Forwarding

The weekly wrap-up features the Top 10 stories on JOC.com in the past week. Find out what you missed.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October and November, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

HONG KONG — Robert Mylod, the former Priceline CFO who played a major role in automating the online consumer travel market, has joined online freight pricing and quoting network Freightos, which plans to mimic the automated system that was such a game changer in the travel business.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in November, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

The world’s largest ship financiers, mostly German, could see their vessel assets, dominated by container ships, written down by up to 20 percent in the European Central Bank’s impending review of Eurozone banks’ resiliency.

Shipowners operating in the Arctic and the Antarctic caught a glimpse of the first set of international regulations on the trade today, the first full draft of laws aimed at reeling in the shipping's Wild West.

UPS will raise freight rates for air and ground packages, domestic and international shipments and less-than-truckload freight by 4.9 percent on average Dec. 29, the company said Monday.

Growing U.S.-Mexico trade has attracted a new player into the sparse short-sea market connecting the two countries, with a service aimed at the U.S. Southeast market for northbound cargo.

U.S. imports of ocean containers reached a record high in September, as retailers expect a robust holiday season, but exports continued to decline from soft global demand, making 2014 so far the worst year for container exports in the past four years.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October and November, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Tracking chassis as they move around and through ports and railheads is the next step in building a more sophisticated, interconnected supply chain, telematics company Orbcomm says.

From July through September, there were roughly 22.5 million global sailing schedule changes on more than 1.3 million schedules from 20 carriers, underscoring the challenges of shipment planning, according to a new report from CargoSmart.

The war of words between Australia’s competition regulator and the container shipping industry continued today, with Shipping Australia CEO Rod Nairn branding Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims “naive,” “blind to the facts” and “on a crusade.”

China Customs issued data field requirements for its forthcoming advanced manifest rule but still hasn’t announced an effective date, according to a Maersk Line advisory issued on Oct. 13

Events on the U.S. West Coast dominated on JOC.com this past week, as labor negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association could finally be heating up. Five of the Top 10 stories on JOC.com in the past week focused on the issue.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October and November, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Berth productivity on ships of 10,000 TEUs and higher edged upward globally in the first half of 2014 versus the same period last year, but saw wide variation depending on the region, according to JOC Port Productivity data.

The recovery in container shipping will be driven by the formation of new mega-alliances between carriers and further cuts in unit costs, rather than a rebalancing of supply and demand, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants.

Containerized exports from Asia to Europe and North America increased year-over-year in August, but spot rates in the Asia-to-Europe and North America trade lanes dropped, according to Container Trade Statistics.

Growth rate figures from the World Trade Organization appear to be an underestimation of growth in container volumes, and as a result, SeaIntel Maritime Analysis still expects global container demand growth to be 4 percent to 6 percent in 2014, despite downward revisions to WTO forecasts.

“If it bleeds, it leads,” is a saying in the news industry that means bad news gets higher ratings than good news, and that rang true on JOC.com this past week.

U.S. imports of wooden bedroom furniture by dollar value have increased for four consecutive quarters, driven by an ongoing recovery in the real estate market and falling national unemployment numbers...

In an effort to ease congestion at the Lagos Port Complex, Nigeria is looking into ways to encourage shippers to use the country's underutilized eastern ports more.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October and November, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Spot rates from Asia to northern Europe in 2014 are nearly half of what they were a year ago, according to the World Container Index.

The idle container ship fleet has shrunk to a three-year low, driven by rising carrier demand for Panamax vessels of 3,000 TEUs to 5,100 TEUs capacity, according to Alphaliner.

Bunker fuel prices in Rotterdam, a global indicator, held steady this week though the charge per metric ton is historically lower than in previous years.

Maersk Line-related stories dominated on JOC.com this past week. The No. 1 container carrier again made news with more 2M developments, plans for new ship orders and comments from its CEO.

Hamburg Sud subsidiary Alianca Navegacao e Logistica has expanded its coverage of the east coast of South America by adding two new vessels into its Brazilian cabotage and Mercosur Gran Cabotage services.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Thirty nine ships have arrived at U.S. ports with the Asian Gypsy Moth on board, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told JOC.com, as shippers fear the voracious tree eater will continue to delay cargo.

Container lines will continue to expand their share of the refrigerated cargo market, but specialized reefer carriers can survive if they diversify and pick their niches carefully, Drewry Maritime Research says in its annual analysis of the reefer shipping market.

Issues at the Los Angeles-Long Beach were on JOC.com readers’ minds this week, along with mega-alliances and growth in the trucking industry.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

The sale of investment certificates for the Suez Canal expansion project has netted Egypt $8.5 billion to fund upgrades to one of the country’s largest and most lucrative economic ventures.

In the article titled “MSC announces low-sulfur surcharges in North Europe, North America,” published on Sept. 15, a reference to low-sulfur fuel of 0.1 percent being cheaper than 1.0 percent fuel was incorrect.

Bunker prices have fallen to their lowest level in over a year after a three month slide, and oversupply may keep fuel costs for container lines relatively low throughout the end of the year.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. today unveiled surcharges of up to $165 per 20-foot container on North European and North American routes that will be subject to new low-sulfur limits in 2015.