Domestic Rates are Increasing As Service Levels Decrease The new ELD mandate, a severe chassis shortage, port congestion due to mega vessels, and an exponentially decreasing pool of drivers have brought the transportation industry to the precipice of a crisis. Now more than ever, shippers need to know how this veritable “perfect storm” of events […]

The new Electronic Log Data (ELD) mandate, which officially goes into effect on December 18th, is forcing truckers to pay much closer attention to their logs so as not to exceed their Hours of Service (HOS) requirements. Electronic logs, which cannot be manipulated with the same ease as their paper predecessors, have already caused rate […]

Shapiro has received multiple reports that Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal has ceased operations for the remainder of the day today, Tuesday, November 7th due to crane operators walking off the job. There has been no further information released regarding the closure at this time, so full details cannot yet be provided. We will continue to […]

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party, a gathering of China’s top delegates that occurs twice a decade, will commence in Beijing on Wednesday, October 18th and is expected to last one week. In preparation for the meeting, security measures have been tightened as of October 16th and the majority of cargo entering Shanghai […]

In light of Irma’s changing trajectory and weakened condition, there are a number of updates to the information released in last Friday’s Shap Flash.  Please note the following: Port of Charleston is open and operating normally. Port of Savannah is CLOSED.  As of now, it is expected to re-open on Wednesday, 9/13. We are not […]

The most recent forecasts for Hurricane Irma now predict the Category 5 storm will make landfall in Florida tomorrow morning, after which Irma is expected to continue her trajectory, diminishing in size and severity throughout her journey along the Southeast coast of the U.S. In anticipation of Irma’s disastrous path, numerous ports along the Southeastern […]

Despite the destructive wake of Hurricane Harvey, which was officially classified as a Category 4 hurricane, the majority of affected Gulf Coast ports are hoping to resume normal operations by Labor Day. Though the Coast Guard has already reinstated partial operations at a few smaller Gulf Coast ports, namely Corpus Christi, Lake Charles and Galveston, […]

Based almost exclusively on the historical levels of flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, all major components of Houston’s vast transportation gateway are closed and inoperable. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), The Port of Houston, and all major rail ramps remain closed with only IAH hoping to open as early as Thursday, August 31st. […]

The 9th annual BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit, which is touted as a major international relations event that brings in top officials from each member nation, is being hosted in Xiamen, China this year. The 2017 summit will officially take place between September 3rd and 5th. However, tightened security measures leading […]

Although no date has been set and no firm details are available, the International Longshoremen’s Association has begun to lay the groundwork for a one-day work stoppage at ILA ports from Houston to Maine.  The ILA hopes to draw attention to two issues affecting its members: the activities of the Waterfront Commission in the ports […]

PierPass, a non-profit company that seeks to create greater port efficiency and sustainability, and the West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement (WCMTOA) have announced an increase to the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The modified TMF will go into effect on August 1, 2017 and will reflect […]

COSCO Shipping has paired with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) in a consolidated effort to purchase Orient Overseas International Ltd. (OOIL), the holding company overseeing Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL). The proposed deal would pay OOIL $10.07 per share, which equates to roughly $6.3 billion. If OOIL accepts the offer then COSCO would assume a […]

In its latest press release, Maersk announced that it is nearly recovered from the cyber-attack that left the company’s IT systems in disarray earlier this week. Certain business units and processes are still not fully operational. Here is an outline of the current status: Bookings Placed Before and After Attack – Every booking that was […]

Though numerous Maersk systems remain offline as a result of Tuesday’s cyber-attack, the company is now accepting bookings from customers who utilize the INTTRA system. Bookings made on INTTRA are likely to take longer than normal to process, but the system is operational. Maersk’s e-mail and communication platforms remain offline, so customers needing to contact […]

Maersk and APM Terminal operations remain in a critical state as a result of cyber-attack Petya, the virus that has halted operations at nearly ten multinational corporations. In their latest press release, Maersk outlined the following points: Multiple Maersk IT systems remain powered down in an effort to further secure data. As a result of […]

Maersk and its associated APM Terminals are the latest victims of the Petya Virus, a cyber-attack that commenced at daybreak Tuesday, June 27th in the Ukraine and Russia. The virus has already disrupted the operations of six multinational companies and has led Maersk to powering off its internal systems to ensure data integrity. Maersk’s booking […]

Japan’s three major shipping lines announced plans to merge into a single, consolidated joint venture company; the timing, however, remains in question. “K” Line, MOL, and NYK Lines intended to establish the Ocean Network Express (ONE) by April of 2018. However, U.S. ‘gun jumping’ laws may force a much sooner launch. Earlier this month, the […]

Hapag-Lloyd (Hapag) and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) have agreed to the terms of a merger that is expected to be completed by the end of the 3rd quarter. The merger will combine the 118 services of Hapag and the 45 services of UASC, equating to 163 services that are capable of moving over 10 […]

Due to blizzard conditions forecast to affect our region, all terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey will be closed on March 14, 2017.  The port’s Winter Weather Plan will be in effect. The following Port of Philadelphia terminals will be CLOSED today, Tuesday, March 14, 2017: Packer Avenue Marine Terminal Tioga […]

The Journal of Commerce’s 17th Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime (TPM) Conference opening session tensed as Harold Daggett, the International Longshoreman’s Association president, strongly urged its members “not to engage in any work stoppage or any other violations of our current master contract.”  The active master contract contains a no-strike clause to prevent work stoppages that could […]