Rapid fleet growth and a larger orderbook are pushing CMA CGM closer to Maersk in the global container shipping rankings.

Liner shipping companies appear to be mobilising their last remaining capacity reserves in order to capitalise on the sharp rise in spot freight rates. Nevertheless, rates continue to rise due to the significant backlog of cargo.

Fuzhou and Dalian offer the fastest container turnaround times in the world, according to the World Bank's latest Container Port Performance Index. Salalah in Oman ranks third. All three serve as export or transhipment hubs — Fuzhou as the nearest…

Container shipping rates continue to climb despite the opening of talks between the US and Iran. Drewry's World Container Index jumped 12 per cent last week to 3,969 US dollars per FEU, its highest level in 18 months. The Shanghai index SCFI rose a…