There was a time when ocean carriers fashioned themselves as providers of premium, door-to-door transportation. Not anymore.

If we're to believe the big container lines, ever-larger ships are the remedy for their financial woes. Why, then, are so many of them still losing money?

Domestic container volume continued its steady performance in the second quarter of 2013 with 9 percent year-over-year gains, largely attributable to a strong big-box segment, with total intermodal traffic rising by 2.4 percent for the quarter, according to IANA, a trade association for the intermodal transportation industry.

CMA CGM is upgrading the frequency of its Round the World Panama Direct Service from fortnightly to weekly, beginning Sept. 18.