Seaborne shipments passed 10 billion tons for the first time ever in 2015, up 2.1 percent from 9.8 billion tons the year before - the slowest pace of growth in the industry since 2009, according to the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2016. The report says future growth looks uncertain.
The members of the new Ocean Alliance, CMA CGM, COSCO Container Lines, Evergreen Line and Orient Overseas Container Line, have announced their proposed "day one" trading network. The Alliance is the largest shipping alliance in the world, and the partners will operate 40 services on the East-West trades with around 100 ports of call and almost 500 port pairs.
CaroTrans, a global non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) and ocean freight consolidator, has announced a new Northern Europe service connection with the addition of a direct Atlanta-Gothenburg LCL service. The service has a 21-day transit time, and a Gothenburg-to-Atlanta service will soon follow.
An in-depth analysis of Q3 container shipping costs revealed positive trends for the container carrier segment, according to Xeneta, a market intelligence company for containerized ocean freight. However, the market remains unpredictable, with the 'Hanjin Effect' ebbing away, Xeneta says.
U.S. durable goods orders fell in September, confirming another weak quarter for business spending, but core capital goods showed some signs of a recovery. The Commerce Department said orders for items meant to last three years decreased $0.3bn, or 0.1 percent, to $227.3bn in September, following a 0.3 percent increase in August.
Three councils in the North of Scotland say they hope by combining their procurement operations, they can incentivise key suppliers to invest in local supply chains. Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Highland Council will be encouraging primary suppliers to increase their local footprint and help deliver social value.
The European Union and Canada signed a far-reaching trade agreement this week that commits them to opening their markets to greater competition, after overcoming a last-minute political obstacle that reflected the growing skepticism toward globalization in much of the developed world.
Cross-border e-commerce is growing in popularity - particularly in China, according to a new report from market research company eMarketer. By 2020, a quarter of the Chinese population, amounting to more than half of all the nation's digital buyers, will be shopping either directly on foreign-based sites or through third parties such as Alibaba's Tmall Global and JD.com's JD Worldwide, the report says.
U.S. industrial production rose slightly in September, improving on August's decline but still showing the effects of low energy prices and the strong dollar. Output increased 0.1 percent in September after falling a downwardly revised 0.5 percent the previous month, according to the Federal Reserve. The gain was in line with economists' expectations, according to Reuters.
Hanjin Shipping's European routes services have completely halted, the company said last week, and a Seoul court overseeing its receivership process has approved winding down four of its European units.
