Container Shipping & Transport

Shipping surge, new tariffs on the way, 50% tariff on specific Canadian goods announced, subdued peak season predicted, and a new reciprocal trade deal with Jordan… Wow. That’s a lot [...]

A practical walk-through with a worked example — factory price, ocean freight, duties and fees, insurance, plus the line items first-time importers routinely miss (consolidation, compliance, the [...]

On Sunday (June 14th), President Trump announced a peace deal with Iran via a Truth Social post: The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all! I hereby fully [...]

When I first started writing about international shipping more than 15 years ago, a rollercoaster was the best metaphor to describe the industry, with its volatile, up-and-down freight rates for [...]

U.S. Started Assisting Ships to Cross the Strait of Hormuz this Week While Star Wars nerds, like me, were saying “May the 4th be with you,” family and friends of crew members and [...]

Last week, we blogged on the opening of the Hormuz Strait, but with the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran feeling tenuous and Iran warning of possible mines in the water and [...]

With the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping traffic through it is reportedly at a trickle. According to a Reuters article by [...]

It’s time to look at what’s happening with freight rates. Whenever there’s a disaster, crisis, or disruption to a major shipping hub, freight rates are impacted. Usually, that [...]

This is a guest post by Jake Herrera. During each year, shipping volume swings wildly. It only takes weeks for freight availability to go from comfortable to tight. This often happens when [...]

Oil Prices Outlook Oil has always been a large factor in international shipping costs. The Iran War, with the closure of the Straight of Hormuz, effectively cut off shipping access through the [...]

Yesterday (Monday, March 24th), the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said no to carriers requesting waiver of the 30-day notice period before hitting shippers with fees related to the Iran War. [...]

Trump Orders Government to Cover Persian Gulf Shipping In Tuesday’s blog about the impacts of the Iran War on international shipping, we brought up insurance, specifically marine insurers [...]

The Iran War significantly impacts international shipping in the immediate present and potentially long-term future. If the immediate impact was summed up with one word, it would be [...]

This is a guest post by Jordan Ellis. U.S. Gulf ports can seem calm on Monday and strained by Thursday because ships, trucks, yards, and rail links react fast to small shocks. So, many logistics [...]

25% Tariff on Semiconductors Not Used in the U.S. In a proclamation yesterday (January 14th), President Trump announced a 25% tariff on semiconductors transshipped through the United States. If [...]

This is a guest post by Ellie Gabel. Many overseas shipments stall before leaving the factory. Oftentimes, it is due to supplier gaps, which cause costly delays and forced rework. Whether it is a [...]

2025 is drawing to a close, and that means it’s time to look back at the Top 10 Universal Cargo blog posts of the year! It’s always a fun exercise to count down the top 10 – David [...]

You can put a fork in it; international shipping’s peak season is done. And despite a little freight rate increase last week, it’s been done. At least on the ocean freight side. Air [...]

Are the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden attacks over? News broke this week indicating they’ve stopped, which has enormous implications for international shipping. No Attacks Since Peace Deal Since [...]

A cyclone shut down operations at ports and airports in Southern China and Hong Kong the last couple days, likely causing up to a week (in some cases possibly more) in delays for shippers [...]