Category: Sea

We are receiving news that container shipping lines have begun diverting from the Port of Montreal as a series of strikes disrupt container handling for another week at Canada’s second-largest port.  Hapag-Lloyd has confirmed that the Detroit Express will call at the Port of Saint John ... Read more

Westbound Ocean Freight Capacity tightens as carriers turn screws and demand advanced bookings The unexpected surge in East and Westbound demand in June, exacerbated by carriers withdrawing close to half the market’s capacity in May, to match expected low demand saw China to North Europ... Read more

Development of an electronic bill of lading has long been a goal for freight forwarders and the container shipping industry, but it has been elusive, in large part due to a lack of standardisation of the document. The bill of lading is a mainstay of the global supply chain that’s present fro... Read more

Shipbuilding remains a core national industry for South Korea and the country’s shipping sector is a key supporter of its shipyards, with container shipping line HMM one of the biggest, as the yards support HMM’s aggressive expansion plan, to more than double vessel capacity. HMM’s vesse... Read more

With oil prices plunging to less than $20 per barrel, ocean carriers are coming under increased pressure to cancel their bunker surcharges, but lines are holding firm to emissions targets and cutting operating costs. Containership owners are continuing with their scrubber retrofit programs des... Read more

On Monday, K Line’s 15,000 TEU ship the Milano Bridge collided with a berth at the South Korean port of Busan, demolishing one gantry crane and damaging four others. At the time of the incident, the ship was in a berthing operation, with tugs in attendance and a pilot aboard. Port officia... Read more

Shipping lines seeking to reduce costs have often contemplated the historic trade route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, because it’s a move that would save them millions by avoiding the toll charges of the Suez Canal, but it depends on very low fuel costs and shippers willing to accept sai... Read more

While they may have ended 2019 with rising rates and a buoyant spot market, largely due to blanked sailings, the global container shipping lines will need to control capacity in 2020 better than they have in the past, particularly with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) low-sulphur fue... Read more

Felixstowe is set to be hit by industrial action over Christmas, after 110 engineers at Felixstowe voted 98% in favour of strike action over plans to outsource their employment. The stoppages will take place on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 December, and the Unite union have indicated intention of... Read more

The IMO’s global emissions regulations come into force in January 2020, imposing a large reduction in sulphur emissions by the 5,200 container vessels currently in operation globally. The IMO’s global emissions regulations impact the 5,200 container vessels currently in operation globally,... Read more

We all look forward to the extended break over Christmas and the New Year, but there are pitfalls ready to catch out the unprepared shipper. While most shipping related costs are valid and unavoidable, demurrage, detention and some port charges catch unwary shippers, particularly as these char... Read more

Carriers have been announcing more blank sailings on the Asia-North Europe trade as slowing demand threatens to pull down rate levels. With widespread factory closures during China’s Golden Week in the first week of October due to further limit volume out of Asia, shippers can expect more ro... Read more