Container Lines News

On October 28, 2025 U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, convened the Senate hearing “Sea Change: Reviving Commercial Shipbuilding”. This hearing examined how to modernize and accelerate U.S. commercial shipbuilding while strengthening a larger maritime industrial base.Senator Sullivan opened with a statement that included: “Our nation faces a critical strategic challenge as foreign competitors…

The U.S. and China on Tuesday began charging additional port fees on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil, making the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world's two largest economies.A return to an all-out trade war appeared imminent last week, after China announced a major expansion of its rare earths export controls and President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to triple digits.But after the weekend…

A new report from the UCL Energy Institute has highlighted the looming risk of maritime asset stranding, stating that a rapid energy transition could “lead to ‘premature scrapping’ of over a third of the fleet, valued at over $400 billion, unless they undergo costly retrofits to remain competitive in the wake of new GHG policies and wider energy transition.”The report reveals that existing vessels and newbuilds on order will produce double the emissions permissible under a 1.5°C-aligned carbon budget…

Orient Overseas Container Lines (OOCL) announced it has entered into charter agreements  with Seaspan, to charter six brand new 13,000 TEU container vessels for a maximum aggregate amount of RMB 11.2 billion. The expected delivery of these vessels is from the fourth quarter of 2026 to the first quarter of 2028 and is to be chartered for 15 years from delivery."OOCL has been continuously assessing the global economic situation, operating environment of the shipping industry, the supply and demand for container vessels as well as seeking the appropriate timing to introduce larger…

Shipping giant CMA CGM said on Thursday that brisk international trade and Red Sea disruption supported its main maritime division in the second quarter and should limit any market slowdown later this year as new ship capacity arrives.The world's third-largest container shipping line reported a 6.8% year-on-year increase in volumes in the second quarter. Volumes also rose more than 6% from the first three months of the year when the group started seeing an upturn in demand.Restocking by U.S.

French shipping group CMA CGM said on Friday it was suspending its calls at Port au Prince due to the worsening security situation in the Haitian capital.The group, one of the world's largest container lines, will call at Lafito, 20 km from Port au Prince, as an alternative, while also continuing to call at Cap Haitien as usual, CMA CGM said in a customer advisory.(Reuters - Reporting by Gus Trompiz, Editing by Ingrid Melander)

KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partners’ Bahamas Hub…

SEACOR Holdings Inc. announced it has concluded the sale of its Caribbean liner and logistics business SEACOR Container Lines LLC (“SEACOR Island Lines”) to King Ocean Services Ltd. The transaction includes all operations and assets.King Ocean specializes in marine transportation and logistics solutions to close to 50 destinations across the Caribbean and South and Central America out of their Port Everglades facilities in Ft Lauderdale, Fla.“For 40 years, King Ocean, a multi-generational…

Hapag-Lloyd will continue to divert its vessels around the Suez Canal for security reasons, a spokesperson for the German container shipper said on Friday, adding a further assessment would be made on January 2.Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Nippon Yusen, Japan's largest shipping companies, also said their vessels with links to Israel were avoiding the Red Sea area. Both companies said they were monitoring the situation.Shipping companies including Hapag-Lloyd and Denmark's Maersk earlier…

France's CMA CGM is increasing the number of vessels travelling through the Suez Canal, it said on Tuesday, joining Maersk in returning to the area after U.S.-led efforts to prevent attacks.The world's top shipping companies, including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, stopped using Red Sea routes after Yemen's Houthi militant group began targeting vessels this month, disrupting global trade through the Suez Canal.Instead they have rerouted via southern Africa, a longer and more expensive journey.

France's CMA CGM is increasing the number of vessels travelling through the Suez Canal, it said on Tuesday, joining Maersk in returning to the area after U.S.-led efforts to prevent attacks.The world's top shipping companies, including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, stopped using Red Sea routes after Yemen's Houthi militant group began targeting vessels this month, disrupting global trade through the Suez Canal.Instead they have rerouted via southern Africa, a longer and more expensive journey.

Swiss marine power company WinGD announced it will supply X-DF-M methanol-fueled engines for a series of six container vessels to be built at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in China. The 9,000 TEU vessels will each be powered by an X82DF-M engine built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD), to be delivered in August 2025. The new vessel series will enter service in 2026 and 2027.The new order, which includes options for further engines, expands WinGD's methanol engine orders into the 82-bore size.

