Supply chain

The ports of Oakland and Los Angeles expanded their share of total US cooled, chilled, and frozen containerized trade in early 2021 as US imports of refrigerated cargoes surged while exports plunged.

Sensor-based visibility provider Tive is teaming with vessel location data company MarineTraffic, adding to Tive’s growing network of complementary data providers.

Fluctuating vessel schedules and delays at ports and inland terminals are contributing to rising costs for perishable food shippers across supply chain modes.

Berth planning and optimization software provider Portchain has signed its first US customer in the South Carolina Ports Authority, which will initially deploy the technology at its new Leatherman Terminal.

A new mobile app has launched that's designed to help small drayage carriers and independent drivers manage all aspects of their business, including increasingly complicated detention and demurrage fees, directly from their trucks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shippers eyeing a blend of local and global sourcing locations, but with a focus on continuity of supply, according to a report by DSV and Cardiff University.

High-profile digital intermediaries Flexport and Convoy are partnering to provide shippers an integrated ocean and truckload service by connecting their respective technology platforms.

Refrigerated containers have become so scarce on the north–south North America–Latin America trade that shippers are signing guaranteed volume contracts with carriers, who in some cases are canceling spot cargo bookings because they cannot provide the equipment.

Shippers have long bemoaned what they consider punitive detention and demurrage fees for exceeding contracted free time, but those charges can cost cargo owners more than the stated dollar amount.

The US Department of Transportation met with groups representing major container lines and retailers, and officials say they are looking at solutions to mitigate the capacity crunch causing port congestion.

Supply chain-focused venture fund Dynamo has raised a new tranche of capital it will use to invest in early-stage startups in international logistics and surface transportation, among other adjacent categories.

TradeLens has followed expansion into China with full integrations of Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express, meaning the platform now has five of the world’s top six container lines.

A software provider that offers visibility and freight matching tools to brokers has been acquired by a private equity firm in a move designed to grow its attractiveness to midsized brokers and small carrier fleets.

Freightos is linking its freight marketplace and rate management products to offer forwarders a white label quoting and booking solution.

Investment fund SoftBank has plowed $240 million into Flexport’s European rival Forto as it expands its bet on progress for the digital forwarding model.

The e-commerce boom means more vehicles moving more goods, and potentially emitting more pollutants, but DHL also sees opportunities to advance sustainability goals on land, sea, and in the air as e-commerce expands.

Record-high container freight rates are underscoring the need for shippers to be able to benchmark against peers, a factor in Oslo-based technology provider Xeneta nabbing a new round of venture capital Thursday.

Expansion into China is another piece of progress for TradeLens, the visibility and shipment data platform co-developed by Maersk and IBM.

Retailers and logistics providers are utilizing technology offerings from such providers as Bringg to expand and manage last-mile delivery options.

Vancouver-based Freightera, an online trucking marketplace, has found that more environmentally friendly motor carriers are often lower in cost as well.

Two members of US Congress want to give the FMC more power to enforce legal cases against ocean carriers that refuse to take export containers in a bid to help US ag shippers.

The latest shipping line to be hit by a cyberattack, HMM said the incursion has crippled its email systems but has not affected its booking documentation functions and has not resulted in any data breaches.

A House subcommittee on Tuesday will be the first to address the impact of an unprecedented surge of Asia imports that began in the spring and container lines and ports don’t expect to let up until early 2022 at the soonest.

Heightened cargo demand and congestion issues at transshipment hub Colombo, Sri Lanka, are spurring new containerized rail services to India’s interior.

A partnership between forwarder Shifl and visibility provider Terminal49 is representative of a market where forwarders need to help shippers overcome a deficiency of container status information.

Singapore-based drayage technology provider Haulio has tied up with CMA CGM to handle coordination of port trucking in Thailand as it seeks to build a Southeast Asia-wide platform.

European transportation technology heavyweight Transporeon has acquired freight procurement automation specialist TNX Logistics in a bid to amp up its customers’ spot buying prowess.

Maersk Growth invests in an autonomous trucking company whose products are starting to be rolled at trailer yards across North America.

With a new set of bots, a logistics automation startup is aiming to help forwarders minimize the labor they use to address customer enquiries, from spot quotes to track and trace status.

Visibility provider Overhaul has received $35 million in funding, led by infrastructure giant Macquarie, to expand its risk reduction-based approach to supply chain visibility globally.

It’s been difficult to wedge the benefits of ocean freight into the use of US Customs and Border Protection’s duty-free treatment for shipments valued at less than $800, but increased direct-to-consumer volume is changing the math for shippers.

There is a lot of uncertainty among apparel and footwear importers about how tariffs, port congestion, equipment shortages, and the future of the US workplace will impact their supply chains in 2021.

Non-vessel operating common carriers handled a majority of US imports from Asia through the first four months of the year as carriers limited bookings to their steady customers in the booming eastbound trans-Pacific.

Growth in US toy imports reached the highest point in three years during 2020 and should remain strong throughout 2021, according to industry demand data and sales projections from leading manufacturers.

Maersk is offering a new digital tool for customers that provides carbon footprint visibility across the end-to-end supply chain, which fits with the carrier’s accelerating push to become a full-service logistics integrator.

Supply chain optimization firms Locus and Shippo each received $50 million in new funding, while 3PL Redwood Logistics acquired two parcel companies and merged them into a new last-mile division.

Imports of personal protective equipment increased 25.4 percent last year as demand for masks, gloves, and gowns surged during several waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, although carriers and forwarders say last year’s frantic pace is slowing down thanks to vaccinations.

project44 has landed a $200 million funding round, mere months after its previous cash injection, as it eyes consolidating the top of the freight visibility market.

US resin exports continued to grow strongly in 2020 and shippers say exports could have been even higher if it were not for rising domestic demand and production problems.

The demand for US alcoholic beverages grew strongly through the 2020 lockdowns, and that trend is expected to continue through this year as bars and restaurants reopen.