<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">In 2013, it’s absolutely crucial that companies put in place the long-term action plans needed to get real results in supply chain sustainability.</div>

In 2013, it’s absolutely crucial that companies put in place the long-term action plans needed to get real results in supply chain sustainability.

<div>In 2013, it’s absolutely crucial that companies put in place the long-term action plans needed to get real results in supply chain sustainability. Companies’ efforts to make their supply chains “greener” over the last few years have been well-intentioned but, on the whole, woefully inadequate. We continue hurtling toward a point of no return for our warming planet, with historically high levels of extreme weather events already a fact of life, and the scientific community reporting a 99 percent level of certainty that the warming of our planet is caused by human activities.The freight industry’s part in all this is...

In 2013, it’s absolutely crucial that companies put in place the long-term action plans needed to get real results in supply chain sustainability. Companies’ efforts to make their supply chains “greener” over the last few years have been well-intentioned but, on the whole, woefully inadequate. We continue hurtling toward a point of no return for our warming planet, with historically high levels of extreme weather events already a fact of life, and the scientific community reporting a 99 percent level of certainty that the warming of our planet is caused by human activities. The freight industry’s part in all this is significant and, more importantly, set to increase. Freight already accounts for nearly 10 percent of total U.S. global warming emissions — among the largest corporate contributors. Worse, although emissions from personal transportation are improving slowly, those from freight continue to grow. The good news is there’s plenty of opportunity for improvement, and smart sustainability initiatives tend to benefit the bottom line. Decisions you make now on how you move your company’s products will have a big impact on sustainability immediately and, even better, show up quickly as savings. But these actions must be more than one-off projects. Corporate-wide efforts to “green” freight operations must be part of a long-term strategy, driven by closely monitored metrics and well-defined targets. In short, it’s time for your sustainability program to grow up. A mature program includes a multiyear emissions-reduction goal. Efforts to meet that goal should focus on the most impactful steps, such as mode choice, distribution center location, load consolidation and distribution network redesign — even if they’re not as sexy as solar panels on the DC roof or electric delivery vehicles. Logistics managers are in a unique position to become commercial and environmental heroes, driving demonstrable improvements in the company’s overall carbon footprint, while delivering savings straight to the bottom line. Visit Environmental Defense Fund online. See all ARO Logistics-related content.

Logistics Technology News

Annual Review & Outlook 2013: Environmental Defense Fund

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Hapag-Lloyd said it wants to integrate Zim into the alliance with Maersk, but adding new ports and overlapping coverage means changes to services. </div>

Hapag-Lloyd said it wants to integrate Zim into the alliance with Maersk, but adding new ports and overlapping coverage means changes to services.

