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Trade Groups Urge Biden to Get Involved in West Coast Union Contract
With U.S. ports, and especially those on the West Coast, struggling to recover from the backlogs developed in 2021, a group of 49 trade associations from retailing, manufacturing, and other industries is highlighting the potentially damaging effects that could come...
Russian invasion propels price of ship fuel to historic high
Average price at top refueling ports approaches $900 per ton The price of ship fuel was flirting with a new record even before Russia invaded Ukraine. Then war broke out, and the highs of the past were left far behind. Ship fuel costs have “gone parabolic,” said...
Box lines skip Ukraine calls as commercial shipping suspended
Multiple international container lines have announced they will not call Ukraine ports, while Russian services generally remain available. MSC, Maersk and CMA CGM all released operation updates announcing suspensions of vessel calls to Ukraine until further notice....
After Last Year’s Surge, International Trade Growth May Slow in 2022
New data by UNCTAD shows that 2021 recorded the highest trade growth ever. The positive trend was buoyed by increases in commodity prices, subsiding pandemic restrictions and a strong demand recovery due to economic stimulus efforts. Overall, the value of global trade...
How Russian invasion of Ukraine could impact ocean shipping
Military action could cause ship fuel prices to spike, create tanker wild cards Ukraine is on a knife’s edge. Russian troops are amassed at its border. The U.S., EU and U.K. warn of severe consequences if Russia attacks, which the U.S. believes could happen at any...
How the pandemic has propelled maritime tech deals to new peaks
Maritime tech has never seen anything like the past 12 months: a whirlwind of deals that may be just the beginning. “Clearly, there is an influx of capital, especially over the last year, and the pace is just continuing to increase,” said Evan Efstathiou, founder of...
Fifth generation Robert Maersk Uggla to chair AP Moller – Maersk
Robert Maersk Uggla is to take over Chair of the Board of AP Moller – Maersk as Jim Hagemann Snabe stands down. Marcus Hand | Feb 15, 2022 Robert Maersk Uggla, CEO of AP Moller Holdings, is the fifth generation of the Maersk family to lead the company. His mother...
Taihu and Huawei team up for marine technology development
China’s deepsea technology science laboratory Taihu is jointly establishing a vessel and sea data intelligence application innovation lab with Huawei Technology. Katherine Si | Feb 18, 2022 The newly established lab will combine the IT and AI technology with...
Containership queues grow at Asian ports
Port congestion is growing in Asia with an increase in the average numbers of containerships per day waiting to berth at key ports according to analysts project44. Marcus Hand | Feb 18, 2022 The average number of ships waiting per day at Asian ports...
Cybersecurity and automation in shipping
As shipping moves toward semi-autonomous and autonomous vessels Nir Ayalon, CEO and founder of Cydome, says cybersecurity needs to be at the forefront of people’s minds. Nir Ayalon, CEO and founder of Cydome | Feb 21, 2022 Covid has taught the shipping world a lot of...
Covid measures continue to impact SE Asia repair yard capacity
Strict Covid-19 could continue to restrict yard capacity for drydocking in the coming year warn Nippon Marine Paint. Marcus Hand | Feb 03, 2022 The number of vessels drydocked at Southeast Asian yards for paint jobs dropped sharply in 2020 and 2021, and while...
Supply chain chaos and port gridlock could drag on into 2023
The timetable for a container shipping correction keeps receding into the distance, which is either very good news or very bad news, depending upon which side of the market you’re on. The first predictions for a downturn were for October 2020 after China’s Golden Week...
Maersk Reports Record-Setting $24 Billion Profit for 2021
PUBLISHED FEB 9, 2022 1:55 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Calling 2021 an exceptional year, A.P. Moller – Maersk reported year-end results producing the expected records, including the largest profit by any shipping company and the largest ever profit for any...
Maersk boosts integrated logistics strategy with Concor collaboration in India
By Angelo Matthias in India 04/02/2022 Maersk Line is raising the bar on integrated logistics solutions in India, as customers continually demand more on the supply chain-side in a highly competitive market environment. The carrier’s latest effort around...
Maersk Overtaken as World’s No. 1 Shipping Line by MSC
Supply Lines is a daily newsletter that tracks Covid-19’s impact on trade. Sign up here, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis on the pandemic. A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S is no longer the world’s largest container line. The...
