24 Nov 2023

West Coast Ports Bounce Back with Strong October Performance

The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports on the U.S. West Coast enjoyed a robust performance in October, marked by a significant surge in imported containers. Los Angeles handled 372,455 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), representing a 10.7% increase over the previous year. Long Beach, on the other hand, witnessed an even more impressive 23.6% jump […]

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22 Nov 2023

The Shipping Industry Charts a Greener Course: EU-Driven Innovations Pave the Way for Sustainable Maritime Operations

The maritime industry, responsible for a significant 3% of global carbon emissions, finds itself at the forefront of environmental transformation efforts. With the support of EU funding, two groundbreaking vessel designs and retrofit technologies for existing cruise ships and bulk carriers have been developed. Maritime sustainability forms a cornerstone of the EU’s strategy to reduce […]

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18 Nov 2023

Idle Vessel Fleet Faces Continued Growth as Newbuilds Arrive

The long-awaited surge in inactive tonnage, driven by a wave of new large vessels delivered from shipyards, appears to have temporarily subsided. However, this lull may be short-lived as the industry faces a further increase in idle capacity. Despite the influx of larger vessels, box ships with capacities of 12,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) and […]

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17 Nov 2023

ILA Warns: East Coast and Gulf Coast Ports Brace for Potential Strike in 2024

  The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the union representing dockworkers on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, warned members to prepare for a possible coast-wide strike in October 2024. Harold Daggett, the President of the ILA, conveyed this message to the rank-and-file members. He also mentioned that an update on wage negotiations with ocean carriers […]

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16 Nov 2023

Air Cargo Seen Gaining Edge as Ocean Shipping Faces Reliability Issues in 2024

    Air cargo is poised to benefit from a potential decline in ocean shipping reliability in 2024 as the industry grapples with the implications of changes to antitrust regulations. Xeneta chief airfreight officer Niall van de Wouw, speaking at the TIACA executive summit, highlighted the key factors shippers consider when choosing between air and […]

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08 Nov 2023

Panama Canal Cuts Ship Crossings Further as El Niño-Fueled Drought Worsens

  The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced further restrictions on ship crossings, starting February 1, 2024, in response to an intensifying drought that has caused water levels in the canal to reach record lows. The drought, which is being blamed on the El Niño weather pattern, has had a significant impact on global trade, […]

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06 Nov 2023

Container Freight Rates Expected to Fall in November

After four weeks of gains, spot container freight rates are expected to decline in November, as shipping lines continue to add capacity despite weak demand. The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) closed on 3 November with Transpacific rates still up, but Shanghai-North Europe rates had already begun to retreat. This is due to carriers adding […]

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06 Oct 2023

PierPass Fees at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Increase 4% Effective November 1, 2023

  Members of the West Coast Marine Terminal Operators Agreement (WCMTOA) announced that the PierPass fee will increase on November 1, 2023 by 4 percent, from USD 34.21 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), and USD 68.42 for all other container sizes, to USD 35.57 per TEU, and USD 71.14 per FEU (forty-foot equivalent unit), respectively. This fee is called […]

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31 Aug 2023

West Coast Ports – ILWU Ratifies Contract

  PACIFIC MARITIME ASSOCIATION STATEMENT ON FINAL CONTRACT APPROVALS SAN FRANCISCO (August 31, 2023) PMA President and CEO Jim McKenna issued the following statement today about the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s approval of the new six-year contact. The contract, already approved by PMA member companies, is retroactive to July 1, 2022 and runs through […]

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