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HAPAG-LLOYD US PORT STRIKE SURCHARGES TO GO INTO EFFECT SAME DAY AS TRUMP INAUGURATION  Ocean container carrier Hapag-Lloyd announced two surcharges ahead of a potential strike by unionized longshore  workers at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports in January. The Work Disruption Surcharge (WDS) and Work Interruption  Destination Surcharge (WID) are effective Jan. 20, 2025, …

PORT STRIKE THREAT HELPS BOOST TRANS-PACIFIC CONTAINER RATES   A late-year freight surge has kept ocean container rates elevated on trans-Pacific routes to the United States. Routes  from Asia to the U.S. West and East coasts showed narrow increases for the week ending Dec. 20, according to shipping  data analyst Freightos, and are about 15% higher …

SHIPPERS WARNED OF CHAOTIC START TO 2025 FOR CONTAINER SHIPPING   DHL Global Forwarding said that stronger than expected demand container shipping is being seen in the final months of  2024. In its Ocean Freight Market Outlook December 2024, the company noted that Chinese exports were exceeding  expectations due to expected tariff hikes by incoming US …

SHIPPERS URGE LONGSHORE UNION, EMPLOYERS TO RESUME CONTRACT TALKS   With just weeks to go until a contract extension runs out, a coalition of shippers is urging East and Gulf coast port  employers and union longshore workers to resume negotiations to avert another port strike. In a letter to International  Longshoremen’s Association President Harold Daggett and …

UNION, EMPLOYERS RESUME WAR OF WORDS IN EAST COAST PORT CONTRACT DISPUTE  The war of words resumed this week between port employers represented by the United States Maritime Alliance  (USMX), and the International Longshoremen’s Association union and their 45,000 workers at East and Gulf Coast ports.  The sides had agreed to a media blackout when …

RIVALS SCRAMBLE TO KEEP PACE WITH MSC   The unmatched scale and growth ambitions of Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) is forcing competitors to scramble for  tonnage. Alpahliner is reporting that MSC has now surpassed 400 secondhand ship purchases since it embarked on a  historical buying spree amid the covid pandemic in August 2020. Alphaliner tallies 402 …

EU AND UK ISSUE SANCTIONS AGAINST IRISL   The UK and the European Union have targeted Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) in their latest round of sanctions. The Iranian containerline and its CEO, Mohammadreza Modarres Khiabani, have been sanctioned over the company’s ongoing military support to Russia’s war against Ukraine and to armed groups …

CANADIAN DOCKERS LOCKED OUT OF BC AND MONTREAL PORTS   Dockers were locked out of terminals at Vancouver and Prince Rupert ports on 4 November after the ILWU Local 514 issued a strike notice; carriers issued customer advisories that alternative calls will need to be made as the west coast ports are at a standstill. Employer’s …

MONTREAL PORT EMPLOYERS PRESSURE STRIKING UNION   Maritime employers at the Port of Montreal warned that they will suspend salary guarantees for striking union members in an escalation of the longshore labor dispute. Saying it has “no other choice,” the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) said in a statement posted to its website that it will suspend …

ZIM ADDS NEW MEDITERRANEAN-US EAST COAST DIRECT SERVICES   Zim Integrated Shipping Services announced a restructuring of its Cross-Atlantic services linking the Mediterranean region with North and South America. The updated structure, to take effect in February 2025, will enhance service offerings by establishing two weekly service strings, one focused on direct routes from Mediterranean ports …