The global shipping industry is constantly evolving, and the COVID-19 pandemic began a marked shift in how container shipping operates. Disruption caused by the pandemic has forced the industry to expand its capacity and reduce costs to remain profitable.
At the peak of the pandemic, containers essentially stopped moving. As manufacturers went into lockdown and closed factories, many of the containers used to ship those manufactured goods were left stranded at ports or storage depots, where they weren’t needed. Simultaneously, freight shippers were reducing the number of vessels in use due to the manufacturing slowdown. This limited global shipping capacity and disrupted the worldwide flow of containers and goods. As a result, some regions were left with an excess of stored containers, while other places were left with no containers at all.
As the pandemic slowed and the global economy began to rebound, labor shortages and congestion at ports have left many of these stored containers stuck where they aren’t needed. Now, instead of a shortage of shipping containers, the industry is dealing with too many. Many container storage depots are turning away new clients due to lack of space, and some shippers are even giving containers away to make room. Blank and cancelled sailings are increasing as well, as shippers decide to skip a port or cancel a trip altogether in order to manage changes in demand and capacity.
Check back here for the latest news and insights on the state of the container shipping industry. You can also visit our maritime news archive to learn more about cargo shipping, or our American Shipper archive for air cargo shipping industry news.
America wants to make its maritime sector globally competitive again. But significant obstacles hinder development and expansion, says the chief U.S. ocean shipping regulator.
Persian Gulf vessel traffic still at a trickle as the U.S. presses a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Global reach, transformational change and customer service: Chair Laura DiBella says this isn’t the Federal Maritime Commission you thought you knew.
The Federal Maritime Commission has again rejected a request by Maersk to waive the 30-day waiting period to implement emergency fuel surcharges.
It could take six months from the time hostilities cease for insurers to clear Strait of Hormuz shipping for normal operations.
A weaker March turned out to be a pre-season tuneup as the port of Los Angeles still managed to play up to the back of its baseball card.
Taxpayers won’t be funding automated container handling at two major West Coast ports.
Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line saw Q1 profits decline on weaker rates despite higher container volumes.
A bullish Evergreen Marine has finalized an order for 11 ultra-large container ships worth $3 billion with two Asia builders.
CMA CGM and the Ocean Alliance have added a direct container service from China and Asia markets to the Port of Jacksonville.
A growing disconnect between demand and pricing is emerging across freight markets, Flexport says.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allocated a record $131.8 million to the San Pedro Bay port complex, including $70 million for the Port of Los Angeles, to fund harbor maintenance, safety, and other projects.
Ocean container operations are stable across a global market outside the Middle East amid sharply higher fuel costs and uncertain availability.
A plan to charge ships a toll to cross the Strait of Hormuz could further increase fuel prices; container ships trapped in the Persian Gulf have yet to move after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
President Trump wants to increase federal spending for shipbuilding by 242%, to $65.8 billion, for battleships, submarines and other military vessels, according to documents released by the White House on Tuesday.
The chief executive of the Port of Montreal has departed after just two years on the job, amid soaring cost estimates for a major new container terminal project.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz forced tens of thousands of vessel route diversions in the first month of the Iran war, indicating a significant and sustained shift in global shipping, according to visibility platform project44.
The Federal Maritime Commission for the second time declined to waive the 30-day waiting period to implement an emergency fuel surcharge Maersk says it urgently needs to recoup rising operating costs.
A key on-dock rail hub at the busiest U.S. port has effectively doubled the terminal’s capacity.
A 5,500-TEU container ship operated by CMA CGM of France marked the first transit by a major ocean line through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused China of ‘bullying’ by detaining dozens of Panama-flagged ships at its ports.
Global repercussions of the Iran war are being felt throughout the supply chain, says an analyst, on sharp increases in ocean container rates.
The Federal Maritime Commission said it is closely monitoring retaliation by China against Panama-flagged ships that could compromise the U.S. supply chain.
Hapag-Lloyd’s CEO said that the war in Iran is costing the container carrier $40-$50 million per week for added fuel, insurance and other expenses.
Hapag-Lloyd said 2025 profits fell sharply and warned of a challenging year for shipping on higher costs and ongoing geopolitical risks.
CMA CGM has deployed the hybrid diesel-wind-powered Neoliner Origin to its trans-Atlantic rotations.
