Container Shipping News

When U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump started talking about new import tariffs on the campaign trail, Danny Reynolds checked the tags on wedding dresses in his bridal salon and sped up some shipments to his independent clothing store in Indiana."I was grabbing tags specifically to look at the country of origin and it was China, China, China, China, China, China," said Stephenson's of Elkhart boutique owner Reynolds, who moved deliveries of around 20 bridal gowns ahead…

SC Ports has expanded its container yard at Inland Port Greer to handle customers' growth.South Carolina Ports is enhancing its intermodal connections in South Carolina with the ongoing expansion of Inland Port Greer and construction of the Navy Base Intermodal Facility.SC Ports is investing to expand Inland Port Greer with more cargo and rail capabilities to support customers’ growth in the Upstate and beyond, giving shippers direct access to the Port of Charleston.“Having this rail connection to the No.

Port Houston Container Volumes Up 24% in November.Port Houston is on track to close 2024 as one of its most successful years to date, handling 3,799,573 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) through November—a 9% increase over the same period last year. November volumes alone reached 369,361 TEUs, a notable 24% increase year-over-year. This marks the biggest month of the year for Port Houston in terms of containerized cargo volume.Loaded imports rose by 19% in November, driven by consumer goods and machinery, and loaded exports were up 16% the same month, reinforced by robust resin shipments.

Maersk expects global trade growth rising as much as 7% next year, bolstered by strong demand from the United States where a potential port strike and tariffs on foreign-made goods loom, an executive at the global carrier said on Wednesday."We predict anywhere between 5 and 7% (growth) overall," Charles van der Steene, regional president for North America at Maersk, told Reuters. "And at this stage, there's nothing that would indicate that it could not be the case," he said on the sidelines of the Reuters NEXT conference.Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and "resilient" demand from U.S.

With a strike possible again next month at East Coast and Gulf Coast container ports and President-elect Donald Trump planning to increase tariffs, the nation’s major container ports are expected to see a continued surge in imports through next spring, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“Either a strike or new tariffs would be a blow to the economy and retailers are doing what they can to avoid the impact of either for as long as they can,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

With the upcoming dissolution of the 2M Alliance in early 2025, JAXPORT is maintaining and growing its global container services through strategic partnerships with the world's top ocean carriers. New and modified service routes through JAXPORT will provide expanded global connectivity and access to new and emerging markets.Three primary changes are taking place beginning in February 2025.The Gemini Cooperation – an alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd – has added JAXPORT to a new…

Contecon Guayaquil (CGSA), Ecuador’s main port and subsidiary of ICTSI, has signed a new commercial agreement for the Asia-South America (ASA) service, further strengthening Contecon Guayaquil’s connectivity with the Asian market.The agreement brings back five shipping lines and their shippers’ customer base to the terminal: Wan Hai, Pacific International Lines, Cosco, Evergreen and Yang Ming.The ASA service used to call at Contecon Guayaquil until 2015. Contecon Guayaquil’s inclusion in the service rotation reaffirms CGSA’s commitment to innovation…

Global goods trade continued to expand at a moderate pace in the fourth quarter of 2024 according to the latest World Trade Organization (WTO) Goods Trade Barometer. However, prospects for trade in 2025 are uncertain.The Goods Trade Barometer is a composite indicator for world trade, providing real-time information on the trajectory of merchandise trade relative to recent trends. Barometer values greater than 100 are associated with above-trend trade volumes while barometer values…

SeaPort Manatee is furthering its ship-to-shore cargo-handling capabilities with addition of two new Konecranes Gottwald Generation 6 mobile harbor cranes at the maritime trade hub for Southwest and Central Florida and beyond.The latest pair of eco-efficient cranes arrived at the seaport Monday [Dec. 2], after a trans-Atlantic voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, on Spliethoff’s M/V Plantijngracht. The units are to enter service in January, bringing to a total of seven the number of Gottwald mobile harbor cranes in use at SeaPort Manatee.“With cargo flowing through SeaPort Manatee at a record pace…

Japanese shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has completed the acquisition of a minority stake in New Priok Container Terminal One (NPCT1) in Jakarta, Indonesia.NPCT1 is an important terminal serving mature gateway markets in Southeast Asia. Built in 2016, it has an annual capacity of 1.5 million TEU and can accommodate advanced mega containerships with its deep drafts and modern equipment.Jakarta is ONE’s third-largest volume port in Southeast Asia. This acquisition…

A.P. Moller - Maersk has signed agreements with three yards for a total of 20 container vessels equipped with dual-fuel LNG engines.Combined, the vessels have a capacity of 300,000 TEU.All 20 ships will be equipped with liquified gas dual-fuel propulsion systems and vary in size from 9,000 to 17,000 TEU. Two 9,000 TEU and six 17,000 TEU vessels have been ordered from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, six 15,000 TEU vessels have been ordered from Hanwha Ocean, South Korea, and six 15,000 TEU vessels have been ordered from New Times Shipbuilding…