World’s largest container vessel Ever Ace makes maiden call at PTP
JOHOR BARU: Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) became the first port in Southeast Asia to welcome Evergreen Marine Corporation's latest, and the world's largest, container ship Ever Ace as part of the vessel's maiden voyage in the region. The vessel arrived at the port...
Port of LA threatens penalties for empty boxes left at clogged-up terminals
By Ian Putzger, Americas correspondent 21/12/2021 To nobody’s surprise, the spectre of late dwell charges on containers at the prime US port complex receded yet another week yesterday, as the port authorities of Los Angeles and Long Beach deferred a decision...
Maersk hatches ‘winter plan’ to counter record transatlantic storm season
By Mike Wackett 20/12/2021 A record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season has severely disrupted transatlantic liner services, adding to capacity shortage issues on the route. Moreover, an acceleration in modal shift from severely congested US west coast ports...
UN groups in crisis mode over key workers as Covid border restrictions return
As some countries move to reintroduce border restrictions for transport workers – a repeat of last year’s measures which contributed to the supply chain crisis – the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) are forming an emergency...
Trade facilitation: Critical to COVID-19 recovery
Lines of trucks, often hundreds of vehicles long, were a frequent sight at many border crossings at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantining of containers at sea ports and increased delays for restricted goods, including medicine and personal protective...
FACT SHEET: Summit on Global Supply Chain Resilience to Address Near-Term Bottlenecks and Tackle Long-Term Challenges
President Biden announces new domestic steps to continue building supply chain resilience President Biden has made resilient supply chains a top priority of his Administration since Day One. Today, the President is holding a Summit on Global Supply Chain Resilience...
DP Word increases container volume by 11.9%
DP World handled 58.4m teu across its container terminals during in the January-September period, with container volumes increasing by 11.9% year-on-year on a reported basis and up 11.4% on a like-for-like basis. Michele Labrut | Oct 27, 2021 During the third...
Shifting economic demand could be positive for supply chains, long-run
Maersk has warned that the energy crisis in China and the consequent delays and congestion caused by Covid-19 is disrupting services, but some believe the power problems may lead to falling demand following the rush to get goods to market for Christmas. Chinese New...
‘Exceptional’ financial year for the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal closed Fiscal Year 2021 (October 2020-September 2021) with historic PC/UMS (Panama Canal/ Universal Measurement System) tonnage transported through the waterway, increasing by 8.7 %, to 516.7m PC/UMS, up from 475.16m PC/UMS in FY 2020. The...
Waiting ships around the world are the effect of inland logistics bottlenecks, ONE CEO Jeremy Nixon said in a release.
Gary Howard | Oct 29, 2021 In an update on its FY 21 Q2 initiatives, Nixon said that the company continued to see bottleneck constraints as a result of landside labour shortages and high consumer and industrial demand for products. “Hundreds of ships waiting...
Cosco bites the charter bullet, while CMA CGM buys more ships
Ocean carriers are turning the heads of non-operating containership owners with “offers they can’t refuse” in their fervent buying spree. Oslo-headquartered MPC Container Ships announced last week it had agreed the sale of six of its 74-vessel feedership fleet,...
Sea-Intelligence: Two-Thirds of All Containerships Are Behind Schedule
Global port congestion and backlogs continue to play havoc on liner schedules. According to new data from Sea-Intelligence schedule reliability remains at the low end of the range seen in 2021. In September, two out ever three vessels were behind schedule with the...
Driver shortages and rising costs make the UK a tough market, says DSV chief
DSV is to pass on rising haulage costs to its customers, but has downplayed suggestions it has been significantly affected by the shortage of drivers. Road accounts for more than 20% of DSV’s revenue and has seen 12.4% growth in the year to date. It recorded revenue...
San Pedro ports to surcharge carriers for extended cargo dwell times
As the number of ships awaiting berths at the US west coast container hubs of Los Angeles and Long Beach grows the ports are set to surcharge ocean carriers for extended import dwell times. From 1 November, the San Pedro Bay ports will charge carriers $100 per...
Singapore opens mega-port storage early to ease container bottlenecks
Singapore’s new mega-port is just months away from full operations, but it has opened its storage area early to help alleviate the supply chain bottlenecks plaguing container shipping. Congestion has caused ships to arrive late, resulting in logjams of containers in...
PIL launching new service for China and Gulf areas
Pacific International Lines (PIL) announced the launch of a new weekly direct service connecting Central and South China to the Gulf area in the Middle East. Katherine Si | Oct 26, 2021 Effective from 23 November 2021, this new service - Gulf China...
