Lori Ann LaRocco

Lori Ann LaRocco is the author of Trade Alert on Substack, the president of supply chain data and trade policy analysis firm LaRocco Consulting, creator of supply chain symposium Containers Don't Lie,  and columnist for GCaptain. LaRocco is an award-winning author, including the best-selling book, “Trade War Containers Don’t Lie”.  LaRocco worked at CNBC for 26 years and was recently the network’s senior editor of guests and global supply chain reporter. 


Monday, May 11, 2026
Cargo containers pile up at a marine terminal at the Port of Los Angeles.
Ports

Port of Los Angeles Chief Says Shipping Won’t Normalize Without Lasting Hormuz Stability

By Lori Ann LaRocco – The Port of Los Angeles reported strong results in April, but the port’s head warns that high energy prices are hitting the

May 11, 2026
Total Views: 3296

Friday, May 8, 2026
Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin (WLM 555) transits ice-infested waters at the west exit of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal while underway north of Baltimore, Maryland, Feb. 11, 2026
News

Historic Cold Pushed U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaking Fleet to the Limit in 2026

The icebreaking season for the U.S. Coast Guard was longer this year after a series of storms ravaged the

May 8, 2026
Total Views: 816

Friday, April 24, 2026
A tanker transits the Panama Canal Locks
News

Panama Canal Pushes Back on ‘Line Jumping’ Claims as Auction Slot Prices Surge

Panama Canal authorities are trying to debunk the misconception that auction slots are a free pass to cut the

April 24, 2026
Total Views: 1871

Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Aerial view of a heavy loaded crude oil tanker traveling over open ocean during sunset time
News

Interview: America’s Oil Surge Is Pulling Tankers West — and Reshaping Global Trade

The United States continues to export record amounts of oil. Demand for U.S. black gold shows no signs of lessening. The long line of tankers dotting the ocean

April 22, 2026
Total Views: 1465

Friday, April 17, 2026
Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz
News

Hold the Champagne: Oil Recovery Faces Weeks of Delay as Supply Chain Shocks Deepen

Don’t be fooled by the latest declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is “open.” Many things still need to be put in place for that to truly happen. There

April 17, 2026
Total Views: 1964

Monday, April 13, 2026
Busy container traffic in Pier 300 Channel
News

Port of Los Angeles Posts Strong March as Trade and Energy Risks Build

By Lori Ann LaRocco – The Port of Los Angeles was a beehive of activity in March, but details are emerging on the impact of the U.S./Israel war with

April 13, 2026
Total Views: 578

Friday, March 27, 2026
cosco containership
News

Iran Signals New ‘Permission-to-Transit’ Regime in Hormuz After Blocking COSCO Vessels

By Lori Ann LaRocco – Iran says it has begun enforcing new controls over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it blocked multiple container

March 27, 2026
Total Views: 2531

Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Containers are seen stacked at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port
Ports

Container Contagion: Global Trade Choked as War-Driven Congestion Hits Ports

Multiple sources of trade data are showing the significant impact of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and how it is going to continue to get worse before it gets

March 24, 2026
Total Views: 2375

Sunday, March 22, 2026
Laden crude oil tanker approaches the port of Qingdao, China in the morning fog. Photo credit: Shutterstock/Igor Grochev
News

The Oil Shell Game: Peeling Away the Bluster of the Latest Oil Announcements

Trade is agnostic, and because it is a physical entity that can be tracked, it can blast away the bluster of trade announcements. The reality is in the trade

March 22, 2026
Total Views: 2234

Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Panama Canal Expansion milestone
News

Panama Canal Sees LNG Surge as Hormuz Disruption Reshapes Global Trade

LNG bookings average one per day as Canal positions itself as key alternative for disrupted Middle East energy flows By Lori Ann LaRocco – LNG transits

March 18, 2026
Total Views: 1368

Friday, March 13, 2026
FILE PHOTO: Tankers are seen off the coast of the Fujairah, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz
News

Shadow Fleets Cash In as War Disrupts Gulf Oil Flows

The second set of U.S. waivers on Russian oil and vessel tracking data shows both the Iranian and Russian shadow fleets are profiting off the U.S./Israel war

March 13, 2026
Total Views: 623

Thursday, March 12, 2026
U.S. Coast Guard Debunks Tankers Registering For U.S. Compliance
Shipping

U.S. Coast Guard Debunks Tankers Registering For U.S. Compliance

The U.S. Coast Guard is quashing the latest rumor on tankers looking to reposition to the Atlantic and Pacific trades instead of staying in the Middle

March 12, 2026
Total Views: 5223

Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Jet Fuel Shock Looms on U.S. West Coast as Asian Exports Dry Up
Energy

Jet Fuel Shock Looms on U.S. West Coast as Asian Exports Dry Up

Energy export data shows South Korean jet fuel exports to the United States West Coast is dropping as countries around the world are holding onto the energy

March 10, 2026
Total Views: 1327

Friday, March 6, 2026
FILE PHOTO: Tankers are seen off the coast of the Fujairah, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz
Featured

Iranian Shadow Fleet and Greek Affiliated Ships Lead Strait of Hormuz Transits

Recent vessel tracking data details the continued movements of Iranian dark vessels as well as other ships moving through the Strait of

March 6, 2026
Total Views: 24650

Thursday, March 5, 2026
Containership and cranes at DP World Jebel Ali
News

Over 270,000 TEU Stranded as Container Carriers Halt Gulf Cargo Bookings

Hundreds of thousands of containers are in limbo after ocean carriers suspend cargo bookings to Arabian Container

March 5, 2026
Total Views: 2351

Monday, March 2, 2026
An anchored tanker ship at night
News

Shadow Fleet Surge: Iran Moved Record Crude Before Operation Epic Fury

By Lori Ann LaRocco – Three vessels involved in the transport of sanctioned Iranian oil have been struck in the first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury. Oil

March 2, 2026
Total Views: 1468

Saturday, February 28, 2026
Oil tankers navigate Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman in Persian Gulf
Shipping

Tankers Diverting Strait of Hormuz Region as U.S./ Israel Strikes on Iran Intensify 

Tankers Vessel tracking data show the magnitude in the amount of trade trying to safely navigate around the U.S./Israel strikes on Iran and Iran’s

February 28, 2026
Total Views: 2966

Friday, June 20, 2025
Containership and cranes at DP World Jebel Ali
Shipping

Middle East Tensions Drive Surge in Gulf Freight Rates as Maersk Suspends Haifa Port Calls

By Lori Ann LaRocco – Ocean freight spot rates from Shanghai to the Arabian Gulf’s largest port, Jebel Ali, are surging. Xeneta average spot rates

June 20, 2025
Total Views: 1262

Monday, June 16, 2025
Stacked containers are shown as ships unload their cargo at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
Ports

A Key Freight Indicator Is Flashing Red — Here’s What It Means for Global Trade

By Lori Ann LaRocco – A key supply chain data point is flashing red, warning that the pullback in freight orders will continue. Empty container exports

June 16, 2025
Total Views: 6512

Friday, June 6, 2025
Morning Midas on Fire
Accidents

Allianz Warns EV Fire Risks at Sea ‘Not Under Control’

By Lori Ann LaRocco – Global insurer Allianz Commercial warns the Morning Midas fire is the latest example of an underling safety problem facing seafarers.

June 6, 2025
Total Views: 2370