 […]

Trans-Pac space tightens on strong US peak season The holds of ships sailing on the trans-Pacific have been full this peak season. With indications that an unusually strong peak season is under way, fueled by a buoyant US economy, space in the eastbound trans-Pacific is tightening and carriers are aiming to put the highest yielding […]

Automobile inventories at pre-recession highs as sales slump Automakers in the US are at a crossroads — sales are declining for the first time in seven years, and inventories are at highs not seen since before the recession. The automakers are going to need to discipline their supply chains if there’s any hope they won’t […]

Longer Rhine Valley rail corridor closure to raise shipper costs Subsidence from construction work on the new Rastatt Tunnel means the Rhine Valley rail corridor will be closed until October. Credit: Deutsche Bahn The closure of a key European rail corridor through the Rhine Valley is pushing up freight transport costs on alternative routes by 30 […]

Russian regulation to raise terminal handling costs Shippers using ports such as Nakhodka will soon be paying higher rates for terminal services. An order by Russian President Vladimir Putin that terminal operators post their tariffs in rubles and not dollars will lead to an increase in rates of 15 to 20 percent, but shippers have […]

New container capacity tempts industry to ignore Hanjin lessons The collapse of Hanjin Shipping stranded more than an estimated half a million containers worldwide. The collapse of Hanjin Shipping on Aug. 31, 2016, was both a sign of how the container shipping industry was moving toward stability and a driver toward this far-from-guaranteed goal. But […]

Containers recover at Indian short-sea carriers India’s leading ocean carriers reported stronger performances in their container units. The container units of Indian short-sea operators Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and Shreyas Shipping spent the first quarter of the current fiscal year in the black as recovering global trade, economic reforms, and a coastal shipping pact […]