Bunker surcharges resurface – ‘justified by oil price spike’, say carriers
As oil prices spike to multi-year highs of $80 a barrel, ocean carriers are preparing to dust off their bunker surcharge mechanisms to mitigate the impact. Although several carriers, including CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, have capped further FAK rate increases, surcharges...
Zim Kingston vessel fire was caused by container collapse
A fire which broke out aboard the Zim Kingston was caused by a container collapse that damaged boxes containing dangerous cargo, a spokesperson for vessel owner Danaos Shipping confirmed today. The 4,253 teu vessel, on charter from the Greek owner, was at an...
APM Terminals places ZPMC order, establishes strategic alliance
APM Terminals and Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) signed a large equipment purchasing order and formed a strategic alliance to focus on automation. Katherine Si | Oct 25, 2021 To have more access to adequate, state-of-the-art automated...
Maersk makes changes to WCSA services to/from Northern Europe
Maersk announced major changes to its connecting services between the West Coast of South America (WCSA), the Caribbean and Central America to/from Northern Europe that will take effect from January 2022. Michele Labrut | Oct 25, 2021 This includes the closure of...
ZIM buys seven secondhand boxships for $320m
ZIM has acquired seven containerships of between 12 and 14 years old for $320m since the start of October. Marcus Hand | Oct 22, 2021 The vessels purchased are five traditional panamax sized 4,250 teu boxships and two 1,100 teu. The prices of secondhand...
Exporters snap-up capacity as CargoGulf targets stranded freight for Asia
Correction: The Loadstar wishes to make some corrections to the article below that appeared in Tuesday’s edition: Contrary to the article, The Loadstar wishes to make it clear that CargoGulf is not the operator of the panamax vessel Guenther...
Amazon, IKEA and Unilver among shippers make 2040 zero carbon shipping pledge
Amazon, IKEA, and Unilever, are among nine major shippers that have united in a new coalition with an ambition for zero carbon shipping by 2040. Marcus Hand | Oct 20, 2021 The Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV) coalition brings together Amazon, Brooks...
President Biden challenges private sector to tackle supply chain logjams
US president Joe Biden has hailed a new 24-hour working system, which he says will help to shift bottlenecks in US supply chains bringing products to market for Christmas. But some industry observers do not share his optimism, believing the shift cannot be made so...
Missing port calls improves liner scheduling, but still delays final cargo delivery
Asia-North Europe ships are taking up to 54 extra days to complete round-trip voyages, due to chronic port congestion at their European hub ports. According to an Alphaliner survey, based on current schedule delays on the services, at least 44 extra ships of...
‘It’s a crazy market out there’ – shipping contract rates jump by 90%
With container spot rates from Asia appearing to have reached a plateau as China begins its Golden Week holiday, the attention has turned to contract rate inflation which, according to Xeneta’s XSI index, is showing a 91% year-on-year gain. The September edition of...
Complaints spark US FMC probe into shipping line bill of lading issues
Maritime regulator the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) yesterday launched a probe into claims that shipping lines serving the US “may be attempting to hold companies financially responsible for transport services they did not contract for and may not legally be...
Local News
Transport Ministry: Cable-laying ships exempted from cabotage policy starting June 1
UALA LUMPUR, May 30 ― Starting June 1, all cable-laying ships engaged in the installation, maintenance and repair of submarine telecommunication cables landed at any submarine cable landing centre in Malaysian waters are exempt from the cabotage policy. The Transport...
Johor-Singapore SEZ: Pengerang’s potential as hub for ‘spillover’ business renews optimism for area’s development
KOTA TINGGI, Johor: Tucked away in the southeastern tip of peninsular Malaysia is a large swathe of land with rows upon rows of oil storage tanks and cooling towers with dark smoke billowing from above. The Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) - which...
Diesel subsidy rationalisation due to 10-fold increase in cost to Malaysian government: finance minister II
The decision to rationalise diesel fuel subsidy in Malaysia was due to the cost to the government, which had increased by 10 times in just five years, The Star reported. The Malaysian government had paid RM14.3 billion in diesel subsidy last year,...
Malaysia finally reinstates cabotage exemption for undersea cable repair ships
Malaysia has finally reinstated the cabotage policy exemption for foreign ships to conduct laying, maintenance and repairs of submarine telecommunication cables in Malaysian waters effective 1st June 2024. This comes after Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced in...
