IHSA Shippers Association

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Truck Power Shortage

The U.S. market is facing a serious shortage of qualified truck drivers. The driver shortage is impacting the carriers’ ability to deliver containers in a timely manner. The shortage is so severe in some U.S. regions that some carriers are refusing to quote new cargo opportunities where door delivery is being requested. There are several factors that have contributed to the…

Detention and Demurrage Charges

Shippers may finally have some recourse when it comes to detention and demurrage charges. Shippers have been complaining for years that detention and demurrage charges are being charged even when it is no fault of the shipper. For example, everyone remembers the 2014-15 West Coast congestion and the gridlocked that brought the ports to a standstill. Shippers did their part…

New Carrier Environment and Uncertainty Emerges for 2018

IHSA will begin ocean contract negotiations in February. Industry analysts have differing opinions on which side, shippers or carriers, will have the upper hand during the 2018 negotiations. There are some analysts that believe excess capacity will again be a major deterrent preventing carriers from securing any sustained rate increases during 2018. On the contrary, other…

Carriers Struggle to Maintain Rate Stability

After collectively losing $5 billion in 2016, the carriers are collectively poised to return to profitability for 2017. The anxiety that shippers experienced in 2016 regarding bankruptcies and acquisitions is no longer dominating the headlines. While stability is welcome news for the industry, there are concerns about whether the carriers will be able to sustain stability.…

IHSA Declares Rebate Dividend

IHSA has declared a rebate dividend of $173,572 for the period June 1, 2016 through May 31, 2017, which coincides with IHSA’s fiscal year. IHSA is pleased to report that the declared rebate amount is 20.5% larger than last year. The rebate will be distributed among eligible association members during the month of November 2017. IHSA is proud of the fact that they continue to…

Ocean Carriers Return to Profitability

The average operating margins for the top 13 ocean carriers finally returned to the black for the first half of 2017. This is first time since the second quarter of 2015 where the average operating margin is positive. These results have eased some, but not all, of the concern shippers have regarding the financial stability of the containership industry. Out of the 13…

ILWU Extends Labor Contract

Shippers remember all too well the chaos and congestion that engulfed US West Coast during the 2014-2015 labor contract negotiations between the ILWU (International Longshore Warehouse Union) and the representatives for the steamship lines. It took the threat of getting Washington DC involved before the parties agreed to a contract. By the time the contract was finally signed,…

Another Carrier Merger

The steamship industry was riddled with carrier consolidation during 2015 and 2016. A total of eight carriers were either acquired or merged with other carriers. Shippers were hoping that 2017 would bring some stability to their supply chains. The stability lasted only six months. On July 9, 2017, COSCO Shipping Holdings announced that they were making a bid to acquire Orient…

Ocean Freight Carriers Seeking Rate Increases Ahead of Peak Season

On June 7, a headline in a trade publication indicated freight carriers were poised to profit from higher rates. On June 8th, that same trade publication had a new headline indicating that new capacity entering the market would keep pressure on West Coast rates. Those contrasting remarks highlight the uncertainty when it comes to predicting freight rate stability in the Asia to…