Decline in container traffic volumes in key ports
In October 2024, the Port of Houston recorded handling 309,623 TEUs, a 15% decrease from the same period the previous year. A similar trend was seen at the Port of New Orleans, where container volumes decreased by 20%. Nevertheless, the total container volumes handled at the Port of Houston for the full year showed a 7% increase. These changes are the result of global economic fluctuations affecting both import and export volumes.
Realignment of naval alliances in 2025
From February 2025, the global container shipping market is facing a major restructuring. The three main alliances that have dominated the market so far will undergo significant changes. For example, the 2M alliance will be broken up and the new Gemini alliance will unite Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. THE Alliance will be renamed the Premier Alliance and will have only three members. These changes promise a greater range of global routes and new opportunities for ports and customers.
New routes and ports added to global networks
Companies such as MSC are expanding their services with new ports on Asia-Europe and transpacific routes. Changes include a shift from traditional routes to optimised alternatives, such as the move from Long Beach to ports like Seattle, Vancouver and Portland. These changes are driven by a desire to optimize costs and increase shipping efficiency.
Impact on ports and global logistics
Restructuring of maritime alliances will bring changes in ports that will benefit from new routes and services. The analysis shows that, for example, the number of common services between Asia and Europe will increase from 17 to 24.
Challenges and opportunities for carriers
For carriers, the new alliances bring challenges in adapting to changed conditions, but also opportunities to take advantage of expanded routes. Increased cooperation between transport companies can lead to better capacity utilisation and lower transport costs.
Emphasis on sustainability and innovation
The increase in the number of routes and services will also bring more pressure for environmental responsibility. Companies are investing in greener ships and technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping. Innovations such as digital shipment tracking and process automation will play a key role in future developments.
The future of maritime transport
Changes in alliances and adaptation to new conditions point to a dynamic evolution of the sector that must respond to global economic and environmental challenges. Cooperation between shippers, ports and technology companies will be key to sustainable growth.
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Other container news...
Shipping container types
Roughly 80% of everything you own traveled to you inside a steel box. Shipping containers—also called cargo containers, ISO containers, or “conex” boxes—are the backbone of global trade, carrying about 90% of the world’s non-bulk cargo across oceans, rails, and highways. Yet a “shipping container” is not one single object. It is a family of specialized steel boxes, each engineered for a specific kind of cargo: some vent, some freeze, some open from the top, and some have no walls at all.
40 foot container storage uses
The 40 foot container has moved far beyond its original job of hauling cargo across the ocean. Today, the phrase “40 foot container storage uses” describes an enormous and still-growing field: everything from an extra garage behind a house to a full retail storefront, a mobile office, an indoor farm, or a temporary shelter. Because the 40 foot container is the most common size in global shipping, it is also the most abundant, the most affordable, and the most widely converted for storage and building purposes.
How tall is a 20-Foot shipping container?
A 20-foot shipping container stands 8 feet 6 inches (8′ 6″) tall on the outside, or 2.59 meters. Inside, the usable height is slightly less — roughly 7 feet 9–5/8 inches (2.39 m) — because the floor, roof panels, and corner castings consume several inches of the total height.
That is the short answer. But “how tall” hides important nuance: the number changes depending on whether you are measuring a standard unit or a high cube unit, whether you are measuring the exterior or the interior, and whether you actually need to fit something through the door opening, which is the shortest vertical dimension on the entire box.
Shipping container wheel movement kits
A shipping container wheel movement kit is a bolt-on (or twist-lock) hardware system that lets a single person attach wheels to the corner castings of a 20 ft or 40 ft shipping container and reposition it — often without a crane, forklift, or flatbed truck. Instead of hiring a heavy-haul trucker every time you want to nudge a container a few feet on your property, the right wheel kit turns a 4,000–10,000 lb steel box into something a pickup truck, skid steer, or a couple of strong backs with a come-along can move.