Lines could see the freight rate gains of this year on major trades wiped out in the fourth quarter when more vessels enter the market and volumes contract post-peak season, according to a third-partly logistics executive.

Container traffic through India's major ports fell 2.4 percent year over year in April, the first month of fiscal 2012-13, according to latest traffic figures released by the Indian Ports Association.

The decision by the U.S. and the European Union to recognize each other's trusted shippers is expected to save those companies money through speedier customs authorization.

Container lines have started reactivating their idle container fleets for the summer peak shipping season, which has resulted in a decline of almost a third in idle container ship capacity, according to Alphaliner.

The Port of Los Angeles will invest billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure to maintain its ranking as the largest U.S. container port, according to the 2012-2017 strategic plan it just released.

The Panama Canal's new locks will probably not be ready for their scheduled opening in October 2014, but will be ready for a trial run by a vessel in December, said Jorge Quijano, the engineer in charge of building the canal's third set of locks.

The game of musical chairs in the Pacific Northwest will continue this summer when Grand Alliance carriers NYK Line, Hapag-Lloyd and Orient Overseas Container Line leave the Port of Seattle and move to Tacoma.

With dozens of federal agencies having some degree of involvement in the cargo clearance process, importers are crying out for a single government portal at the border.