ocean freight

Overhead view of dock crane unloading containers from a cargo ship

Logistics Market Update – November 2022
Logistics Market Update – November 2022 690 518 Transmodal

Here’s our November 2022 Logistics Market Update.

Earlier this month, an issue of the Global Port Tracker shared that retailers are not feeling optimistic. The prediction is that this month’s containerized imports will drop 9.2% in comparison to November 2021. Further, December imports are expected to drop 9% year-over-year, and this downward trend will continue through March 2023 at least.

Click to Read the full article: https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/container-lines/us-retailers-lower-import-forecast-amid-demand-decline_20221108.html

China’s zero-COVID policy continues to put pressure on its economy—which has slipped for the third month in a row. A senior economist from Caixin Insight Group states that “manufacturing activity was still way down by COVID-19 outbreaks,” and added, “both output and new orders saw further declines.” COVID restrictions prompted 200,000 Foxconn workers across a Zhengzhou complex called iPhone city to flee to escape lockdowns.

Click to Read the full article: https://theloadstar.com/china-manufacturing-slips-for-third-month-in-a-row-as-zero-covid-policy-bites/

In air freight news, the industry remains optimistic in the face of falling air cargo rates. Some levels have dropped to below 2021 rates and continue to fall. The good news is, they aren’t at recessionary levels yet. The industry hopes that demand will return in March, but no one is holding their breath.

Click to Read the full article: https://theloadstar.com/airfreight-a-tough-few-months-but-demand-could-return-in-march/

The drop in consumer demand is being felt around the world. Asia-Pacific airlines have seen a drop of more than 10% year-on-year in demand in September. The director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) says, “The outlook for the cargo market remains subdued in the near term. Overall, the region’s airlines continue to face a challenging operating environment, with costs under pressure as a result of high fuel prices and weak local currencies.”

Click to Read the full article: https://theloadstar.com/sudden-slump-in-demand-leaves-asia-pacific-air-cargo-carriers-in-limbo/

For those who work on the high seas, the Delivering on Seafarers’ Rights progress report was published, thanks to the Sustainable Shipping Initiative. A progress report was written based on an October 2021 Code of Conduct and self-assessment questionnaire. The purpose of the assessment was to look into the welfare and rights of seafarers to identify areas where improvement is necessary.

Click to Read the full article: https://safety4sea.com/new-report-marks-progress-regarding-seafarers-rights-and-welfare/

 

 

Cargo waiting to be loaded on cargo plane in the background

Logistics Market Update – August 2022
Logistics Market Update – August 2022 1920 615 Transmodal

The industry is used to hearing news about port congestion and ships loitering as they wait for berths—at least at the West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. But the tide has shifted. As carriers try to escape the backlog in the west by moving to the east, the problem has followed along like an albatross. The Ports of Houston and New York now have as many containerships waiting for berths as Los Angeles and Long Beach combined.

Click to Read the Full Article

The summer saw still more lockdowns in China as COVID fears continued. Fortunately, Shanghai’s two-month-long lockdown was lifted and with it some speculation that leadership may relent—at least to some extent—on their zero covid policy. There is no escaping the impact on their economy, and manufacturers are becoming increasingly vocal about leaving the country and near-shoring production back to the US and Europe.

Click to Read the Full Article

According to a survey of 233 senior procurement executives done by Ivalua, nearly all procurement leaders—97% of them—say they are facing significant disruption in the direct materials supply chain. 67% say they have little to no confidence in existing technology, and 84% say modernization needs to be a priority.

Click to Read the Full Article

The Biden Administration is considering a relief package that will roll back some of the tariffs that were previously imposed on China during the Trump Administration—which raised prices on everything from diapers to clothing and furniture. The expectation is that a modest list of tariff suspensions will tamp down inflation.

Click to Read the Full Article

The FMC has a bit of a conundrum. Back in June, a vote was passed, giving them more power to handle allegedly unfair business practices carried out by ocean carriers and marine terminal operators. But now they’re saying they don’t have enough staff to enforce reforms. According to FMC Commissioner Carl Bentzel, “We have major rulemakings we’ll be starting in the short term but very few people to do the work, so we’re wrestling with that.”

Click to Read the Full Article

Bow of docked cargo ship at dusk

Logistics Market Update – July 2022
Logistics Market Update – July 2022 690 518 Transmodal

Sluggish supply chains could get even slower going forward. The green shipping initiative has had the industry concerned about increased costs, but now decreased speed could be a factor as well. This is because of the lack of insight shipping companies have into what type of fuel they’ll need to use. To offset that lack of knowledge, they’ll continue to use older vessels. The problem is that those vessels will need to run more efficiently and that could translate into them sailing at slower speeds.

Click to Read the full article

For some good news on the high seas, the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports that the period between January to June 2022 had the lowest incident rate of piracy since 1994. Of the 58 incidents reported—there were 68 in the same period in 2021—there were 55 boardings, two attempted boardings, and one hijack. Despite the lower numbers, the IMB reminds the industry that it’s not the time to be complacent since the number of boardings remains high.

Click to Read the full article

California’s AB5 law has truckers protesting. The law restricts independent owner-operators, forcing them to be reclassified as employees. In response, a protest at the Port of Oakland forced its closure. Truckers blocked gates and access to the port’s container terminals. West Coast ports are already dealing with congestion and contract negotiations, so this new issue adds more stress to an already fragile supply chain.

Click to Read the full article

Speaking of ships, in a world of super-sized container vessels, the tide has turned—at least in the commodity trades market. Small ships are outperforming larger vessels by a significant amount. According to a report from Clarksons Platou Securities, Spot employment for smaller bulk commodity ships costs more than for larger ships — in most cases, a lot more.

Click to Read the full article

Moving to the East Coast, ports there are starting to deal with the same pain West Coast ports have been facing since early in the pandemic. Ships that are hoping to escape the congestion issues at the Ports of LA and Long Beach are moving east and shifting congestion at the same time. The McCown Report by Blue Alpha Capital states that the number of container ships waiting for a berth on the East Coast is much higher than usual, despite an overall drop in the number waiting country-wide.

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