container shipping

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 [...]

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled against the Trump Administration’s usage of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement a broad 10% tariff on imports to the U.S. President [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Last week, there was a huge shipping container accident at the Port of Long Beach. Somewhere between 67 and 75 containers fell off a docked container ship, the Mississippi. Thankfully, no one was [...]

Next month, large fees on Chinese-built ships calling on U.S. ports goes into effect. They’re not going to be as enormous as U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer initially [...]

In the wake of surging shipping demand from China to the U.S., Chinese ports are experiencing congestion. That should push transpacific freight rates, which are already climbing fast, to go even [...]

This is a guest post by Ellie Gabel. People planning to ship dangerous goods internationally must understand the packaging-related requirements they must meet. The shipper bears the [...]

This is a guest post by Ellie Gabel. When natural disasters occur, a domino impact reverberates throughout the supply chain, and the disruptions can be pricey for companies. While defense [...]

We are one week away from "Liberation Day." That's what the Trump Administration calls April 2nd, when reciprocal tariffs go into effect. The reciprocal tariff strategy from the Trump [...]