The Loadstar

The Loadstar is an independent, United Kingdom based, supply chain and logistics publication covering freight forwarding, air cargo, ocean shipping, ports, and international trade policy. gCaptain republishes select Loadstar coverage under content partnership terms when stories are materially relevant to maritime and offshore readers. Loadstar stories on gCaptain are clearly attributed and may be edited for house style, formatting, and headline clarity while preserving source reporting.


Friday, September 22, 2023
Aerial top view of a containership at port. Stock Photo: Shutterstock/Avigator Fortuner
Shipping

Asia-North Europe Spot Rates in Free Fall

By Mike Wackett – Container spot rates from China to North Europe are in freefall with average rates dipping below $1,000 per 40ft this week having lost

September 22, 2023
Total Views: 980

Tuesday, September 19, 2023
containership ship bunkering
Shipping

Shipping Lines Hit by Rising Fuel Costs as OPEC Cuts Supply

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – As global freight rates continue to fall, container shipping lines are being hit by a huge spike in fuel costs. This

September 19, 2023
Total Views: 1704

Friday, September 15, 2023
Containership docking Port of Long Beach
Shipping

Carriers Pull Capacity to Boost Floundering Spot Rates

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Container spot indices are showing a sea of red ink this week, with short-term freight rates down on all the major

September 15, 2023
Total Views: 1756

Tuesday, September 12, 2023
smoke pollution coming from a container ship
Shipping

Maritime’s Decarbonization Takes Center Stage at London International Shipping Week

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – The tenth London International Shipping Week (LISW) got under way yesterday with well-attended panel discussions at

September 12, 2023
Total Views: 1227

Thursday, September 7, 2023
zim containership
Shipping

MSC and ZIM Strengthen Shipping Alliance

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – The world’s largest container line, MSC, is joining in an alliance with tenth-ranked Zim across “multiple trades”,

September 7, 2023
Total Views: 2599

Thursday, August 31, 2023
FILE PHOTO: Containers are seen on the Maersk's Triple-E giant container ship Majestic Maersk, one of the world's largest container ships, as it sails in the Strait of Gibraltar towards the port of Algeciras, Spain January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
Shipping

Container Shipping Lines Rake In $8.9 Billion Profit in Q2

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – The second-quarter results of the major container lines were significantly down from the year before, but nonetheless

August 31, 2023
Total Views: 5879

Friday, August 25, 2023
Port of Rotterdam. Photo Credit: Aerovista Luchtfotografie / Shutterstock.com
Shipping

Asia-North Europe Rates Sinking Again as GRIs ‘Run Out of Steam’

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Ocean carriers are giving back their recent Asia-North Europe FAK rate increases via heavy discounts for October

August 25, 2023
Total Views: 1166

Friday, August 18, 2023
Aerial view of a container ship
Shipping

More Blanked Sailings and Rate Increases for Transatlantic Shipping

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Container spot rates on the transatlantic came under renewed pressure this week, obliging ocean carriers to cut

August 18, 2023
Total Views: 1458

Monday, August 14, 2023
Yang Ming containership
Shipping

Mid-Sized Ocean Carriers Navigate Troubled Waters Amid Profit Plunge

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Mid-sized ocean carriers are losing money and the outlook is particularly bleak for the smaller lines, obliging them to

August 14, 2023
Total Views: 2412

Tuesday, August 8, 2023
The Ever Max ready to transit the Panama Canal. Photo courtesy Panama Canal Authority
Shipping

Panama Canal Draught Restrictions Spark Liner Surcharges

By Ian Putzger, Americas correspondent (The Loadstar) – Evergreen’s latest addition to its neo-panamax fleet had to offload 1,400 containers to pass

August 8, 2023
Total Views: 13975

Monday, August 7, 2023
HMM Containership leaving port
Shipping

Five South Korean Companies Vie to Take Over Flagship Carrier HMM

By Martina Li in Taiwan (The Loadstar) – Five South Korean corporations have shown an interest in taking over flagship carrier HMM. State-controlled

August 7, 2023
Total Views: 2858

Thursday, August 3, 2023
Aerial top view of a containership at port. Stock Photo: Shutterstock/Avigator Fortuner
Shipping

Container Lessors Benefit from Rising Demand and Slow Steaming

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Container leasing companies reported a slowdown in the return of boxes by ocean carrier customers in the second

August 3, 2023
Total Views: 1453

Wednesday, August 2, 2023
The CMA CGM Marco Polo container ship passes under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, to enter New York Harbor. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Shipping

Transatlantic Carriers Change Course

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Transatlantic container rates from North Europe to the US east coast have fallen below pre-pandemic levels after ocean

August 2, 2023
Total Views: 3231

Friday, July 28, 2023
Trucks At Port Of LA
Shipping

FMC Improves Container Data-Sharing to Address Supply Chain Bottlenecks

By Alex Whiteman (The Loadstar) – The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) this week unveiled plans for a major shake-up in the collection and return

July 28, 2023
Total Views: 917

Friday, July 21, 2023
Aerial top view of a containership underway
Shipping

Container Spot Rates: Mixed Fortunes on Transpacific and Transatlantic Trade Lanes

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Container spot rates from Asia to the US spiked this week, while carriers managed to halt the decline in short-term

July 21, 2023
Total Views: 1109

Wednesday, July 19, 2023
The LNG-powered containership, the CMA CGM, on the river Elbe near the city of Hamburg, Germany, February 14, 2021. Photo: FrankHH / Shutterstock.com
Shipping

CMA CGM Sets Course to Overtake Maersk in Shipping Line Rankings

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – With its huge orderbook of 122 ships, for a capacity of 1.24m teu, CMA CGM is on course to overtake Maersk as the

July 19, 2023
Total Views: 3457

Friday, July 14, 2023
FILE PHOTO: Shipping containers are stacked at Gwangyang port in Gwangyang, South Korea, June 14, 2022. Yonhap via REUTERS
Shipping

Container Freight Rates Inch Upward, But Lingering Challenges Impede Full Recovery

By Charlie Bartlett (The Loadstar) – Global container freight rates are still – marginally – exceeding pre-pandemic levels, according to

July 14, 2023
Total Views: 1425

Wednesday, July 12, 2023
ZIM logo on a building
Shipping

ZIM Faces Bleak Outlook as Container Shipping Weakness Persists

By Alex Whiteman (The Loadstar) – Ongoing weakness in container shipping has forced Israel’s Zim to drastically re-evaluate its full-year performance,

July 12, 2023
Total Views: 2653

Friday, July 7, 2023
container ship at sea
Shipping

Ocean Carriers Run Out of Niche Trades

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Container spot rates on the transatlantic took a hammering this week, losing over 20% of their value, and the

July 7, 2023
Total Views: 2183

Monday, July 3, 2023
Maersk ship entering the Port of Rotterdam
Shipping

Maersk Unleashes Huge Asia-North Europe Rate Hike

By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Maersk is attempting to undo weeks of heavy discounting on the Asia-North Europe tradelane with a substantial increase

July 3, 2023
Total Views: 4539