Port News

Oakland is beginning to experience the equipment shortages and declining productivity at warehouses and marine terminals that Los Angeles and Long Beach have seen over the past month.

Falling oil prices and rising demand for wind turbines are driving the mix of breakbulk and project cargo in Houston and throughout the US Gulf.

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.

Warehouses in Southern California are grappling with congestion and equipment shortages that can be traced back to marine terminals, as well as sporadic labor shortages owing to COVID-19.

The FMC also urged ocean carriers to get more involved in local stakeholder groups in the Port of New York-New Jersey in order to help facilitate “double moves” by drayage companies.

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

A new dredging project will allow vessels that use the Panama Canal’s wider locks, which can accommodate ships of 14,000 TEU capacity, to navigate the Mississippi River up to Baton Rouge.

Crowley Maritime’s switch to lift-on lift-off vessels a decade ago didn’t pay full dividends until it adopted an aligned terminal operating system to support its grounded operations at its hubs in Florida and Puerto Rico.

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.

Aggressive capacity management in response to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and escalating tariffs has helped the top 10 container carriers operating in the Europe–US trade increase their share of the market so far in 2020.

Observers say the port strike, if it drags on, could create lasting damage to the Port of Montreal, which handles a significant volume of discretionary cargo able to move through other ports.

A new app marketplace connecting drayage providers and two terminals in Los Angeles could lay down a marker for how software integrations and common data standards will make harbor truckers lives more manageable in the Southern California port complex.

Along with making the Port of Virginia a cleaner operation, the new equipment aims to lower the time that ships spend in port and dwell time for containers at terminals.

The alleged attack in Montreal comes as dock workers are in the midst of a four-day strike, with port checkers due to launch their own job action Saturday.

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.

The latest strike action raises concerns that port clerk and longshore will launch consecutive strikes at Montreal, the second-largest East Coast port.

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.

Michelin will use Inland Port Greer for all imports and exports in South Carolina, as beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) become more comfortable using inland ports in the Southeast.

The National Labor Relations Board decision involving Terminal 5 in Seattle guarantees the International Association of Machinists dozens of maintenance and repair jobs over the ILWU, which also sought jurisdiction over that work.

New costs related to the COVID-19 crisis and lower revenues due to the pandemic’s effect on cargo volumes are threatening the financial viability of ports across the United States.

The second strike action in less than two months at the second-largest Canadian container port bodes poorly for longshore workers and employers agreeing to a new contract soon.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union's (ILWU) letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom compounds worries that have been mounting for over a year surrounding the issue of allowing West Coast terminals to install labor-saving cargo handling equipment.

The coronavirus impact on container demand cut Rotterdam throughput by more than half a million TEU in the first half of 2020, and the port is not expecting much improvement over the rest of the year.

The recent cargo surge in Los Angeles-Long Beach has resulted in another bout with chassis shortages and dislocations, but truckers and terminal operators expect the problem to correct itself if volumes return to normal next month.

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.

The Port of Charleston wants to diversify its cargo business into e-commerce, netting big-box retailer Walmart as the first major omnichannel retailer to occupy a port authority-owned warehousing complex less than an hour from Charleston.

Expansion of Prince Rupert’s Fairview container terminal will position the port to accommodate short- to mid-term growth.

A July 16 story on JOC.com, titled Zim’s new empty container site rankles NY-NJ truckers, incorrectly reported that Zim Integrated Shipping Services would require empty container returns at the Croxton yard beginning July 17.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye said the agency’s fact-finding investigation into the largest East Coast port would include three teams consisting of truckers, marine terminal operators, cargo owners, and transportation intermediaries, among others.

The level of funding Congress ultimately authorizes for port dredging and jetty maintenance still needs to be worked out between Senate and House leaders.

When implementing environmental policy, West Coast elected officials are urged to balance clean-air goals with the burden of increased cost of goods movement.

The Port of New Orleans will use information from sensors attached to commercial tugs and barges to better position dredgers to keep sediment levels under control.

Truck turn times in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to improve, but truckers seek more timely information from carriers and terminals so they can further reduce visit times.

Roughly 90 percent of carriers in the highly fragmented US drayage sector generate less than $4 million in annual revenue, and these smaller providers could be at risk of bankruptcy due to skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Adani Group has pulled the plug on a $39.4 million deal it unveiled in December to acquire a controlling stake in India domestic cold chain logistics leader Snowman Logistics Ltd.

Better operations and economics may help to retain or even regain some of the freight that the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex has lost to sourcing shifts, but some cargo can’t be won back.

US Payroll Protection Program loans, once forgiven, will give small trucking outfits a chance to invest in much-needed technology, a tax and accounting advisory firm says.

An appellate court has denied the commission’s request for a rehearing of an earlier decision that would shift responsibility for background checks and criminal investigations at the largest US East Coast port to New Jersey state police.

Despite a slightly improved forecast for US imports, retailers are being conservative in their purchase orders with Asian factories, pointing to a dismal peak shipping season compared to recent years.

London-based digital cargo insurer Loadsure partners with Chicago-based Transship to more fully automate refrigerated containerized exports.