International shipping is an industry with many moving parts. In order for international shipping to run smoothly for importers and exporters, all those parts have to be coordinated and clicking [...]
Obviously, the negotiations taking place in San Francisco between the ILWU and PMA are extremely pertinent to shippers who import and export in the US. The way the negotiations go have serious [...]
*EDIT (June 18, 2014): Congestion Surcharge, should it be applied by carriers, affects ALL shipments Inbound to USA regardless of Port of Entry.* Just what we all want to hear about. More [...]
This is a guest post by Evelyn Thistlewood. Navigating the complexities of international trade requires a strategic approach to handling unexpected ocean freight issues. In a world where global [...]
In the last blog, we looked at how – with the slowing economy – retailers and shippers are decreasing their imports and expected to keep doing so in 2023. As discussed, that should mean [...]
As the expiration of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) quickly approaches, shippers are getting more and more anxious about the potential of contentious negotiations throwing [...]
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went on a press tour, where he talked about the port congestion we're seeing right now. The Biden Administration has been talking about the ports and the [...]
Over the last year and a half, shippers might have thought they'd seen it all. Astronomical freight rates, hundreds of blanked (cancelled) sailings, no-roll fees that basically amount to holding [...]
Over the last year, international shipping has been marked by container and equipment shortages, port congestion, high demand, lost containers, rolled containers, and – of course – outrageously [...]
You thought port congestion at U.S. ports – the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach especially – is bad. You're right. But at least it's possible for ships to get in and out of the ports (it just [...]
This is a guest post by Jake Rheude. The final days of 2020 ended with some of China's highest container rates in recent memory coupled with port congestion, space demands, and other metrics [...]
On Tuesday, we covered three international shipping news stories affecting shippers. Among them was the Federal Maritime Commission’s (FMC’s) publication of a new rule concerning [...]
It’s not the economy that drove up shipping demand. Not consumer spending. It was logistical considerations. Importers were trying to get ahead of supply chain disruption risks. Risks like [...]
According to S&P Global data shared in the Journal of Commerce (JOC), July 5th freight rates from Asia to the U.S. West Coast (USWC) were up 350% compared to the same time last year. Asia to U.S. [...]
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) cancelled contract negotiations last week. Then the union said its threatened strike, which would start October 1st, is "more likely." That [...]
It's not unprecedented, but we're looking at an early peak season for international shipping this year. Analyzing wide industry reporting, the demand side of ocean freight has picked up in April [...]
Earlier this week, on the 26th of February, the Federal Maritime Commission issued its final rules for demurrage and detention billing as set up for it to create by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act [...]
What should shippers expect when it comes to freight rates in 2024? Predicting trends is never an easy thing, as international shipping's freight rates have always been highly volatile. Shippers [...]
Sometimes bad news isn't as bad as it appears. This isn't one of those times. Last week, I wrote about the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) using the word shippers most fear [...]
If there's one word shippers hate to hear in relation to the dockworkers and their unions that control the jobs up and down the U.S. coasts, it's strike. We're a little under a year away from the [...]