Container Shipping News

A port shutdown due to an impasse in ILWU contract negotiations would be disastrous for agricultural exporters in the short term, but the loss of business resulting from a failure to address persistent productivity issues would be even more damaging to West Coast ports and dockworkers in the long term, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition said today.

A small business based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, took home one of the state’s most coveted business awards with an aggressive export strategy.

The trade community is looking to the negotiations in San Francisco to see if an agreement will be reached without disruptions at West Coast ports.

Container ships with capacities of 10,000 TEUs or greater are more likely to be delayed at European ports than smaller vessels.

A Greek ship manager said it is working with Lloyd’s Register and Daewoo Shipbuilding to develop LNG-fueled ultra-large container ships of 14,000 TEUs.

Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India are poised to kick their export growth into higher gear over the next five years.

Container shipping veteran Richard “Dick” Craig was promoted to CEO of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. America on June 9.

Eleven sailors from the Malaysia-flag container ship Albedo held hostage for more than three years by Somali pirates have arrived safely in Kenya, according to mediators who helped secure their freedom, Al Jazeera reported.

Despite recent improvements, global container lines’ schedule reliability and on-time container delivery have been worse every month so far this year versus last year.

Asia’s export growth will bounce off the lows of 2012-13 and still be the envy of the world over the next five years.

Pet products are a serious and fast growing business in China.

Numerous container lines have planned general rate increases in various trade routes to take effect July 1, although any gains achieved could be fleeting as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

Customs brokers and forwarders are asking the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to create procedures to help them better handle potential work stoppages at U.S. West Coast ports.

Maersk Group says it completed a $5.1 billion syndicated revolving credit facility to replace loans maturing in 2015, reducing its financial costs.

Maersk Line said it intends to raise rates on shipments between the Mediterranean and North America, beginning July 1.

Maersk Line is denying claims that its profits are inflated because it gets a discount from its Maersk Group sister company APM Terminals, a major global terminal operator.

The CKYH partners and Evergreen Line are making moves to allow them to seek a vessel-sharing alliance in the trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic trade lanes.

Greek shipowners are faced with a decision: increase investments in more efficient container ships to stay competitive, or return to their roots in bulk shipping.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is clarifying rules pertaining to congestion surcharges planned by trans-Pacific carriers in the event of U.S. West Coast work stoppages.

Shipping Corp. of India reported a marginal net profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013-14, which ended March 31, 2014.

Fesco Transportation Group’s revenue and earnings declined in the first quarter.

The start of the World Cup in Brazil next month could give U.S. beer imports a much-needed kick in growth this year.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in various trade routes in June and July, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

As a niche carrier with a growing refrigerated forwarding business and aggressive plans to expand, Eimskip is poised to ride the waves fueled by larger vessels and booming inter-Asia trade. Much of this promise centers on the container shipping and refrigerated logistics group’s ability to handle a wider variety of reefer goods throughout the supply chain.

In announcing sharply lower losses for the first three months of the year, CSAV said it expects to close on a merger agreement with Hapag-Lloyd in the fourth quarter.

New low-sulfur limits for ships that come into effect in North America and northern Europe at the beginning of 2015 could add almost $50 to the cost of transporting a standard container across the Atlantic Ocean.

Japan’s trade surplus with the United States narrowed for the third month in a row in April on a year-on-year basis, as imports grew at a faster pace than exports, according to preliminary figures released by the Finance Ministry last week.

The following excerpt from Culture shock in Maersk Line, the new book by maritime industry analyst Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner at SeaIntel Consulting, discusses the situation today at the world’s No. 1 container carrier.

The world’s overcapacity in ocean container shipping is tied to growth in post-Panamax ships, according to Danish Ship Finance’s latest Shipping Market Review report.

Zim’s first quarter loss shrank 45 percent from a year earlier as the Israeli ocean carrier continued to cut costs in the run-up to a $3 billion financial restructuring.

Some of the fastest-climbing companies on the JOC’s Top 100 Importers and Exporters rankings share a common trait: They either partner with or are part of a conglomerate that allows them to create synergies of scale.

Carriers on the Asia-Europe trade will have growth in China’s new export orders and growing factory output for support as they try to levy general rate increases in June.

CMA CGM booked a 1.2 percent increase in first quarter net profit as increased container traffic on key east/west routes helped to offset softer freight rates.

Though containerized toy imports coming to the United States are down, the toy industry’s bottom line doesn’t seem to be hurting.

Several carriers have planned general rate increases in multiple trade routes in June and July, although any gains achieved could be fleeting as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

In the face of looming competition from new or expanded ocean shipping alliances among the biggest carriers, smaller lines are taking steps to ensure their own long-term survival.

Negotiations are underway for a new contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association. This JOC resource provides answers to common questions regarding the negotiations and their potential impact.

Much of the attention paid to the container shipping industry in the last few years has focused on the relentless drive of carriers to cut costs by ordering bigger, more fuel-efficient ships.