Excerpts from the Journal of Commerce:
Hanjin Shipping’s bankruptcy filing has once again exposed how fragile the new chassis regime is in the United States, demonstrating that shipping lines, intermodal equipment providers, beneficial cargo owners, and truckers still haven’t adjusted to a development that began several years ago when the lines first shed their chassis holdings.
The latest twist has left thousands of empty Hanjin containers sitting on chassis across the country, taking the chassis out of service when they are needed most, the peak-shipping season. “Something has to be done or there will be a crisis,” said Ed DeNike, chief operating officer at SSA Marine, which operates container terminals in Long Beach, Oakland, and Seattle.