But there are some hopeful signs that the freight rates are coming down:
The container shortage in China, the cost of shipping containers around the world and the congestion at container ports are getting worse, not better.
Somebody is trying to find innovative ways around the problem:
While others are trying to find somebody else to blame:
While a US Congressman is trying to stop the Chinese from taking control of the cranes in US ports:
Can you imagine the confusion if the cranes started to operate without anybody sitting in the control cab?
Oh wait, that is what modern cranes does.
Wouldnât it be quicker and more productive to give a big tax break for cranes imported with no control hardware and software? Of course that would create a domestic industry that would be hamstrung because we still canât get the chips to run the software but at least it would return part of the process to American taxpayers.
Maybe we need RoRo barges and hand lever controlled hydraulic cranes to load them directly from the boxboat ala the old Hong Kong lighters and use tugs to tow them to someplace with a road or rail connection.
Last time I was in HongKong there was plenty still there anchored near the airport.
That is if you can find someone willing to sell you cranes that is not completed.
PS> ZPMC tried it the other way with their first big offshore crane. They built the crane body but imported the A/C winch motor drives from Sweden and the software from Italy.
Problem was that the two didnât understand each other and the Chinese âBig Rigâ Crane operators didnât understand the Ops Manual written in English.
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Was that the Typhoon shelter near Kai Tak?? 
Not only Container Terminals are congested and not only on USWC.
It is a worldwide problem that requires worldwide solutions and not only one remedy to fit all purposes:
Here is one remedy that MAY help, at least locally:
And a warning from Maersk:
The best laid plans and all that, doesnât work if there is not enough equipment to work with:
Got the machines in Singapore but no workers
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-02/ships-queues-worsen-port-delays-from-singapore-to-piraeus
Although we can see a different set of competition here between Walmart and the amazon, who will outperform whom in terms of easing up the process and initiate deliveries to maximum extent
In Most of the cases especially in Australia Ports the retailers are gonna buy their own ship liners to initiate the freight as soon as possible for Christmas deliveries.
China is easing Cabotage Laws to help solve the problem in container shipping:
So now I know what a cargo-relay is, i.e. shifting cargo (probably a container) from one of my ships to another of my ships in a port somewhere. Why would I do that?
More disruptions could arise from US ocean shipping reform:
It is not over yet:
Since mainline ships spend more time per roundtrip the cost per TEU carried increases.
The year 2021 in roundup:
Note:
Capacity On The Water Is There, Bottlenecks On Land Need To Be Solved
Is it getting worse before it is getting better??:
Further to the above:
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/boxship-newbuilds-will-just-join-port-queues-unless-landside-bottlenecks-fixed
More of the same:
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/ports-logistics/container-port-congestion-worsening-start-2022-sea-intel
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/container-rollovers-set-continue-after-december-rise
How bad is it?:
Now hereâs a novel idea:
And hereâs why:
Chinese New Year will not make things simpler: