Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Empty shipping containers face delayed returns, report finds

China and U.S. report long periods of idle container storage compared to Middle East and Europe, Container xChange says.

container xchange chart

The combination of peak season holiday imports with pandemic spikes and surges is snarling the global flow of shipping containers, causing empty containers to linger in storage depots even as demand for their capacity soars, an industry report said today.

Container availability across China is still at a record low, while U.S. ports are overwhelmed by a surge of shipping containers from Asia, full of products that retailers are eager to get on shelves for the holidays, according to the report from Container xChange, a German firm that helps forwarders avoid demurrage and detention charges by accessing third party container equipment.


Part of the reason for the blockage is the large variation in the time that containers sit unused between different countries, Container xChange said. Worldwide, containers spend a global average of 45 days empty in depots, although they are “very much in need,” the report said.

However, that average delay is much higher in regions with low container availability— such as China and the U.S.—reaching 61 and 66 days respectively. That compares to a scant, 21-day average in the Middle East and a 23-day average in Europe

The report gives extra credence to industry concerns about container shortages, which recently led U.S. government regulators to open an investigation into the enforcement of ocean carrier and marine terminal practices. The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) launched its fact finding mission, citing “potentially unreasonable practices of carriers and marine terminals regarding container return, export containers, and demurrage and detention charges.”

The Latest

Disaster Response

15 candles

photo of different colored umbrellas
Training/Professional Development/Labor Issues

Do you know a Rainmaker?

More Stories

chart of warehouse vacancy rates

Colliers: warehouse construction rates return to pre-pandemic levels

It’s getting a little easier to find warehouse space in the U.S., as the frantic construction pace of recent years declined to pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter of 2024, in line with rising vacancies, according to a report from real estate firm Colliers.

Those trends played out as the gap between new building supply and tenants’ demand narrowed during 2024, the firm said in its “U.S. Industrial Market Outlook Report / Q4 2024.” By the numbers, developers delivered 400 million square feet for the year, 34% below the record 607 million square feet completed in 2023. And net absorption, a key measure of demand, declined by 27%, to 168 million square feet.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

screen shot of woman planning freight routes

Survey: both shippers and carriers see need for standard KPIs

Both shippers and carriers feel growing urgency for the logistics industry to agree on a common standard for key performance indicators (KPIs), as the sector’s benchmarks have continued to evolve since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research from freight brokerage RXO.

The feeling is nearly universal, with 87% of shippers and 90% of carriers agreeing that there should be set KPI industry standards, up from 78% and 74% respectively in 2022, according to results from “The Logistics Professional’s Guide to KPIs,” an RXO research study conducted in collaboration with third-party research firm Qualtrics.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo of warehouse worker scanning barcodes

Capel steps down as CEO of Manhattan Associates after 25 years

Supply chain technology firm Manhattan Associates, which is known for its “tier one” warehouse, transportation, and labor management software products, says that CEO Eddie Capel will retire tomorrow after 25 total years at the California company, including 12 as its top executive.

Capel originally joined Manhattan in 2000, and, after serving in various operations and technology roles, became its chief operating officer (COO) in 2011 and its president and CEO in 2013.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo of conveyors and bins

SG Holdings acquires high-tech logistics specialist Morrison Express

The Japanese logistics company SG Holdings today announced its acquisition of Morrison Express, a Taipei, Taiwan-based global freight forwarding and logistics service provider specializing in semiconductor and high-tech logistics.

The deal will “significantly” expand SG’s Asian market presence and strengthen its position in specialized logistics services, the Kyoto-based company said.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of EV market share

J.D. Power: EV growth to stagnate in 2025 due to federal policies

The growth of electric vehicles (EVs) is likely to stagnate in 2025 due to headwinds created by uncertainty about the future of federal EV incentives, possible tariffs on both EV and gasoline-powered vehicles, relaxed federal emissions and mileage standards, and ongoing challenges with the public charging network, according to a report from J.D. Power.

Specifically, J.D. Power projects that total EV retail share will hold steady in 2025 at 9.1% of the market, or 1.2 million vehicles sold. Longer term, the new forecast calls for the EV market to reach 26% retail share by 2030, which is approximately half of the market share the Biden administration targeted in its climate agenda.

Keep ReadingShow less