5-19-23 Update

South Korea expands container shipping links to Russia

South Korea has again widened container shipping links with Russia, the port of Donghae starting a container liner service linking it with far-eastern ports.

Feeder operator Dong Young Shipping will extend its shuttle service between Busan and Vladivostok to include a call at Donghae, on the eastern part of the Korean peninsula.

The revamped service will start at the end of June, and officials at Donghae say they hope it will revitalise the port and regional development through the growing trade in the northern economic bloc.

US supply chain woes shift and persist in 2023

CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. supply chain is healing from early pandemic shocks that sent shipping costs skyrocketing and squeezed supplies of everything from toilet paper to pasta, but more than three years later, material shortages and hiring woes linger.

Rates for trucking, ocean shipping and other transportation tumbled after U.S. consumers shifted spending from big-ticket items like furniture, BBQ grills and big-screen TVs to travel and other entertainment, offering a reprieve to beleaguered shippers.

However, “there’s still a pretty big mess out there,” said Ryan Patel, senior fellow at Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management.

Union group pushes for passage of rail safety bill

Rail union representatives are poised to adopt a policy statement that urges Congress to pass a rail safety bill — one that mandates a minimum of two-person crew sizes on all passenger and freight trains, regulates train lengths exceeding 7,500 feet and ensures adequate inspections of rail cars, locomotives and brakes.

The latest policy statement of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO cites at least 18 areas where regulations and guidance via the Federal Railroad Administration can bolster existing rail safety practices. TTD expects to formally adopt the statement at its spring summit on Wednesday, when 37 unions, including all U.S. rail labor unions, are convening at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington.