Panama Canal Postpones Neopanamax Draft Cut for a Second Time
The Panama Canal Authority has again deferred a planned reduction in Neopanamax draft, holding the maximum at 14.63 metres as Gatun Lake levels stay steady.
Juneau Keeps Its Five-Ship Cruise Cap Voluntary After a 5 to 4 Vote
The Juneau Assembly postponed an ordinance that would have turned its negotiated five large cruise ship daily limit into local law covering downtown berths and Douglas Island.
Xi and Sisi Agree a Third Phase for the Chinese Zone Beside the Suez Canal
Egypt and China agreed on 2 September to expand Chinese investment in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, deepening Beijing's position beside the waterway as the Hormuz conflict continues.
COSCO Shipping Ports Handles 80.16m TEU as Overseas Volume Rises 18%
COSCO Shipping Ports reported first-half throughput of 80.16m TEU, up 7.9%, with EBITDA climbing 20.6% to $536m and an interim dividend of 2.360 US cents per share.
Oakland Signs for a $640m Turning Basin Widening to Take Longer Ships
The Port of Oakland has completed an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers to widen and modernise its inner and outer harbour turning basins by 2030.
German Port Strike Deepens Congestion Already Holding 160,000 TEU at Anchor
A 48-hour warning strike at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden and Brake landed on top of North European congestion already absorbing about 5% of deepsea containership capacity.
Jebel Ali Falls Out of the Top Ten as Hormuz Rewrites the Port Ranking
The ten largest container ports finished 2025 in the same order as a year earlier, but 2026 returns covering 76% of the ranked volume show one port leaving the top ten entirely.
Chemical Leak at Mersin Port Affects 35 People After Machine Topples on a Box
Heavy equipment fell onto a container at Mersin International Port before dawn on 4 September, releasing what is believed to be ethyl acrylate and halting terminal operations.
Rotterdam Terminal Workers Face Prison After a Controlled Cocaine Delivery
Dutch prosecutors are seeking up to 3.5 years for two men accused of using temporary terminal jobs in Waalhaven to retrieve cocaine first intercepted in St Maarten in April.
Chilean Operator Prepares a Punta Arenas to Falklands Cargo Service for November
Easter Island Naviera has agreed with the Falkland Islands Development Corporation to launch a direct cargo service from Punta Arenas, cutting the South American supply leg by half.
Panama Pays $191.7m for Full Ownership of Its Cross-Country Oil Corridor
Panama has bought the remaining 41% of Petroterminal de Panama, taking full state ownership of a pipeline and terminal system that works as a second canal for hydrocarbons.
Second Jan De Nul Dredger Arrives at Anaklia to Take the Port Down to 17.5 Metres
The dredger Al-Idrisi has entered Anaklia Deep Sea Port in Georgia, where two Jan De Nul vessels will now work together to deepen the seabed to 17.5 metres.
Churchill Loads Its First Grain Cargo in Six Years as Arctic Traffic Returns
Canada's only Arctic deep-water port is loading grain again after a six-year gap, following its first critical minerals export in more than two decades.
Rotterdam Ship Handling Stops for Nearly Eight Hours on 4 September
No vessels will be handled at Rotterdam between 11:15 and 19:00 on 4 September, with Amsterdam and Zeeland also affected, ahead of a nationwide rail walkout on 9 September.
Bremen and Bremerhaven Lift Container Volumes 5.7% as Hamburg Slips
Total seaborne throughput across the two locations rose 5.9% to 34.5m tonnes, with the sharpest relative gain at Bremen's city ports.
APM Terminals Breaks Ground on a $550m Terminal at Chattogram
The 30-year concession adds over 800,000 teu of annual capacity from 2030, with Bangladesh retaining ownership of the asset throughout.
Drewry Puts Worsening Port Congestion Down to Utilisation, Not Capacity
A terminal running at 90% berth utilisation needs about a week to recover from a one-day disruption, against roughly two days at 75%, which is where the queues are coming from.
Record 4.3m TEU Waiting for a Berth as Typhoons Hit Chinese Ports Again
Global container congestion has passed the Covid-era peak, with stranded capacity equal to 12.6 percent of the world container fleet.
Dutch Ports Stop Work for Eight Hours in 4 September Strike
The port authority expects ships to wait at the berth and in the anchorage, on top of inland container waiting times already running near 60 hours.
Klaipeda Begins Work on the Largest Port Expansion in Its History
Site preparation has started in the southern part of the Port of Klaipeda, where breakwater construction begins this autumn on a development expected to exceed EUR 1bn in total value.
Panama Canal Loosens Booking Rules to Stretch Shrinking Transit Capacity
From booking dates beginning 13 September the canal will offer 63 neopanamax slots a week and guarantee minimum allocations to containerships, gas carriers, bulkers and vehicle carriers.
Singapore to merge southern islands into a new industrial Western island
Singapore plans to merge several islands south of Jurong Island into a larger landmass to support advanced manufacturing, power generation and military uses.
Dutch port workers to strike at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland on 4 September
Port workers will halt operations at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland on 4 September in a nationwide FNV Havens strike against planned cuts to unemployment benefits.
HHLA repair unit moved 20,000 TEU of empty boxes by rail from Hamburg
Hamburg Container and Chassis Repair Company shifted around 20,000 TEU of empty containers to rail from its Altenwerder Damm depot in 2025 and expects further growth.
