News

Market Analysis

• Less supply could bring higher rates
• The carriers are canceling services in the transpacific trade.
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• PierPass Increase Fee
• The fee for PierPass is increasing. This is the first increase since 2006.
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• Super-sized Ships Threaten Balance
• Super-sized ships now account for 62% of capacity between Asia and the U.S. West Coast
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• Global Port Tracker
• North America Trade Outlook and Port Volume
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• Market News
• Market recap presented by carrier partner Maersk
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• Slow Steaming Here To Stay
• Maersk believes slow steaming is a win-win-win situation.
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• All Importers Experiencing Supply Chain Challenges
• All importers, regardless of size, are having issues securing equipment and space.
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• Exports From China Slow
• Container shipments from China slowed during the month of June.
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• Exports Slow From May
• Exports flattend in June but are still up 16 percent compared to 2009.
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• Shippers Can Expect Higher Rates
• At least one analyst is telling shippers to prepare for higher rates for the remainder of this year.
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• Spot Rates Continue To Climb
• Spot rates continue to increaseon Hong Kong to Los Angeles cargo. The average rate has increased182% in just one year.
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• May Box Traffic Sets Record
• Container traffic in May through China ports increased 49% over last year.
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• Container Shortage
• Is it a shortage or a deployment problem?
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• NOL CEO Believes Slow Steaming Here To Stay
• The NOL chief said shippers want reliability more than fast ships.
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• Slow Steaming
• Slow steaming is having a major impact on capacity.
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• Continued Growth For Container Imports
• Containerized imports are scheduled to increase through the shipping season.
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• Asian Carriers Reduce Fleets
• The seven major Asian ocean carriers reduced 16 percent of their capacity over the last 15 months.
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• Rate Hikes Vary
• Carrie increases likely to vary by contract. The market GRI imposed in past contracts may not happen this year.
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• Carriers Boost Capacity
• Carriers are set to boost capacity in the global market by 785,000 TEUs. This could impact the increase in rates anticipated on May 1st.
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• Maersk Warns Against Adding Capacity Quickly
• There is concern by some carrier executives about adding capacity back in the global trade.
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• TSA Predicting Strong Growth
• Ocean carriers operating in the Transpacific expect container volumes to surge 6-8 percent in 2010.
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• Schedules Becoming Unreliable
• Slow steaming may reduce fuel costs but it also reduces reliability of arriving at the port on time.
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• Carriers Confident About GRI
• One TSA carrier, COSCO, is confident that the May 1st GRI will be secured.
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• Retail Sales Up
• NRF reporting jump in retail sales despite the winter storms that blanketed much of the East Coast.
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• Asia-Europe Cargo
• Cargo moving in the Asia-Europe trade lane has increased significantly over last year.
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Association Advisories

• Trade Groups Push Congress To Repeal Carriers' Immunity
• Twenty-nine trade groups sent letters to Congress asking them to consider eliminating carriers' antitrust immunity.
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• Oberstar Loses House Race
• Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar was defeated in the House of Representatives.
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• FMC Wants Additional Powers
• The FMC wants to resolve service contract disputes between shippers and carriers.
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• Proposed Changes To Shipping Act
• FMC Commission Chairman proposes numerous changes to the Shipping Act.
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• Traffic Normal At India Ports
• Normal operations are scheduled to resume at India's two main ports. There are no traces of the 293 containers that fell off the MSC Chitra.
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• PierPass - Video Upate
• Bruce Wargo, President of PierPass, provides an update on the congestion at Southern California terminals.
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• PierPass - Gate Congestion
• With the surge in recent cargo volume, experts express concern over wait times at terminal gates.
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• New Security Rules Further Impact Supply Chains
• Only time will tell whether the August 1st deadline for TSA to screen 100% of air cargo will be met.
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• Air Freight Market
• The backlog for air freight has not eased up.
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• Environmental Standards Must Be Consistent
• Reducing emissions is something that all ocean carriers are striving for.
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• Ocean Lines Slowly Adding Capacity
• Carriers are slowly returning capacity to keep up with growing demand.
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• 10+2 Causing Confusion
• Customs is reaching out to importers in an effort to explain the rules.
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Legal Corner

• Who Should Pay?
• Who should pay? Should the shipper or consignee that has already paid the intermediary have to pay the freight charges twice by also paying the carrier? Or should the carrier suffer the consequences of the non-payment?
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• Carrier sued multiple customers for damages
• The Containership Company (“TCC”), a small trans-pacific carrier that ceased operations last April, has sued multiple former customers for liquidated damages arising from their alleged failures to meet their minimum volume commitments in service contracts with TCC.
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• WHO PAYS THE FREIGHT?
• Who is responsible for paying the ocean carrier’s freight charges?
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• CHASSIS, CONTAINERS, SHIPS: WHAT IS A CARRIER REQUIRED TO PROVIDE?
• What are a carrier’s obligations to its customers in terms of providing equipment necessary to fulfill its transportation obligations? Put another way, what does a shipper have the right to expect from its carrier partners?
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• Pitfalls Using Incoterms
• Many pitfalls commonly arise from a misunderstanding of what the Incoterms are and, more importantly, what they are not.
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• Changes To Incoterms
• As it does every ten years, the International Chamber of Commerce has issued a new set of Incoterms that took effect in January 2011.
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• FMC Issues Notice of Inquiry on Slow Steaming
• On January 31, 2011, the Federal Maritime Commission issued a Notice of Inquiry for the purpose of obtaining public comments on the impact of slow steaming on U.S. ocean liner commerce.
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• What is the "CSA"
• Find out what the CSA is and why it is relevant to you
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• Principals Held Liable For Freight Charges
• Would it surprise you to know that some carriers have clauses in their tariffs and bills of lading holding corporate principals liable for the payment of freight...
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• Tariff Filing In China
• In case you haven’t noticed, tariff filing for ocean carriers and NVOCCs is alive and well in the Peoples Republic of China.
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• Future of Antitrust Immunity
• Congressmen James Oberstar and Elijah Cummins have introduced a new bill in the House of Representatives proposing major changes to the Shipping Act.
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• FMC Proposes Amendments To Shipping Act
• The FMC has taken additional steps to address the capacity situation that disrupted service earlier this year.
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• FMC'S REPORT ON CAPACITY PROBLEMS
• On June 30, 2010, Commissioner Rebecca Dye testified before the Congressional committee with jurisdiction over maritime transportation.
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• COGSA OR CARMACK?
• All nine Justices of the Supreme Court agree that K-Line is not a railroad.
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• The Incoterms: Their Uses And Some Pitfalls
• Incoterms have been developed by the ICC to standardize the interpretation of trade terms throughout the world to facilitate the conduct of international trade.
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• The Mischevious Forum Selection Clause
• A recent case in New York illustrates the fact that hiring an NVOCC or freight forwarder to transport cargo may sometimes have unintended consequences for the shipper.
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• Air Cargo Screening
• Deadline for 100% screening of air cargo approaches.
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• Sue Your Carrier?
• IHSA legal counsel explains why you might have to sue your carrier.
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• Big Changes at FMC
• There are big changes at the Federal Maritime Commission.
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