Articles

Ocean Shipping

Shipping Lines Skip a Beat

Global ports lost more than one-third of their expected capacity to ship containers in 2021, causing economic trouble for some smaller developing nations, among others, finds research commissioned by the Global Shippers Forum (GSF). The study, which was conducted by MDS Transmodal, identifies the extent of capacity restriction in 2021 that resulted from scheduled port […]

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IN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions

Transportation ZIM Integrated Shipping Services introduced the ZIM Ecommerce Baltimore Express (ZXB) service, which offers a fast transit time to Baltimore from Asia, calling on Yantian, Cai Mep, New York, and Boston. Starting as a bi-weekly service, it will become weekly within a few months, offering shippers dedicated out-of-gate lanes to avoid queues in Baltimore; […]

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Wave of the Future: 5 Maritime Shipping Trends

From the time sea captains relied solely on celestial navigation to the smart ports of today, technology has continuously changed the shipping industry. Here are some of the biggest trends in maritime shipping to scope out, says a Thomasnet.com report: 1. Autonomous Ships In 2022, the U.S. Navy took over the Pentagon’s ghost fleet system, […]

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Global Shipping Costs Break Records

Today’s disruptions are even more significant than those during the financial crisis of 2008, says the Thomas Index Report. Prices for ocean freight shifted more than 72 percentage points over the course of the pandemic starting in 2020 to a peak in Q3 2021, when prices were more than 50% higher than average container shipping […]

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Keith Biondo

Bullwhip or Just Bull?

Are shipping lines pricing themselves out of business? Blame the bullwhip effect, a distribution channel phenomenon in which demand forecasts yield increasing swings in inventory. Let’s take that idea a bit further. Financial pressures on publicly traded companies drive short-term policies that please The Street analysts to satisfy investor expectations. Yielding to those pressures sometimes […]

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No Congestion Relief in Sight

No Congestion Relief in Sight

It’s shaping up to be another congested year for global supply chains as the ongoing pandemic keeps consumers from spending on services versus goods, exacerbating resource shortages and delays. Logistics services providers must view this as a longer-term situation and plan accordingly, says a recent report from Descartes Systems Group. U.S. ocean container import volumes […]

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