London’s marine insurance market added Sudan to its of areas deemed high risk this week amid further fighting in the conflict-ridden African country, according to an advisory note.The addition of Sudan to the high risk list will mean that any ships sailing into the country will need to pay an additional war risk premium and also seek approval from their insurer.Advisory notes from the Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd’s Market Association and representatives from the London insurance company market…

India-based Lancer Container Lines said Wednesday that its CEO Narayanan Kutty Parekattil has decided to resign, effective from April 1, 2023.He has served ten years in Lancer Container Lines Limited. The company also shared the CEO's resignation letter in which he explained he was submitting the letter and expressing his intent to "take voluntarily retirement from the services with effect from 1st April 2023 due to the health problems of self & my wife.""This was not an easy decision to come to, but it's time to spend more time with my family.

Premiums of marine fuel, also known as bunkers, are set for a bumpy recovery in March in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering port, as refuelling demand from the shipping sector has recently waned, multiple trade sources said.A weaker Singapore bunker market reflects slowing activity at one of the world's most major ports that sits on a crucial shipping lane, while lower demand will also weigh on Asia's fuel oil refining margins.Bunker premiums for the most actively traded very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) grade…

French-based shipping group CMA CGM has completed its withdrawal from the Russian market by divesting stakes in terminals through an asset swap, the company said.“With this finalized transaction and the decision to suspend all new bookings to and from Russia since March 1st, 2022, the CMA CGM Group will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia,” it said in an emailed statement.The deal was concluded on Dec. 28, it said.CMA CGM inherited 25% stakes in four terminals in Russia and Finland through the acquisition of Finnish firm Containerships in 2018…

CMA CGM said it expects a pullback in shipping markets to accelerate in the fourth quarter due to high energy prices and flagging consumer spending, and this will reduce its profitability following an earnings surge in the past year.French-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container lines, reported on Friday a net profit of $7.0 billion for the third quarter, up from $5.6 billion in the year-earlier period.However, the net profit was down from $7.6 billion in the previous quarter…

Weakening consumer spending is curbing shipping demand and freight rates, transport giant CMA CGM said on Friday as it reported another jump in quarterly profits.French-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container lines, reported a net profit of $7.6 billion for the second quarter, up from $3.5 billion in the year-earlier period and also surpassing $7.2 billion in the first quarter.Higher container revenues helped offset rising operating costs in the past quarter, including a near 75% year-on-year jump in ship fueling costs…

Container xChange's latest annual benchmark study of demurrage and detention charges recently showed that the ports in the U.S have the highest demurrage and detention (D&D) charges among the top 60 ports worldwide. Demurrage and detention tariffs have two main purposes: (1) compensating the shipping line for the use of its container and (2) encouraging the merchant to return the container as soon as possible for the shipping line to re-use it and have a fast turnaround. Demurrage is the charge that one pays for the use of the container within the terminal beyond the free time period.

CMA CGM said on Friday that geopolitical and economic risks were clouding its outlook despite another surge in profits due to a saturated shipping market.French-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container lines, reported a net profit of $7.2 billion for the first quarter, up from $2.1 billion in the year-earlier period and also surpassing $6.7 billion posted for the last quarter of 2021.An economic rebound following the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic sent freight rates soaring and left shipping capacity stretched.At CMA CGM's main ocean shipping business…

The Port of Antwerp is adapting to losing shipping trade with Russia and its merger with the neighboring Port of Zeebrugge is set to boost overall volumes in coming years, the group's chief executive said on Thursday.Global shipping companies including leading container lines have cut business ties with Russia due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of Western sanctions. While food and medical shipments are still allowed, overall exports to Russia have been hit…

Russia is bracing for a sharp decline in cargo flows and a deficit of containers after major international container shipping lines halted operations in the country due to Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, two Russian executives said.The world’s three largest container shipping lines, Denmark’s Maersk, France’s CMA CGM and Swiss-based MSC, have suspended their bookings to and from Russia after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking a flurry of Western sanctions.The…

Smart network company Marlink announced it is partnering with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world’s largest container shipping line, to support the shipping company’s digitalization goals, using Marlink’s hybrid network solutions and IT management.Marlink deploys a fully managed hybrid network solution, bundling its VSAT connectivity with L-band backup and global 4G connectivity on 127 vessels, providing MSC with seamless, secure connectivity to run its critical business and crew applications.