News
2025 Freight Market Update: Turbulent Year Ahead

By Yoyo Shi / 2025-01-06
The container shipping market is poised for a volatile 2025, with analysts predicting continued profitability for major carriers like MSC, Maersk, and CMA CGM, despite a complex landscape of potential strikes, trade barriers, and shifting alliances. The Red Sea crisis, a significant driver of 2024's surprising profitability, remains a key...
Read More »Breaking! East Coast Port Strike Update: Talks Restart Tomorrow

By Yoyo Shi / 2025-01-06
Negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Workers' Union (ILA) and the United States Maritime Exchange (USMX) are set to resume Monday, just over a week before the Jan. 15 deadline for a new contract. The decision to restart talks, according to a source familiar with the negotiations, came swiftly...
Read More »ILA Negotiations Update: East Coast Port Strike Looms as Negotiations Remain Stalled

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-12-11
With just one month remaining before the January 15th contract expiration, negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) remain stalled, raising concerns of a potential East Coast port strike. The current impasse follows the ILA's abrupt walkout from negotiations in November. Since then, both...
Read More »December 2024 Freight Rate Trends: US West Coast Shipping Rates Drop

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-12-03
US shipping rates have been dropping rapidly in recent weeks, particularly on the West Coast. Reports indicate that some prices in freight market have fallen below $2,000 per container, while major shipping companies are offering rates around $2,400-$2,500. On the East Coast, FAK (freight-all-kinds) rates are fluctuating between $4,600 and...
Read More »ILA Ends Negotiations with USMX Over Automation Concerns

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-11-14
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) announced Tuesday that it has ended negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) due to ongoing disputes over automation language in contract proposals. The union's decision comes after USMX continued to push for automation and semi-automation provisions that the ILA argues would threaten jobs....
Read More »Breaking! Canadian Government Steps In to Resolve Port Labor Disputes

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-11-13
The Canadian government has intervened in ongoing port strikes at major hubs in Vancouver and Montreal, Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon announced Wednesday. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has been directed to order the resumption of operations and facilitate binding arbitration between labor and management. The strikes, lasting more than...
Read More »Montreal Strike Update: The Final Pay Offer Was Rejected

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-11-12
The lockout was initiated after 1,200 dockworkers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375, voted 99.7% against the Maritime Employers Association's (MEA) contract offer. The union stated that the proposal did not adequately address their demands, particularly regarding scheduling and work-life balance. The MEA's final offer...
Read More »Montreal Port Dockworkers Started New Strike on Oct.31

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-11-04
Dockworkers in Montreal, Canada, announced their plan to strike starting Thursday, October 31, targeting two major container terminals. This action was part of an ongoing disagreement over their contract. CUPE Local 375 urged the Maritime Employers Association to reach an agreement, stating that the strike would continue indefinitely unless they...
Read More »US Strike Updated: Port Strike and the Future of Maritime Logistics

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-10-12
Key Takeaways As the dust settles from the recent port strike on the US East and Gulf Coast ports, the shipping industry finds itself at a crossroads, balancing immediate labor disputes with long-term strategic shifts in logistics and alliances. The brief but historic dockworkers strike in nearly half a century,...
Read More »Freight Market Update in Early September 2024

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-09-18
Review of the International Freight Market As of September 17, 2024, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) closed at 1896 points, an increase of 87 points from August 30, representing a rise of 4.8%. In the iron ore market, supply saw a significant decrease in shipments from foreign mines in early...
Read More »Performance of the Container Shipping Market in the First Half of 2024

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-08-20
The first half of 2024 in the container shipping market was marked by an early peak in demand, tight capacity, and rapidly rising freight rates due to several key factors. These factors include supply disruptions from prolonged rerouting around the Red Sea, increased exports driven by restocking needs in Europe...
Read More »May U.S. Retail Sales Fall Short: Will Shipping Rates Still Rise?

By Yoyo Shi / 2024-07-05
U.S. retail sales for May came in slightly below expectations, with a modest 0.1% increase in overall sales compared to the previous month. Excluding automobile purchases, sales actually declined by 0.1%. However, when food services are excluded, retail sales showed a more positive picture, growing by 0.2% month-on-month and 2%...
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