Latest news

The availability of green fuels in sufficient quantities and at cost-competitive price levels remains the main challenge for the decarbonization of global shipping, says Maersk.

There is no sign of an air cargo peak season this year and few signals that 2023 will see any improvement as global economic conditions worsen.

The investment by Maersk and CMA CGM into visibility provider project44 is notable as they continue to develop their end-to-end integrator strategies and prepare for more stringent environmental regulations.

Two of the United States’ biggest logistics providers say they are focused on controlling costs amid growing concern about the direction of the US economy.

The acquisition of Fastmore Logistics will give Echo Global Logistics more access to international freight forwarders, linking domestic and international cargo networks.

Matson’s CEO expects to see even more capacity reductions and schedule changes in the next two quarters to meet lower consumer demand in the expedited market, especially as air cargo and conventional ocean market rates continue to fall.

Carriers are trying to work out the additional costs per container of complying with Europe’s ETS, but there is little clarity over how the rule will be applied with less than eight weeks to go before implementation.

A work stoppage in Oakland only served to further stoke the fears of US cargo interests who have been routing discretionary cargo away from West Coast ports to avoid disruptions linked to ongoing longshore labor talks.

Tonnage began increasing year over year at XPO late in the third quarter and continued to rise in October as the less-than-truckload carrier expands capacity.

Despite a downturn in the container leasing market, IMO regulations next year could prompt carriers to employ more slow steaming, which would boost the need for additional boxes starting in mid-2023.

WiseTech Global has resumed its acquisitive ways with the purchase of Shipamax, a UK-based logistics data extraction software vendor.

Maersk reported a record Q3 result as shippers locked into long-term contracts continued to drive profitability for the carrier despite sharply declining volumes.

Shippers affected by the closure of a free less-than-truckload transportation management system in October have been given a pathway to migrate to another system connected to 15 LTL carriers.

The truckload market is still searching for a single platform that aggregates shipper loads and carrier capacity, a role that investors are backing Chicago-based Newtrul to eventually fill.

Regional stress is running through US truckload markets as demand softens, with price and capacity fluctuations that challenge shippers and carriers.

MSC has taken issue with the way the carbon intensity of ships will be calculated under a new IMO rule, which it says does not reflect container shipping’s operational realities.

The Gulf Coast ports of Houston and Mobile are the fastest and third-fastest growing gateways for US imports of Asian goods as shippers look to diversify away from the West Coast, regardless of the outcome of longshore labor talks.

Sanctions against Russia have sharply reduced available heavy-lift air tonnage even as energy sector demand escalates.

A refusal by some truck drivers to call at congested rail ramps in Toronto and Montreal has caused the clogs to extend back to Vancouver, where rail container dwells are on the rise again after improving in September.

Singapore-based carrier ONE expects to end its fiscal year with profits below the record earnings generated in FY2021 with no short-term improvement likely in container shipping markets.

Finding an alternative fuel whose production can be scaled up to meet the enormous demands of a wide range of industries makes it a daunting challenge, say industry experts.

The latest new ship contracts come despite concerns that falling cargo volumes and new vessel deliveries will create a yawning gap between ship supply and demand starting next year.

The JOC Intermodal Savings Index shows intermodal contracts saved shippers a lot of money in the third quarter, but spot rail rates saved very little, especially on short hauls in the eastern US.

Hub Group and Schneider National sidestepped questions about intermodal contracts for 2023, a far different approach than the two companies took a year ago when the pricing power was on their side.

The Port of New York and New Jersey and two of its marine terminals are funding further planning on a track project that would mean fewer delays out of the port.

The US Department of Transportation will provide record funding for 41 port projects, including infrastructure upgrades and emissions improvements.

Growing use of equipment pools and power-only trucking support long-term demand for 53-foot trailers that transcends short-term economic trends, manufacturer Wabash says.

The new ships ordered by the Grimaldi Group, designed for carrying electric vehicles, will burn 50 percent less fuel than earlier car carriers.

Carriers in the eastbound trans-Pacific continue to improve their on-time vessel arrivals at US ports as softer import volumes contributed to reductions in vessel backlogs and marine terminal congestion.

Now that a second rail union has rejected the tentative contract deal brokered by the Biden administration, trade associations are asking the White House to intervene before a potential November strike.

Schneider says the peak season will be muted because shippers moved inventory into warehouses earlier this year, but the weaker volumes do not necessarily mean steep rate cuts for shippers in 2023 contracts.

The move to impose fees on long-dwelling containers comes as the import backlog at Port Houston has created truck queues outside its terminals and increased turn times for drivers.

The severe space constraints that drove container shipping rates to record levels over the past two years are over, easing shippers' reliance on long-term fixed rates.

The longer it takes for the ILWU and West Coast longshore employers to agree on a new contract, the threat of disruption grows and more cargo will be diverted elsewhere – some of it permanently.

A Geodis initiative around automating service requests from shippers is an example of growing consumption of robotic process automation in the third-party logistics industry.

Canadian freight forwarders and their shipper-clients are calling on federal transportation agencies to address supply chain bottlenecks they say have resulted in delays and mounting detention and demurrage costs.

Less demand for its customers’ goods is cutting into tonnage and shipments at Old Dominion Freight Line, but not the company’s revenue or profit.

Container analysts and carriers differ widely on how much impact two new IMO rules will have in softening a wave of tonnage hitting the water in two years, writes JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

While US intermodal shippers are pleased service has improved, some don’t need the service reliability they sought earlier in the year because of elevated inventories and fears of an economic recession.

Cosco’s acquisition of the stake in the Hamburg terminal was subject to approval by the German government, but significant resistance due to political sensitivities prolonged the process.