Monthly Archives for September 2017

What’s good for carriers of little benefit for BCOs, shippers say Carriers and shippers disagree about the merits of shipping alliances. Shippers are seeing little improvement in service levels from the new container shipping alliances that were launched on April 1, even as most global carriers bank a profitable first half and are looking forward […]

US Southeast ports to reopen but cargo delays to last days Members of the US Coast Guard inspect the Port of Charleston during Hurricane Irma. The US ports that closed ahead of Hurricane Irma’s landfall are preparing to reopen, but with fuel stores low, many still without power, and roads and rail lines in disrepair, […]

Analysts: Carriers profits up but overcapacity slows recovery There is no arguing that supply and demand are more closely aligned this year, the debate is over how much. A wide-ranging improvement in carrier profitability is being driven by better market fundamentals and greater pricing discipline, and it has container shipping analysts weighing in on whether […]

New equipment to help ease Chittagong port congestion Shippers have long been clamoring for more port equipment such as reach stackers in Chittagong. The Chittagong port on Friday received 46 pieces of container-handling capacity shippers have long demanded to boost capacity at the oft-congested port that is operating well beyond its designed TEU capacity. The […]

Tech startups intent on revolutionizing container shipping Two decades after the arrival of the internet sparked a wave of largely unsuccessful technology-fueled startups designed to cut costs or improve efficiency in container shipping, there’s a sense that technology will propel the industry beyond incremental gains.  The confluence of changing demographics, an industry stressed by physical […]

US import surge in July belies fall slowdown Containerized US imports are projected to set a new record this year. An unexpected surge in imports in July will take some of the steam out of peak-season volumes this fall, although 2017 will still be a record year for US imports, according to the Global Port […]

Trans-Pac spot rates tread water ahead of Golden Week Trans-Pacific spot rates have slid steadily since July. Spot rates in the eastbound Pacific continued to tread water this week, although space on vessels leaving Asia should tighten noticeably later this month before factories in China close on Oct. 1 for the annual Golden Week celebration. […]

Rocketing air cargo volume keeps up rate pressure Air cargo growth was strongest in Africa and weakest in Latin America. Air cargo demand rose 11.4 percent in July, more than double the 3.7 percent expansion in capacity, setting the stage for higher rates as shippers rush to meet peak season demand. July’s performance was the […]

Infographic: How technology helps shippers manage supply chains As venture capital and tech whizzes pile into the realm of logistics, shipping, and the supply chain, it can be hard to keep track and make sense of all the various ways technology can help shippers can help shippers become more efficient and cut costs. This infographic […]

China closes down thousands of factories A focus on suppliers to factories is making it difficult to gain visibility of supply chain risk under the latest environmental crackdown. The closure of thousands of Chinese factories and their suppliers through an even harder government crackdown on pollution is roiling containerized supply chains as exporters scramble to […]