Port Congestion News

U.S. shipping industry stakeholders told the Transportation Department they "expected increased congestion at some U.S. container ports in the next four to six weeks as shippers re-route cargo to avoid the Red Sea," the department said on Friday.The stakeholders shared their concerns during a call with the department's Office of Multimodal Freight on Thursday, the department said. The call focused on supply chain issues stemming from the situation in the Red Sea, where attacks by Yemen's Houthis have disrupted shipping.(Reuters - Reporting by Rami Ayyub and David Shepardson)

NAVTOR  announced a breakthrough revamp of its Passage Planning module. Featured in the latest release of NAVTOR’s NavStation planning software (version 6.3), the new module offers expanded automation and auto-calculations, effectively slashing both administration time and the potential for human errors, compliance with the very latest industry standards, enhanced data utilisation, the ability to revise and update plans (rather than creating new ones after voyage deviations/changes)…

According to Maritime Strategies International, the unwinding of supply chain inefficiencies and rising vessel orders are expected to dampen positive deadweight demand in the dry bulk market.COVID-related supply chain inefficiencies and associated port congestion have almost fully unwound, and while the MSI outlook on the prospects for trade volumes this year is considered positive, growth in actual dwt demand is limited to only 0.25% year on year.MSI’s Q3 Dry Bulk market report notes that while this quarter’s demand forecasts for 2023 are higher by 1m dwt…

The unwinding of supply chain inefficiencies and rising vessel orders are set to dampen positive deadweight demand in the dry bulk market, according to Maritime Strategies International (MSI).COVID-related supply chain inefficiencies and associated port congestion have almost fully unwound and while the MSI outlook on the prospects for trade volumes this year is considered positive, growth in actual dwt demand is limited to only 0.25% year on year.MSI’s Q3 Dry Bulk market report notes that while this quarter’s demand forecasts for 2023 is higher by one million dwt…

The beleaguered carrier industry took another major hit in June, with the latest data from Xeneta’s Shipping Index (XSI) showing a decline of 9.4% in global long-term shipping rates. Following on the heels of a 27.5% collapse in May, and a 10.3% fall in April, contracted rates have now shed 47.2% of their value in the last three months alone, and 51.7% over the course of 2023.Xeneta’s data shows falls in the prices of valid long-term contracts across all key trading corridors…

Germany's Hapag-Lloyd is seeing a small uptick in demand for shipping after a decline in recent months, but the company on Tuesday reiterated its more muted outlook for the industry as pandemic disruption fades.The container business, a bellwether of global economic trends, had seen a noticeable contraction in demand in September and October as economies around the world grappled with sharply spiking inflation and cost-of-living crises in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine."I don't think the market is as weak as it was four or eight weeks ago…

After over two years of rising rates and overstretched capacity, the rapidly cooling ocean freight market looks set for an “extremely challenging” 2023, according to Oslo-based Xeneta. An in-depth analysis of the latest real-time ocean and air freight rates, combined with expert trend forecasts, suggests that ocean cargo volumes could fall by up to 2.5%, rates will drop “significantly” and weak demand will force increased idling of vessels. The air freight market, analysts predict…

Stubborn long-term container rates refuse to follow in footsteps of huge spot declines, but change is coming - XenetaWith dramatic spot rate falls, a non-existent peak season, and easing port congestion freeing up capacity, the scene was set in October for a significant decline in long-term ocean freight rates. However, the latest data from the Xeneta Shipping Index (XSI) reveals global contracted rates fell by only 0.6% this month, following on from September’s 1.1% decline (the first falls since January 2022).

Long-term contracted rates fell by 1.1% in September, marking the first drop since January and one of only three declines in the past 21 months, recent data from the Xeneta Shipping Index (XSI) reveals. However, analysts at Oslo-based Xeneta, which aggregates data from leading global shippers and freight forwarders, expect “it won’t be the last”, with market fundamentals suggesting the “halcyon days” of ever-increasing rates for carriers may be drawing to a close.“It had to happen sooner or later,” said Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund.

