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<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The advent of the P3 Network and the likely expansion of other mega-alliances among the top 20 container lines mean that vessels with capacities of 8,000 to 10,000 20-foot-equivalent units will become the workhorses of the U.S. container trades, according to Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority.
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The advent of the P3 Network and the likely expansion of other mega-alliances among the top 20 container lines mean that vessels with capacities of 8,000 to 10,000 20-foot-equivalent units will become the workhorses of the U.S. container trades, according to Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority.

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<div>The advent of the P3 Network and the likely expansion of other mega-alliances among the top 20 container lines mean that vessels with capacities of 8,000 to 10,000 20-foot-equivalent units will become the workhorses of the U.S. container trades, according to Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority.When the P3 alliance among Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Line, and CMA CGM launches joint east-west services sometime next spring, the other two existing alliances are likely to expand with the addition of new members. “There could be a CKYH-E alliance if Evergreen joins in with the CKYH alliance,”...

The advent of the P3 Network and the likely expansion of other mega-alliances among the top 20 container lines mean that vessels with capacities of 8,000 to 10,000 20-foot-equivalent units will become the workhorses of the U.S. container trades, according to Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority. When the P3 alliance among Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Line, and CMA CGM launches joint east-west services sometime next spring, the other two existing alliances are likely to expand with the addition of new members. “There could be a CKYH-E alliance if Evergreen joins in with the CKYH alliance,” Newsome said, referring to the vessel-sharing alliance among Cosco, “K” Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping. “And China Shipping and United Arab Shipping might join in also,” he said. “You could have up to seven carriers in an alliance.” What is fueling the growth of mega-alliances is the carriers’ need to deploy large post-Panamax vessels in services that will lower their slot costs. “I told the Federal Maritime Commission that operational alliances are necessary to deploy sufficiently large container ships,” he said. Drewry’s prediction that there will be a surplus of vessels in the 8,000 to 10,000-TEU range in coming years as more larger ships are delivered means that vessels in this range are likely to be deployed onto the U.S. trades, Newsome said. “The expansion of alliances will mean more volatility in the container trades. The alliances will not bring pricing stability,” Newsome said in an interview with the JOC. He said the expansion of the G6 Alliance among APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL, NYK Line and OOCL into the trans-Atlantic and the Asia-to-U.S. West Coast trades means it will be as big in the U.S. trades as the P3 Alliance. The biggest container ship to call the Port of Charleston was the 9,640-TEU Maersk Altair, which was loaded with 4,800 containers at the time. It called at Charleston half empty so it could load containers for export. Read more about mega-ships Newsome said the future of all ports in the Southeast lies in the export trade as the region undergoes a manufacturing renaissance and the transloading of grain exports shipped by rail from the Middle West grows ever bigger. “We transload between 300 and 400 boxes of grain per week,” Neewsome said. Charleston already has three transload facilities around the port, and two more are expected to be built. One of the three existing transload facilities is for plastic rather than grain. Because Gulf ports don’t have the depth or the capacity to load big ships for exports, petrochemical plants around Houston are shipping resin by rail to Charleston for transloading into containers. “We are getting 50 boxes per week, and this will increase by 2015-2016 when all the new projects around Houston come on line,” Newsome said. Charleston, which can handle ships with up to 48 feet of draft at high tide, is in the middle of a feasibility study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deepen its harbor to up to 52 feet. “We are building a port for the next 50 years,” Newsome said, explaining why the SCPA is pushing for a 52-foot depth. “We said that East Coast ports will be getting calls by 13,000-TEU ships when the Bayonne Bridge is raised, allowing ships of that size to call the Port of New York in 2018,” he said. Newsome said he expects the port to completed is deepening project by 2018, at the same time as it completes the new container terminal at the North Charleston Navy Base. The port will get its first ondock rail facility at the new terminal when the South Carolina Public Railways completes a $130 million intermodal container transfer facility at the former Navy Base, which will be accessible by Norfolk Southern and CSX trains. The new rail ramp will be completed by 2018. The state of South Carolina has already set aside $120 million to fund the local share of Charleston’s $300 million harbor-deepening project. “The state put that money in the bank,” Newsome said. Contact Peter Leach at pleach@joc.com and follow him at twitter.com/petertleach .

