The U.S. government is taking steps to allow for larger post-Panamax-sized vessels along the lower Mississippi River as the date for the opening of the expanded Panama Canal draws closer.

Chief of Navy for Singapore, Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han, told local news sources that Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are in discussions to increase patrols in the lower areas of the South China Sea, the areas most affected by the recent influx of maritime piracy.

The CMA CGM Group has launched a new service linking the Mediterranean with the U.S. Gulf and Caribbean.

Liner shipping service reliability across the three core East-West trades hit a five-month peak in March with an aggregate on-time performance of 64 percent, according to Carrier Performance Insight, the online schedule reliability tool provided by Drewry Supply Chain Advisors.

Despite positive growth momentum, the container shipping industry continues to suffer new, big ship deliveries with no let-up to the ordering frenzy according to the Container Forecaster, published by Drewry Maritime Research. Drewry forecasts another year of excess growth in relation to demand in 2015. This will make it harder for carriers to repeat the estimated 92 percent load factors across the main headhaul East-West trade lanes achieved in 2014.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform has just published its fifth South Asia Quarterly Update re-igniting the on-going debate about the practice of breaking ships on beaches in Southern Asia. In it, China looks pretty good.

Crowley Liner Services has added a flat-deck barge to its Puerto Rico service.