International ports

A resurgence in the number of virus cases in Hong Kong and quarantine restrictions in China has led feeder operators reducing the number of ships and crews engaged in the trade.

Besides the Colombo logjam and acute container shortages, last week’s cyclone-related disruptions at Chennai and other nearby ports dealt another blow to supply chains out of India’s east coast corridor.

The leadership change at the Port of Montreal comes as the second-largest Canadian port moves forward on a new terminal after a month-long series of strikes in the summer.

CMA CGM said its surcharge will apply to worldwide reefer shipments to Tianjin, including from the US, while MSC said its surcharge would be levied on reefer shipments from Europe.

South Korean regulators held three meetings this week with shipping lines, cargo owners, and exporters to discuss cargo-related issues.

Many of Cochin’s competitive disadvantages are rooted in the high level of port call charges that carriers face there, which DP World estimates are roughly 60 percent higher for mainline calls.

A short-sea sailing on Oct. 20 marked the first cabotage shipment on the Montreal-Toronto route since the early 1980s, while DP World plans to expand its short-sea network in the greater Vancouver area.

Container throughput at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust grew for the first time in six months on a year-over-year basis in October, and volumes hit an all-time high at Mundra Port.

Colombo commands the bulk of India’s transshipped volume, especially for trade in and out of the country’s east coast corridor.

Carriers working the Bangladeshi trade have been forced to manage a shortage of containers by importing empty boxes from the nearest hub ports and pushing importers for faster delivery of empties.

The price caps are among five commitments made by Hong Kong terminal operators to ensure the Hong Kong Seaport Alliance can continue to operate.

An October surge in imports from Asia, coupled with rail-related disruptions, are generating delays and excessive container dwell times at the Canadian ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

While the pandemic has resulted in a global drop in some sectors such as containers and ro-ro, Abu Dhabi Ports saw an increase in business owing to a spike in its logistics activity

With work to extend the Port of Halifax’s South End Container Terminal now complete, the PSA-operated facility is capable of handling multiple ultra-large container vessels at the same time.

Australian cargo owners have faced significant disruption for several months as a perfect storm of bad weather, terminal congestion, and industrial action by longshoremen caused extensive delays to freight shipments.

India’s cabotage liberalization allowed foreign-flagged liners to transport laden export–import containers for transshipment and empty containers for repositioning between Indian ports without any specific license, paving the way for more cargo aggregation opportunities.

How the dueling Vancouver port projects proceed is critical to how the largest Canadian gateway meets the demand for roughly 2 million TEU in capacity within approximately 10 years.

India port stakeholders -- and carriers -- are expressing frustration over the 14-day quarantine for ships from China, which they say is causing disruption throughout the supply chain.

The balance of trade in and out of India has shifted in favor of exports as the country begins to recover from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the chief factor behind current excessive container backups at Mundra has been adverse weather, there have also been trade concerns regarding the private handler prioritizing some bulk movement over containerized freight.

A widening project will allow bi-directional traffic along the channel leading into Guangzhou’s Nansha container terminal, reducing the time ships have to wait for a berth window.

A deal to build and operate a transload and distribution facility in Vancouver advances CP’s efforts to deepen its presence at its sole western Canadian port gateway, and Maersk’s evolution into a so-called global integrator by expanding its reach beyond port-to-port shipping.

Container delays at Sydney have been caused by industrial action by dock workers, exacerbated by berth congestion and bad weather at Port Botany. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

A dislocation of railcars, exacerbated by railroads serving a surge of imports at Western Canadian ports, and constrained marine terminal space in Eastern Canada has slowed the ability of marine terminals to clear a backlog caused by recent strikes.

Larger container ships calling Japanese ports has led carriers to alter port rotations to avoid vessels bunching together, with some box ships being forced to depart earlier than planned to prevent delays and congestion.

With month-long rail issues at Vancouver and Prince Rupert continuing, beneficial cargo owners shipping through the Canadian ports must now contend with vessel arrival delays of as much as two weeks.

The availability of IMO-compliant 0.5 percent sulfur fuel oil in Bangladesh’s main port will help lower costs for carriers, particularly the feeder operators that work vessels calling from major regional hubs.

Leaders from the Maritime Employers Association and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) say they are confident they can agree to a new contract before the truce expires in March 2021.

The federal government shows no signs of intervening in the Montreal strike, which has caused carriers to send several vessels to the alternative ports of Halifax and Saint John.

Shippers and forwarders fear cargo-related charges in Hong Kong could surge given that terminal members of the Seaport Alliance handle about 90 percent of box cargo at Kwai Chung container port.

A port like Montreal, for whom up to half of its cargo is so-called “discretionary” -- where the shipper has a choice of ports -- is especially vulnerable to labor unrest, especially if it is protracted or repeated such that it acquires a reputation for lack of reliability.

One marine terminal in Montreal has begun turning away refrigerated exports as a series of strikes will last until at least Friday.

The latest strike notice adds to the shipping industry’s fears that the disruption will have lasting damage on Montreal's attractiveness as a gateway for so-called discretionary cargo.

Cargo handlers using India’s minor ports enjoy significant competitive advantages over major landlord ports, including unregulated tariffs, fewer government controls, and relatively modern infrastructure.

A data-sharing initiative between key container gateways in Europe and Asia underlines the need for shippers and service partners to be connected into multiple shipping networks.

Pacific Northwest ports in the US and Canada are focusing on terminal expansion projects to prepare for what they hope will be a return to growth after the COVID-19 crisis subsides.

Easing the height limit under Hong Kong’s Tsing Ma bridge ends a six-year campaign by the Hong Kong Liner Shipping Association. The structure spans the main shipping channel between Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung container port and the Shekou and Chiwan container terminals in western Shenzhen.

Montreal waterfront employers a decade ago locked out longshore workers for several days, after the union authorized a strike following an 18-month impasse in contract talks.

Montreal employers say the longshoremen’s decision was a surprise and said they are considering other options than focusing on contract negotiations. Employers locked out workers in 2010 after contract talks hit an impasse.

Indian Customs authorities have not issued any official information on the additional checks, but customs brokers and forwarders say Customs officials have been given “internal” government instructions to manually inspect all Chinese cargo.