Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Developing an over-the-road network to handle containers carried on ships too large to traverse the waterway could increase the canal’s annual throughput by over 60%, officials say, although funding concerns exist.

The Democrat, appointed under the previous Trump administration, had taken a particular interest in port and terminal operations while at the US maritime regulator.

Volume and rates on the Asian export corridors to the US and Europe have been high all year and online shopping promotions in November are further stoking the market.

The recent rise in volume to Europe contrasts sharply with China-to-US tonnage that in the second half has fallen far below year-over-year levels following greater scrutiny by US authorities on e-commerce imports.

The agency said it has secured more refunds and waivers for shippers in disputes with ocean carriers over detention and demurrage charges, with more investigations pending.

It’s not too soon for BCOs to begin game-planning for the results of the US presidential election and what a slew of new tariffs in a possible Trump administration could mean for importers, writes shipper consultant John McCauley.

Small farmers of commodities such as palm oil or cocoa remain concerned about the demanding traceability requirements of the regulation that is seen as a barrier to trade with the European Union.

The US Department of Transportation’s latest round of infrastructure grants also target port-adjacent roadways, berth expansions and yard equipment electrification.

The country could be on the verge of undoing legislation that abolished cabotage restrictions, saying the boost received by foreign-flag carriers has come at the expense of local shipping interests.

Several groups are calling on the White House to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to stop the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) strike that began on Tuesday at midnight.

The White House may finally be looking to take a firmer hand in stalled talks between the ILA and maritime employers with an expected strike just days away.

The lobby group representing ocean carriers in issues involving containers failed in its bid to further delay new rules covering how per diem bills are handled.

The integration of two large companies in similar industries is “particularly challenging,” according to Tobias Meyer, who withdrew DHL’s interest in DB Schenker earlier this year.

The Biden administration may have no choice but to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to stop a US port strike even as broader support for Democrats among transportation unions falters ahead of the presidential election.

Brokers looking to tap into the booming US-Mexico trade now have a tool to serve shipper requests to handle cross-border truckload moves.

Under the spotlight at MEPC 82 are midterm measures consisting of a technical element to reduce GHG intensity of fuels and a pricing mechanism to narrow the gap between fossil and green fuel.

Port users are concerned that if the technology and infrastructure needed to support a zero-emission environment is not built out, the industry’s only recourse will be to cap cargo volumes at Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The shippers were joined this time by a group of House Republicans, who in a separate letter warned of the “dire impacts” to the US economy from a possible port strike.

The Biden administration is targeting textile and apparel goods moving via a duty-free program by proposing tariffs while seeking more data on sub-$800 shipments.

DSV knocked the unions’ preferred bidder, private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, out of the race, but the forwarder’s bid now needs approval from the German parliament.

The US maritime regulator sees no reason to block the new vessel-sharing alliance run by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, but the agency’s head still has concerns about the deal.

The US maritime regulator said the ocean carrier did not simply have a contractual dispute with a shipper but instead clearly violated the US Shipping Act.

Maersk’s recent big order of dual-fuel ships — some of which will be powered by LNG — illustrates the quandary the carrier, and by extension container shipping, is currently in when it comes to achieving a zero-carbon future, writes Peter Tirschwell.

A range of supply chain mapping and risk management tools have emerged in the past decade, many aimed at customs brokers and third-party logistics providers.

A flood of duty-free shipments from Asia has upped the ante on brokers having broad knowledge of the upstream supply chains used by their importer clients.

After making significant investments in developing its methanol pathway over the past few years, and just a week after making a huge order for LNG-capable ships, the carrier is now looking into the feasibility of using nuclear energy in its vessels.

The future of shipping will consist of several different fuel technologies living side by side, with bunker fuels being part of the mix for “many years,” according to Vincent Clerc.

The intermodal logistics provider said it will change its business model as state and federal laws make it more difficult to classify drivers as independent contractors.

The container shipping lobby group believes higher costs levied on users of conventional bunkers is vital for the energy transition that requires multi-billion-dollar investments by fuel producers.

The $200 million funding round cuts against the broader trend of venture capital investors pulling back from early- and growth-stage supply chain and logistics startups.

Investment in technology to address the complex regulation is critical for cargo owners shipping to Europe, but it could have significant side effects to trade and consumer prices, experts warn.

The Federal Maritime Commission has set out the guidelines ocean carriers will need to follow to avoid claims from exporters that they are not being treated fairly.

There is growing pushback against the pending regulation that some sectors believe poses an impossible challenge in tracing and verifying the origins of certain products that could lead to their exclusion from the EU market.

A landmark ruling from the nation’s high court weakens the powers of federal maritime regulators ahead of imminent rulemaking that ocean carriers may challenge in the courts, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

The US maritime regulator said the initial information the two carriers filed with the agency about the operational partnership “lacks sufficient detail to allow for a complete analysis of its potential competitive impacts.”

Maritime employers at the Port of Vancouver prevailed at a last minute federal hearing over a strike vote that longshore foremen took against DP World.

An appellate court ruled the US Federal Maritime Commission erred when it solely applied its “incentive principle” to a detention case involving container carrier Evergreen Line.

The Biden administration’s attempts to build a homegrown crane industry due to cybersecurity concerns drew little interest from the National Association of Waterfront Employers, which doesn’t see a threat from Chinese-made cranes.

US exporters face unexpected costs and delays due to changes in dates for dropping off containers, which the FMC hopes to address with more consistent data.

US importers are pulling forward orders to avoid potential congestion, but trucking and intermodal networks are still slack, speakers said at the launch of CSCMP’s State of Logistics report.