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Along with new funding for the domestic manufacturing of container cranes, the Biden Administration has given the US Coast Guard more power to monitor cyberattacks on port and maritime infrastructure.

The change in policy for so-called earliest receiving dates was due to go into effect March 1, but exporters asked the Georgia Ports Authority for more time to adjust their warehouse operations.

A new 228,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility near Laredo’s World Trade Bridge will help Ryder scale operations for cross-border shippers.

The fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth in US imports from Asia might be a sign the world’s busiest trade lane has turned the corner after a lackluster 2023 in which imports declined about 13%.

Many US truckload customers engaged in annual bids and contract talks are still looking for rate cuts, but the potential for a market turnaround is tempering behavior.

The decision to not hear the appeal leaves intact a ruling that allows the International Longshoremen’s Association to sue ocean carriers that use the Leatherman terminal, an apparent blow to the so-called “hybrid” labor model used in Charleston.

In addition to pushing for a leadership change, Ancora Holdings also said NS should not invest so heavily in intermodal under its current strategy and criticized the railroad for changing 180 train schedules last year to prioritize container and trailer business.

The operator of Oakland’s largest container terminal said it will take about two weeks to clear the vessel backlog at Oakland International Container Terminal.

High inflation, the rising cost of living and geopolitical tensions suppressed demand from European consumers and industry in 2023, with few signs of a turnaround apparent for this year.

More accretive “tuck-in” deals that expand carrier niche services and coverage appear likely if the Fed cuts US interest rates and freight demand improves. 

Vessel diversions and potential tariffs complicate the outlook, but strong forward contracting fueled by booming demand is bolstering the ro/ro sector after a strong 2023.

By the time the IMO measure is introduced, the European carbon tax will have already been in place for three years, raising concerns that lengthy EU scrutiny of the global mechanism could see shippers hit with a double tax.

Shippers will have another domestic intermodal option between Mexico and the US as cross-border intermodal growth outpaces the overall North American market.

A Mexican trucking association launched a strike Thursday, adding to the uncertainty cross-border shippers face in the fast-growing market.

The new partnership with Wan Hai comes as ONE — along with Yang Ming and HMM — faces the loss of THE Alliance partner Hapag-Lloyd, which is leaving the vessel-sharing agreement for a new partnership with Maersk.

The first shipments of hay were loaded into Evergreen containers at the inland hub and moved by Union Pacific to the Pierce County Terminal in Tacoma for shipment to China.

When carriers, and more importantly their insurers, regain confidence in transiting the Suez Canal via the Red Sea, a massive — but not insurmountable — oversupply will await them.

Across the board, merchant wholesalers are entering 2024 in a better position than this time last year when most sectors were seeing inflation-adjusted sales decline in conjunction with inventories-to-sales ratios that were well above pre-COVID levels.

The Journal of Commerce Truckload Capacity Index fell to 2018 levels at the end of 2023 as truckload carriers kept cutting into their fleets to lower costs. 

A core challenge facing container shipping is how to craft a global greenhouse gas pricing regulation that can bridge the price gap between green and fossil fuels while spurring investment in alternative fuels.

The long-awaited decision also seemingly puts to rest the question as to whether the FMC has authority on issues that extend beyond US ports.

Container shipping networks from Asia to North Europe and the Mediterranean are being reshaped as carriers redeploy capacity to compensate for the additional transit time needed to sail around southern Africa.

The South Korean carrier warned of rising uncertainty and a volatile container shipping market through 2024 but said the breakdown in takeover negotiations with the Harim Group earlier this month would have no impact on its operations this year.

The vessel diversions around southern Africa driven by the Red Sea security situation will turn out to be merely a brief distraction from an overall picture of overcapacity that has been building since 2022, writes Peter Tirschwell.

ChatGPT and generative AI have captured most of the attention around artificial intelligence in logistics, but the diverse range of processes underpinning global supply chains require multiple types of AI working in concert.

Stephen Hennessey joined PMA in 2004 after holding management positions in the shipping and trucking industries, including with Sea-Land Service, Roadway Express and Horizon Lines.

The shipping industry still deems southbound voyages through the Suez Canal as far as Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia as beyond the reach of the militant attacks that have forced the majority of large container ship traffic to divert around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa.

After the latest round of bidding, the largest US truckload operator has now acquired 25 Yellow facilities, bringing it closer to having a nationwide LTL network. 

Whenever container shipping experiences an upheaval in the alliance structure, the wind-down period from announcement to departure and then to the reforming of new alliances can be bumpy, writes industry veteran Patrick Burgoyne.

Terminals in Europe say ocean carrier schedules have been disrupted by the ship diversions around southern Africa, but there is still no sign of the port bottlenecks that were expected when the rerouting began.

Given the capacity pressures, a potential higher incidence of gated cargo being left behind or rolled over in March could spark serious trade concerns, Indian sources say.

Yield and rates are rising at some of the biggest LTL carriers after a strong finish to 2023, although lower fuel surcharges may pull gains down to mid-single digits.

Maersk’s integrator strategy has encompassed more access to air freight capacity, including a new tool for shippers in India to digitally price and book specific flights.

The carrier is looking to take part in the trade growth the US Gulf is enjoying with South America’s largest economies that consume heavy quantities of US petrochemicals.

Multipurpose/heavy-lift carriers share concerns over the uncertainty caused by geopolitical events but see longer-term promise thanks to the slow-moving green energy boom.

Wind OEM earnings grew as the business environment improved and companies continued to work their way through low-margin projects that were booked before inflation and supply chain snarls hit the industry.

Highlighting how things have improved to some extent, Hapag-Lloyd said THE Alliance has restored transits through the canal on some of its trans-Pacific to US East Coast EC2 services.

CloudTrucks’ acquisition of Shipwell’s brokerage division signals the importance of giving drivers direct access to loads through the technology platform they use to run their business.

The huge order book due to be delivered through 2024 is helping ocean supply chains withstand the Red Sea crisis, experts say, but another shock would cause a “pandemic-type crisis.”

The failure of Mexican customs clearance systems at a national level this week snarled supply chains and may warn of future problems as US-Mexico trade grows.