Disclaimer

The articles excerpted on this site report on the state of the industry as seen by mainstream media, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the officers of the ILWU Coast Longshore Division.

Matson Adds New Service from China to Long Beach

The new weekly Matson service to Long Beach will begin in mid-August and be in full deployment by early October.

Matson Navigation Company announced Thursday that it is expanding its service between China and the Port of Long Beach by adding a second string of vessels.

The new vessels will provide service from the ports of [...]

Port of Seattle Imports Up 93.3 Percent

Puget Sound longshore workers are experiencing a strong rebound. This photo was submitted by Seattle longshore worker Curt Treadwell. Submit your waterfront photos to longshorenews (at) gmail.com.

Containerized imports at the Port of Seattle exploded last month, increasing 93.3 percent compared to June of 2009. The 88,763 TEUs recorded in June were the highest [...]

Port of San Diego appoints director of maritime operations

Joel Valenzuela has been named director of maritime operations at the Port of San Diego. Valenzuela was previously the department manager of maritime industry and trade relations at the Port. He assumed his new role July 19.

Valenzuela will direct the operations, maintenance and development of the Port’s maritime facilities and infrastructure, including the Port’s cargo [...]

Shipper CMA CGM Said to Face July 26 Court Deadline to Find New Investors

CMA CGM SA, the French shipper reorganizing 5.4 billion euros ($7 billion) of debt, is seeking to put together a new investor group by a July 26 court deadline, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.

CMA CGM, which began talks with creditors in September, needs the reorganization to avoid insolvency after breaching covenants on [...]

Analyst thinks drybulk shipping market bottomed

A bulldozer is loaded on a bulk carrier using a crane, prior to unloading

The Baltic Dry Index, which measures activity on major shipping lanes throughout the world, posted its first gain Friday in nearly two months. The index is a key measure of global trade because it indicates how well shipments of everything from [...]

Port of Hueneme revenues down, imports struggling

The Port of Hueneme expects a net loss of $1.2 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, and port officials are tightening operations in anticipation of a $2.3 million loss in 2011.

The only deep-water port between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, the Port of Hueneme is a key landing point for [...]

California’s exports rise, but trade forecast dims

Rising sales of electronics equipment and farm goods pushed California’s May exports 25 percent above the same time last year, new trade figures indicated Tuesday.

But shippers will see growth slow in coming months as industrial nations curb stimulus spending in favor of reducing deficits, said Jock O’Connell, Beacon Economics international trade adviser.

“We’ll continue heading in [...]

Maersk lifts forecast as global container demand picks up

“The container business has been doing very well,” Jacob Pedersen, an analyst at Sydbank A/S. “The lack of containers and sharp increase in rates are definitely benefiting Maersk Line. This may be a signal that pricing discipline has returned to the industry.”

Maersk had been projected to report full-year net income of 14.6 billion kroner ($2.5 [...]

Freight Growth Rates ‘Can’t Persist,’ Economist Warns

The freight surge of 2010 is nearing its end, an economic forecaster says.

“These growth rates you’ve seen in the last four months are probably the largest you’re going to see in the next couple of years,” says Donald Ratajczak, an economic consultant and regents professor emeritus at Georgia State University.

The massive restocking that began in [...]

West Coast Container Volume Grew 14 Percent

Container volume moving through West Coast ports increased 14 percent in the first five months of the year. Growth was relatively balanced between imports and exports and across the regional gateways.

Statistics published on the Web site of the Pacific Maritime Association also showed that, except for a slight dip in February, container volume increased steadily [...]

Experts say port slowdown could ripple in region

The strike by Port of Los Angeles clerical workers has prompted concern among experts that the ripple effects could affect the Inland Empire, where many businesses are dependent on the flow of goods from the L.A. and Long Beach ports.

Target Logistics, Kohl’s Logistics, Big 5 Distribution, Home Depot Logistics, Kmart Distribution, among many others, are [...]

Tensions mount as San Pedro waterfront plan drags

It’s been almost a decade since the Harbor Area formally began pushing to redevelop its waterfront. And as the delays have mounted, so has the frustration.

Feeling the heat, Port of Los Angeles officials now say they will look into stepping up the timeline to seek bids to redo Ports O’ Call in San Pedro. [...]

New vessel deliveries point to recovery in international trade

Laid-up container vessels are beginning to return to service and new deliveries are being accepted in a sign that international trade is slowly recovering.

The latest deliveries to be announced are to the CMA CGM Group, which has taken delivery of the CMA CGM LAMARTINE (6,500 TEU) and CMA CGM CALLISTO (11,400 TEU) in [...]

'Tough times ahead' for JaxPort

Five challenges for JaxPort

The drive to make Jacksonville one of the East Coast’s top-tier ports could be knocked off course by a number issues.

Waterway currents: The biggest ships face restrictions on when they can enter Jacksonville harbor because of strong currents at the Intracoastal Waterway. A fix will cost $60 million.

Hanjin on hold: Plans for [...]

Maersk sees container rates at pre-crisis level this year

Maersk Chief Executive Nils Andersen told reporters in Singapore that Maersk will also keep adding to container box levels this year and the next to address the global shortage in the industry.

“It will come back to pre-crisis levels, to a level where the industry can get return on their investments,” Andersen said of container freight [...]