Despite problems in the Red Sea and Panama Canal, shipping costs are falling

Feb 19, 2024
Carriers are figuring out how to reduce risk and deal with disruptions caused by the Houthis' attacks and low water levels in shipping lanes.
The international shipping industry appears to have been able to manage the risks posed by recent disruptions.
Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images

Shipping rates rise as Red Sea attacks continue

Jan 17, 2024
The attacks on ships by Houthi rebels are forcing expensive detours and more costly insurance for ships.
Roughly a third of global shipping usually passes through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.
Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

West Coast ports lost market share. Will they get it back?

May 8, 2023
Stung by supply chain breakdowns and worried about labor unrest, many shippers have rerouted goods to the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Outlook cools for global shipping demand

Nov 2, 2022
Softening demand and high inventories are to blame.
Shipping company Maersk expects demand for shipping containers to dip between 2% and 4% this year.
John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

Having soared throughout the pandemic, the cost of shipping declined in March

Apr 5, 2022
From the shipping slowdown in China to the excess of inventory on hand, there are a number of likely reasons for the drop.
Shipping hasn't slowed at the Port of Los Angeles, according to executive director Gene Seroka.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

How the shipping container revolutionized freight and trade

Nov 23, 2021
Before the shipping container, goods were manually loaded into barrels and wooden creates.
Malcolm McLean realized it didn’t make sense to put entire trucks on a ship, so he came up with the container system.

How a container storage yard fits into our global shipping crunch

Oct 27, 2021
Some containers have been sitting in storage for years. Experts say the problem has more to do with moving them to the right places than increasing the number in circulation.
Sales manager Carlos Carrillo at ConGlobal Industries' container storage depot. After unloading, he said, "they terminate here before they go out back to China or wherever it may be.”
Andie Corban/Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

Why everything is “out of stock” right now

Oct 11, 2021
Four charts and a new series to help you understand ongoing product shortages.
Patrick Baranic, general manager of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, discusses the delays at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with “Marketplace’s” Kai Ryssdal.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

The container price surge is weighing on the customs business

Sep 15, 2021
Tariffs used to be the main concern for customs broker Gretchen Blough's clients. Now, it's all about the shipping containers.
Trucks with shipping containers sit on a dock at the Port of Oakland on Sept. 9. Container prices have soared during the pandemic.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Congestion at U.S. ports means there's now a shortage of shipping containers

Aug 11, 2021
The lack of available space means that if you can get a container, you'll pay more for shipping what's in it.
Morris MacMatzen via Getty Images