February import volumes fell by double digits at the Port of Oakland as export traffic led cargo activity.
California ports are requesting $1 billion in the fiscal 2027 budget to fund infrastructure, modernization and supply chain readiness across the state’s 11 deep-water hubs.
The Federal Maritime Commission rejected a request by ocean lines to shorten the notice period for rate hikes amid the conflict in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
New Federal Maritime Commission Chair Laura DiBella says the Trump administration is making the strongest push in decades to support the domestic shipping industry.
Port Houston officials passed a new rule set to take effect May 1 aimed at pressing shippers to move refrigerated cargo faster.
As logistics providers look for the greenshoots of spring’s business revival, ocean shipping is seeing a range of changes weighing on the outlook for the maritime supply chain.
A U.S.-flag line says Jones Act carriers provide stable, long-term commitments even as President Trump suspended the shipping law barring foreign lines from hauling cargo between American ports.
Mediterranean Shipping Co., the world’s largest ocean container carrier, has acquired joint ownership stake in a fleet of tankers.
Exports prop up overall container volumes at the Port of Long Beach.
One shipping line is charging shippers for free extended storage time in the war-torn Persian Gulf, while several countries are reportedly in talks with Iran to get trapped vessels safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
The ranking member of the Senate budget committee said bipartisan progress was being made on the highway bill and other crucial transportation funding legislation.
The newly-appointed chief of the U.S. shipping regulator says the United States must completely rebuild its industrial maritime complex if it wants to reclaim leadership on the global stage.
Ocean carrier CMA CGM will re-flag 30 ships under the French flag, a year after its chief executive appeared in the Oval Office to support plans to revive the American maritime sector.
Decades of underinvestment have left the Gulf region with few alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, an analyst says.
The top U.S. container port saw near-record volume in February as continued consumer resilience outpaced middling economic indicators.
The threat of a drone attack on California by Iran that prompted a warning by the FBI was ‘not credible,’ according to a Los Angeles port executive.
The White House has launched trade investigations into 16 U.S. trading partners, potentially paving the way for new tariffs.
The Federal Maritime Commission said it is closely monitoring the impact of the Iran war on shipping rates and charges.
Maersk’s CEO said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has effectively trapped 10 of the line’s ships in the Persian Gulf.
Thousands of merchant mariners and hundreds of cargo ships remain trapped in the Persian Gulf region as violence escalated in the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite near-daily requests from shipping, the U.S. Navy has refused to provide escorts in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report.
A ONE container ship in U.S. service was attacked in the Persian Gulf, the first confirmed targeting of merchant shipping beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
The world’s largest container shipping line in an unusual move is diverting all cargo destined for the Arabian Gulf region to safe ports, and charging shippers $800 for move.
Dozens of U.S. states and thousands of companies are challenging the Trump administration’s tariffs in court.
Senator Mark Kelly campaigned for his maritime legislation before a welcoming audience of port executives, who cheered his initiative to reestablish American shipping dominance.
As Iran retaliates against U.S.-led attacks, the effects on Persian Gulf shipping threaten to spread beyond the region to the wider global supply chain.
Kuehne+Nagel is a bell weather for the logistics sector, which faces more uncertainty with the Middle East conflict underway. The company says it plans to cut 2,000 workers.
While major shipping lines cut short their return and war threatens the region, the Suez Canal Authority said vessel traffic continues apace through the Middle East trade route.
Container line CMA CGM has suspended all bookings to the Middle East as Iran attacked crude oil facilities and tanker traffic in the Persian Gulf.
Leading container carrier suspends all worldwide bookings to Middle East destinations.
A U.S.-flag bulk tanker was hit by projectiles at the Port of Bahrain, the first American merchant ship to come under attack in the Iran war.
The largest container vessel lines shifted operations as Iran attacked Persian Gulf ports and tanker vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Businesses are bracing for higher air cargo rates and shipping delays as airlines ground aircraft and avoid Middle East airspace as the U.S. and Israel battle Iran.
Houthi rebels in Yemen warned they will resume drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran.
A federal judge tossed out a lawsuit filed by the International Longshoremen’s Union alleging the Virginia Port Authority had interfered with the newly-signed union contract when it installed automated cranes at one of its container terminals.
U.S. ocean line Matson said its terminal joint venture shored up fourth quarter results as container volumes fell on weaker China traffic.
