IHSA Shippers Association

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US Supply Chain Participants Feel Defeated

One word best describes the US supply chain: BROKEN. There is the sense among supply chain experts that it’s too late for any meaningful solutions to be implemented that will positively impact getting goods delivered to store shelves for the upcoming holiday season. If such solutions existed, they would have already been implemented. Six months ago, it was thought that…

Shippers Scrambling to Meet Holiday Season Demand

The US supply chain delays have reached critical mass. The delays have reached a point where some shippers haven given up hope that their product will be available for the holiday season. This will be especially devastating to small shippers that rely heavily on holiday sales to survive. Three months ago, the big obstacle was finding space on container ships. While space is…

Port Congestion Going from Bad to Worse

Carriers will be increasing capacity from Asia to US West Coast ports by 22 percent. The influx of the additional capacity will last through the end of the year. US East Coast ports will also see an increase in capacity through the end of the year by 14 percent. Carriers had hoped these additional measures would help shippers meet the surging demand which is expected to last…

IHA Joins Coalition Backing Federal Bill Aimed at Curbing Unfair Ocean Shipping Practices, Charges

The International Housewares Association has joined a coalition of industry organizations in support of a new federal bill aimed at enacting sweeping changes to the law to curb unfair practices and charges by ocean carriers that have contributed to skyrocketing freight costs and extended delays for U.S.-bound containers. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 is set to be…

Supply Chain Woes Continue

The shipping environment is wreaking havoc on US importers trying to get products into their supply chains prior to the upcoming holiday season. To make matters worse, there is no end in sight to the shipping turmoil facing shippers. Logistic experts are predicting the current turmoil will last at a minimum through February 2022. Shippers have been left wondering how Asia to…

All Facets of US Supply Chain in Turmoil

Finding container space is not the only problem facing US importers. Once a container arrives at the marine terminal to be off loaded, the shipper can expect a stack of new problems. Port congestion, chassis availability, truck power, and rail capacity are just a few of the issues preventing cargo from moving freely to US distribution centers. Port congestion has…

Container Space Has Reached Crisis Stage

Experts predicted that finding space on containerships was going to be a challenge for shippers during the 2021-22 contract period. However, no one predicated the severity that the space crisis is currently having on supply chains across the US. To make matters worse, the lack of container space has not peaked yet. The space problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets…

Asia to U.S. Contracted Container Space is Sold Out

It is going to be a challenging year for the entire shipping industry. March imports in the Transpacific jumped 51%. Every major trade publication is predicting that the 2021 space issues will be much worse than what the industry experienced in 2020. The carriers have sold out all space for the 2021-22 contract period. This unprecedented space crisis is going to present many…

Carriers Flex Their Muscles During Negotiations

Ocean contract negotiations for cargo moving from Asia to the US are coming to an abrupt end. Negotiations in this market traditionally start in February and last until the end of April. The unprecedented demand in the market has drastically changed the negotiation timetable. Carriers have made it clear that shippers waiting to finalize contracts at the end of April in hopes of…