Ocean Freight

Coming into 2020, the world’s ocean shippers were bracing themselves for what would be a fundamental change to the way their ships operate on the high seas. That’s because beginning January 1, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), would limit the amount of sulfur in fuel oil to  0.50% m/m (mass...

Peter Nordstrom joined DB Schenker as the Regional Head of Ocean Product across the Americas in early-2020. At the time, COVID-19 was largely relegated to China and had yet to begin wreaking havoc on nearly every country around the world. Responsible for developing and implementing ocean freight strategies—including preferred carrier...

There were winners and losers as the busiest cargo ports across North America and South America competed in 2018 to accommodate big ships — and even bigger trade policy changes There was a time when the Americas (or North America and South America combined) was a major geographic inconvenience for...

With IMO 2020 looming, shippers should be keeping a close eye on how carriers, shippers, and refiners are responding to the new 0.5% global sulphur cap. With the International Maritime Organization’s new 0.5% mass by mass (m/m) global sulphur cap on fuel content (down from a current 3.5%) on track...

Looming Trade Wars, Megaship Congestion, and Harsh Canadian Winters Have Yet to Slow Double-Digit Growth It’s no accident that Vancouver, British Columbia, is consistently ranked one of the “most livable” cities in the world. It’s surrounded by exceptional natural beauty. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, it’s...

Is it Rotterdam, or even Hamburg? No – the largest freight port in the world isn’t located anywhere in Europe. Several decades ago, the continent’s ports were outclassed by harbors in Asia. Singapore was long the ocean freight hub with the largest transshipment volumes, until it was overtaken by the...

How Port Selection is Becoming Increasingly Critical to Supply Chain Strategy Building an efficient supply chain involves a bewildering number of factors. And now with today’s “mega ships” creating their own economies of scale — one that encourages larger shipments to fewer ports — the port(s) you choose to ship...

The trends impacting ocean cargo in 2018 and how shippers can navigate these ever-changing challenges in the ocean freight marketplace. Severe truck driver shortages, the formation of ocean carrier “alliances,” the increased use of virtual forwarding, and trade agreement uncertainty are all impacting ocean cargo shippers right now. From Mexico’s...

The project “Bourbon” has nothing to do with whiskey. Rather, it is the result of a complex international transport order for Evonik Industries, one of the long-standing DB Schenker customers. The facility for the production of a filler for tires required components from five different countries. During the transport to...

An inside look at the current state of FCL vs. LCL ocean freight and how to make the best choice for your shipment. Much like over-the-road carriers that offer both truckload and less-than-truckload options, ocean shipping falls into two primary categories:  Full Container Loads (FCL) and Less-than-Container Loads (LCL). With...