Sarawak says exploring proposal to establish state transport authority
KUCHING, May 25 — Sarawak’s Ministry of Transport is exploring a proposal to establish a Sarawak Transport Authority to manage and operate the entire transportation sector in the state, its minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said today. He said this holistic approach...
Port of Tanjung Pelepas inks deals for 11 ULCV capacity quay cranes
Port of Tanjung Pelepas SdnBhd (PTP), a joint venture between the MMC Group and APM Terminals in Malaysia, has signed an agreement with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd (ZPMC) for the purchase of five ultra large container vessel (ULCV) Quay Cranes. This...
Sudden container crunch sends ocean freight rates soaring, setting off global trade alarm bells
A perfect storm in global trade is creating a shipping container capacity crunch, fueling a sudden and surprise spike in ocean freight rates. The beginning of peak shipping season, coupled with the longer transits to avoid the Red Sea, and bad weather in...
Northport receives the largest ever container vessel to berth at its terminal
Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (“Northport”), a member of MMC Group, celebrated a historic milestone as it welcomed MV OOCL Japan on 20 May 2024, the largest ever container vessel to berth at its facilities. Owned by Orient Overseas Container Line (“OOCL”) Limited, MV OOCL...
Dry days coming with south-west monsoon, possible water shortages, says Zahid
PETALING JAYA: The incoming south-west monsoon is expected to bring back hot and dry weather with water shortages a possibility, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The Deputy Prime Minister and National Disaster Management Committee (Nadma) chairman said in a...
PM Anwar: Malaysia, Uzbekistan to transform joint committee on trade into joint commission
TASHKENT, May 17 — Malaysia and Uzbekistan have agreed to activate the work of the intergovernmental Joint Committee on Trade and transform the committee into the Intergovernmental Joint Commission. In a joint statement today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim...
Transport minister: Official HSR project discussions only after Cabinet approval
PUTRAJAYA, May 17 ― Any official discussion with Singapore on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) will only be held after obtaining approval from the Cabinet, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said. He added that the working paper on the suggested project...
Insights into Malaysia’s Standing in the 2024 Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index
The Malaysian state of Selangor is positioning itself to be the gateway to business in Southeast Asia, as the region aims to become the fourth-largest economy by 2030. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which currently trails the economies of the US,...
Saifuddin Nasution: Home Ministry signs 14 contracts with local firms worth over RM2b
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — The Home Ministry (KDN) has inked 14 contracts with local companies valued at RM2.156 billion in conjunction with the Defence Services Asia (DSA) Exhibition & Conference 2024 and National Security (Natsec) Asia 2024. Home Minister Datuk Seri...
Iran is using Malaysian providers to move sanctioned oil
ran’s capacity to transport its oil is reliant on service providers based in Malaysia, with oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the region, a senior US Treasury official told Reuters on Tuesday. The US Treasury is scrutinising the financing...
Transport minister: Ship allegedly owned by Israeli firm has changed ownership to HK company
PUTRAJAYA, May 9 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said the ship claimed to be owned by an Israeli company while using the port in this country has actually changed ownership to another company based in Hong Kong. He insisted that his ministry had inspected and...
Miti: Semiconductor industry offers Malaysia chance for exponential growth
BATU KAWAN: The semiconductor industry presents Malaysia with a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity for exponential economic growth and industry players are advised to capitalise on this billion-dollar sector. Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister (MITI) Liew...
Maybank IB: Johor-Singapore SEZ has competitive advantage in attracting fresh FDI
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) could be a formidable competitive advantage in attracting fresh foreign direct investment (FDI) from multinational companies (MNCs). This can be achieved by integrating Singapore’s global...
Rail route connects China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia
(KPL/VNA)The first China - Laos - Thailand - Malaysia express freight train recently departed from Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, marking a significant milestone in regional trade connectivity. The train, carrying 30 containers of LCD...
Seizing Malaysia’s economic momentum
The drastic depreciation of the Malaysian ringgit, comparable in magnitude to the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, has spooked many and triggered debates on the nation’s economic performance. External headwinds such as persistent high inflation in the United States,...
Malaysia makes its stand on waste | #AsiaNewsNetwork
PORT KLANG (The Star) - Even Bangladesh is sending its contaminated plastic waste to Malaysia. The government will be sending 450 metric tonnes of contaminated plastic waste in 10 containers back to their countries of origin immediately. Besides the one container from...




























































