Stuart Chirls

Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.
Sep - 2026 -
22 September
Stuart Chirls

New report: Just a third of container shipping on-time 

Global container schedule reliability slipped in August as Far East–Europe disruptions drove performance toward pandemic-era lows.

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Stuart Chirls

New $100M inland rail terminal will handle 60,000 TEUs a year

Alabama’s $100 million Montgomery inland container terminal will link central Alabama shippers to the Port of Mobile via CSX rail.

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18 September
Stuart Chirls

Federal probe into diversion of F-35 parts to Hong Kong

U.S. lawmakers and the Pentagon are investigating how sensitive F-35 components bound from Australia to the United States for repair were diverted to Hong Kong and are now unaccounted for.

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Stuart Chirls

Asia-US container rates soar past $11,000, near pandemic records

Xeneta: Asia-US spot rates are nearing pandemic records after surging more than 320% since late February.

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17 September
Stuart Chirls

Rail freight slides in rare off-week

Freight on U.S. railroads saw a rare down week but still maintained a healthy lead ahead of 2025 volumes. 

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Stuart Chirls

Norfolk Southern: New intermodal era about removing rail friction

Norfolk Southern says intermodal’s next growth phase will depend on making rail as simple, predictable and accountable as trucking through stronger terminal performance and a coast-to-coast merger.

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16 September
Stuart Chirls

Container shipping fuel prices remain elevated as supply fears ease

The cost of fuel for ocean-going cargo ships more than doubled so far this year, although supplies have improved.

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Stuart Chirls

Container delays by rail increase at busiest U.S. ports

Growing delays for rail-bound boxes reflect continuing pressure on intermodal capacity.

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Stuart Chirls

Savannah port moves 1 million TEUs to start fiscal year

Georgia’s Port of Savannah posted solid cargo gains despite typhoons, Panama Canal woes.

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15 September
Stuart Chirls

Hapag-Lloyd CEO cites resilient demand, but sees shipping market exposed to Middle East disruption

Rolf Habben Jansen says container demand has held up better than expected despite tariffs and geopolitical turmoil, while higher costs and uncertainty over Red Sea routings continue to cloud the market outlook.

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Stuart Chirls

U.S. container imports climb 3.8% to 2.6 million TEUs, 3rd highest monthly level

Imports climbed 3.8% from July to 2.60 million TEUs as gains at East, Gulf and West Coast gateways coincided with a broad increase in sourcing-market volumes and rising port transit delays.

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Stuart Chirls

Houthi gains deepen risk as carriers restore Red Sea services

Container carriers Red Sea return is lowering some rates but increasing exposure to potential new disruptions.

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14 September
Stuart Chirls

Almost 1 million TEUs in new record for this U.S. container gateway

The Port of Long Beach marked its fifth-busiest month ever as imports and exports both increased.

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Stuart Chirls

SC Ports, Norfolk Southern expand intermodal access to Huntsville

SC Ports and Norfolk Southern launched daily intermodal rail service between Charleston and Huntsville, expanding the port’s inland reach.

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Stuart Chirls

Port of Los Angeles posts record 2.9M TEUs, eyes strong finish to 2026

The Port of Los Angeles posted a record summer with year-to-date volume up 1.5% as officials expect continued strength.

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09 September
Stuart Chirls

Summer wanes but railfreight stays hot

Freight on U.S. railroads staged a late summer surge led by grain and metallic ores.

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Stuart Chirls

Colonial Terminals opens new Savannah breakbulk hub

Colonial Terminals has opened a new 25-acre multimodal breakbulk facility serving the Port of Savannah region.

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Stuart Chirls

Canada trade fight not so broad for key imports: Analyst

United States is not imposing a blanket ban on Canadian dairy, alcohol and motor vehicles, according to the tariff fine print.

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