https://www.scmp.com/rss/522218/feed Maersk: A leading Danish entity in integrated container logistics, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Maersk specialises in global container shipping, port operations, and comprehensive supply chain management, including warehousing, air, and inland freight. They primarily serve multinational corporations and freight forwarders, aiming to provide end-to-end logistics solutions. As the world’s second-largest container shipping company, Maersk is notable for its extensive global network and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Igor Patrick Igor Patrick A United States diplomat has told Brazilian port industry executives that Washington does not want a Chinese company to win the concession for a major container terminal in Santos, the largest port in Latin America, in the latest sign that the race for one of Brazil’s most prized infrastructure assets has become a front in the broader rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Kevin Murakami, the US consul-general in Sao Paulo, made the comments on March 5, at an event organised by Grupo A Tribuna,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3346804/washington-signals-it-wants-china-kept-out-brazils-largest-port-auction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3346804/washington-signals-it-wants-china-kept-out-brazils-largest-port-auction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:12:22 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Beijing has increased its inspections on Panama-flagged vessels entering Chinese ports, a source from the shipping industry said, an action intended to raise the Latin American country’s stress level after its courts voided the operating rights of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison in the Panama Canal. Port state control (PSC) – the inspection regime countries may deploy to verify the compliance of foreign ships with various international standards – was being used as a form of leverage... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346767/papers-please-china-raises-pressure-panama-amid-canal-row-ship-inspection-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346767/papers-please-china-raises-pressure-panama-amid-canal-row-ship-inspection-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:30:08 +0000 Mia Nurmamat,Carol Yang Mia Nurmamat,Carol Yang Maritime tracking data showed that no ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, marking the first full day without any confirmed commercial traffic in either direction since February 28, when the US and Israel began military strikes on Iran. Crossings dropped to zero, below the previous seven-day average of 2.57 daily transits, according to maritime analytics firm Windward. Although no vessels entered the waterway that day, about 400 ships sailed in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, it... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346755/no-ships-cross-strait-hormuz-first-time-conflict-began-data-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346755/no-ships-cross-strait-hormuz-first-time-conflict-began-data-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:30:14 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China’s Ministry of Transport has summoned two maritime giants – Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) – for talks on “international shipping operations” amid legal disputes over the Panama Canal, a vital artery for global trade. No further details were provided in the one-sentence statement, which was posted on the ministry’s website on Tuesday. But in China, government summons often serve as a warning and, if ignored, could lead to further action. The move came as mounting... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346074/china-summons-maersk-msc-shipping-operations-amid-panama-saga-iran-war-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346074/china-summons-maersk-msc-shipping-operations-amid-panama-saga-iran-war-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:00:18 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Major shipping lines are suspending services and diverting vessels across the Middle East as escalating military tensions threaten a prolonged disruption of global supply chains, with the critical Strait of Hormuz chokepoint effectively closed to commercial traffic following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The crisis has ensnared both oil tankers and container ships, creating a maritime bottleneck that could ripple through international commerce. As of Monday, 132 container ships with a combined... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3345291/shipping-firms-suspend-gulf-routes-iran-war-leaves-132-vessels-trapped?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3345291/shipping-firms-suspend-gulf-routes-iran-war-leaves-132-vessels-trapped?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Denise Tsang Denise Tsang Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings has vowed to pursue all available legal options to defend its interests after a Panamanian court last month nullified its right to operate two ports along the country’s canal, while acknowledging that keeping the operations running was beyond its control. The conglomerate headed by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s family said on Thursday that it had invited the Panamanian government to enter consultations to resolve the court verdict and protect its rights and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3343356/ck-hutchison-pursues-all-legal-options-panama-ports-invites-consultations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3343356/ck-hutchison-pursues-all-legal-options-panama-ports-invites-consultations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:18:57 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Panama’s decision to invalidate port contracts with a Hong Kong-based conglomerate is sending shock waves through global port investment, analysts warn, creating a destabilising precedent amid rising geopolitical fragmentation. Tensions are escalating in the Central American nation following a top court’s ruling that voided CK Hutchison Holdings’ port concession – a long-term agreement granting rights to operate a port – from the 1990s as “unconstitutional”. The local port authority later said... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342521/panamas-dangerous-precedent-why-global-ports-appear-pawns-politics-trump-contracts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342521/panamas-dangerous-precedent-why-global-ports-appear-pawns-politics-trump-contracts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:30:11 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China has suspended retaliatory port fees on US-linked vessels for one year, following Washington’s pause of similar charges under its “Section 301” investigation targeting the Chinese maritime sector. After months of uncertainty over the rival port fees, which took effect on October 14, the shipping industry can finally breathe a sigh of relief as both sides formally confirmed the pause. In line with the outcomes of the US-China trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, the Ministry of Transport said the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332194/china-us-suspend-rival-port-fees-latest-trade-war-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332194/china-us-suspend-rival-port-fees-latest-trade-war-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:01:40 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Next to a bustling expressway funnelling Malaysia’s exports to the world, Danish shipping giant Maersk has placed a US$118 million bet that Southeast Asia will not only withstand the new tariff era, but find a way to prosper. Maersk’s largest Asia-Pacific distribution centre opened in Shah Alam, Selangor state, on Wednesday. Seven years in the planning, it was conceived well before Donald Trump’s tariff-wielding return to the White House disrupted supply chains and slashed corporate margins. But... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3331978/who-wins-us-china-trade-war-maersks-malaysia-mega-bet-backs-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3331978/who-wins-us-china-trade-war-maersks-malaysia-mega-bet-backs-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing The Panama Canal Authority has met key industry players ahead of tendering a US$2.6 billion project to build two new port terminals, a move that Hong Kong analysts have called a high-stakes strategic manoeuvre. The consultation was announced by the authority on Monday, as a separate multibillion-dollar sale of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings’ existing port stakes remained stalled amid broader frictions between the United States and China. The authority said it had “launched a consultation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3330577/panama-seeks-partners-us26-billion-port-plan-may-ease-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3330577/panama-seeks-partners-us26-billion-port-plan-may-ease-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:30:58 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Shipping companies are rushing to divert vessels and adjust their corporate structures, as they strive to minimise their exposure to steep new US and Chinese port fees that took effect on Tuesday. The United States has targeted Chinese-linked vessels with hefty charges as part of a broader push to curtail China’s dominance in global shipbuilding, prompting Beijing to impose similar duties on US-owned or operated ships in an apparent tit-for-tat move. European shipping giants Maersk and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3329246/ships-divert-directors-resign-us-china-port-fees-rock-shipping-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3329246/ships-divert-directors-resign-us-china-port-fees-rock-shipping-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 02:00:31 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Even after securing another 90-day tariff truce with the US, China’s trade-diversification efforts are expected to continue reshaping shipping routes for the rest of the year, as transpacific routes remain under pressure following an initial front-loading phase. “Despite ongoing negotiations between the two countries, we believe it is unlikely that tariffs will be completely eliminated, which will continue to weigh on US import volumes,” said Jarl Milford, a maritime analyst at Veson... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3321608/despite-us-china-tariff-truce-turning-tide-keeps-reshaping-shipping-routes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3321608/despite-us-china-tariff-truce-turning-tide-keeps-reshaping-shipping-routes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:00:14 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang When the United States unveiled plans to charge hefty fees to any China-built or operated ship entering an American port earlier this year, the shipping industry appeared to face a stark choice: cut Chinese vessels out of their fleets or see their costs soar. But months ahead of the charges coming into force, the global shipping giant Maersk insists that it will be able to avoid making that decision, casting further doubt over the US’ ability to curtail the dominance of China’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318568/maersk-downplays-hit-us-port-fees-doubts-swirl-over-anti-china-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318568/maersk-downplays-hit-us-port-fees-doubts-swirl-over-anti-china-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 09:00:14 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Sometime in early 1988, while the nine-year war between Iran and Iraq was still raging, veteran British publisher Abdullah Jonathan Wallace paid a visit to his old friend, Bahrain’s information minister Tariq Almoayed. As they drove out of Manama to Tariq’s home on another island in Bahrain’s archipelago, Wallace looked seaward and was shocked to see a task force of US Navy ships moored in the Persian Gulf. “Tariq! Look! Ships!” Wallace excitedly said to the Bahraini minister. Almoayed, who was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316149/seaborne-scare-how-israel-iran-war-put-global-shipping-alert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316149/seaborne-scare-how-israel-iran-war-put-global-shipping-alert?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jun 2025 08:00:16 +0000