Canada’s Labor Minister, Steven MacKinnon, has ordered final binding arbitration to end a rail work stoppage involving over 9,000 workers and the country’s two class 1 railroads, Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). MacKinnon’s decision came after 17 hours without a new labor deal. Both railroads wanted binding arbitration, while the
Dockworkers at India’s 12 largest ports plan to strike indefinitely starting August 28. The decision for a nationwide strike follows seven rounds of unsuccessful negotiations. A joint statement released by the six labor organizations representing dockworkers said port labor contracts had expired in December 2021. The unions have formally notified the port authorities and government
Most of the world’s 30 largest container ports saw revenue growth in the first half of the year, except for three. According to Alphaliner’s report on container throughput in the first half of this year, Hong Kong, Xiamen, and Hamburg experienced declines of -4.5%, -4%, and -1.2%, respectively. Hong Kong, once the 10th largest container
The upcoming contract season brings uncertainty for shippers. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are leaving their current alliances, 2M and THE Alliance, in February to form the Gemini Cooperation. The shakeup in ocean alliances will likely impact contract negotiations, says James Hookham, director of the Global Shippers Forum. Shippers are undecided over which alliance to utilize for
US retailers do not anticipate a slowdown in imports for the second half of 2024, driven by a near-record surge in August as retailers fast-track shipments ahead of potential longshore labor strikes at East and Gulf Coast ports. Despite earlier predictions that imports would taper off due to front-loading of cargo earlier this year, the
Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen has raised concerns about the growing likelihood of a longshore strike that could close ports along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, noting that the risk has increased since earlier in the year. Shippers have already responded by frontloading cargo in anticipation of possible disruptions. The potential strike revolves around
For air cargo carriers and forwarders, as well as those involved in automotive logistics, there is significant business potential in this specialized segment of the airfreight industry. However, there are also challenges that need to be addressed. Lufthansa Cargo, a part of Germany’s national airline group, transports automotive spare parts and vehicles worldwide. The company’s
Indian freight forwarders dealing with shipments to North America are expressing frustration as carriers increasingly deny gate openings for containers, even with confirmed bookings. This issue has become more prevalent as major shipping lines report fully booked vessels, leading to frequent instances of cargo being left behind. A recent example involves the APL Qingdao at
Ocean carriers on the trans-Atlantic route have announced peak season surcharges (PSSs) set for September 1, 2024, in an effort to reverse the ongoing decline in westbound rate levels, despite a 7% increase in US import volume from North Europe during the first half of the year. This marks the first rate increase attempt since
Container shipping capacity has increased by 1.6 million TEU since the beginning of 2024, marking an 11% year-over-year increase to 29.5 million TEU. According to Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO, this is the fastest growth in 15 years. The 12,000-17,000 TEU ship segment has expanded the most, making up 22% of the container
Shipco Transport © 1997 – 2024. All Rights Reserved