It’s been called “The Big Bang of 2017.” An unprecedented number of ocean-carrier mergers last year and the collapse of the seventh-largest container carrier– Hanjin Shipping– have resulted in something Port of Long Beach officials say has never happened in the shipping industry– the reshuffling of ocean carriers from four to three new alliances.
While the new alliance formation may simply seem like news of yet another merger in today’s ever-changing business landscape, shipping officials are bracing for the confusion that the sudden, major changes may bring.
