#Maritime

Trucker age-exemption bill reintroduced in new Congress

Underage truck drivers would be exempted from restrictions that prohibit them from moving containers to and from marine terminals as proposed in a Republican-backed bill reintroduced in the new Congress.

The Ceasing Age-Based (CAB) Trucking Restrictions Act was introduced this week by U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., with 19 co-sponsors, all Republican. It is identical to a bill Mast introduced in late 2021, the Supplying America Needs Truckers Aged 18 (SANTA) Act, which garnered 21 co-sponsors...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/headline-trucker-age-exemption-bill-reintroduced-in-new-congress

Marine fuels boosted diesel prices in 2022, but future impact unclear

The recent publication of two significantly different outlooks for diesel markets in 2023 shows how the International Maritime Organization’s environmental rules will remain an enormous factor.

Just one slight issue: Will the impact on diesel be bullish or bearish?

The direction of diesel, as always, will still overwhelmingly be determined by the price of crude. A slide in crude prices created by a possible ’23 recession, or the opposite of recession if an increase if China’s demand surges as it...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/marine-fuels-boosted-diesel-prices-in-2022-but-future-impact-unclear

Biden climate blueprint promotes modal shift away from trucks

A formal strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector prioritizes maritime and rail over trucking to more quickly get to net-zero emissions by 2050.

The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, released Tuesday by the Biden administration, is billed as a “first-of-its-kind” plan to cut GHG emissions in both passenger and freight transportation, building off funding incentives included in the 2021 infrastructure package and the 2022 Inflation...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-climate-blueprint-promotes-modal-shift-away-from-trucks

‘Surge finally over,’ US imports back near pre-pandemic levels

The “new normal” is looking a lot like the old normal as U.S. imports continue to fall. Volumes began declining sharply in September and were already close to 2019 levels by the end of last year. They’re expected to pull even with pre-COVID numbers this month and next.

The “pandemic-driven surge [is] finally over,” said the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The NRF publishes the monthly Port Tracker report together with Hackett Associates. “Import patterns appear to be returning to what was...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/surge-finally-over-us-imports-back-near-pre-pandemic-levels

Will sanctions on Russian diesel pay off for product tankers?

European Union and G-7 sanctions on Russian crude exports kicked in Dec. 5, and contrary to predictions, crude tanker rates didn’t spike following trade disruptions. They sank.

Sanctions on Russian exports of refined products begin in just four weeks, on Feb. 5. It has been widely predicted that this will boost rates for product tankers — the ships that carry cargoes such as diesel, gasoline and jet fuel. 

Some are now questioning that assumption.

Executives of Scorpio Tankers (NYSE: STNG), the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-sanctions-on-russian-diesel-pay-off-for-product-tankers

TRB panel: East Coast ports reaping rewards of investments

WASHINGTON — With recent estimates that the combined U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast has passed the West Coast as the largest destination for U.S. imports, a panel at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board here suggested that there are plenty of reasons for the shift to continue.

Capital spending by East Coast ports gained praise from panelists, who said the investments have yielded facilities with greater ability to take in the world’s biggest ships. It’s a factor in the change...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trb-panel-east-coast-ports-reaping-rewards-of-investments

Coast is (almost) clear as port congestion fades even further

What a difference a year makes. At this time in 2022, over 100 container ships were stuck waiting off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, with around 150 off all North American ports combined. Now, there are almost no ships waiting in Pacific waters and increasingly few off the East and Gulf coasts.

Ship-position data showed just 30 container vessels off North American ports Friday morning. All remaining queues are down to single digits per port.

Factory closures for Asia’s Lunar...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/coast-is-almost-clear-as-port-congestion-fades-even-further

Port Houston moving forward with container dwell fees after delay

After two months of delays, Port Houston will begin implementing dwell fees at its two container terminals starting Feb. 1.

The fees are aimed at shipping companies that allow their containers to stay too long at the Texas port’s crowded marine facilities and keep goods moving efficiently to the consumers in the region, authorities said.

“The sustained import dwell fee is intended to minimize long-term storage of containers on the terminals and promote fluidity of cargo movement,” Roger Guenther,...

Top 10 container lines: How did rankings change during boom?

chart showing container lines capacity

Container shipping lines reaped massive windfalls during the COVID-era consumer boom. Different ocean carriers pursued different fleet strategies in 2020-22, from aggressively maximizing market exposure on one hand to keeping capacity flat or even reducing it on the other.

The liner bonanza isn’t over yet — high contract rates should keep outsized profits flowing well into this year. But with the historic super-cycle winding down, it’s time to take stock of how fleets evolved over the past three...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/top-10-container-lines-how-did-rankings-change-during-the-boom

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