The Port of Long Beach recorded its second-busiest January ever despite the ongoing effects of the China-U.S. trade war and economic uncertainty.
Just weeks after returning, Maersk will again divert some voyages, including a U.S. service, away from the volatile Red Sea-Suez Canal route.
Ocean Network Express liner operator announces leadership transitions as founding CEO Jeremy Nixon steps down.
Port Houston logs largest January on record; Corpus Christi freight up 6.5% despite crude oil dip
Container gains at this eastern maritime hub led all Canadian ports in 2025.
Panama on Monday reportedly took over operations of container terminals at the Panama Canal, ending decades-long control by China.
Maersk says it’s digging out from the record blizzard that shut down handling at its Port Newark-Elizabeth container terminal.
Xeneta: Iran tensions could delay Red Sea return While ocean carriers wrangle with too many ships and too little cargo, continuing weak rates on the Asia-U.S. trade route are starting to show up on other benchmark shipping lanes. “Average spot rates are down this week across all main fronthaul trades out of the Far East,” […]
Container terminals and supporting facilities were closed Monday as the Northeast U.S. was pounded by the biggest winter storm in a decade.
Trump could leverage fees on container imports to raise revenue after the Supreme Court declared his emergency tariffs illegal.
Supreme Court rules President Donald Trump exceeded his authority under emergency law to impose tariffs on more than 90 U.S. trading partners.
The world’s fifth-largest ocean shipping line is testing real-time container visibility on 2 million containers.
Container rates continued to fall on Asia-U.S. trade lanes as shippers wait out the Lunar New Year holiday.
Norfolk Southern and CMA CGM are offering a new door-to-door intermodal service incorporating rail’s reach with truckload simplicity.
Unsettled trade policy and cautious importers were reflected in falling January container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles.
Medlog has opened Medlog 1, a major integrated logistics park in Saudi Arabia, strengthening the country’s position as a global logistics hub.
Zim, Israel’s flag ocean carrier, confirmed it will be acquired by Hapag-Lloyd of Germany for $4.2 billion.
Hapag-Lloyd said it is in advanced negotiations to acquire the Israeli flag carrier.
A fee on foreign-built vessels is the linchpin to help fund President Trump’s plan to revive U.S. shipbuilding.
The head of DP World resigned Friday after his links to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were revealed by a U.S. Congressman.
A closely-watched container price index fell for the fifth consecutive week as lower freight on benchmark ocean routes pressured global rates.
A major Canadian pension fund has halted investment with DP World after the Dubai company’s CEO emerged as an associate of deceased American sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
A Hong Kong port terminal operator has threatened legal action after its Panama port contracts were cancelled.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said a new executive team will succeed Takeshi Hashimoto as leadership of the Japan-based container carrier.
Muted demand marks the trans-Pacific container market post-Lunar New Year as ocean freight rates are easing earlier than usual.
Hapag-Lloyd container volumes increased on robust trade growth but diverted voyages away from the Red Sea hurt average freight rates.
CBP is shifting to mandatory pre-departure electronic filing for U.S. cargo exports to close security gaps and streamline maritime trade.
Despite a decline in China trade traffic, the Port of New York-New Jersey saw loaded containers increase in 2025.
Pacific northwest ports have signed an agreement to create an inland logistics hub to boost Washington state trade.
The world’s largest asset manager could back an effort by the world’s biggest container line to buy the busiest container terminal at the leading U.S. East Coast port.
Mediterranean Shipping Company earned a substantial fine from the Federal Maritime Commission for three separate Shipping Act violations.
Overcapacity and global trade headwinds sent Maersk to a Q4 pre-tax loss on container volumes that improved by 8%.
The Chinese company operating ports at the Panama Canal has filed for arbitration after a high court voided its contracts.
One of the biggest ocean container shipping partnerships said it will return to the Red Sea-Suez Canal trade route with help from naval forces.
Falling prices for containers moving from Asia to the United States could be one indicator that truck rates and tender rejections will soon continue to move up.
Ocean Network Express posted a net loss of $88 million in the third fiscal quarter on weaker container traffic and rates.
The Hong Kong company that operates ports at the Panama Canal will have to relinquish control after a court ruling.
Port Houston posted record container and truck volumes in 2025, while Port of Corpus Christi saw modest overall declines in cargo traffic.
