Singapore's SeaLead has announced the launch of its new direct liner service, the Mediterranean Gulf Express MGX, enhancing connectivity between the Middle East and the Mediterranean region.

The ACP announced that it expects the volume of container traffic passing through the Panama Canal to double in the next few years.

PIL has launched a new weekly feeder service IQF between Jebel Ali Port in the UAE and Umm Qasr Port in Iraq to further expand its service network in the Middle East.

The current container transportation market freight rate is higher than expected, the fourth quarter of cargo is not as small as expected, the earliest November will appear before the Lunar New Year shipment tide.

In Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Port of Montreal is closed after terminal operators shut down operations in a Labour dispute with Local 375, the Canadian union of Public Employees.

The chairman of international container terminal services company ICTSI has publicly lashed out at Maersk, accusing it of underhand tactics in an attempt to preserve its dominant position in South Africa.

The longshoremen's union, CUPE Local 375, rejected the deal, continuing a strike at the Termont terminal seeking higher wages, while some workers at other facilities also refused to work overtime to help clear the backlog.

Container ship orders have surged by about 52% so far this year, with 254 container ship construction contracts now signed, up from 167 in the same period last year.

Possibly due to pressure from the client, a few short weeks later, CMA CGM again changed its decision to return the route to a route around Africa.

Singapore Sea Line rose two places to 13th, while X-Press Feeders and Hafong International fell one place each to 14th and 15th, respectively, while UniFeeder and Koryo Marine switched ranks to 16th and 17th respectively.