Category Archives for Industry News

Brazilian ports hurt by general strike but less than feared Large crowds gathered throughout Brazil to oppose the policies of president Michel Temer. A general strike that brought Brazil to a standstill impacted the country’s ports, especially the largest port of Santos, less than originally feared. The strike hit Santos, which handles 36 percent of […]

Trans-Pac spot rates spike without GRI Carriers have been rewarded for their efforts to match supply and demand with a trans-Pacific spot rate jump without the pressure of a general rate increase. Spot rates in the eastbound Pacific this week went up for the first time since mid-January, and the increases were substantial — 21 […]

New alliance impacts on Southeast Asia ports emerge The new alliances will cost Port Klang a substantial amount of throughput. Malaysia’s Port Klang will probably lose more than 10 percent of its annual throughput as a result of the alliance shifts, industry analyst Alphaliner believes. Klang is forecast to lose a total of six of […]

Asia-Europe rates rise sharply ahead of May 1 GRIs Asia-Europe spot rates rose at the fastest clip in more than a month this week. Asia-Europe spot rates shot up 16 percent to a three-month high ahead of May 1 general rate increases, according to the latest reading of the Shanghai Shipping Exchange’s SCFI.The rate topped […]

Maersk, Microsoft team-up to provide demurrage, disruption alerts With the help of Microsoft, Maersk Line plans to roll-out customer software applications in the third quarter that will help beneficial cargo owners track containers and manage cargo as it moves across the globle, including through customs. Ibrahim Gokcen, chief digital officer in the carrier’s logistics and […]

Maersk, Microsoft team up to provide demurrage, disruption alerts The Maersk Group has announced several technology initiatives in recent months. With the help of Microsoft, Maersk Line plans to roll out customer software applications in the third quarter that will help beneficial cargo owners track containers and manage cargo as it moves across the globle, […]

ITS expands in Ohio Valley to harness intermodal potential The Midwest was the fastest growing market for intermodal traffic in the fourth quarter. ITS Technologies and Logistics (ITSTL) is expanding its footprint in the Ohio Valley by taking over the operation of five terminals in the region, banking on the area’s potential as an intermodal […]

Baltic Exchange targets container indices The Baltic Exchange was established in 1744. LONDON — The Baltic Exchange is weighing a move into container indices as it seeks to leverage its recent acquisition by the Singapore Exchange to widen its global presence beyond the dry bulk shipping markets. “In 2017 we will be providing more freight […]

Digitized supply chain solutions require carrier involvement The drive for producitivity and efficiency in supply chains continues to expand beyond metrics such as crane lifts per hour and ship turn times. No digitised product in container transportation can succeed without the support of at least a handful of the major carriers, was the conclusion reached […]

North American shippers largely indifferent to new alliances While the jury is still out on the impact the new ocean carrier alliances will have on international supply chains and the processing of goods at international ports, some preliminary research suggests much of North America’s trade community remains relatively indifferent to the major changes taking place. […]