Expanding Alliances to Bring More Big Ships to US Ports

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The multimodal option is aimed at shippers wanting predictability in cross-border shipments and the ability to control costs.</div>

The multimodal option is aimed at shippers wanting predictability in cross-border shipments and the ability to control costs.

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<div class="phx-topic">DHL Global Forwarding has launched a Truckair service between China and Turkey, with onward connections to points in Europe. The company this week said its Truckair multimodal service integrates air and road freight to move large-volume shipments, picking up cargo in China and transporting it by truck to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, then onward by air to Istanbul. From there, various modes are used to other European destinations. The service was launched two months ago, DHL said in a statement, with total transit time from China to Turkey at nine to 11 days. While that is longer than the typical four to seven days for all air freight, DHL cited the “cost-efficient” nature of its service. “Demand for agile and cost-efficient logistics solutions continues to rise, backed by sustained growth in China-Europe and broader Asia-Europe trade,” said Aditi Rasquinha, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China. The European Union was China’s second-largest trading partner in 2025, the company said, with bilateral trade up 5.4% year over year at $716 billion. DHL’s latest market update points to tight capacity and rate increases into Chinese New Year, with a demand peak expected in early February. The Truckair service is designed to help shippers avoid short-term volatility while maintaining predictable lead times. “Truckair was developed to meet this growing demand for greater flexibility and predictability in cross-border shipments, enabling businesses to control costs...,” Rasquinha said. Although costs vary from shipment to shipment, DHL maintains customers such as European retailers have reported savings of six-digit figures over the two months of using the multimodal service instead of all air freight. Still, shippers without time-to-market pressures continue to use the overland China-Europe rail network. In 2025, China-Europe freight trains made about 34,000 trips and carried 3.17 million TEUs, up 9.8% and 7.6% year over year, respectively, according to the China State Railway Group, which manages the network. Freight volume on the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, an initiative that began in 2017 to encourage development in China’s western regions, shot up 47.5% to 1.42 million TEUs in 2025, China State Railway Group said in a statement. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.   </div>

DHL Global Forwarding has launched a Truckair service between China and Turkey, with onward connections to points in Europe. The company this week said its Truckair multimodal service integrates air and road freight to move large-volume shipments, picking up cargo in China and transporting it by truck to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, then onward by air to Istanbul. From there, various modes are used to other European destinations. The service was launched two months ago, DHL said in a statement, with total transit time from China to Turkey at nine to 11 days. While that is longer than the typical four to seven days for all air freight, DHL cited the “cost-efficient” nature of its service. “Demand for agile and cost-efficient logistics solutions continues to rise, backed by sustained growth in China-Europe and broader Asia-Europe trade,” said Aditi Rasquinha, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China. The European Union was China’s second-largest trading partner in 2025, the company said, with bilateral trade up 5.4% year over year at $716 billion. DHL’s latest market update points to tight capacity and rate increases into Chinese New Year, with a demand peak expected in early February. The Truckair service is designed to help shippers avoid short-term volatility while maintaining predictable lead times. “Truckair was developed to meet this growing demand for greater flexibility and predictability in cross-border shipments, enabling businesses to control costs...,” Rasquinha said. Although costs vary from shipment to shipment, DHL maintains customers such as European retailers have reported savings of six-digit figures over the two months of using the multimodal service instead of all air freight. Still, shippers without time-to-market pressures continue to use the overland China-Europe rail network. In 2025, China-Europe freight trains made about 34,000 trips and carried 3.17 million TEUs, up 9.8% and 7.6% year over year, respectively, according to the China State Railway Group, which manages the network. Freight volume on the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, an initiative that began in 2017 to encourage development in China’s western regions, shot up 47.5% to 1.42 million TEUs in 2025, China State Railway Group said in a statement. Contact Greg Knowler at  greg.knowler@spglobal.com .   

Air Cargo Forwarder News

Air Cargo

DHL launches road-air service on busy China-Europe trade lane 

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">As the diversions away from the Suez Canal have shown over the past two years, global shipping is often at the mercy of global hotspots, writes Ted Prince.</div>

As the diversions away from the Suez Canal have shown over the past two years, global shipping is often at the mercy of global hotspots, writes Ted Prince.

