Container Shipping News

Neptune Orient Lines plans to expand the capacity of APL, its container line, by about 7 percent this year to meet rising trade demand.

The government-affiliated Japan Bank for International Cooperation signed a loan agreement worth about $57 million to support Japanese vessel exports to a South Korean shipping firm.

In support of President Obama’s call to double U.S. exports in five years, the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma said they provided suggestions for the National Export Initiative to U.S.

Carriers in the eastbound Pacific predicted the volume of containerized imports from Asia will likely increase 6 to 8 percent this year.

Increased imports are pulling Canada’s largest seaport, Port Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, into a traffic recovery as the Canadian economy performs strongly after the recession.

Forth Ports, the UK's last listed ports group, reported its 2009 port operating profit fell 8.5 percent from a year ago on lower container traffic but said cargo volume rebounded in the first two mont

Zim Integrated Shipping Services will launch its new independent Asia-India-Mediterranean-Europe service, effective in early April.

Maersk Line launched the first direct deep sea liner service between Russia and South America.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority hired Peter F. Klaus as vice president of liner sales.

Carrier and shipper tempers, which have risen steadily into the red over who’s to blame for a shortage of cargo space and deteriorating service, are starting to cool down as the two groups gear

The columns of red numbers in the charts on these pages and those that follow provide more-than-ample proof of the woes global container lines have bemoaned over the last year.

Just as an underdog sports rival wants to win the big game against a major competitor, it seems every port in North America wants to take cargo away from Los Angeles-Long Beach.

While many supporters of marine highways are looking to the East and West coasts to support the strategy, the Gulf of Mexico is providing support for the system to take root.

Coming off a year with container and breakbulk volume flat at best, Gulf container ports from Tampa to Texas are positioning themselves for future opportunities.

The Port of Marseille Fos authority Friday said it granted to Hutchison Port Holdings the right to develop the proposed Fos 4XL container terminal.

Orient Overseas (International) Ltd., the parent of container line OOCL, reported a loss Friday of $400.6 million for the 2009 calendar year, compared to the profit of $275.5 million recorded in 2008.

Finnish longshoremen and port employers agreed to a new contract March 19, ending a two-week nationwide dock strike that crippled the country’s foreign trade.

The European Liner Affairs Association will phase out and transfer its responsibilities to the World Shipping Council as of July 1, the Brussels-based association of container shipping lines said Frid

Clipper Projects will be opening a new office in Singapore on July 1 after dissolving a long-standing Far Eastern partnership called APC Partnership with BBC Chartering.

MOL said it will revise the port coverage on its Asia-East Coast South America Service by adding calls at Xingang, Dalian, Qingdao, Pusan and Shanghai.

OOCL said it will partially reinstate some of the capacity it had previously withdrawn from the Asia-North Europe trade with the launch of a new service loop to meet rising demand as the trade recover

Five Evergreen Shipping Agency (America) ship-stowage planners who disrupted the carrier’s East Coast operations with a 28-day strike in 2002 refused to ratify a new contract but are continuing

Matson Navigation is supporting the one of three candidates in a special congressional election who supports the Jones Act, an online news source reported.

The Federal Maritime Commission is starting an investigation of tight vessel capacity that ocean importers and exporters say is hindering their ability to compete in global markets, the commission ann

Hamburg Süd is expanding its services this year between the U.S. West Coast and destinations as far apart as Australasia and North Europe.

Containership charter rates are rallying as ocean carriers scramble for tonnage in response to a stronger-than-expected rebound in cargo volumes as the industry emerges from its deepest recession.

Business, labor and port groups petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow imports of grapes from earthquake-devastated Chile to continue unrestricted next month.

NYK Group Americas on Wednesday announced a rotation of its top managers that will take effect on April 1.

Import-export container traffic through Port Authority of New York and New Jersey terminals fell 12.7 percent last year but leveled off in December and rose 10.9 percent in January.

Neptune Orient Lines said Tuesday that APL (Bermuda) Ltd., a division of its liner subsidiary APL, is taking a term loan of $300 million from a syndicate of banks and financial institutions.

The French Port of Marseilles Fos said container throughput rose by 24 percent year-over-year in January and February to 159,202 20-foot equivalent units as trade recovered from the global recession.

More ships arrived at their destination ports behind schedule in the fourth quarter, according to the latest Container Shipper Insight report from Drewry Shipping Consultants.

Hanjin Shipping plans to expand its use of the e-commerce services provided by INTTRA, the Internet portal that was founded by a group of carriers a decade ago to create efficiencies for carriers by e

Seaspan said Monday it swung to a profit of $74.7 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec.

Ocean container carriers are significantly boosting cargo capacity on Asia-Europe shipping lanes for the first time in 18 months, threatening to reverse recent strong gains in freight rates.

Looking to raise its profile in the growing problems U.S.

Hamburg Süd will seek a general rate increase on all cargo moving from the U.S. East Coast and Eastern Canada to Europe as of May 1, the second increase this year.

Hanjin Shipping expects to earn a profit this year and boost sales 27 percent as world trade picks up and shipping lines cut back on their fleet expansion plans.

Potential investors in CMA CGM have until March 15 to agree to terms to acquire a stake in the troubled French ocean container carrier.

Norway's Wilh. Wilhelmsen will spin off its shipping and logistics units in an initial public offering that could raise up to $400 million.