Transportation Roundup: Unconventional peak season ahead

SSGA staff have compiled a roundup of current news in the container transportation industry. Click the links below to view the original stories.

At Container xChange’s recent webinar, analysts discussed their predictions for an unconventional 2022 container shipping peak season, with massive inventory levels in warehouses as one culprit. One expert believes that issues in the container shipping market would continue even if there were no container shipments in the next six months. Read the full story recap here.

President Biden signed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) last month to expand the Federal Maritime Commission’s (FMC) authority to ensure a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation supply system. Requirements surrounding demurrage and detention charges, a hot topic among U.S. shippers, became effective upon the law passage on June 16. Read the full story here.

FMC Commissioner Carl Bentzel reported that the agency may need more staff to properly enforce the reforms from the OSRA. The OSRA increased funding to the FMC, but hiring enough staff will take time. Read more here.

In lighter news, here’s a story from Maritime Executive about the history of one of SSGA’s favorite topics: the shipping container.