<div class="phx-topic">Political science has been front of mind for many of us in the international maritime transportation industry as trade deals become enmeshed in tariffs and other policy matters. While the trans-Pacific remains the primary route for Asia-to-US West Coast cargo, the question of routing alternatives is at an all-time high. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6157386_0.1.jpg"></img></div>Starting in 2023, military activity by Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeted commercial vessels and created a direct challenge to Suez Canal transits. This route from Asia to the US East Coast had seen significant growth with the deployment of mega-vessels within alliances utilizing slow steaming. Twenty years ago, conventional wisdom established Singapore as the fulcrum for east-west deployment. It was hard to imagine that Suez services would start in China; however, that is what happened. The Houthi threat resulted in most carriers rerouting from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope around southern Africa. This added up to two weeks in transit and resulted in almost all spare capacity being absorbed. While there has been some discussion of Suez transits resuming, the political instability in Iran has caused some hesitation because of the knock-on risks to crew and cargo. The Suez route now has a theoretical challenge from the Northern Sea Route — which is estimated to be 20% to 40% shorter than the Suez. It could reduce transit time by weeks but still has significant seasonality concerns. Even summer and autumn transits require icebreaker escorts, although navigability is increasing with Arctic warming. Donald Trump’s focus on Greenland has certainly raised the stakes here. Likewise, with the Panama Canal. In his Jan. 20, 2025, inaugural address, Trump stated his intention to “take back” the Panama Canal, especially from alleged Chinese port control. That political pressure no doubt helped push CK Hutchison to arrange the sale of its extensive marine terminal portfolio to a consortium led by US investors (BlackRock/Global Infrastructure Partners, along with Mediterranean Shipping Co./Terminal Investment Limited) less than two months later for approximately $22.8 billion. Since then, political contention between the US, Panama and China has complicated the deal, so its status remains unresolved at present. <h3>Costly alternatives </h3>Among these “canal conundrums,” there is no shortage of ideas seeking to provide alternative routings: 1) The Kra (or Thai) Canal, a waterway across Thailand’s Kra Isthmus, connecting the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific Ocean) to the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean), has been under consideration, literally for centuries. It would be bypassing the Strait of Malacca to shorten shipping routes between East Asia and the Suez Canal. 2) A canal transiting Nicaragua (Nicaragua Canal or Grand Oceanic Canal) has been considered for almost as long (as early as 1825). Both have been considered within the scope of China’s Belt and Road initiative; however, astronomical costs along with political and environmental hurdles make these likely to remain on the drawing board for some time. Finally, intermodal options have been proposed across southern Mexico (The Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec); Honduras (National Interoceanic Railway); and Nicaragua (Canal Interoceanico de Nicaragua). These also present multi-billion price tags and seek to replicate what already exists with the Panama Canal Railroad — which is owned by APM Terminals. There is no question that we live in increasingly turbulent political times. However, for the time being, it seems that we will continue to live in a world where the three main vessel routing alternatives will remain in place. Ted Prince is founder and CEO of Tri-Cities Intermodal LLC. Contact him at <a href="mailto:ted@tricitiesintermodal.com">ted@tricitiesintermodal.com</a>.</div>

Political science has been front of mind for many of us in the international maritime transportation industry as trade deals become enmeshed in tariffs and other policy matters. While the trans-Pacific remains the primary route for Asia-to-US West Coast cargo, the question of routing alternatives is at an all-time high. Starting in 2023, military activity by Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeted commercial vessels and created a direct challenge to Suez Canal transits. This route from Asia to the US East Coast had seen significant growth with the deployment of mega-vessels within alliances utilizing slow steaming. Twenty years ago, conventional wisdom established Singapore as the fulcrum for east-west deployment. It was hard to imagine that Suez services would start in China; however, that is what happened. The Houthi threat resulted in most carriers rerouting from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope around southern Africa. This added up to two weeks in transit and resulted in almost all spare capacity being absorbed. While there has been some discussion of Suez transits resuming, the political instability in Iran has caused some hesitation because of the knock-on risks to crew and cargo. The Suez route now has a theoretical challenge from the Northern Sea Route — which is estimated to be 20% to 40% shorter than the Suez. It could reduce transit time by weeks but still has significant seasonality concerns. Even summer and autumn transits require icebreaker escorts, although navigability is increasing with Arctic warming. Donald Trump’s focus on Greenland has certainly raised the stakes here. Likewise, with the Panama Canal. In his Jan. 20, 2025, inaugural address, Trump stated his intention to “take back” the Panama Canal, especially from alleged Chinese port control. That political pressure no doubt helped push CK Hutchison to arrange the sale of its extensive marine terminal portfolio to a consortium led by US investors (BlackRock/Global Infrastructure Partners, along with Mediterranean Shipping Co./Terminal Investment Limited) less than two months later for approximately $22.8 billion. Since then, political contention between the US, Panama and China has complicated the deal, so its status remains unresolved at present. Costly alternatives Among these “canal conundrums,” there is no shortage of ideas seeking to provide alternative routings: 1) The Kra (or Thai) Canal, a waterway across Thailand’s Kra Isthmus, connecting the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific Ocean) to the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean), has been under consideration, literally for centuries. It would be bypassing the Strait of Malacca to shorten shipping routes between East Asia and the Suez Canal. 2) A canal transiting Nicaragua (Nicaragua Canal or Grand Oceanic Canal) has been considered for almost as long (as early as 1825). Both have been considered within the scope of China’s Belt and Road initiative; however, astronomical costs along with political and environmental hurdles make these likely to remain on the drawing board for some time. Finally, intermodal options have been proposed across southern Mexico (The Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec); Honduras (National Interoceanic Railway); and Nicaragua (Canal Interoceanico de Nicaragua). These also present multi-billion price tags and seek to replicate what already exists with the Panama Canal Railroad — which is owned by APM Terminals. There is no question that we live in increasingly turbulent political times. However, for the time being, it seems that we will continue to live in a world where the three main vessel routing alternatives will remain in place. Ted Prince is founder and CEO of Tri-Cities Intermodal LLC. Contact him at ted@tricitiesintermodal.com .

Container lines

Geopolitical risks prompt thoughts of supply chain routing alternatives

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Expansion of two container terminals and construction of a new 200-acre facility to be called Pier 500 will help the port retain its position as the largest US gateway, Executive Director Gene Seroka said in his State of the Port address Thursday.</div>

Expansion of two container terminals and construction of a new 200-acre facility to be called Pier 500 will help the port retain its position as the largest US gateway, Executive Director Gene Seroka said in his State of the Port address Thursday.

