Congestion at U.S. ports has been a problem without relief for the last year. When there is already longstanding congestion before the peak season – which we're deep into now – hits, you know [...]
A good supply chain is predictably critical. Without goods, no one can grow and thrive. This, of course, causes imports and exports to grow in importance in turn. Fresh goods, goods not available [...]
Right now, there are a few governmental moves concerning international shipping that should pique U.S. shippers' interest. First, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) voted to proceed with two [...]
Let’s talk rail and what’s happening with getting shipping containers out of the Port of Los Angeles, so your goods can get to your businesses around the U.S. Universal Cargo’s [...]
It's officially a trend. Shippers are chartering ships to exclusively carry their goods. We're not talking about just any shippers, of course. Big retailers, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) who [...]
It's been a few years since we published guidelines and a video for getting published in Universal Cargo's blog, and it's high time for an update. I receive many email queries and submissions [...]
At the beginning of August, we shared a story in Universal Cargo's blog about a U.S. shipper, MCS Industries, filing an official complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) that accused [...]
It feels like we've been talking about the international shipping industry's sky-high freight rates non-stop for the last year and a half. With freight rates breaking record after record over [...]
In the last blog we talked about the very likely scenario that, with the master contract for the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) expiring in less than a year, contract [...]
Their supply chains shaking and rattling, shippers wake up in cold sweats. If not dark, the horizon is hazy, impossible to see what lies ahead. But shippers know there's a contract expiration out [...]
The Port of Ningbo – the third busiest container port in the world – was supposedly going to start a phased reopening yesterday (Wednesday, August 18th) after its Meidong Container Terminal [also [...]
This is a guest post by Timothy Clark. When you think about a country's top export, what comes to your mind? It probably creates and connects mental images of Italy and pasta, Belgium and [...]
Chinese authorities shut down a terminal at the third busiest container port in the world after a single positive COVID test. Yesterday, Eric Kulisch reported in American Shipper: Chinese [...]
Today, we continue our look at governmental pressure on the international shipping industry. Having watched carrier competition shrink over the last decade until reaching the point we're at now, [...]
A couple blogs ago, I wrote about three ways ocean freight rates could see a significant drop. One of those ways was if regulators break up the carrier alliances that now dominate international [...]
International shipping, with its ocean freight sector in particular, is a volatile industry. Freight rates go up and down like a roller coaster. But not in the last year. Ocean freight rates have [...]
High freight rates have become a motif in Universal Cargo's blog over the last year. That's not surprising as freight rates have climbed and climbed, breaking record after record, much to the [...]
Over the last year, international shipping has been marked by container and equipment shortages, port congestion, high demand, lost containers, rolled containers, and – of course – outrageously [...]
A couple months ago, we blogged about carriers making billions with these high freight rates shippers are being forced to choke down. Well, that was nothing. Wait until you hear this.... If [...]
This is a guest post by John Nicks. The pandemic triggered many changes in various industries all across the world. One of the most affected areas is shipping costs. As the prices go up, the [...]