…The Saga of America’s East vs. West Coast Rivalry: ILA strike threat hangs over the historical trend favoring eastern ports. The market share of US west coast ports versus US east and US Gulf coast ports has fluctuated over recent years, swayed by Covid-era demand, fears of labor unrest on various coasts, the drought in the Panama Canal, and the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

…Box Rates Are Still Historically High, But More ‘Cracks’ and Peak Signals Emerge: The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index drops for the second week in a row. Is this the top for container shipping spot rates? Supply and demand fundamentals argue it might be, but potential non-fundamental factors could hypothetically push rates higher. August market is cooling down compared to July, and rates might start to decrease even though carriers would implement blank sailings as before.

…Türkiye Plans New Mediterranean Container Port: Turkish president greenlights a port project that will handle 9m teu. This development would be the biggest container port in Türkiye, surpassing Istanbul’s Ambarli port's 3m teu per annum.

…Last Chance for US Importers to Stock Up Before Possible East Coast Port Strike: The lead time for Chinese exports to the US east coast is still just over two months, highlighting that time is running out for shippers to boost import stocks before a potential strike.

…New FMC Regulation Rules Out Carrier 'Lame Excuses' for Rolling Cargo: The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a new rule, all but prohibiting shipping lines from refusing space for booked containers, and also giving shippers more protection during negotiations.

…Bangladesh 'Jam-Packed' with Cargo as Curfew and Internet Restrictions Continue: Bangladesh cargo flows have resumed after the government restored limited internet connections for airports, emergency services, hospitals, and port operators. The country’s imports and exports took a massive hit after internet connections were cut and a curfew enforced in response to student protests over government job quota reforms.

…Ukrainian Rail Prospects Hobbled by Mismatched Gauges: Ukraine has become dependent on rail freight following its invasion by Russia in February 2022, with calls for greater external investment in the sector. With the purported ocean grain corridor blocked by the Russian military, Ukraine has rapidly migrated to sending increased volumes of goods, including its sizable grain exports, on train-mounted containers.

…The British Government Has No Plans to Impose Tariffs on Chinese EV Imports: This is in stark contrast with the EU, which has set stiff provisional duties on the cars.

…Tailwind Shipping Lines Grows Its Fleet: Founded two years ago by German supermarket chain Lidl to battle covid-related shipping chaos, Tailwind Shipping Lines now operates nine ships and three services designed to bring goods from Asia to Europe.

…What a $600m Wedding Says About India’s Attitude to Wealth: The Ambani nuptials, which owns a controlling interest in Reliance Industries, the country’s most valuable company, enticed everyone from Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Shah Rukh Khan to John Kerry.

…The Price of Gold Reaches a New Record High: Gold reached $2,465 a troy ounce.

…Argentina Wins Copa America: Argentina secured a 1-0 victory against Colombia.

Enjoy the rest of the week!