<div class="phx-topic">The Port of Los Angeles will expand two existing container terminals and develop an 89-acre chassis operations facility, it announced Thursday. That is in addition to building a new 200-acre container terminal, a project that was announced last year. In order to retain its position as the largest US container port and accommodate growth, Los Angeles must expand its infrastructure and enable port stakeholders to operate more efficiently using technology, Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director, said in his State of the Port address. “We must build bigger and we must build smarter: bigger capacity, smarter technology, increased sustainability,” Seroka said. The terminal expansion projects include development of a 40-acre site adjacent to Pier 300 and upgrading the LA Til container terminal in the port’s West Basin. The port also plans to develop 80 acres of under-utilized land on Terminal Island into a maritime support facility for chassis parking and maintenance as well as for container pickups and dropoffs, Seroka said. The port last October released a request for proposals to evaluate the interest in and feasibility of constructing a 200-acre facility to be called the Pier 500 Marine Container Terminal, which would include 3,000 linear feet of wharf space and two berths. Pier 500, to be developed on landfill, would be the first new container terminal built in Los Angeles in a generation, Seroka said. The project is projected to be completed in 10 years once construction begins. That is <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/port-of-los-angeles-looks-to-handle-future-growth-with-new-terminal-project-6091694">faster than most new terminals built on landfill</a> because over the past 20 years, rocks removed during other construction projects have been dumped on the 124-acre landfill site, raising it to about 15 feet below the water line. Seroka said the port is in final discussions with Fenix Maritime Services, which operates Pier 300, to develop 40 acres of vacant land adjacent to the 300-acre terminal. The plan would be to add another berth and develop the site for terminal-related operations. Los Angeles will soon be issuing an environmental impact report for the LA Til Container Terminal to upgrade the wharf and rail yard to accommodate larger container ships, Seroka said. The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex is operating at about 60% capacity utilization, which is a far cry <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/more-data-sharing-crucial-to-avoiding-future-port-congestion-officials-6135162">from the 90%-plus utilization rate</a> during the post-pandemic cargo surge that resulted in vessel backlogs and marine terminal congestion. However, with a projected doubling of container volumes in the port complex by 2040, the expansion projects should ensure that Los Angeles is well-positioned to handle future growth as well as the next generation of container vessels, Seroka said in his address. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="d8f25580-ea17-41e6-be9c-497d1aa8fba5"></dynamic-object></div>Los Angeles last year handled 10.2 million TEUs of laden and empty containers, which was its third-busiest year, he said. The port handled 4.86 million TEUs of container imports from Asia last year, down 0.7% from 2024 but still the most among all US ports, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Long Beach was second with 4.56 million TEUs. <h3>Building a new bridge still possible </h3>Meanwhile, re-decking of the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the entry to the Port of Los Angeles, which will begin in the coming months, will make the bridge safer for the 50,000 vehicles that cross it daily, Seroka said. “But here’s the bigger issue. <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/la-port-wants-california-to-raise-bridge-to-accommodate-big-ships-6087396">We also need to raise or replace it to unlock our full terminal capacity north of the bridge</a>. We pushed to do both together,” he said. “That timeline simply didn’t work, but this issue is not going away. We’re working with the governor’s office and California transportation officials to explore all options — which could include building a new crossing.” The port continues to expand and improve its technology-driven programs, including the Port Optimizer to project container volumes in a three-week window, and the Universal Truck Appointment System which has improved gate usage at marine terminals by 20%, Seroka said. “Building smarter also means investing in technology that powers everything we do,” he said. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Port of Los Angeles will expand two existing container terminals and develop an 89-acre chassis operations facility, it announced Thursday. That is in addition to building a new 200-acre container terminal, a project that was announced last year. In order to retain its position as the largest US container port and accommodate growth, Los Angeles must expand its infrastructure and enable port stakeholders to operate more efficiently using technology, Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director, said in his State of the Port address. “We must build bigger and we must build smarter: bigger capacity, smarter technology, increased sustainability,” Seroka said. The terminal expansion projects include development of a 40-acre site adjacent to Pier 300 and upgrading the LA Til container terminal in the port’s West Basin. The port also plans to develop 80 acres of under-utilized land on Terminal Island into a maritime support facility for chassis parking and maintenance as well as for container pickups and dropoffs, Seroka said. The port last October released a request for proposals to evaluate the interest in and feasibility of constructing a 200-acre facility to be called the Pier 500 Marine Container Terminal, which would include 3,000 linear feet of wharf space and two berths. Pier 500, to be developed on landfill, would be the first new container terminal built in Los Angeles in a generation, Seroka said. The project is projected to be completed in 10 years once construction begins. That is faster than most new terminals built on landfill because over the past 20 years, rocks removed during other construction projects have been dumped on the 124-acre landfill site, raising it to about 15 feet below the water line. Seroka said the port is in final discussions with Fenix Maritime Services, which operates Pier 300, to develop 40 acres of vacant land adjacent to the 300-acre terminal. The plan would be to add another berth and develop the site for terminal-related operations. Los Angeles will soon be issuing an environmental impact report for the LA Til Container Terminal to upgrade the wharf and rail yard to accommodate larger container ships, Seroka said. The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex is operating at about 60% capacity utilization, which is a far cry from the 90%-plus utilization rate during the post-pandemic cargo surge that resulted in vessel backlogs and marine terminal congestion. However, with a projected doubling of container volumes in the port complex by 2040, the expansion projects should ensure that Los Angeles is well-positioned to handle future growth as well as the next generation of container vessels, Seroka said in his address. Los Angeles last year handled 10.2 million TEUs of laden and empty containers, which was its third-busiest year, he said. The port handled 4.86 million TEUs of container imports from Asia last year, down 0.7% from 2024 but still the most among all US ports, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Long Beach was second with 4.56 million TEUs. Building a new bridge still possible Meanwhile, re-decking of the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the entry to the Port of Los Angeles, which will begin in the coming months, will make the bridge safer for the 50,000 vehicles that cross it daily, Seroka said. “But here’s the bigger issue. We also need to raise or replace it to unlock our full terminal capacity north of the bridge . We pushed to do both together,” he said. “That timeline simply didn’t work, but this issue is not going away. We’re working with the governor’s office and California transportation officials to explore all options — which could include building a new crossing.” The port continues to expand and improve its technology-driven programs, including the Port Optimizer to project container volumes in a three-week window, and the Universal Truck Appointment System which has improved gate usage at marine terminals by 20%, Seroka said. “Building smarter also means investing in technology that powers everything we do,” he said. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Port of Los Angeles forging ahead with aggressive construction program 

