How the Ports of Los Angeles & Long Beach are Losing Market Share
“Advertisements for shipping to Prince Rupert in British Columbia tout ‘infrastructure solutions’ at the ‘congestion-free’ port,” reports an L.A. Times article [...]
The Truth About the New ILWU Contract
After the news broke that both the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) voted to ratify the new West Coast longshore contract, the Los [...]
ILWU Ratified Contract – But Will the Horrible Process Change?!
After just over a year, the contract negotiation process between the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) has come to an end. The ILWU [...]
Which of These Chassis Plans Will Relieve Congestion at LA/LB Ports
“Back That Chassis Up” If Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, and Lil Wayne rapped about international shipping, “Back That Chassis Up” would be their biggest song. It would go [...]
3 International Shipping Buzzwords Breaking Ports’ & Shippers’ Banks
What’s wrong with U.S. ports? Now that the contract negotiations between the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are over [...]
Shocking to Incredible: 3 Top International Shipping News Headlines
Iran Seizes Maersk Container Ship at Gunpoint Iran detained a Maersk container ship at gunpoint this week, complicating already delicate international relations. Helene Cooper and Danny [...]
3 Actions by East Coast Ports to Avoid West-Coast-Like Congestion
East Coast ports saw a big increase in cargo shipments as shippers diverted their shipping containers from West Coast ports due to severe congestion during the long International Longshore & [...]
International Shipping Definitions Vs. Urban Dictionary Definitions
And now for something completely different… Let’s take a break from news about ports, carrier alliances, ILWU contracts, and other international shipping news stories to be, as would [...]
West Coast Port Congestion Slowly Getting Better
The congestion at West Coast ports is getting better. Slowly. Brief Summary of Port Congestion Probably the hardest hit ports by congestion are the Southern Californian Ports of Los Angeles and [...]
Shippers’ Questions: What’s Going On With This Canal Thru Nicaragua
Every week, we post inquiries on Universal Cargo Management’s Facebook and Twitter pages asking what you want to read about in our international shipping blog. Yesterday–Monday, March [...]
ILWU Local 8 Should Pay Damages to Portland Shippers
A federal judge has ordered the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) to pay $60,000 to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for violating a court order to return operations [...]
Book Review: Factory Man by Beth Macy
Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local – and Helped Save an American Town This book is the story of the Bassett family in south western Virginia from just [...]
How Will Carrier Alliances Behave in the 2015 Shipping Market?
And then there were four. Four alliances of carriers fight for profitability and market share in the international shipping industry: 2M Ocean 3 CKYHE G6 In our last blog, we outlined the [...]
Carrier Alliances’ Impact on 2015 International Shipping
There’s always an element of uncertainty in the international shipping industry. There are always factors that make freight rates volatile, but the 2M, Ocean 3, G6, and CKYHE carrier [...]
iView Web Desktop: 5 Features to Make International Shipping Easy (w/ video)
Do you ever feel like it’s hard to keep up with your imports and exports? Where are my shipments now? When will they arrive and at what port? How can I easily communicate this information [...]
Will ILWU Caucus End Contract Negotiations?
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) have been in contract negotiations for months. For the first several months, negotiations seemed [...]
3 Top News Stories in International Shipping Current Events
Here at Universal Cargo Management, we like to keep shippers up on the latest things happening in the world of international shipping. Today’s blog does just that, giving you three top [...]
PORT WARS Episode V: SURCHARGES STRIKE BACK
Long months ago, in a Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) office not so far, far away… Carriers filed Port Congestion Surcharges to be implemented in the case labor unrest significantly [...]
Shipping News Alert: FMC Halts Hefty Port Congestion Surcharges
Congestion at West Coast ports, especially the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has been a growing problem for shippers and everyone involved in the international shipping industry. The [...]