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<div class="phx-topic">Hapag-Lloyd’s acquisition of Zim Integrated Shipping Services raises questions of how much of Zim’s express, port-direct services will survive under Gemini Cooperation’s transshipment model and to what extent the acquisition will force further changes in trans-Pacific networks, according to Sea-Intelligence Maritime AnalysisIntegrating Zim’s services into the Gemini network makes more sense than operating Zim as a separate product, Sea-Intelligence said in a report Sunday. Even though Zim offers a premium product based on its transit times and direct service, Sea-Intelligence said a premium, standalone service confuses the messaging for Gemini customers “Operating premium direct strings outside the alliance effectively positions Hapag-Lloyd in competition with its own shared hub-and-spoke infrastructure, which could potentially draw high-yield cargo away from Gemini’s core network.” Sea-Intelligence said. Adding Zim’s current trans-Pacific services would increase Gemini’s port coverage by 28%, Sea-Intelligence said. In particular, Zim’s network would give Gemini more coverage between origin ports in southeast China, South Korea, and Taiwan to US East Coast ports. Yet offering those additional port calls will introduce more complexity into Gemini’s network, Sea-Intelligence said. Offering the same port coverage to the Gemini network will require “careful product design to avoid undermining customer expectations.”Speaking during a briefing last week after the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hapag-lloyd-bolsters-fleet-with-42-billion-deal-to-acquire-zim-6170540">$4.2 billion acquisition of Zim was announced</a>, Hapag-Lloyd Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said the approximately 100 vessels controlled by Zim will eventually be integrated into services that Hapag-Lloyd offers alongside Maersk under the Gemini banner. He added that the additional capacity could help Gemini gain market share in certain trade lanes. “It’s very likely to assume that indeed, some of the tonnage that Zim deploys on the east-west trades would also phase into Gemini,” Habben Jansen said. “We think that’s actually a good thing that will help Gemini gain a little bit of scale that will help us to bring unit cost further down.” <h3>‘Structural challenge’ for Gemini</h3>Integrating Zim’s current network would also mean Gemini offering a second Asia service to the Port of Baltimore and providing service to Boston. Sea-Intelligence said that while some services with port overlap could be consolidated, servicing smaller ports might require standalone services that won’t affect Gemini’s reliability. “If this market reach is integrated, Gemini faces a structural challenge: servicing these secondary gateways via transshipment hubs can add transit time on the ocean leg, and it may dilute the faster transit times some legacy Zim customers currently value,” Sea-Intelligence said. Along with Gemini’s network, the acquisition of Zim has the potential to reshape other vessel-sharing arrangements, Sea-Intelligence said. For the past two years, Hapag-Lloyd has offered a jointly-operated Asia-US East Coast service with Wan Hai Lines, the AA7. But Sea-Intelligence said the AA7’s large overlap with existing Zim services suggests “Hapag-Lloyd could exit this joint operation over time.” Zim has its own vessel-sharing agreement with Mediterranean Shipping Co. for five services between Asia and the US East and Gulf coasts. Zim and MSC each operate two of the services, while the fifth service is jointly operated. While it would take between six months and a year to dissolve the joint agreement, Sea-Intelligence said the end of the agreement would reduce MSC’s port coverage on Asia-to-US East Coast services by nearly one-third. Sea-Intelligence said it’s likely that MSC will launch a new US East Coast anchor service to compensate for the potential exit of Zim. “If MSC opts not to launch a replacement service, they would be ceding a defined strategic advantage to the potentially expanded Gemini network,” Sea-Intelligence said. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto: michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Hapag-Lloyd’s acquisition of Zim Integrated Shipping Services raises questions of how much of Zim’s express, port-direct services will survive under Gemini Cooperation’s transshipment model and to what extent the acquisition will force further changes in trans-Pacific networks, according to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis Integrating Zim’s services into the Gemini network makes more sense than operating Zim as a separate product, Sea-Intelligence said in a report Sunday. Even though Zim offers a premium product based on its transit times and direct service, Sea-Intelligence said a premium, standalone service confuses the messaging for Gemini customers “Operating premium direct strings outside the alliance effectively positions Hapag-Lloyd in competition with its own shared hub-and-spoke infrastructure, which could potentially draw high-yield cargo away from Gemini’s core network.” Sea-Intelligence said. Adding Zim’s current trans-Pacific services would increase Gemini’s port coverage by 28%, Sea-Intelligence said. In particular, Zim’s network would give Gemini more coverage between origin ports in southeast China, South Korea, and Taiwan to US East Coast ports. Yet offering those additional port calls will introduce more complexity into Gemini’s network, Sea-Intelligence said. Offering the same port coverage to the Gemini network will require “careful product design to avoid undermining customer expectations.” Speaking during a briefing last week after the $4.2 billion acquisition of Zim was announced , Hapag-Lloyd Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said the approximately 100 vessels controlled by Zim will eventually be integrated into services that Hapag-Lloyd offers alongside Maersk under the Gemini banner. He added that the additional capacity could help Gemini gain market share in certain trade lanes. “It’s very likely to assume that indeed, some of the tonnage that Zim deploys on the east-west trades would also phase into Gemini,” Habben Jansen said. “We think that’s actually a good thing that will help Gemini gain a little bit of scale that will help us to bring unit cost further down.” ‘Structural challenge’ for Gemini Integrating Zim’s current network would also mean Gemini offering a second Asia service to the Port of Baltimore and providing service to Boston. Sea-Intelligence said that while some services with port overlap could be consolidated, servicing smaller ports might require standalone services that won’t affect Gemini’s reliability. “If this market reach is integrated, Gemini faces a structural challenge: servicing these secondary gateways via transshipment hubs can add transit time on the ocean leg, and it may dilute the faster transit times some legacy Zim customers currently value,” Sea-Intelligence said. Along with Gemini’s network, the acquisition of Zim has the potential to reshape other vessel-sharing arrangements, Sea-Intelligence said. For the past two years, Hapag-Lloyd has offered a jointly-operated Asia-US East Coast service with Wan Hai Lines, the AA7. But Sea-Intelligence said the AA7’s large overlap with existing Zim services suggests “Hapag-Lloyd could exit this joint operation over time.” Zim has its own vessel-sharing agreement with Mediterranean Shipping Co. for five services between Asia and the US East and Gulf coasts. Zim and MSC each operate two of the services, while the fifth service is jointly operated. While it would take between six months and a year to dissolve the joint agreement, Sea-Intelligence said the end of the agreement would reduce MSC’s port coverage on Asia-to-US East Coast services by nearly one-third. Sea-Intelligence said it’s likely that MSC will launch a new US East Coast anchor service to compensate for the potential exit of Zim. “If MSC opts not to launch a replacement service, they would be ceding a defined strategic advantage to the potentially expanded Gemini network,” Sea-Intelligence said. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Trans-Pacific

Container lines

Zim acquisition sets up network changes for Gemini: Sea-Intelligence

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The $4.2 billion acquisition announced last week does nothing to alter the market’s weak fundamentals, notably soft demand and vessel oversupply, writes analyst John McCauley.</div>

The $4.2 billion acquisition announced last week does nothing to alter the market’s weak fundamentals, notably soft demand and vessel oversupply, writes analyst John McCauley.

