Competitive Edge

August 23rd, 2023

IMPORT: Asia to North America (TPEB)

Recent Developments:

  • Heavy rain and flooding from Tropical Storm Hilary earlier this week has disrupted railroad Union Pacific’s network in Southern California. The Class I railroad will provide updates on estimated shipment delays as it assesses damages.

Rates: Demand and rigid capacity management have propped rates up, however August’s second-half increases are not as high as anticipated. 
Space: Space is generally open, but as the market strengthens, certain services are likely to tighten.
Capacity: Carriers continue to use their discretion on reducing capacity.
Equipment: A new chassis pool at Southeast ports (excluding Charleston) will go live October 1.
TIPS:

  • Establish a timeline for future shipments. Will you import before the holidays and within peak season? Are you holding off until 2024?
  • Hold your logistics partners accountable for frequent updates regarding blank sailings, rate increases, or any other forms of market maintenance.
  • Don’t get complacent with the favorable market conditions the past several months. Tightening capacity and higher rates could pose booking challenges through peak season. Plan ahead!

IMPORT: Europe to North America (TAWB)

Rates: Rates have plummeted over the last several weeks—mirroring pre-pandemic levels.
Space: Space is open, except for a few pockets.
Capacity: Major carriers are reallocating vessel capacity to the Asia-Europe trade from this one.
Equipment: Availability on both origin and destination sides, unless advised otherwise.
TIPS:

  • Book at least three weeks prior to the ready date.
  • Be aware of how carriers react to their minimal profitmaking on this trade. Aggressive tactics, like blank sailings, may be on the rise in the coming weeks.

EXPORT: North America to Asia

Rates: Rates are low and level. 
Space: Space is open but tighter on the Gulf Coast. 
Capacity: Capacity is widely available for all services.
Equipment: Availability at virtually all inland points and seaports. However, chassis access remains a wildcard against fluid intermodal movement.
TIPS:

  • Book at least two weeks prior to the time of departure.
  • Shippers with high volume projects should take advantage of the carriers’ receptiveness to take on these opportunities. Space is wide open with a high acceptance rate.

Watch Last Week's Webinar!

Topics: U.S. Import Forecast, Argentina’s market/shipping regulations, recent election results, and more!

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Freight News

Shipping Industry has Mixed Reactions Over FMC’s Proposed Container Terminal Flow Fixes

At their August 9th meeting, the National Shipper Advisory Council (NSAC) publicly reviewed Commissioner Rebecca Dye’s container terminal flow fixes.

Some NSAC members think Dye’s proposed direction is “spot on”, while others are a little unsure as they feel the lack of timeline for implementing these potential processes will hurt shippers who struggle from detention and demurrage charges out of their control.

Early in July FMC Commissioner Dye laid out her proposed plans on fixing the flow at container terminals, you can read more about it here.

Dye recognized that some of the proposals that are currently being tested at the ports of LA/LB and the port of NY/NJ have run into some shortfalls. Dye is still looking for industry feedback, through September 15th, for these proposals.

Furthermore, as the JOC notes, these proposals cannot be fully implemented as policy, unless she receives support from her fellow commissioners at the FMC.

Evergreen Plans to Invest in Taiwan and Rotterdam Terminals

Evergreen is expanding their fleet while also investing in terminals in Taiwan and Rotterdam.

Early last week in Taiwan, Evergreen celebrated the opening of the new Terminal 7 at Kaohsiung Port, with Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC).

The first phase of the terminal is being touted as the first and largest fully-automated container terminal that has remote-controlled gantry cranes in Taiwan.

Three additional berths are expected to be open starting July next year (2024). Once those last three berths are completed, they will have the ability to handle four 24,000 TEU containerships and two feeder vessels at the same time. 

Evergreen is also acquiring a 20 percent stake in Rotterdam’s Euromax container terminal. They also own a five percent stake in the ECT Delta container terminal in Rotterdam, Maritime-Executive reports.

Did You Know: U.S. CBP Agriculture Specialists in San Diego Find a ‘Rare’ Pest While Inspecting Cargo

Back on July 19th, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists found a rare pest, identified as Rhabdotalebra signata.

What makes this even more unique is it has not been recorded in the USDA pest identification database, meaning this is a first-of-its-kind pest across all ports in the nation.

After further investigation and appropriate precautionary measures, the ag specialists returned the shipment and driver to Mexico.

Source: JOC

Blogs of the Week

Check Out Our LinkedIn Poll!

Every other week we post a poll on our LinkedIn page (give us a follow if you feel so inclined 😊), where you can vote on which port you would like to see featured on our deep-diver this Friday!

Vote on this week’s port poll battle: Port of Charleston vs. Port of Houston

Also – consider subscribing to our biweekly “Port of the Week!” newsletter to continue getting a closer look at various ports (and inland ports), globally and domestically.

Interlog Insights

This month we celebrate our ONE YEAR anniversary of Interlog Insights!

In our third week of insights, we discuss how a humanitarian logistics group starts relief efforts for the Hawaii wildfires. Plus, have NOAA forecasters revised their original Atlantic hurricane season prediction?

Lastly, we touch on the Trans-Atlantic lane and how that has been a pain for carriers.

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A Podcast by InterlogUSA: NEW FreightFM Episode 11

Check out episode 11 – In the News: August Rates, Yellow Corp Bankruptcy, Panama Canal Congestion, and More!

InterlogUSA’s Rachel Thielen and Emily Smith discuss the latest industry news during the episode.

Listen Today!

FreightFM features short-form video interviews with InterlogUSA’s industry experts offering insights into breaking news, market trends, our company’s history, and more!

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