US Senate clears port-dredging bill

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With bigger ships comes the need for bigger ports. For a number of years US ports have lagged behind their peers in Europe and Asia in terms of being able to accommodate the largest ships operating, particularly the new draft requirements of the ultra-large container vessel category. That US lawmakers have now passed a $12bn dredging programme, should be a boon for carriers, forwarders and shippers alike, but is it too little too late?