<div class="phx-topic">The ink has barely dried on the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hapag-lloyd-bolsters-fleet-with-42-billion-deal-to-acquire-zim-6170540">Hapag-Lloyd tie up with Zim Integrated Shipping Services</a> and there is a view that the enlargement of the container shipping oligopoly will have some far-reaching effect and potentially stem the tide of red ink in carriers’ results. Indeed, in the longer term, this should bring about significant cost savings for the combined HL/Zim entity through procurement and agent network rationalization. However, adding another name or moving one slot higher in the rankings of the biggest carriers will not change the underlying issues facing the industry. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6174595_0.1.jpg"></img></div>Let’s start with demand. Global container freight demand is up and forecast to maintain that performance, which is good overall. However, prospects for the two key trade lanes — the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe — are poor. Trans-Pacific is dire, and without any structural change in the trade, I can see us heading back to $500 rates sooner rather than later. Asia-Europe is benefiting from the China and China + shift to non-US markets, but the fundamentals in European economies indicate this demand surge will be short-lived. The biggest problem is oversupply. With over 30% of the existing global fleet on order, oversupply is a self-inflicted wound. Surely, common sense prevailed in certain boardrooms to foresee the need to better deploy the extraordinary cash piles most carriers possess (although the piles are starting to shrink). In some cases, we can see that using cash flow to mop up charter tonnage in key segments, particularly Panamax and post-Panamax, was a smart move to increase fleet flexibility, but also to keep charter rates high and potentially push out bottom feeders as rates drop and margins erode. However — and the following comments assume there will be no full reopening of the Red Sea and Suez Canal — the continued desire to add new tonnage alongside the bloated order book seems nonsensical. This will leave very few options for carriers should demand continue to soften. Bear in mind that even without Red Sea resumption, schedule slippages, blank sailings and other current tactics will seem like trying to ride a wakeboard in a tsunami. Anchoring up will solve some immediate supply problems, but only layups will actually take tonnage out of service for an extensive period. Those who remember 2009 and the Eastern Anchorage in Singapore with multiple vessels moored together will get the picture. The compounding oversupply issue is that the trades benefiting from increased demand are not predominantly the trades that suit new tonnage coming out of the shipyards. If a magic wand could be waved, you would order 5,000- and 8,000-TEU ships, and not any bigger. Ordering 14,000-TEU-plus, even with the best intentions of dual-fuel to help the planet, will only exacerbate oversupply. <h3>Strong argument for scrapping </h3>The other supply reduction strategy is scrapping. There is a strong argument for scrapping, particularly older vessels that will come up against regulatory requirements that will prove costlier to implement than the return the vessels will derive. Granted, many will have reached their full depreciation, so are essentially running on operating expenses only. The temptation will be to keep them going, particularly those in the desirable 5,000- to 8,000-TEU range. Two other factors suggest large-scale scrapping is unlikely. The first is that while scrap yards have capacity, they need reservations well in advance given that most vessels in line for scrapping are usually part of a homogeneous order for multiple vessels rather than one-offs. Second, scrapping regulations have become tighter, which will make it more costly to scrap. Scrap prices are also weak, although container vessel scrap prices are at a small premium above dry and wet vessels. Even the E-class Maersk vessels and their (near) equivalents that are at or near 20 years old would still seem a bizarre candidate for scrapping So where does all that leave carriers? Some will hope that the US recovers, and global trade rebalances and tactical supply constraints will suffice. Combined with that will be the knowledge that carriers have about three years of free cash flow cover to ride out the downturn. Others will review their order book and see how they can delay or even withdraw from purchase and delivery. However, the favorable financing terms on offer will make this unlikely. Most will hope a smaller competitor or two will go bust, but that would not stem the vessel glut. And some will look at their playbook and go the acquisition route. But hope is never a good strategy, and a combination of layups and scrapping seems the only viable solution. So the question for this (failed) oligopolistic market is: “Who blinks first?” John McCauley, formerly a vice president of transportation and logistics at Cargill, now consults for shippers. Contact him at <a href="mailto:john-mccauley1@outlook.com">john-mccauley1@outlook.com</a>. </div>

The ink has barely dried on the Hapag-Lloyd tie up with Zim Integrated Shipping Services and there is a view that the enlargement of the container shipping oligopoly will have some far-reaching effect and potentially stem the tide of red ink in carriers’ results. Indeed, in the longer term, this should bring about significant cost savings for the combined HL/Zim entity through procurement and agent network rationalization. However, adding another name or moving one slot higher in the rankings of the biggest carriers will not change the underlying issues facing the industry. Let’s start with demand. Global container freight demand is up and forecast to maintain that performance, which is good overall. However, prospects for the two key trade lanes — the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe — are poor. Trans-Pacific is dire, and without any structural change in the trade, I can see us heading back to $500 rates sooner rather than later. Asia-Europe is benefiting from the China and China + shift to non-US markets, but the fundamentals in European economies indicate this demand surge will be short-lived. The biggest problem is oversupply. With over 30% of the existing global fleet on order, oversupply is a self-inflicted wound. Surely, common sense prevailed in certain boardrooms to foresee the need to better deploy the extraordinary cash piles most carriers possess (although the piles are starting to shrink). In some cases, we can see that using cash flow to mop up charter tonnage in key segments, particularly Panamax and post-Panamax, was a smart move to increase fleet flexibility, but also to keep charter rates high and potentially push out bottom feeders as rates drop and margins erode. However — and the following comments assume there will be no full reopening of the Red Sea and Suez Canal — the continued desire to add new tonnage alongside the bloated order book seems nonsensical. This will leave very few options for carriers should demand continue to soften. Bear in mind that even without Red Sea resumption, schedule slippages, blank sailings and other current tactics will seem like trying to ride a wakeboard in a tsunami. Anchoring up will solve some immediate supply problems, but only layups will actually take tonnage out of service for an extensive period. Those who remember 2009 and the Eastern Anchorage in Singapore with multiple vessels moored together will get the picture. The compounding oversupply issue is that the trades benefiting from increased demand are not predominantly the trades that suit new tonnage coming out of the shipyards. If a magic wand could be waved, you would order 5,000- and 8,000-TEU ships, and not any bigger. Ordering 14,000-TEU-plus, even with the best intentions of dual-fuel to help the planet, will only exacerbate oversupply. Strong argument for scrapping The other supply reduction strategy is scrapping. There is a strong argument for scrapping, particularly older vessels that will come up against regulatory requirements that will prove costlier to implement than the return the vessels will derive. Granted, many will have reached their full depreciation, so are essentially running on operating expenses only. The temptation will be to keep them going, particularly those in the desirable 5,000- to 8,000-TEU range. Two other factors suggest large-scale scrapping is unlikely. The first is that while scrap yards have capacity, they need reservations well in advance given that most vessels in line for scrapping are usually part of a homogeneous order for multiple vessels rather than one-offs. Second, scrapping regulations have become tighter, which will make it more costly to scrap. Scrap prices are also weak, although container vessel scrap prices are at a small premium above dry and wet vessels. Even the E-class Maersk vessels and their (near) equivalents that are at or near 20 years old would still seem a bizarre candidate for scrapping So where does all that leave carriers? Some will hope that the US recovers, and global trade rebalances and tactical supply constraints will suffice. Combined with that will be the knowledge that carriers have about three years of free cash flow cover to ride out the downturn. Others will review their order book and see how they can delay or even withdraw from purchase and delivery. However, the favorable financing terms on offer will make this unlikely. Most will hope a smaller competitor or two will go bust, but that would not stem the vessel glut. And some will look at their playbook and go the acquisition route. But hope is never a good strategy, and a combination of layups and scrapping seems the only viable solution. So the question for this (failed) oligopolistic market is: “Who blinks first?” John McCauley, formerly a vice president of transportation and logistics at Cargill, now consults for shippers. Contact him at john-mccauley1@outlook.com .

