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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...

Trucker Protest Brings Busy US Port to a Standstill

Independent truckers at Oakland are protesting California labor law

(Newser) - Truckers protesting a state labor law have effectively shut down cargo operations at California's Port of Oakland, it was announced Wednesday. "The shutdown will further exacerbate the congestion of containers" and port officials are urging operations at shipping terminals to resume, a port statement said. The protest that...

Stuck in California: Billion Pounds of Almonds

Industry has turned to 'almond express trains'

(Newser) - More than a billion pounds of almonds—enough to give everybody on the planet a good-sized handful of the nuts—are stuck in storage in California because of supply chain issues, and farmers aren't sure what they're going to do with a harvest of 2.8 billion pounds...

Long-Awaited Words on Supply Chain: 'Worst Is Behind Us'

'Wall Street Journal' expects port backlogs to disappear in early 2022

(Newser) - Headlines about supply chain logjams have been prominent amid the pandemic, but now the Wall Street Journal offers a note of optimism. "Globally speaking, the worst is behind us," Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics tells the newspaper. The gist of the story is that issues that have led...

America's Busiest Port Is Shifting to 24/7 Operations

Administration says it is working to fix major supply chain issues

(Newser) - The busiest container port in the US is going to start operating around the clock seven days a week to deal with supply chain issues that are hitting American businesses hard. The White House said Wednesday that it had brokered a deal to keep the Port of Los Angeles open...

Companies Abandon Ships, and Crews, in Record Numbers

Workers often are stuck aboard as food runs out, with no way to get home

(Newser) - After the Ever Given was freed from the Suez Canal, its crew was held on the ship for four months while the owners agreed to a financial settlement with Egyptian authorities. It's not unusual in the shipping industry for crews to be detained or merely abandoned, without pay, with...

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