A humble metal box measuring just 20 feet or 40 feet by 8 feet, the shipping container has changed the world. It helped usher in globalization, deliver bananas that taste fresh despite being picked weeks before, and provide the ability for companies to have a truly international supply chain. Yet Maersk Line was late in adopting its use. A new book, tracking the history of the Danish shipping line, explains why.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has added Novorossiysk as an additional entry port into Russia, as part of its Asia-Europe service.

For the first time since 2001, Moody's has assigned a rating of "stable" to the global ocean cargo industry, but notes that the condition of world shipping remains delicate and a "negative" rating could return.

Moving perishable commodities like fruits, flowers and fresh seafood to the far corners of the world once was feasible only by air, making the price of these products prohibitive for most consumers. Thanks to a new generation of refrigerated ocean containers, however, perishable goods increasingly are being shipped by more efficient water transport. This shift is opening up new markets to producers and providing a growing, global middle class with affordable access to the fresh foods they want to buy.

Although tensions are high between the United States and Russia trade has remained consistent. Despite threats of trade sanctions by the United States, U.S. vessel imports from Russia have remained steady. TEUs (twenty-foot container) imports from Russia in March were actually up from February and totaled over 3,000 TEUs. So far in April, imports from Russia have still been consistent to the average volume of the past few months.