Container Shipping News

Maritime

Hapag-Lloyd’s deal for Zim won’t fix challenges facing container shipping

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A record number of wind farm installations in 2025 has set the tone for accelerated year-over-year demand growth for wind components, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. </div>

A record number of wind farm installations in 2025 has set the tone for accelerated year-over-year demand growth for wind components, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.

<div class="phx-topic">Global wind capacity is forecast to exceed 2 terawatts by 2030, building on a record year for new wind energy installations in 2025, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Wind farm installations provide regular cargo for the breakbulk and project cargo industry. In its latest forecast, GWEC raised its full-year global wind installation forecast for last year by 8.8% to 150 gigawatts. Ben Backwell, GWEC CEO, said in a statement that is up from 94 GW just four years ago, “driven largely by Asia’s fast-growing economies.” GWEC is an international trade association for the wind power industry. China was the runaway leader, with total installation thought to exceed 100 GW in 2025. By 2030, Asia-Pacific countries, excluding China, will account for 12% of installations, said GWEC. India set a record of 6.3 GW installed in 2025, while Europe installed 22.5 GW, a year-over-year increase of 5 GW. The US installed more than 7 GW. Wind component shipper and manufacturer Siemens Gamesa said in a year-end report that its installations now totaled 119 GWs onshore consisting of more than 61,000 turbines, and 31 GW offshore consisting of more than 5,100 turbines. A spokesperson for multipurpose and heavy-lift vessel operator Chipolbrok told the Journal of Commerce the company is seeing increasing demand for shipping of complete wind turbines. However, demand is highly dependent on the routes and destinations that they call. For example, in parts of Europe, there is an investment backlog for renewables projects as economic uncertainty is making investors jittery. “This is currently leading to a decline in demand for offshore installations,” Chipolbrok said. <h3>Europe still a stronghold for wind </h3>Siemens Gamesa aims to install about 500 offshore turbines per year in fiscal 2026 and 2027. Offshore remains a promising market, with the EU and UK as a stronghold for the company with 37 GW already installed and a high commitment to renewables given the EU’s 300-GW target by 2050. Colin Charnock, group CEO of freight forwarder Trans Global Projects (TGP), told the Journal of Commerce TGP is “continuing to strengthen its capability for the power sector.” That includes the opening of TGP Finland by the third quarter of 2026, which will enhance the forwarder’s presence in a region with significant activity in grid expansion, offshore wind and heavy industrial power projects. “This development supports our long‑term plan to be positioned close to strategic corridors where large‑scale energy projects are planned or underway,” Charnock said. Asian markets, especially Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, also bring opportunities, Siemens Gamesa said, with those countries combined having committed to build 100 GW of offshore wind capacity between now and 2040. The company noted that excluding China, the global onshore market is expected to grow from about 40 to 45 GW today to 65 GW in 2030. <h3>Turbine orders fell in 2025 </h3>Still, S&amp;P Global Energy’s Wind Turbine Order Tracker published earlier this month reported a contraction in global wind turbine orders last year, driven by a pullback in key markets. Firm global wind turbine orders last year totaled approximately 140 GW, a 20% decline from 2024. Another 60 GW of “non-firm orders” brings the total to 200 GW. Hwei Ling Lee, associate analyst for clean energy technologies and supply chains at S&amp;P Global Energy, explained that S&amp;P Global’s dataset reports volumes of wind turbine orders secured, whereas GWEC reports actual installations of wind capacity. “Since turbines are typically installed 12 to 18 months after an order is placed, orders for wind turbines secured in 2025 will mostly be installed in 2026 and 2027,” Lee said. “This makes the order data a more forward-looking view of market activity.” The drop in orders in 2025 could translate into a slower installation rate in 2026, but “it may not be as pronounced as the decline in orders might suggest,” Lee added. S&amp;P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Contact Felicity Landon on <a href="mailto:felicity@felicitylandon.com">felicity@felicitylandon.com</a>. </div>

