Your Couch Helped Break The Supply Chain, Remember?
Fri Feb 06 2026
Rates may be easing, but the real story is reliability. We open with a change at the Port of New York and New Jersey, where a long-running absenteeism problem finally meets stricter rules—small news on the surface, big implications for crane productivity, truck turns, and vessel planning. Predictable people make predictable ports, and that consistency is the backbone of schedule integrity shippers depend on.
From there, we widen the lens to India’s plan for a state-backed container carrier and what that triggers in U.S. oversight. The Federal Maritime Commission’s controlled carrier rules exist to keep state-supported pricing aligned with commercial reality, protecting fair competition while allowing new capacity to enter the market. We explain how those guardrails work, why rate-change notice periods matter, and what shippers should expect if India’s line touches U.S. trades.
We also track the capacity story: Gemini’s tighter network is lifting reliability while newbuilds arrive and services start threading the Suez again. Shorter voyages free vessel days and effectively add space—classic conditions for rate pressure. That’s good for budgets, but we caution against celebrating unsustainably low prices. Carriers face higher operating costs than a decade ago, and history shows that fragile balance sheets lead to fragile schedules. Reliability beats cheap when your inventory strategy is on the line.
Finally, we break down Panama’s Supreme Court decision voiding long-standing port concessions, the geopolitical backlash, and APM Terminals stepping in to stabilize operations. Against the backdrop of the FMC’s Maritime Chokepoints Investigation, we connect how canal policies, flags of convenience, and corrective authorities can shape access and costs for U.S.-bound cargo. The throughline is simple: labor, law, and lanes are converging to reset the risk map for global ocean shipping.
If you found this breakdown useful, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a quick review. Got a take on rates versus reliability? Drop us a note and join the conversation.
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🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to By Land and By Sea powered by The Maritime Professor®! If you enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe ⭐ and leave a review 📝 - it really helps others find the show.
📚 Want to go deeper? Check out our live webinars, on-demand e-courses, and our Just-in-Time Learning™ sessions -- short, plain-language lessons (30 minutes or less) built for supply chain pros who need quick clarity.
🚢 Looking for something tailored? We also provide custom corporate trainings designed to meet your team’s needs.
⚓ Learn more and explore past episodes at: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast
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Rates may be easing, but the real story is reliability. We open with a change at the Port of New York and New Jersey, where a long-running absenteeism problem finally meets stricter rules—small news on the surface, big implications for crane productivity, truck turns, and vessel planning. Predictable people make predictable ports, and that consistency is the backbone of schedule integrity shippers depend on. From there, we widen the lens to India’s plan for a state-backed container carrier and what that triggers in U.S. oversight. The Federal Maritime Commission’s controlled carrier rules exist to keep state-supported pricing aligned with commercial reality, protecting fair competition while allowing new capacity to enter the market. We explain how those guardrails work, why rate-change notice periods matter, and what shippers should expect if India’s line touches U.S. trades. We also track the capacity story: Gemini’s tighter network is lifting reliability while newbuilds arrive and services start threading the Suez again. Shorter voyages free vessel days and effectively add space—classic conditions for rate pressure. That’s good for budgets, but we caution against celebrating unsustainably low prices. Carriers face higher operating costs than a decade ago, and history shows that fragile balance sheets lead to fragile schedules. Reliability beats cheap when your inventory strategy is on the line. Finally, we break down Panama’s Supreme Court decision voiding long-standing port concessions, the geopolitical backlash, and APM Terminals stepping in to stabilize operations. Against the backdrop of the FMC’s Maritime Chokepoints Investigation, we connect how canal policies, flags of convenience, and corrective authorities can shape access and costs for U.S.-bound cargo. The throughline is simple: labor, law, and lanes are converging to reset the risk map for global ocean shipping. If you found this breakdown useful, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a quick review. Got a take on rates versus reliability? Drop us a note and join the conversation. Send us a text Support the show 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to By Land and By Sea powered by The Maritime Professor®! If you enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe ⭐ and leave a review 📝 - it really helps others find the show. 📚 Want to go deeper? Check out our live webinars, on-demand e-courses, and our Just-in-Time Learning™ sessions -- short, plain-language lessons (30 minutes or less) built for supply chain pros who need quick clarity. 🚢 Looking for something tailored? We also provide custom corporate trainings designed to meet your team’s needs. ⚓ Learn more and explore past episodes at: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast