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.

Ocean freight rates for cargo moving under contracts on the major East-West trade routes fell by another 18 percent between February and May, according to Drewry's Benchmarking Club, a closed user group of multinational retailers and manufacturers who closely monitor their contract freight rates.

Averitt Express has added two weekly departures for less-than-containerload (LCL) service from China to Memphis, TN and Charleston, SC.

Still confused about what shippers must do to comply with that new regulation on the weighing of loaded containers at ports? You've got plenty of company.

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.

More than 25 European and Asian-owned supertankers are shipping Iranian oil, data seen by Reuters shows, allowing Tehran to ramp up exports much faster than analysts had expected following the lifting of sanctions in January.