Global wind capacity is forecast to exceed 2 terawatts by 2030, building on a record year for new wind energy installations in 2025, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Wind farm installations provide regular cargo for the breakbulk and project cargo industry. In its latest forecast, GWEC raised its full-year global wind installation forecast for last year by 8.8% to 150 gigawatts. Ben Backwell, GWEC CEO, said in a statement that is up from 94 GW just four years ago, “driven largely by Asia’s fast-growing economies.” GWEC is an international trade association for the wind power industry. China was the runaway leader, with total installation thought to exceed 100 GW in 2025. By 2030, Asia-Pacific countries, excluding China, will account for 12% of installations, said GWEC. India set a record of 6.3 GW installed in 2025, while Europe installed 22.5 GW, a year-over-year increase of 5 GW. The US installed more than 7 GW. Wind component shipper and manufacturer Siemens Gamesa said in a year-end report that its installations now totaled 119 GWs onshore consisting of more than 61,000 turbines, and 31 GW offshore consisting of more than 5,100 turbines. A spokesperson for multipurpose and heavy-lift vessel operator Chipolbrok told the Journal of Commerce the company is seeing increasing demand for shipping of complete wind turbines. However, demand is highly dependent on the routes and destinations that they call. For example, in parts of Europe, there is an investment backlog for renewables projects as economic uncertainty is making investors jittery. “This is currently leading to a decline in demand for offshore installations,” Chipolbrok said. Europe still a stronghold for wind Siemens Gamesa aims to install about 500 offshore turbines per year in fiscal 2026 and 2027. Offshore remains a promising market, with the EU and UK as a stronghold for the company with 37 GW already installed and a high commitment to renewables given the EU’s 300-GW target by 2050. Colin Charnock, group CEO of freight forwarder Trans Global Projects (TGP), told the Journal of Commerce TGP is “continuing to strengthen its capability for the power sector.” That includes the opening of TGP Finland by the third quarter of 2026, which will enhance the forwarder’s presence in a region with significant activity in grid expansion, offshore wind and heavy industrial power projects. “This development supports our long‑term plan to be positioned close to strategic corridors where large‑scale energy projects are planned or underway,” Charnock said. Asian markets, especially Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, also bring opportunities, Siemens Gamesa said, with those countries combined having committed to build 100 GW of offshore wind capacity between now and 2040. The company noted that excluding China, the global onshore market is expected to grow from about 40 to 45 GW today to 65 GW in 2030. Turbine orders fell in 2025 Still, S&P Global Energy’s Wind Turbine Order Tracker published earlier this month reported a contraction in global wind turbine orders last year, driven by a pullback in key markets. Firm global wind turbine orders last year totaled approximately 140 GW, a 20% decline from 2024. Another 60 GW of “non-firm orders” brings the total to 200 GW. Hwei Ling Lee, associate analyst for clean energy technologies and supply chains at S&P Global Energy, explained that S&P Global’s dataset reports volumes of wind turbine orders secured, whereas GWEC reports actual installations of wind capacity. “Since turbines are typically installed 12 to 18 months after an order is placed, orders for wind turbines secured in 2025 will mostly be installed in 2026 and 2027,” Lee said. “This makes the order data a more forward-looking view of market activity.” The drop in orders in 2025 could translate into a slower installation rate in 2026, but “it may not be as pronounced as the decline in orders might suggest,” Lee added. S&P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Contact Felicity Landon on felicity@felicitylandon.com .

Energy projects

Project cargo

Breakbulk News

Asia to dominate global wind cargo market through end of the decade

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">In the wake of several successful appeals that crimped Donald Trump’s executive order banning new projects, wind developers are racing against the clock to complete work as quickly as possible.</div>

In the wake of several successful appeals that crimped Donald Trump’s executive order banning new projects, wind developers are racing against the clock to complete work as quickly as possible.

