Liner Shipping

Global vaccinations of seafarers are going too slowly to prevent outbreaks on ships from causing more trade disruptions, endangering maritime workers and potentially slowing economies trying to pull out of pandemic slowdowns.

President Joe Biden’s targeting of shipping lines in a crackdown on uncompetitive industries should be welcome news to American companies paying record-high rates for ocean freight, a market that a growing number of importers complain is dominated by just a few big players.

The cost to ship a boxload of goods to the U.S. from China edged close to $10,000 as the world’s biggest economy keeps vacuuming up imports amid slower recoveries from the pandemic from Europe to Asia.