Hapag-Lloyd expects lower profitability in the fourth quarter but still at a "good level", after freight rates peaked in the third quarter, Rolf Habben Jansen, the CEO of the German shipping company, said at a press conference on Monday.Habben Jansen also expects disruptions in the Red Sea linked to Houthi militants to continue well into 2025, meaning that rerouting around Africa would continue.Hapag's nine-month net profit fell by 47% as diverting container ships around Africa…

PSA Singapore (PSA) and Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC) have established a joint venture in Singapore, aiming to enhance operational excellence and achieve greater synergies in container operations.The joint venture terminal is expected to commence operations by the end of 2024. This strategic partnership will offer long-term terminal capacity assurance to EMC’s fast expanding global vessel fleet in PSA Singapore.PSA and EMC will continue to deepen their collaboration to enhance operational efficiency, drive digital innovation, and advance sustainability efforts.

The Port of Oakland’s container volume registers continued growth in the fourth quarter. Total container volume rose 10% over recorded volumes during the same period in 2023.Loaded imports continue to grow for the 12th straight month. Import volume rose 11.2% in October 2024, compared to October 2023. Port operators processed 81,498 TEUs (twenty-foot containers), versus 73,281 TEUs in 2023.“Overall, the Port’s loaded import cargo is trending towards its pre-pandemic level,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes.

This week at MarineLink…The IMO 2020 Sulfur Cap essentially ushered in a new type of fuel - VLSFO. With it came the engine problems caused by off-spec or incompatible fuels as producers grappled with the requirement for providing a sulfur content not exceeding 0.05%. As pointed out in Lloyd’s Register’s 2024 Fuel Quality Report, persistent issues involving cat fines, stability, sulfur content and flash point continue, and isolated incidents of chemical contamination are still occurring.If new…

DP World has expanded its Green Marine membership by adding the Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Saint John terminals to the program. DP World’s terminal in Prince Rupert has been Green Marine certified since 2013. Doug Smith, CEO of DP World in Canada, said: "We are committed to integrating environmental practices into our operations and continuously improving our sustainability, and we know from our experience with the program that Green Marine will provide us with the tools we need to achieve this ambitious goal."David Bolduc…

Port ranks number one for refrigerated exports, supports $8.5 billion in ag exports.The Port of Oakland continues to be one of the most important gateways for U.S. agricultural products. The Port exported 235,899 TEUs (twenty-foot containers) of agricultural commodities as of October 2024, totaling nearly $8.5 billion. Oakland ranks number one by TEU volume in international refrigerated (reefer) export trade among United States ports.“The Port of Oakland is a major international gateway for California’s and the nation’s farmers,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Seaspan Corporation have established OneSea Solutions, a company focused on technical ship management and maritime talent development.ONESEA is jointly owned and operated by the companies and headquartered in Singapore. ONESEA will offer technical ship management services for container vessels owned by ONE and vessels chartered by ONE from vessel owners. It will pursue the best of safety, efficiency, decarbonizing and digital initiatives, aiming to realize operational excellence of ONE's vessel operations.Raman Handa…

Preliminary fiscal year-end figures show Port Everglades enjoying healthy increases in cruise, cargo and petroleum volumes resulting in record revenues."Port Everglades is one of Broward County's vital economic engines, which supports more than 11,000 local jobs. That is a direct result of the success of the amazing leadership at Port Everglades and diverse array of companies served by our port," said Broward County Mayor Nan Rich.Port Everglades is a self-supporting enterprise fund of Broward County government and does not use local property taxes to operate.

With highly productive port service and expanding rail capabilities, South Carolina Ports looks to speed goods to market and support growth in the Southeast.SC Ports has three big-ship capable terminals and a total of 10 million TEUs on the horizon; the deepest harbor on the U.S. East Coast at 52 feet; two rail-served inland ports; and a near-port rail yard under construction.Construction is progressing on the Navy Base Intermodal Facility, which will significantly expand rail capabilities and capacity at the Port of Charleston.

The CMA CGM Group has announced the winners of its first CMA CGM Startup Awards.The international competition, organized in partnership with BFM Business, La Tribune and ZEBOX, attracted over 400 entries from innovative startups. 60 finalists, including 34 French startups, were selected to present their projects. Among the finalists were five startups supported by ZEBOX, the international innovation gas pedal initiated by Rodolphe Saadé.The solutions presented, focusing on the shipping…

Container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd and sector peer Maersk expect to open bookings in two weeks for their new Gemini cooperation starting in Feb. 2025, Hapag chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen said in a call with analysts on Thursday."We will take bookings in early December and have 10 weeks to go for start of operations," he said on a presentation for nine-months earnings. "We are confident that we are off to a good start."The tie-up, which both say would bring more efficient and flexible services…

Amazon.com and IKEA, in alliance with about three dozen other companies that depend on ocean freight, will invite shipping firms for the first time to bid on a contract in January to move their cargo on vessels powered by near-zero emissions e-fuels like e-methanol.The group known as the Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance wants to use the combined clout of its members, who have their own climate goals to meet, to create demand for e-fuels made with renewable electricity and carbon dioxide.