<div class="phx-topic">The Trump administration has begun taking steps to reverse a sweep of recent court victories for US offshore wind projects as developers rush to complete work on the five projects the courts have allowed to resume. The offshore wind industry is a key driver of project cargo such as turbine blades and other oversize components with complex transport requirements. These projects also call for significant amounts of port space and specialized heavy-lift vessels for installation. But US offshore wind projects have come under attack by President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order banning new wind power projects upon taking office in January 2025. Then, on Dec. 22, the administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued stop-work orders on five East Coast offshore wind projects that are fully permitted and over halfway complete. Those are Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) by Dominion Energy, Empire Wind 1 by Equinor, Revolution Wind by Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables, Sunrise Wind by Ørsted, and Vineyard Wind 1 by Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. In a series of rulings issued in January and early February, federal district courts granted preliminary injunctions allowing all five projects to restart construction. However, on Feb. 11, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Bloomberg Television the federal government would “absolutely” appeal the courts’ decisions allowing construction to resume on the five existing projects, adding, “There will be further discussion on this.” The administration contends offshore wind turbines pose a national security risk because of radar interference. In a separate move on Feb. 17, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson filed a notice to appeal a Dec. 8 ruling by a Massachusetts federal district court striking down the administration’s federal permitting ban on new wind energy projects. Projects are racing against the clock to complete work as quickly as possible before any future court rulings come down against them. “This constant political jockeying undoubtedly injects new levels of uncertainty into the industry as a whole and the industries that support it,” Abby Watson, president of Groundwire Group, a US consulting firm, told the Journal of Commerce. <h3>No ‘wiggle room’ for project schedules </h3>Absent any federal pushback, US offshore wind projects still face significant challenges stemming from the scarcity of resources needed for project construction. Watson cited the limited number of highly specialized installation vessels available for building these projects globally. “Fierce competition has these vessels booked up years in advance, and with utilization rates this high, projects can’t afford to build a lot of wiggle room into their schedules,” she said. Transporting and storing massive offshore wind components presents additional concerns, as space at East Coast ports comes at a premium, Watson said. “Unexpected delays in clearing out huge storage and laydown areas are bound to cause a major headache for logistics managers and port operators,” she said. In a statement to the Journal of Commerce, the Oceantic Network, a nonprofit trade group, called for bipartisan permitting reform, saying it was crucial to offshore wind project development. “It can unlock billions of dollars of investment and port/vessel activity to advance shared national priorities like shipyard revitalization, steel and port investments, and domestic energy dominance,” the group said. US offshore wind projects have resulted in $5 billion in port redevelopment and $2 billion in vessel builds and retrofits, according to the Oceantic Network. “There are hundreds of vessels operating on each of the five projects under construction today, and billions of dollars of equipment and components that can resume transit either from the factory to a staging port, or from port to construction site,” it said. Multiple offshore wind project cargo shippers declined requests from the Journal of Commerce to comment for this story, citing the ongoing litigation. <h3>Delays, tariffs pile on costs </h3>US offshore wind projects are grappling with mounting costs from the double whammy of federal stop-work orders and import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. According to court filings, individual project costs from work shutdowns range from $1 million to $5 million per day. According to Dominion Energy’s latest Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind update, the project’s budget has risen to $11.5 billion because of an additional $365 million in costs related to tariffs and the federal government’s order to halt work. In recent remarks on the 810-megawatt Empire Wind project off the coast of Long Island, New York, developer Equinor also cited the one-two punch of tariffs and work shutdowns in driving up the project’s cost by $500 million to $7.5 billion. Equinor CEO Anders Opedal called the federal stop-work orders “unlawful” during the company’s Feb. 4 fourth-quarter earnings call. “We are moving forward with a strong belief that we will have a good case in the court,” Opedal said. With work stoppages lifted, project developers are reporting various stages of progress. Dominion spokesperson Jeremy Slayton told the Journal of Commerce that the 2.6-gigawatt project is over 70% complete and should begin generating power by the end of March. The project is set for completion by February 2027. In Ørsted’s Feb. 6 earnings call, company executives said the 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut is set to begin producing power “within weeks” and should be fully operational in the second half of 2026. Ørsted’s other project, the 924-MW Sunrise Wind farm, is on track to begin generating power by October, executives said. On the 806-MW Vineyard Wind 1 farm, court filings show the $4.5 billion project is 95% complete and has been generating power for over a year. Empire Wind is over 60% complete, but future work stoppages could put the wind farm in jeopardy. According to a Jan. 6 court filing by Empire Wind, “if allowed to stand, the suspension order substantially threatens cancellation of a project that is fully and duly permitted under the law and has been in active construction for over a year and a half at a cost of billions of dollars.” Contact Autumn Cafiero Giusti at <a href="mailto:autumn@autumngiusti.com">autumn@autumngiusti.com</a>.</div>

