The United States' No. 1 export to China, by number of cargo containers, is scrap.

WSJ: Grappling With a Garbage Glut

But wait times could lengthen if millions of dollars in mandated spending cuts force the Transportation Security Administration to trim the number of agents that screen passengers and cargo for bombs, guns and other prohibited items.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

So, with the number of ships in the world today, and the way cargo flows go, we certainly do not build our business around heavy lift cargoes.

FORBES: Intermarine Executives Discuss Ship Financing, Piracy, and Global Maritime Trade

Meanwhile, the United States said it was tracking a Russian military cargo ship en route to Syria that is carrying weapons, ammunition and a small number of Russian troops.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The same year saw a number of containers washed up in the English Channel off the Devon coast after the cargo ship MSC Napoli ran aground.

BBC: Lost shipping containers question