Maritime News
The Journal of Commerce is the industry’s source for maritime news and analysis about ocean container shipping, logistics, supply chains, global shipping ports, shipping technology solutions and end-to-end connectivity. Coverage tracks the movement of containerized cargo — from origin to destination — handled by marine terminals in the US and abroad, depots, container ports, container lines, drayage, consignees and shippers, forwarders, non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) and off-dock warehousing providers, as well as pricing, capacity, volume and reliability on the trans-Pacific, Asia-Europe, North America-Caribbean, Central and South American and intra-Asia trades.
Updated: 11 min 51 sec ago
Threat of pro-Palestinian demonstration shuts Oakland’s marine terminals
All four container terminals at the Port of Oakland were closed for the day shift on Monday as demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut down a nearby major freeway and threatened to picket at the port.
New risk factor flares in Middle East after seizure of MSC Aries by Iran
The taking of the container ship and its crew by Iranian forces comes as Red Sea attacks on shipping by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have forced virtually all commercial vessels to divert around southern Africa.
New risk factor flares in Middle East after seizure of MSC Aires by Iran
The taking of the container ship and its crew by Iranian forces comes as Red Sea attacks on shipping by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have forced virtually all commercial vessels to divert around southern Africa.
Gemini’s ‘hub-and-spoke’ model aims to eliminate blank sailings: Hapag-Lloyd
The new partnership expects to have enough containers positioned at its major hub ports to keep ships full on its mainline trades, thus eliminating the need to unexpectedly cancel a voyage due to a lack of demand.
BigLift, CY Shipping expand heavy transport capacity with new orders
The global energy buildout in renewables and oil and gas has spurred the heavy-transport partners to order two new carriers.
MPV indices inch higher as global disruptions tighten vessel supply
Toepfer Transport says improving demand and the ongoing threat to shipping caused by the Houthi militant attacks in the Red Sea region have boosted fleet utilization.
Boost in US demand pushes trans-Atlantic Q1 volumes to pre-pandemic levels
Firm growth in imports from Europe in the first quarter has lifted rates to more sustainable levels for carriers as the trans-Atlantic trade lane appears to have finally turned the page on a dismal 2023.
OOCL’s first-quarter volume gains offset by falling rates
Ocean carriers have yet to report their Q1 financial results, but the operational update by OOCL is a clear indication that the global supply-demand imbalance remains a challenge.
Hong Kong’s competitiveness takes another hit with revamp of alliance connectivity
But the port has an action plan in place to win back business, including development of a green bunkering hub, digitizing port operations and boosting multimodal connections.
South Korea plans $4 billion program to double container ship capacity
The government's latest move to increase the size of the national fleet has reportedly led HMM to reevaluate its own five-year expansion plan to invest around $11 billion, including funds for new vessels.
India-US ocean rates continue steady retreat from Red Sea-induced boost
Still, more capacity is on the way for India-US shippers, with Ocean Network Express due to start its new West India-USEC standalone connection in late May.
NWSA unveils incentive program to boost carrier, rail and terminal performance
The $11 million program that seeks to increase schedule reliability and volumes comes as the Seattle-Tacoma gateway saw its share of US imports from Asia decline year over year in February.
US import surge comes amid restocking, but puts port fluidity in the crosshairs
The import strength goes beyond restocking, showing the impact of a recovery in housing and the US manufacturing resurgence, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Spectacle of shipping disruptions overshadows manageable impact to cargo flow
The shipping industry’s ability to overcome physical disruptions such as the Port of Baltimore’s closure shouldn’t lull it into complacency because growing geopolitical threats could provide new obstacles that can’t be as easily managed, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Shift to eBLs would mean big cut in carbon emissions: study
The study, commissioned by the Global Shipping Business Network, comes amid a commitment by nine of the top 10 global ocean carriers to only use electronic bills of lading by 2030.
Norfolk expands hours to handle cargo volumes shifted from Baltimore
The US DOT has also offered some relief, granting an exemption that permits truck drivers to work an additional two hours of drive time beyond federal limits if the cargo is connected to the Port of Baltimore closure.
US retailers make big upgrade in H1 import forecast amid carrier capacity boost
Ocean carriers have signaled their belief that US consumer buying will remain strong into the second half of the year by announcing the launch or restart of 11 services involving the trans-Pacific and north-south trades.
Slow uptake of green shipping services, but momentum building: Maersk
While the carrier is celebrating a large increase in volume transported under its low-emission services, the substantial cost of alternative fuels compared to conventional bunkers remains a hurdle to the wider cargo-owning market.
India sourcing boom drives US import container growth
Growing US import volumes and market share from India, coupled with a surge of investment from major big box retailers and manufacturers, suggests a tipping point for connecting ocean trades and the country.
Top US retailers set Asia service contract floor significantly higher than 2023-24
Carriers in the eastbound trans-Pacific have concluded 2024-25 service contracts with several of the largest US retailers at rates that are significantly higher than in last year’s contracts as carriers leveraged today’s relatively high spot rates.