Reacting to fears of labour disputes and disruption at west coast ports, many US importers diverted cargo from Asia to the east coast – only to find that Atlantic congestion may be worse than on the Pacific. Importers on the west coast are getting their cargo quicker than their peers on the Pacific coast, with …
Negotiations for a new labour contract with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), are due to start on the 12th of May and shippers are already sourcing products from Asia earlier than normal and directing more cargo to US East Coast and Gulf terminals, to avoid potential port chaos on the US West Coast. …
In yet another headache for shippers to and from the United States a widespread winter storm hit the central US and East Coast last week adding a new layer of disruption to supply chains beset by labour shortages, delays moving imports inland, and a general lack of warehousing and storage space. The storm lashed states …
Container imports at the US’ ten largest ports increased 14.3% year-over-year in July and ocean freight supply chains, now in their second year of extreme dislocation, are threatened by shipping lines suspension of merchant haulage. The complete erosion of sailing schedule reliability, ships waiting longer to berth, sub-standard port operations and delays unloading containers are …
We are in a new world of shipping. There have been spikes in demand and freight rates before, but never for such a long time and never on such a continuously upward trajectory. The challenges we face are unique. Even with demand levels increasing on the most popular trades, equipment availability continues to be an …
Economists are convinced that global sea freight demand will continue to outstrip container shipping capacity for the rest of this year and into next year, which is good news for the shipping lines’ bottom line, but not so much for shippers, who continue to pay premiums in order to get their product moved. Consumer and …
Despite the tariff-free deal agreed with the EU, up to £3.5bn of British exports have already had taxes applied and the US has introduced new tariffs worth $2bn on European goods, including products from the UK. British goods worth billions of pounds, accounting for about 10% of British exports to the EU, have faced tariffs …
Congestion levels at the major North America container gateways is expected to continue into the summer, as container imports from Asia grew a massive 31% year on year. With 1.57m teu arriving at US ports from Asia last month, the highest level on record, the container import boom shows no sign of slowing as lockdown …
Spot market shippers have seen continued rate spikes this week and the shipping lines are preparing for further rate elevation, as excess demand leads to cargo-rolling increases at many origin and transhipment ports. Shippers using the spot market for consignments from Asia to Europe over the last few weeks saw a further spike in container spot rates, according to indexes that track the …
Port operations at Montreal resumed on Sunday after legislation was passed by the Canadian Parliament to end the industrial action by longshoremen, however it will take several days, or probably weeks, to return operations to anything like a normal situation. About ten ships are currently en-route to Montreal and 20,000 containers are in the terminal, …