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India temporarily eases SOLAS guidelines Heeding requests from stakeholders and in line with a “practical and pragmatic” approach advocated by the International Maritime Organization for the enforcement of the new SOLAS container weight rule that takes effect July 1, India’s Directorate General of Shipping has issued a supplementary decree allowing shippers more time to comply… […]

Shipper group says forwarder VGM fees are unjustified The verified gross mass processing fee being imposed by freight forwarders has come under fire from the Hong Kong Shippers’ Council, which has called on its members to reject what it regards as an unjustified charge.With just days to go before the July 1 implementation of the […]

SOLAS approach favorable to US exporters coming together WASHINGTON — With just days before the SOLAS container weight rule takes effect, ports, marine terminals and container lines are coming closer to creating a system that will use pre-existing weighing processes to alleviate the burden on U.S. exporters. U.S. maritime regulators on Friday gave the go-ahead […]

All New York-New Jersey terminals to offer SOLAS weighing, but fees may apply All six terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey will offer weighing services to shippers that don’t provide verified gross mass declarations needed to meet the SOLAS rule that takes effect Friday, but terminals could leverage fees for the […]

Panama Canal expansion will affect shipping — but how? Nine years and $5.4 billion in the making, the Panama Canal’s new, larger locks are opening amid questions about the impact they’ll have on an uncertain global trade and container shipping environment. The biggest questions involve trade between… Panama Canal expansion will affect shipping — but […]

Database of container tare weights aimed at helping shippers meet SOLAS rule   An international non-profit  is creating a massive database with the tare weights of containers around the world to help shippers comply with the upcoming SOLAS rule that takes effect July verified gross mass requirement. The database, which France-based Bureau International des Containers (BIC) is […]

Struggling trans-Pacific container lines urge exporters to bring cargo booked LONG BEACH — In the current low-rate environment where container lines are struggling just to break even, industry executives urged exporters to honor the bookings they make. “The big challenge for our company is controlling and managing booking,” Richard Craig, chief executive officer, MOL America, told […]

Health of US freight growth hinges on pace of inventory destocking     WASHINGTON — The state of U.S. freight growth in 2016 and beyond hangs on the fate of inventory that has been piling up for years and has proved difficult to draw down. There are signs that inventory de-stocking finally may be under […]

Container lines defend skyrocketing South America-Asia spot rates Container lines are playing down skyrocketing spot rates between the east coast of South America and Asia, saying the reported jumps of up to 1,600 percent come on the back of record low base-level prices, and still do not make the overall trade lane rates sustainable. Spot […]

Container lines back using current weighing process to help US exporters meet SOLAS U.S. exporters finally achieved the carrier uniformity they were seeking on the SOLAS container weighing requirement when 19 major container serving the U.S. gave their support for the use of on-terminal scales to comply with the international rule that takes effect on […]