While the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in few direct claims for the marine insurance sector, the impact on the welfare of crews and the boom in shipping and port congestion, exacerbated by the Ukraine invasion, raises potential safety concerns.Demand for crew is currently high with the shipping boom, yet following the Covid-19 pandemic many skilled and experienced crew are leaving the industry, having endured many months, and in some cases, years, stuck on vessels. For those that choose to remain…

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday a supply chain pilot data-sharing project aimed at easing bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports has begun exchanging data and doubled in size.USDOT announced the planned project in March with truckers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and ports "to develop a digital tool that gives companies information on the condition of a node or region in the supply chain."The effort known as the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program included 18 initial participants including FedEx…

Global supply chain problems look to set to worsen, a new report published on Tuesday said, as China's COVID-19 lockdowns, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and other strains cause even longer delays at ports and drive up costs.The study by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) found that one-fifth of the global container ship fleet was currently stuck in congestion at various major ports.In China, ships awaiting berth at the Port of Shanghai now tally 344, a 34% increase over the past month…

Global port congestion is set to continue until at least early 2023 and keep spot freight rates elevated, logistics executives said on Wednesday, urging charterers to switch to long-term contracts to manage shipping costs.The COVID-19 outbreak has lengthened ship delivery times since 2020, pushing up freight costs, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict and lockdowns in Shanghai have added to supply chain disruptions this year."We believe the current congestions, not only the ports but also the landside infrastructure…

China's exports rose at the fastest pace in five months in June as factories revved up after the lifting of COVID lockowns, but a sharp slowdown in imports, fresh virus flare-ups and a darkening global outlook pointed to a bumpy road ahead for the economy.Analysts say the rebound in exports reflected an easing of supply chain disruptions and port congestion that hammered the world's second-largest economy in spring when the government rolled out widespread lockdowns.Outbound shipments in June rose 17.9% from a year earlier…

HMM Co Ltd, South Korea's largest container shipping company by sales, said on Thursday it plans to invest 15 trillion won ($11.46 billion) over the next five years to sharply increase its capacity.HMM plans to expand its shipping capacity to 1.2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) from the current 820,000 TEU by 2026 and increase the number of bulk carriers to 55 from 29.

China's exports of marine fuel in March plunged 15% from a year ago, customs data showed on Wednesday, hit by high prices and COVID-19 curbs at domestic ports.March shipments were 1.42 million tonnes, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. Most of this was very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5%, to meet the emission rules of the International Maritime Organization.The volume was up from 1.31 million tonnes in February but was…

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) has mostly filled its order book for the next 2-1/2 years as the pandemic drove demand for container ships, leaving little room to meet the needs of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, a senior company executive said.With U.S. LNG exports rising, more LNG carriers are traveling longer distances to customers in North Asia and Europe while European countries have snapped up floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) as they ramp up LNG imports to replace Russian gas supplies in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.However…

Commercial insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty released its Safety & Shipping Review, an annual analysis of shipping losses and accidents worldwide. The 2022 report reveals that the maritime sector continues its long-term positive safety trend over the past year with 54 total losses of vessels reported globally, compared with 65 a year earlier. This represents a 57% decline over 10 years (127 in 2012); while during the early 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year.The 2021 loss total is made more impressive by the fact that there are an estimated 130…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index gained to its highest in nearly three weeks on Monday, helped by an uptick in capesize and panamax vessel rates.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, added 18 points, or 0.7%, to 2,596, a peak since June 1.The capesize index gained 44 points, or 1.47%, to 3,031, the highest since May 26.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, rose by $362 to $25,138.Global port congestion is set to continue until at least early 2023 and keep spot

A U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela-owned supertanker that had mechanical problems since January is transferring its 2-million-barrel cargo of heavy crude to other vessels in Asia, according to three people familiar with the matter.The very large crude carrier (VLCC) Maximo Gorki left Venezuela in November amid an export push designed to generate funds for cash-strapped state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), which has been under U.S. trading sanctions since 2019.Aging infrastructure problems, including a lack of oil storage and vessels, frequent refinery outages and export port congestion, are undermining PDVSA's increased oil production, impeding efforts to boost revenue, according to company documents and sources.

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…

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (the Act) was signed by President Biden on Thursday, June 16, 2022. The long term fixes, which require Federal Maritime Commission rule-making, establishes additional requirements requiring the FMC to issue rules related to certain fee assessments, prohibited practices, and establishment of a shipping registry, and prohibited conduct for ocean carriers. It further authorizes the FMC under certain circumstances to issue an emergency order requiring common carriers to share information directly with shippers and rail and motor carriers.

The Panama Canal has seen a 30% fall in the traffic of vessels carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), driven by Asia's weak demand for U.S. LNG and limited exports from the U.S. Gulf Coast since a terminal explosion in June, the waterway's authority told Reuters this week.Second-largest U.S. exporter Freeport LNG's Texas plant continues shut since an explosion in early June and its partial restart is not expected until October, curtailing the U.S. export capacity, even amid buoyant demand in Europe.Before the incident…