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It is one of the ironies of container shipping. While the container may be one of the world’s greatest universal standards, creating untold benefits to trade and prosperity, the process of standardization around the movement of the container remains woefully incomplete.

Brazil’s weaker currency, an expanding global economy, and enduring international customers should bode well for the port of Santos. But shippers say inefficiency and a lack of renovation are delaying that. Now, a number of shippers’ groups want a different form of port management.

The reality of constant change presents opportunities and obstacles in the global reefer market. One example: new markets jockey with trade tensions. How can stakeholders capitalize on market dynamics while mitigating exposure to risk?

However, analysts and stakeholders say shippers should not focus on the rate drop, but rather, they should prepare for unprecedented turmoil in the eastbound Pacific that is affecting cargo loading at Asian ports and delivery and storage in the United States.

Notch another business model advance for Amazon. Shippers say CEOs and chief financial officers are aligning goals with supply chain strategies to deliver rich "experiences" customers demand, finally giving logistics a "seat" at the head table.

Making distribution center space available on weekends may mean additional costs, but it also creates much needed capacity and flexibility for truck driver hours. "If you’re worried about your budget, fill your trucks better,” an e-commerce shipper said.

Flooding continued to disrupt traffic through the region, with severe problems east of Route 95. The area west of Route 95, however, had returned to relative normality Friday.

Logistics managers must truly collaborate with carriers and logistics operators, and also dig into their own operations to eliminate waste and save money. One review of the US trucking cost trend line will tell you why.

If you sense that matching a US Gulf Coast port channel’s depth to the depth of the new, expanded Panama Canal would generate more business opportunities, you’re correct.

Already chaotic and upended, the Trump administration’s proposed Jan. 1, 2019, 25 percent tariff on imports from China is causing importers to scramble for ocean, truck, and rail capacity — with the next ramification being the warehouse variable: will there be any space after the front-loading of imports?

The future looks bright in Savannah for beneficial cargo owners. Volume is increasing, market share is growing, and Georgia Ports Authority officials have a strong vision — including a bold TEU goal — to continue the upward momentum by expanding services and fixing its shortcomings to keep its place as the top port in the US Southeast.

In a US truck sector characterized by scarcity, tech visibility works both ways, and truck companies are using technology to track delays and driver detention at shipper facilities. That’s all the more reason for customers to become a “shipper of choice.”

The Teamsters union, which pushed for the rule change, believes a large proportion of the port’s trucker owner-operators could be found to be employees under the new rule. Truckers say the impact could range from merely creating an “administrative headache," to prompting some to leave the port, and perhaps the industry.

The China-Europe rail services have been growing rapidly as shippers seek a price/time middle ground to that offered by costly-in-comparison and faster air cargo services to cheaper but slower ocean routing.

The pace of technological change is set to increase exponentially. “This is the slowest rate of change you’ll experience the rest of your life,” Peter Sheahan, CEO of the Karrikins Group, said.

The decision means the price of a chassis in the United States will likely rise by a substantial amount.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye Wednesday said her investigation into detention and demurrage will chiefly focus on developing uniform definitions and identifying the responsibilities of ocean carriers and marine terminal operators to make boxes accessible during free time.

Fifty-two-year shipping industry veteran Ed DeNike received the West Coast Containerization & Intermodal Institute Connie Award Tuesday in Long Beach, California.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union declined comment, and there has been no public announcement on the details of the challenges, but the union’s constitution is clear on the multistep process that will unfold over the next two months.

A six-vessel India-Middle East-East Mediterranean consortium — comprising CMA CGM and Cosco Container Lines — has shifted operations from APM Terminals’ Gateway Terminals India to PSA's Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal.

“Unfortunately, a no-deal scenario is still quite possible,” according to European Council President Donald Tusk. “But if we act responsibly, we can avoid a catastrophe.”

Zeaborn, which was established in 2013, became a major player in the multipurpose shipping sector through the acquisitions of Rickmers-Linie.

Maersk has taken the next step in its pursuit to become a supply chain integrator akin to UPS or FedEx.

The biggest disruption is for truckers traveling Interstate 95 through the Carolinas. Flooding has shut down most of I-95 in North Carolina, except for a nine-mile stretch.

Precision railroading’s supporters argue that by running longer trains and eliminating waste, shippers will receive a higher level of service. Critics argue it prioritizes shareholders over service.

So far, India's cabotage reform has boosted transshipment business for private ports more than anticipated.

Marine terminals, rail ramps, and distribution facilities provide ideal opportunities for the use of autonomous vehicles.

However, forecasters warn shippers that they are merely making an educated guess regarding rates, given the factors that could change; so, a sound strategy would include paying close attention to spot markets in the next six months.

The focus now turns to how dramatic the post-peak season decline will be, and if it will take place earlier than normal after shippers front-loaded their supply chains to avoid US tariffs.

Tech startup Flexport’s rockstar status in the international logistics sector means it's under the microscope concerning volume, whether it can produce a profitable business model or achieve a profitable exit for its investors, and what it actually does that represents a fundamental break in the forwarding industry.

The law and the complaint suit are the latest salvos in the ongoing dispute between the commission on one side, and on the other the New York Shipping Association and the International Longshoremen’s Association, over the commission’s role at the port. Both sides contend that they are trying to correct problems that can hinder the smooth operation of the port and therefore the cost-efficient flow of shipper’s cargo.

As the US chassis sector evolves, no one method of operation fits all ports/regions, but one appears to offer truckers an advantage.

SKIL Infrastructure Ltd. has been interacting with Sri Lankan authorities and officials in New Delhi regarding a strategic collaboration between the two nations for the construction of a multipurpose harbor-cum-industrial zone at Trincomalee.

Estimates on the cost of the container shipping industry meeting the mandate range from $5 billion to tens of billions of dollars, but ocean carriers are uniform regarding one aspect of this substantially higher cost.

“We sit in between the producers and our customers,” said Dirk Martin, senior director of transportation planning at Univar, a global distributor of industrial and specialty chemicals. “Downtime for [a customer’s] processing facility is hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions per hour. That’s our motivation for visibility: customer service.”

A new breed of commercial solutions, mostly developed by startups, aiming to reshape price discovery and ease of quoting, has engendered new possibilities when it comes to freight derivatives.

The smaller brokerage focusing on shipper supply chain management is GlobalTranz’s first major deal since it was sold to a new private-equity owner in June.

The move by TraPac provides additional evidence regarding the North American port trend to extend terminal gate hours to accommodate rising volume.

Some argue the planned roughly $1.4 billion upgrade will make the port more efficient, with modern services for shippers that should reduce cargo processing time, while others argue it concentrates terminal ownership too much.

Extra-loaders have made their presence felt, but is that extra capacity capable of ending the escalation in trans-Pacific spot rates long term?