Ocean Freight

Matson, Inc., a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, recently christened the second of two Aloha Class containerships representing the largest vessels to have been built in the United States.

Various scenarios for Brexit are being discussed in advance of Britain’s departure from the EU. In the meantime, shippers, ports, and transportation and logistics providers have all launched a number of initiatives in order to prepare for the worst-case scenario: the“hard Brexit.”

The many moving parts that have been part of the interactions in recent months between Basel, Switzerland-based global 3PL and airfreight forwarder Panalpina by Hedehusene, Denmark-based global 3PL DSV, in regards to the latter’s pursuit of the former as an acquisition target, have taken yet another turn, with the companies announcing today that they are going to merge.

With a March 31 deadline looming, YRC Freight, the largest subsidiary of less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services provider YRC Worldwide, and the Teamsters National Freight Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) announced on Thursday, March 21 that they have come to terms on a tentative agreement in principle for a new collective bargaining agreement. Details of the agreement were not made publicly available.

Over an intensive 36-hour period, entrepreneurs, investors, maritime executives and tech leaders will collaborate to develop solutions that aim to transform the maritime industry

February shipments, at 909,947, fell 4.5% annually, with containerized freight handled shipments down 4%. What’s more, this decline follows an aggregate increase of 5.5% over the previous three months.

While facing difficult annual comparisons due to the timing of the Lunar New Year, the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) each posted solid February volumes, according to data respectively issued by the ports late last week.

An annual lull between seasons and previously planned tariff increases on hold represent two main reasons for United States retail container port import volumes to fall to their lowest level in nearly a year, according to the Port Tracker report.

Global port throughput has shown resilience over the last 10 years with throughput growth outpacing economic growth rates despite volatility through the last recession. Containerization of cargo and increasing vessel sizes coupled with supporting infrastructure at ports have all contributed to these throughput trends.

The report said that based on preliminary figures total container volumes across the six ports fell by 77,000 (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), or 2.1%, to 3.60 million TEU, from November to December, while heading up 1.8% annually.

Chicago-based project44, a technology services provider offering standardized, secure Web service API (application programming interfaces) integrations enabling 3PLs and shippers to connect with carriers in real time, has added ocean visibility availability to its Advanced Visibility Platform.

C.H. Robinson announced yesterday it has acquired Madrid, Spain-based international ocean and air freight forwarder The Space Group, in an effort designed to further expand its Global Forwarding business segment.

Total POLA January volumes, at 852,440 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) marked a 5.4% annual gain and represent the busiest January output for the port in its 112 years of operation. POLB January volume, at 657,286 TEU, was off 0.1% annually compared to January 2018, which is the port’s highest all-time level for January.

January shipments, at 1,061,288, were up 5.1% annually, growing for the 23rd consecutive month with Panjiva noting that this tally includes a 5.8% annual increase in containerized freight, which “will do little to alleviate the congestion being felt at U.S. ports.

Marseille, France-based global container shipping company CMA CGM remains intent on acquiring CEVA Logistics, a global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider based in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands for $1.65 billion, according to various reports and filings.