A record heatwave in China’s south-west Sichuan province has led to depleted reservoirs and rolling blackouts as hydropower plants were forced to reduce electricity output. Factories in Sichuan were ordered to shut for six days for power rationing – a regular feature during China’s hot summers...

Throughput edged up year on year by 0.9%, to 4.4m teu, which compares with the 4.4% fall at Antwerp-Bruges, to 6.8m teu, and 6.2% drop at Rotterdam, to 7.3m teu. A year-on-year 5.8% increase in Chinese imports and exports, to 1.3m teu, and a 3.9% rise in US volumes, to 291,000 teu, at Hamburg mitiga...

The Felixstowe Port strike is expected to begin on Sunday, but the results of the Liverpool ballot were only announced on Monday and no firm dates for industrial action have yet been announced. It is unlikely, as some have suggested, that any liner services will be diverted from Felixstowe perm...

MSC has pulled back from issuing its general rate increase (GRI) and peak season surcharge (PSS) notices this month on the India-US trades, while other liners have, tactically, kept themselves out of the pricing race, thus far. Geneva-based MSC had announced a $2,000 per container PSS for Indian loa...

Nevertheless, two ocean carriers remain bullish on maintaining profitability, as the liner industry adjusts to ‘normalisation’. The Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) reported a 30% slump in its Thailand and Vietnam component and a 22% decline in its Middle East index. “Carriers cut pri...

Fire broke out on the 8,586 teu containership on 8 August in cargo hold four as the ship was leaving Colombo. Damaged containers in the affected bays were discharged on 12 August. A source at Zim told Logistic-News  “the incident is being handled by the owner”. Insurance consultant WK Webste...

The cooperation agreement covers freight forwarding and warehousing support in South-east Asia. Amid a booming container shipping market last year, Zhonggu ventured into overseas markets for the first time with two services connecting China and Vietnam in March and August. The CV1 calls at Shan...

Unite union negotiators walked out on discussions with the port authority last week, rejecting a 7% wage increase and £500 ($600) lump sum as being “fairly far away” from what its 1,900 members were willing to accept. It claimed that, with inflation above 10%, it was “effectively, a pay cut�...

Customs declaration services are set to switch from the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight system (CHIEF) to CDS on 1 October. Currently, CSPs act as intermediaries to give ports relevant information about the movement of containers. A source told Logistic-News CSPs required companies movi...

Namsung confirmed to Logistic-News today it had ordered a pair of 2,500 teu ships fitted with scrubbers from compatriot shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, costing $43m each. Currently, freight rates for shipments from South Korea to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are averaging between $1,100 and $...