The explosion at Tianjin Port last August should be seen as a spectacular example of why those operating throughout the global supply chains should examine their work practices and risk policies more thoroughly.

Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be mostly down through the summer but should see a significant uptick just before the winter holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Those idle cranes in the Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor stand as mute testimony to the changes that are roiling container ports and terminals today.

Weft has developed a real-time ranking of global container ports. It is intended to provide companies with data related to such processes as procurement, contract negotiations and other shipment-planning decisions.

Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to decline year-over-year for the next few months, but the first half of the year should still amount to a 4.5-percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Claims related to the massive explosion at the port of Tianjin, China, may grow to as much as $6bn, says the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI). More than half of the claims reportedly fall within marine insurance or reinsurance lines - potentially making it the largest single marine disaster (by claim value) in history, surpassing Hurricane Sandy.