Category: Logistics

Roughly halfway through Q2, flatbed rates are holding firm, currently showing no change from April to May and a slight increase quarter-over-quarter (q/q).

As we navigate through the first half of 2024, we are seeing early signs of an inflationary rate environment for flatbed shipping, albeit slightly later than anticipated. Excess supply has persisted longer than expected for both flatbed and dry van, resulting in rates remaining lower than for longer than anticipated.

While shipping and supply chains have always been subject to wars, pirates, privateers, geopolitical issues, and natural disasters, it seems that “it’s been busier lately when it comes to dealing with significant supply chain disruptions,” according to logistics expert Anton Posner.

A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, causing it to collapse. This has blocked sea lanes into and out of Baltimore port, which is the largest source of US seaborne thermal coal exports. The port usually exports 1–1.5 million metric tons (mt) of thermal coal per month. It is uncertain when sea shipping will be restored. But it could be several weeks or more. There are coal export terminals in Virginia, though diversion to these ports would raise costs.

United Steelworkers (USW) union members in Canada have reached a tentative labor agreement with CN Rail.  

Mercury Resources CEO Anton Posner will be the featured speaker on SMU’s next Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 11 am ET. The live webinar is free for all. A recording of the webinar and the slide deck are free for SMU members.

Just like doing business in any part of the steel supply chain, there are risks and unknowns in trading steel. But trading companies play an important part, helping businesses navigate the risks and unknowns as they pop up.

Turkish scrap import prices increased for a third consecutive week.

The importation of basic pig iron has allowed EAF steelmakers to implement thin-slab casting technology to make drawing-quality flat-rolled sheet over the last 30 years.

US steel imports continue to arrive at a steady pace, as total import licenses in October were about even with September’s import levels.

The leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) warned that members on the East and Gulf Coasts could go on strike in October of next year when the union’s contract expires.

Unifor members at the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) have voted to ratify a new labor agreement.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) scrap subsidiary OmniSource has acquired a 55-acre rail-served tract near the Port of Houston to expand its metal recycling operations along the Gulf Coast.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is reopening after a tentative agreement has been reached between striking Unifor members and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC).

The ferrous export market in the US has experienced several geopolitical events and natural disasters during 2023.

Canadian steelmaker ArcelorMittal Dofasco could be impacted by a strike on the St. Lawrence Seaway, a company spokeswoman said.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is shut down after members of Canada’s Unifor union went on strike against the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) this past weekend.

Water levels on the Mississippi River continue to drop due to a lack of rain. This could potentially disrupt the steel supply chain should the low levels persist.

Port workers on Canada’s West Coast are on strike, and ports are already feeling the impact of the slowdown in the movement of goods. More than 7,400 workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) took to the picket lines starting on July 1 after failing to reach a new labor […]

With the US aluminum industry at a critical juncture, a new report is highlighting ways the Biden administration can use the Global Arrangement for Sustainable Steel and Aluminum (GASSA) to help the struggling domestic industry. Recall CRU’s aluminum analysts have previously shared with SMU the nightmare US aluminum smelters have been facing when it comes […]

In good news for the movement of goods on the West Coast, a tentative labor agreement has been reached between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). The new, six-year contract covers more than 22,000 ILWU dock workers represented at 29 West Coast ports. Details of the tentative agreement, which […]

Despite a record backlog, Northwest Pipe Co. is experiencing a challenging start to the year, with customer-driven delays and severe weather hampering production at its various facilities. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company noted the challenges as it released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 results. Q4 brought higher production tonnages but lower selling prices within Northwest’s engineered steel […]

This past week was a rather notable one in recent memory when it comes to steel prices. We saw a wave of $60-per-ton sheet price hikes announced by domestic mills. It’s somewhat of an unfamiliar sight in the industry over the past couple of years or so, but just about everyone got in on the […]

Legislation is pending in our nation’s capital that would force railroad unions to accept the national labor agreement proposed in September in order to avoid a labor strike. After being urged by President Joe Biden on Nov. 28 to enact the legislation, the bill was passed in the House of Representatives today, Nov. 30. It will now go […]

The White House released a statement on Nov. 28 requesting Congress to pass immediate legislation that would adopt the tentative agreement between railroad workers and operators. As concerns of a rail strike grow, an agreement could deter members from striking. “This agreement was approved by labor and management negotiators in September. On the day that […]

The potential for a rail strike still remains after the results of union votes were announced on Nov. 21. While members of the SMART yardmasters and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) voted to accept their proposed labor deals, members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers – Transportation […]

As steel volumes continue to grow, the Port of Hamilton, Ontario, is receiving funding from the Canadian government to increase its steel handling productivity. Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund is providing CAD $4.9 million (US $3.65 million) in funding to relieve supply chain congestion at the port. The waterway is a critical piece of infrastructure […]

Drought-stricken rivers have affected areas across the United States, leaving some concerned about the impact that persistent dry skies might have. The steel industry relies heavily upon the ability to ship material up and down the Mississippi River, as shipping high volumes of goods via barge is substantially cheaper than truck or rail. However, if […]

The potential for a rail strike in the US has been pushed back to early December. But concerns remain for the steel industry, which relies heavily on rail transportation. After rejecting a proposed national labor contract in October and reigniting the possibility of a rail strike, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) Division […]

Just weeks after a union representing rail workers across the nation rejected a proposed labor agreement, a second union has now also voted down the national tentative agreement, further reigniting the potential for a national railway strike. The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) voted against ratification of the tentative agreement which was reached on Sept. […]