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Port Strike Could Cause Big Problems With Your Coffee

Trader warns of a 'supply squeeze' as strike shuts down ports that 80% of imports come through

(Newser) - "People are going to sit up and realize how important longshoremen jobs are," union leader Harold Daggett said as the the dockworkers strike began at midnight Tuesday. Those words might hit home with disruption to the supply chain of a commodity many Americans start their day with. Reuters...

Massive Strike Could Snarl Holiday Shopping

45K dockworkers are set to walk off the job at midnight, affecting 36 US ports

(Newser) - The union representing US dockworkers signaled that 45,000 members will walk off the job at midnight, kicking off a massive strike likely to shut down ports across the East and Gulf coasts. The coming work stoppage threatens to significantly snarl the nation's supply chain, potentially leading to higher...

Shipping Consolidators to Lose Postal Service Discounts

Higher costs could be passed on to consumers

(Newser) - The US Postal Service said Wednesday that it is ending discounts that shipping consolidators such as UPS and DHL use to get packages to the nation's doorsteps, in a move meant to help the Postal Service slow losses but that could see the higher costs passed on to consumers....

Rising Problem at World's Seaports: Abandoned Sailors

Owners of cargo ships sometimes leave their crews high and dry

(Newser) - Abdul Nasser Saleh says he rarely got a good night's sleep during the near-decade he spent working without pay on a cargo ship abandoned by its owner at ports along the Red Sea. By night, he tossed and turned in his bunk on the aging Al-Maha, he said, thinking of...

Crew Called for Help, Then the Tanker Capsized

South Korean vessel carrying acrylic acid ran into rough seas

(Newser) - A South Korean chemical tanker capsized off an island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, authorities said, killing eight people on board. One crew member survived, while the fate of two others was unknown, reports the AP . Officials said the tanker was carrying 980 tons of acrylic acid, a corrosive organic...

On the China-Built Cranes at Our Ports, a Worrisome Find

Congressional probe finds modems that have no apparent purpose

(Newser) - America plans to spend billions to produce homegrown cargo cranes and swap them out for the China-built cranes that currently stand at many US ports—and a new report from the Wall Street Journal underscores the reasoning for the move. In announcing the effort last month, the Biden administration cited...

Suspected Houthi Attack Sets Ship Ablaze

Palau-flagged cargo ship was hit in the Gulf of Aden

(Newser) - A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday as Israel intercepted what appeared to be another Houthi attack near the port city of Eilat, authorities said. The attack Thursday in the Gulf of Aden saw two missiles fired,...

Houthis Say Missile Attack Sank Cargo Ship

US says strikes hit underwater drone for first time

(Newser) - A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels that damaged a Belize-flagged ship traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden has forced the crew to abandon the vessel, authorities said Monday. The Iran-backed Houthis also claimed they shot down an American...

Angela Chao, Shipping Chief With Close Ties to China, Dies

Foremost Group chief executive was Mitch McConnell's sister-in-law

(Newser) - Angela Chao, who ran a family shipping company and was a sister of former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, was killed Sunday in a car accident in Texas. She was the chair and chief executive of Foremost Group, an operator of bulk carrier ships with deep ties to China, the New ...

16K Animals Stranded on Ship After Red Sea Attacks

'Animal torture' slammed after live export ship forced to return to Australia

(Newser) - Around 16,000 Australian sheep and cattle have been stuck on a cargo ship for almost a month—and despite the concerns of animal welfare advocates, their ordeal appears to be far from over. The animals, 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle, are on board the MV Bahijah, which...

Half a World Away, More Bad News for Global Shipping

Traffic slashed at drought-stricken Panama Canal as attacks continue in Red Sea

(Newser) - A severe drought that began last year has forced authorities to slash ship crossings by 36% in the Panama Canal, one of the world's most important trade routes, per the AP . The new cuts announced Wednesday by authorities in Panama are set to deal an even greater economic blow...

US-Led Security Force Will Patrol Red Sea

Defense chief Lloyd Austin announces multinational mission after Houthi strikes on ships

(Newser) - The US and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. "This is an international challenge that demands collective action," Defense Secretary Lloyd...

A New Supply-Chain Woe Is Percolating

Shipping giants, along with BP, are pausing travel through Red Sea due to Houthi attacks

(Newser) - The editor in chief at shipping journal Lloyd's List on Monday issued a somber prediction to CNBC : that we'd see "fairly seismic activity in terms of the implications for supply chains" if the shipping giants who have recently paused travel through the Red Sea maintain that stance....

Officials Blame Iran for Drone Attack on Cargo Ship

Israeli-owned ship was attacked in Indian Ocean

(Newser) - A container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, an American defense official said Saturday. The attack Friday on the CMA CGM Symi comes as global shipping increasingly finds itself targeted in the Israel-Hamas war that threatens to become...

Things Aren't Great at the Panama Canal Right Now

Ship traffic has been reduced due to drought

(Newser) - If drought in the Panama Canal region sounds like something that has no impact on you, think again. CBS News reports the lakes that feed the canal system are close to their minimum levels after an atypically dry season, and that's throwing a wrench into how much traffic the...

Company Will Pay After Ship Sullies US Waters

The Star Maia dumped oily bilge water without properly processing it, lied about it

(Newser) - A foreign shipping company that sullied US waters will pay for doing so. US officials on Tuesday said the Germany- and Singapore-based Zeaborn Ship Management would pay a $2 million fine for dumping oily bilge water—which USA Today describes as "a mix of filthy water, lubricants, grease, cleaning...

The Maritime Industry Is Desperate for Crew

Young job applicants are not stepping up to fill the gaps

(Newser) - To anyone seeking adventure and gainful employment far from a 9-to-5 desk routine, the maritime industry awaits with open arms. That's the message conveyed in a recent New York Times report, which begins aboard the Millennium Falcon , a tugboat that hauls barges on weekslong journeys from coast to coast...

No, That's Not a Desert— That's the Mississippi River

Drought, record-low water levels are mucking up ship routes and commerce along trade super-route

(Newser) - Every year, 589 million tons of freight moves up and down the Mississippi River, which CNN deems "America's most important trade waterway." But you may need to take "water" out of that description along many sections of the route, as a historic drought has caused the...

Miss. River Barges Are Getting Stuck at 'Worst Possible Time'

River is nearing record lows in some areas, snarling corn, soybean shipping

(Newser) - The unusually low water level in the lower Mississippi River is causing barges to get stuck in mud and sand, disrupting river travel for shippers, recreational boaters, and even passengers on a cruise line. Lack of rainfall in recent weeks has left the Mississippi River approaching record low levels in...

Shipping Industry's Big Woe Has Turned on Its Head

Before, a backlog. Now, a lack of demand

(Newser) - For what seemed like a very long time, shipping-related news was one-note: The backlog was wild, shooting up prices and causing long delays. There was a months-long lag on furniture shipments , shipping containers skyrocketed in price , and America's busiest port shifted to 24/7 operations. Now, a new tune: As...

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