The Trump administration has begun taking steps to reverse a sweep of recent court victories for US offshore wind projects as developers rush to complete work on the five projects the courts have allowed to resume. The offshore wind industry is a key driver of project cargo such as turbine blades and other oversize components with complex transport requirements. These projects also call for significant amounts of port space and specialized heavy-lift vessels for installation. But US offshore wind projects have come under attack by President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order banning new wind power projects upon taking office in January 2025. Then, on Dec. 22, the administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued stop-work orders on five East Coast offshore wind projects that are fully permitted and over halfway complete. Those are Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) by Dominion Energy, Empire Wind 1 by Equinor, Revolution Wind by Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables, Sunrise Wind by Ørsted, and Vineyard Wind 1 by Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. In a series of rulings issued in January and early February, federal district courts granted preliminary injunctions allowing all five projects to restart construction. However, on Feb. 11, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Bloomberg Television the federal government would “absolutely” appeal the courts’ decisions allowing construction to resume on the five existing projects, adding, “There will be further discussion on this.” The administration contends offshore wind turbines pose a national security risk because of radar interference. In a separate move on Feb. 17, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson filed a notice to appeal a Dec. 8 ruling by a Massachusetts federal district court striking down the administration’s federal permitting ban on new wind energy projects. Projects are racing against the clock to complete work as quickly as possible before any future court rulings come down against them. “This constant political jockeying undoubtedly injects new levels of uncertainty into the industry as a whole and the industries that support it,” Abby Watson, president of Groundwire Group, a US consulting firm, told the Journal of Commerce. No ‘wiggle room’ for project schedules Absent any federal pushback, US offshore wind projects still face significant challenges stemming from the scarcity of resources needed for project construction. Watson cited the limited number of highly specialized installation vessels available for building these projects globally. “Fierce competition has these vessels booked up years in advance, and with utilization rates this high, projects can’t afford to build a lot of wiggle room into their schedules,” she said. Transporting and storing massive offshore wind components presents additional concerns, as space at East Coast ports comes at a premium, Watson said. “Unexpected delays in clearing out huge storage and laydown areas are bound to cause a major headache for logistics managers and port operators,” she said. In a statement to the Journal of Commerce, the Oceantic Network, a nonprofit trade group, called for bipartisan permitting reform, saying it was crucial to offshore wind project development. “It can unlock billions of dollars of investment and port/vessel activity to advance shared national priorities like shipyard revitalization, steel and port investments, and domestic energy dominance,” the group said. US offshore wind projects have resulted in $5 billion in port redevelopment and $2 billion in vessel builds and retrofits, according to the Oceantic Network. “There are hundreds of vessels operating on each of the five projects under construction today, and billions of dollars of equipment and components that can resume transit either from the factory to a staging port, or from port to construction site,” it said. Multiple offshore wind project cargo shippers declined requests from the Journal of Commerce to comment for this story, citing the ongoing litigation. Delays, tariffs pile on costs US offshore wind projects are grappling with mounting costs from the double whammy of federal stop-work orders and import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. According to court filings, individual project costs from work shutdowns range from $1 million to $5 million per day. According to Dominion Energy’s latest Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind update, the project’s budget has risen to $11.5 billion because of an additional $365 million in costs related to tariffs and the federal government’s order to halt work. In recent remarks on the 810-megawatt Empire Wind project off the coast of Long Island, New York, developer Equinor also cited the one-two punch of tariffs and work shutdowns in driving up the project’s cost by $500 million to $7.5 billion. Equinor CEO Anders Opedal called the federal stop-work orders “unlawful” during the company’s Feb. 4 fourth-quarter earnings call. “We are moving forward with a strong belief that we will have a good case in the court,” Opedal said. With work stoppages lifted, project developers are reporting various stages of progress. Dominion spokesperson Jeremy Slayton told the Journal of Commerce that the 2.6-gigawatt project is over 70% complete and should begin generating power by the end of March. The project is set for completion by February 2027. In Ørsted’s Feb. 6 earnings call, company executives said the 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut is set to begin producing power “within weeks” and should be fully operational in the second half of 2026. Ørsted’s other project, the 924-MW Sunrise Wind farm, is on track to begin generating power by October, executives said. On the 806-MW Vineyard Wind 1 farm, court filings show the $4.5 billion project is 95% complete and has been generating power for over a year. Empire Wind is over 60% complete, but future work stoppages could put the wind farm in jeopardy. According to a Jan. 6 court filing by Empire Wind, “if allowed to stand, the suspension order substantially threatens cancellation of a project that is fully and duly permitted under the law and has been in active construction for over a year and a half at a cost of billions of dollars.” Contact Autumn Cafiero Giusti at autumn@autumngiusti.com .

Heavy-haul transport

Trump administration seeks to undo court rulings favoring offshore wind projects

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Gold Star has a network of 20 China-centric liner services operated by 40 owned and chartered ships totaling 100,000 TEUs serving Asia, India and South Africa.</div>

Gold Star has a network of 20 China-centric liner services operated by 40 owned and chartered ships totaling 100,000 TEUs serving Asia, India and South Africa.

<div class="phx-topic">Hapag-Lloyd will likely use its <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/zim-deal-to-strengthen-hapag-lloyds-market-share-across-key-trade-lanes-6171044">$4.2 billion takeover of Zim Integrated Shipping Services</a> as the springboard for a significant expansion of its intra-Asia business through Zim’s Hong Kong-headquartered affiliate Gold Star Line. Hapag’s existing intra-Asia coverage is limited to a series of slot charters with other shipping lines. It also utilizes intra-Asia services established by its Gemini Cooperation partner Maersk, which had several regional carriers including MCC and Sealand Asia before being consolidated within Maersk. By comparison, Gold Star has a network of 20 liner services operated by 40 owned and chartered ships totaling 100,000 TEUs serving Asia, India and South Africa. But they are also China-centric, linking ports such as Shanghai and Ningbo to specific Southeast Asia countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand while also connecting China with India, Africa and the Middle East. There is no or very little coverage to markets such as Japan, Taiwan or within the Southeast Asia region. “I definitely see huge advantages for Hapag-Lloyd from Gold Star Line,” Capt. Igal Dafni told the Journal of Commerce. Dafni was managing director of Gold Star Line in the early 2000s before joining CNC Line and helping to drive CMA CGM’s purchase of the Taiwan-based intra-Asia carrier in 2007. Dafni is now president and CEO of IRIS Shipping Line, a domestic carrier in the Philippines. The gaps in Gold Star’s extended Asia and regional coverage give Hapag-Lloyd tremendous scope to expand its Asia network to those countries either through new services or adding ports on existing Gold Star services, Dafni said Friday. He said Gold Star’s network growth was restricted partly due to parent company Zim’s trade priorities and Israeli ownership. “There is very little activity in Japan or South Korea, for example, because those countries have never been a big market for Zim,” Dafni said. “There are also countries Gold Star definitely can’t call at such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.” Those restrictions will end under Hapag-Lloyd’s ownership. Alphaliner, in its newsletter this week, said Hapag-Lloyd’s takeover of Gold Star Line will help the German carrier to “enlarge its Asian footprint.” <h3>Improved connectivity, faster transits expected </h3>Aside from new services, Dafni said growth would probably also come from significant cost savings through the elimination of costly feeders and slot charters. Drawing a comparison with CMA CGM’s takeover of CNC Line, he pointed out that the French carrier’s intra-Asia network was similarly as insubstantial as Hapag-Lloyd’s is now. CNC’s total liftings were 400,000 TEUs a year at the time of the CMA CGM takeover, but that doubled to at least 1 million TEUs within a few years after CMA CGM expanded coverage and services. Dafni expected a similar level of growth for Hapag’s intra-Asia and wider regional volumes once Gold Star Line was under the carrier’s control. Gold Star’s extensive intra-Asia services will feed cargo into Hapag’s mainline hub-and-spoke Gemini Cooperation network with Maersk, offering Southeast Asia and regional exporters improved connectivity with more destinations and faster transit times. Similarly, import volumes via the Gemini network will increase volumes from the main Asia hubs to neighboring countries. “Feedering will shift from being a cost for Hapag-Lloyd to becoming a profit and revenue generator as third-party cargo shifts to its Asia services,” Dafni said. Hapag-Lloyd and Gold Star Line said it was premature to comment on what would happen to Gold Star under new ownership. The Zim deal “includes Gold Star Line, but no decision has yet been made about what will happen to the brand. It is simply too early to talk about it,” a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told the Journal of Commerce. A senior source close to Gold Star Line said it was “too early to evaluate the impact.” “We are still learning about the deal and waiting for the relevant approvals,” the source said. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="mailto:keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>.</div>