US Navy Seeks Alternative Ports After Losing Access to Bahrain
With its traditional base in Bahrain no longer available, the US Navy is weighing alternative port call options across the Indian Ocean region.
Port Houston Impact Study Puts Economic Activity Near One Trillion Dollars
Port Houston's latest economic impact assessment estimates it supports nearly $1 trillion in economic activity, roughly three percent of US gross domestic product.
Canada's West Coast Ports Handle 409 Billion Dollars of Cargo
Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo handled more than 200 million tonnes worth C$409bn in 2025, as Canada works to expand trade beyond the United States.
Ningbo-Zhoushan Overtakes Singapore as Second Busiest Box Port
Ningbo-Zhoushan has edged past Singapore to become the world's second busiest container port, growing at nearly twice the Singaporean rate in the first half.
Typhoon Shuts Zhoushan Bunker Anchorages as Asian Lead Times Stretch
Typhoon-driven disruption has halted bunkering at two outer anchorages in China's Zhoushan hub, while supply tightens in Singapore and South Korean lead times stretch.
K Line Move Makes Kobe Terminal Handler of 40 Percent of Port Trade
K Line will begin operations at Kobe International Container Terminal on 1 September, a move that will see the facility handle nearly 40 percent of the port's foreign trade boxes.
RSGT and CMA CGM Commit 434 Million Dollars to Jeddah Terminal
Red Sea Gateway Terminal and CMA CGM have signed an agreement to develop and operate a terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port in an investment worth about $434m.
Boskalis Joint Venture Completes 53 Million Pound Dover Reclamation
A Boskalis Westminster and McLaughlin & Harvey joint venture has finished the final reclamation stage at the Port of Dover, adding 10 hectares of port land.
Ulsan Signs Arctic Route Agreement With Wagenborg and Korean Agency
Ulsan Port Authority has signed a tripartite agreement with Royal Wagenborg and the Korea Maritime Promotion Corporation to develop the port as a hub for Arctic route shipping.
Callao Becomes the First South American Port With Shore Power
The Port of Callao in Peru has become the first in South America with a shore power system for merchant ships, sized to handle the largest container vessels calling at the terminal.
Panama Canal Sets Out 2025-2035 Plan as Drought Cuts Draught to 48 Feet
The Panama Canal Authority is advancing a 2025-2035 vision plan built around two new container terminals and a cross-isthmus pipeline, as drought pushes the maximum draught down to 48 feet.
Sohar Port Cargo Throughput Jumps 52% to 52m Tonnes in First Half
Sohar Port and Freezone handled 52m tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2026, up 52% year on year, with container throughput rising 40% to 545,000 teu on higher transhipment volumes.
Khorfakkan Terminal Expansion Targets 5m TEU on the Route Around Hormuz
Gulf Terminals Group is expanding Khorfakkan Commercial Container Terminal from 3.5m to 5m teu of annual capacity, targeting more than 10m teu long term at a port outside the Strait of Hormuz.
India Extends Transhipment Access for Hormuz-Diverted Cargo to October
India has extended access to all its seaports and international airports for foreign-bound cargo diverted by Strait of Hormuz disruption until 31 October, and has brought dry bulk under the framework.
DP World Spends $100m a Month Keeping Jebel Ali Ready as Ships Divert
DP World is spending about $100m a month to keep Jebel Ali in a state of readiness while vessels avoid the crisis-hit UAE gateway, with the port running at around 10% of normal capacity.
Jebel Ali Crashes From Tenth to 32nd in Global Container Port Ranking
Dubai's Jebel Ali has fallen from tenth to 32nd in the global container port rankings in six months, handling 3.14m teu in the first half against 7.77m teu a year earlier.
Container Port Congestion Hits Record 4.3m Teu Waiting to Berth
Congestion has removed more than 4.3m teu of capacity from circulation, surpassing the pandemic peak in absolute terms and keeping freight and charter rates elevated.
Studies Back Year-Round Shipping to Churchill Through Hudson Bay
Three studies have concluded that existing ice-class tonnage can work the Churchill corridor year-round, as grain exports resume through the port after a five-year pause.
Maersk Launches Tangier-Casablanca Rail Link to Ease Port Congestion
Maersk has launched a high-frequency rail service between Tangier and Casablanca aimed at easing congestion at Casablanca, which handled 17 million tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2026.
Panama Canal to Cut Daily Transit Slots From September as Rainfall Falls Short
The Panama Canal will reduce daily transit slots from 3 September after below-expected rainfall in its watershed, reorganising bookings into four cargo-type auction groups.
Bangkok Maersk Makes First Suez Transit With 190,000-Tonne Cargo
Bangkok Maersk crossed the Suez Canal for the first time on 22 August, part of a northern convoy that also carried sister vessel Mathilde Maersk on Maersk's AE7 Asia-Europe service.
Amazon Drought Pushes Manaus Container Surcharges Toward $1,900 a Box
Container lines serving Manaus have published low-water surcharges ranging from $753 per teu to as much as $1,900 per box as the Amazon dry season approaches.
Algeciras Lines Up EUR 1.4 Billion to Hold Its Position at the Strait
Algeciras has mapped almost EUR 1.4 billion of public and private investment through 2030, aiming for installed container capacity of 7.5m teu by the end of the decade.
Pioneering Spirit Lifts North Cormorant Topsides for Dales Voe Demolition
The world's largest lifting vessel is removing the North Cormorant platform for transport to Dales Voe, where demolition of the 42-year-old structure will take 12 to 14 months.
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