Vaccination efforts are rolling out slower than expected and as it turns out, the bottleneck lies with logistics and not transportation.
Due to a chaotic federal response, the strategy in administering vaccines has run into all manner of bureaucratic obstacles at the state and local levels. The difficulties lie not in the delivery of the vaccines but rather the …
Nearly 700 dockworkers at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have contracted COVID-19 and hundreds more are taking virus-related leaves, raising fears of a severe slowdown in the region’s multibillion-dollar logistics economy.
A growing longshore worker infection rate, which parallels the surge of the virus across California, is exacerbating a massive snarl at the ports due …
On January 21, the Chamber of Shipping, the B.C. Marine Employers Association and the B.C. Marine Terminal Operators Association sent a joint letter to the B.C. Provincial Health Authority to “request that essential longshore and specialized maritime workers be prioritized appropriately for vaccine immunization alongside other essential transportation and supply chain workers when vaccine supplies allow.”…
Prince Rupert
Vancouver
In the final publication of the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) of December 31, an astronomical 190% gain on the year was recorded in change to global ocean freight rates.
The most significant spot rate increase on its major trade lanes was recorded between Asia and North Europe, finishing the year at 300% increase from year prior.
The second …
A new challenge for shippers in 2021 has presented itself in the form of ‘slidings’. Ocean carriers are adding buffer time to schedules to ease the effects of persistent global port congestion and to boost scheduling flexibility and cut costs.
2M partners Maersk and MSC more recently advised “service adjustments” and “structural changes” relating to the Transpacific tradelane.
Maersk …
The number of container ships waiting to berth in Southern California has exceeded levels seen during the 2014-15 labor crisis.
In the 18 days since Dec. 25, only on Jan. 11 were there more ships at berth than at anchor, with 35 ships at marine terminals and 34 ships waiting to unload.
During the 2014-15 West Coast labor crisis, …
The suspension of barge and feeder services in the Pearl River Delta during the busy shipping season ahead of Chinese New Year has left carriers struggling to meet the import and export demand from South China’s busiest ports.
Already swamped by sustained and heavy demand from European and US shippers, the suspension of feeder services linking the hubs of …
For anyone who might have thought the arrival of the new year would bring relief from the crushing port congestion and global deceleration of container flows, disappointment arrived promptly and will likely linger for months to come.
Evidence of the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on container trade — the highest spot rates ever recorded by the Shanghai …
Airfreight rates are expected to remain elevated in 2021 as the demand outlook remains uncertain and belly capacity is slowly re-introduced into the market.
Writing in a Baltic Exchange market update, Bruce Chan, vice president – global logistics at investment bank Stifel, said that airfreight rates are likely to remain elevated and volatile for some time, and those looking …