Hapag-Lloyd will likely use its $4.2 billion takeover of Zim Integrated Shipping Services as the springboard for a significant expansion of its intra-Asia business through Zim’s Hong Kong-headquartered affiliate Gold Star Line. Hapag’s existing intra-Asia coverage is limited to a series of slot charters with other shipping lines. It also utilizes intra-Asia services established by its Gemini Cooperation partner Maersk, which had several regional carriers including MCC and Sealand Asia before being consolidated within Maersk. By comparison, Gold Star has a network of 20 liner services operated by 40 owned and chartered ships totaling 100,000 TEUs serving Asia, India and South Africa. But they are also China-centric, linking ports such as Shanghai and Ningbo to specific Southeast Asia countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand while also connecting China with India, Africa and the Middle East. There is no or very little coverage to markets such as Japan, Taiwan or within the Southeast Asia region. “I definitely see huge advantages for Hapag-Lloyd from Gold Star Line,” Capt. Igal Dafni told the Journal of Commerce. Dafni was managing director of Gold Star Line in the early 2000s before joining CNC Line and helping to drive CMA CGM’s purchase of the Taiwan-based intra-Asia carrier in 2007. Dafni is now president and CEO of IRIS Shipping Line, a domestic carrier in the Philippines. The gaps in Gold Star’s extended Asia and regional coverage give Hapag-Lloyd tremendous scope to expand its Asia network to those countries either through new services or adding ports on existing Gold Star services, Dafni said Friday. He said Gold Star’s network growth was restricted partly due to parent company Zim’s trade priorities and Israeli ownership. “There is very little activity in Japan or South Korea, for example, because those countries have never been a big market for Zim,” Dafni said. “There are also countries Gold Star definitely can’t call at such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.” Those restrictions will end under Hapag-Lloyd’s ownership. Alphaliner, in its newsletter this week, said Hapag-Lloyd’s takeover of Gold Star Line will help the German carrier to “enlarge its Asian footprint.” Improved connectivity, faster transits expected Aside from new services, Dafni said growth would probably also come from significant cost savings through the elimination of costly feeders and slot charters. Drawing a comparison with CMA CGM’s takeover of CNC Line, he pointed out that the French carrier’s intra-Asia network was similarly as insubstantial as Hapag-Lloyd’s is now. CNC’s total liftings were 400,000 TEUs a year at the time of the CMA CGM takeover, but that doubled to at least 1 million TEUs within a few years after CMA CGM expanded coverage and services. Dafni expected a similar level of growth for Hapag’s intra-Asia and wider regional volumes once Gold Star Line was under the carrier’s control. Gold Star’s extensive intra-Asia services will feed cargo into Hapag’s mainline hub-and-spoke Gemini Cooperation network with Maersk, offering Southeast Asia and regional exporters improved connectivity with more destinations and faster transit times. Similarly, import volumes via the Gemini network will increase volumes from the main Asia hubs to neighboring countries. “Feedering will shift from being a cost for Hapag-Lloyd to becoming a profit and revenue generator as third-party cargo shifts to its Asia services,” Dafni said. Hapag-Lloyd and Gold Star Line said it was premature to comment on what would happen to Gold Star under new ownership. The Zim deal “includes Gold Star Line, but no decision has yet been made about what will happen to the brand. It is simply too early to talk about it,” a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told the Journal of Commerce. A senior source close to Gold Star Line said it was “too early to evaluate the impact.” “We are still learning about the deal and waiting for the relevant approvals,” the source said. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

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Hapag-Lloyd set to grow its intra-Asia network through Zim’s Gold Star Line

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