International ports

Global detention and demurrage charges doubled over the past year as shippers faced unprecedented delays in moving their cargo and ocean carriers sought quick return of equipment, according to Container xChange.

The Patrick rail terminal is the main gateway for Australia’s containerized agricultural exports, including grains and meat from inland farms on the east coast.

Mundra’s cargo gains largely come at the expense of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust as both target the same northern hinterland corridor for growth.

Container lines and forwarders say Yantian International Container Terminals is regaining terminal capacity amid a COVID-19 outbreak and is allowing more trucks to drop off exports.

Container lines are levying congestion surcharges for shipments through Yantian International Containers Terminals as the Shenzen complex slowly improves performance amid a COVID-19 outbreak.

Carriers working Indian ports say they have been working to raise their service levels in tandem with the swings in demand since the second half of 2020, propelled by elevated sourcing trends from the US and Europe.

Container lines are adding more alternatives to shipping through congested Yantian Container International Termina, as analysts and forwarders warn of another surge in spot container rate levels.

A deal to acquire a stake in Hamburg’s Tollerort container terminal would expand the European presence of Cosco Shipping Ports, China’s largest terminals company.

Container lines are diverting more cargo away from Yantian, as expectations of when the port will be able to recover after a COVID-19 breakout extend to two weeks.

After a COVID-19 outbreak, Yantian International Container Terminal on Monday began accepting export cargoes, but shipping executives say the congestion will take at least a week to clear.

Carriers are dropping calls at second-tier Chinese ports as congestion at marine terminals builds and container services suffer delays due to ongoing woes at some clogged US and European ports.

Most of India’s cargo gateways reopened Tuesday morning, but carriers tell JOC.com it will take them at least until the end of the week to clear the backlog of vessels that built up over the weekend.

Maersk says labor scarcity in India amid COVID-19 lockdowns – particularly truck drivers – has begun to crimp cargo flow out of some port and inland locations even as demand remains relatively steady.

Stakeholders say fewer working hours during the month of Ramadan and ongoing COVID-19-linked lockdowns have lowered productivity at Chittagong, which has created a vessel queue.

Forced arbitration through a back-to-work order that ended a five-day strike lays the groundwork to help Port of Montreal shield itself from growing competition from eastern US and Canadian ports.

Container shipping leaders in India generally hold the view that the country’s abolition of cabotage restrictions on coastal transportation has been a growth driver for containerized trade there.

Stakeholders fear a new COVID-19 lockdown that has gone into effect in Bangladesh will worsen congestion at the Chittagong port yard, further slowing the delivery of containers.

In calling for the Trudeau government to intervene in an escalating dispute between Montreal port employers and longshore workers, Canadian manufacturers and farmers warned of rising economic damage.

Sustained demand and tightening capacity have kept carrier pricing on key trade routes out of India elevated at new heights.

Mundra port on India’s west coast, as well as other key hub ports in the region, might see considerable transshipment buildups in the coming days in the aftermath of the Suez Canal disruption.

DP World Cochin said it has been working closely with the Indian port to gain efficiencies and bolster trade out of the gateway, including offering discounts to attract more mainline calls.

With summer seasonal imports from China to the US starting to ramp up, the US Department of Transportation is being urged to help shippers struggling with bottlenecks and costs.

Adani did not disclose the size of its investment at Colombo, but it is seemingly looking to net considerable synergy through the growth of transshipment trade to and from India with terminal operations at both ends.

Multiple factors are lining up to rock the traditional stability of the trans-Atlantic, even as those on the trade prepare for strong growth in volume.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust – India’s busiest public container harbor -- has performed a trial run for the operation of freight trains loaded with “dwarf containers,” a first at any Indian port.

With Gangavaram due to enter its network, Adani will have operations out of 13 port locations in India, outpacing government-controlled major port entities that make up 12 sites.

The group that represents container lines in India says the government’s regulatory move on terminal handling charges amounts to interference with established global shipping practices and would harm trade development.

The latest walkout action at Australia’s automated terminal in Melbourne furthers test the port system marked by berth congestion amid surging import demand

With personal protective equipment (PPE) still critical amid a multi-month surge of Asian cargo into Canada and the United States, the resumption of Montreal strike actions after a truce expires March 20 would be highly disruptive to cargo flows through eastern Canada.

Logistics executives said Shenzhen, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Dalian are among the worst affected, although delays are occurring at all major Chinese ports ahead of the new year holiday that starts Friday.

Apart from western countries, Bangladeshi exports to Australia and Japan are also rising significantly, which has contributed to Chittagong’s container handling rebound.

Efforts to advance an Indian joint venture at Sri Lanka’s Colombo port have stalled because of port labor unions, though some believe the recent flare-up of border issues between India and China is also a factor.

While mainliners active in India trades continue to tout their high investment in empty repositioning to rebalance inventory flow, cargo interests argue those efforts have been suboptimal and at a rate vastly incommensurate with the demand growth.

The Quebec government joins the Canada Infrastructure Bank in supporting the planned marine terminal Contrecoeur, as the latter announced in 2019 that it would invest up to C$300 million toward the project.

Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest apparel exporter, saw activity come to a near halt last spring during the initial wave of COVID-19.

The pandemic has redefined the playbook for India’s logistics industry, causing widespread pain points, but the reconfiguration appears to have bred a brighter outcome for private port Mundra.

Mirroring a government strategy to monetize stressed port assets, India’s JNPT will proceed with a long-contemplated plan to upgrade its main two-berth facility – the oldest in the harbor – through private participation.

Lifting the COVID-19 quarantine comes after industry stakeholders voiced concerns that the mandate was causing widespread sailing disruptions, combined with a knock-on effect on inventory flow.

While cargo volumes at the main Indian terminals have rebounded markedly since the sharp setbacks earlier this year, current trends do not signal a “V-shaped” recovery that would warrant significant terminal capacity growth.

For DP World Cochin, which has been aggressively wooing mainline calls to bolster its sagging hub fortunes, ad-hoc calls resulting from the Colombo logjam have proved to be a tailwind in lifting business activity.