THE US gulf port of Houston is looking to transform itself from a regional port that primarily serves its immediate hinterland to one serving the wider Midwest market, particularly now as more shipping lines and shippers are realising the benefits of shipping through the port.
Port of Houston Authority vice president, Ricky Kunz, told HKSG Group Media that a number of shipping lines are now in discussions with the port about adding direct calls at Houston this year, particularly on the growing Asia-US All Water trade lane. >More

NOBODY expects to hear good news out of Europe for some time to come, but the data on the US continues to cause confusion as to whether the country is on the path to recovery or not.
For the shipping industry this uncertainty over the US, which remains the single largest importer of containerised goods in the world, is no doubt cause for concern. While Europe’s economic woes certainly do no favours for the shipping lines, its poor performance is a sure bet, which at least allows one to plan accordingly. >More

SINCE the financial crisis of 2009 the world has not been the same, and that’s just fine with the Port of Portland.
For well over a decade now shipping lines have either flourished or floundered on the strength of the trades from Asia to Europe and Asia to the United States.
Trade flows, particularly since China’s accession into the World Trade Organisation, have been very one-sided on the outbound-Asia routes, whereas on the backhaul routes a 40 per cent utilised vessel was considered a well-stocked ship.  >More

Ports must view market as a marathon, not a 100-metre sprint, says Long Beach

IT may not be quite the year that many had hoped for in terms of trade growth, but for the Port of Long Beach its management is looking ahead and its sees a bright future on the horizon.
HKSG Group Media caught up with the executive director for the Southern Californian port, J. Christopher Lytle, to learn why he sees a reason to smile in a period of gloom for the shipping industry.
"I think one of the things that you need to keep in mind is that this is not a 100-metre sprint. This is a marathon. Even though the last two years have been relatively flat, what’s happening is that we are investing now with our capital program, that’s over US$4 billion,” Mr Lytle said...  >More

Is the sunset of panamax vessels close at hand?

THE Panama Canal expansion project is scheduled to be completed in 2014. The expansion program comprises the construction of two new sets of locks - one on the Pacific and one on the Atlantic side of the canal.
After completion, the new locks will almost triple the canal’s current handling ability, making it capable of processing 14,000-TEU ultra large containerships (ULCS) compared to only 5,000-TEU ships now. The throughput of the canal is expected to double by then.
So what will this mean for the fate of the panamax containership in an increasingly post-panamax world?... >More