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Tighter capacity amid the federal government’s crackdown on non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses and English language proficiency among drivers will likely boost rates, the company says.</div>

Tighter capacity amid the federal government’s crackdown on non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses and English language proficiency among drivers will likely boost rates, the company says.

<div class="phx-topic">Truckload shippers should expect their annual contract rates to rise by low-to mid-single-digit percentages due to the likelihood of tighter capacity this year, according to Knight-Swift Transportation. Negotiations are ongoing or about to begin with many truckload customers. The company said the momentum that propelled rates upward in December had trickled into the first couple of weeks of January, while more shippers are shifting their business from non-asset brokers to asset-based carriers. Shippers are making the move because of uneasiness about the federal government’s crackdown on non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and English language proficiency among drivers, Knight Swift said. Shippers who have spoken to the Journal of Commerce have generally said truckload rates are rising 1.5% to 3% in their 2026 bids, although some have been able to lock in unchanged rates by switching away from incumbent carriers. “What we’d be pushing for would be low-to mid-single-digit improvements in contract rates and maybe closer to mid than low,” Knight Swift CEO Adam Miller said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday. “Maybe that may not align with what our customers want to see in a pre-bid. Some of this stuff is going to go into a bid to see where the market is from a balance standpoint.” Despite what Knight Swift said was a disappointing peak season, it believes capacity is fragile, as the December spot market surge in truckload showed, and more capacity will come out this year. If a disruption occurred, or manufacturing and industrial demand pick up, then capacity might become tight quickly. Knight-Swift, similar to <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/truckload-at-a-tipping-point-intermodal-still-lagging-jb-hunt-6153949">J.B. Hunt Transport Services last week</a>, was careful not to call the end of the freight recession. “We’ve seen head fakes before, but I think we’re feeling better about where this market is headed,” Miller said. “And we do feel better about what the [US Department of Transportation] is doing to clean up capacity in our industry.” The US Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a sub-agency, have cracked down on non-domiciled CDLs issued to non-citizens who have certain types of visas, including asylum seekers. Miller also pointed out that temporary protective status is ending for countries such as Ethiopia, Haiti, and Somalia, which would disqualify those drivers from continuing to operate a truck here. “Also, there were 3,000 [driving] schools recently removed because of noncompliance and another 4,000 schools that have placed on notice for noncompliance,” Miller said. “Two of our schools at Swift were audited, and we passed with flying colors, as we’d expect. So, it is real. It is happening.” <h3>Consolidating LTL business </h3>Knight Swift said it saw some “softness” in less-than-truckload (LTL) demand toward the end of the fourth quarter. The company’s emphasis in 2026 is uniting all its LTL businesses under one brand, AAA Cooper Transportation. When Knight Swift started its LTL division in July 2021, it kept the AAA Cooper and Midwest Motor Express brands separate. It continued to keep the brands separate when acquiring the LTL division of Dependable Highway Express in 2024. Nevertheless, it has reversed course because the company believes it has caused confusion among existing and potential LTL shippers. “We had integrated systems from a back-end perspective between the three businesses that we have combined, [but] it was creating confusion in our sales efforts,” Miller said. “We’ve already seen [a united brand] really help us in our sales efforts to present a single face to our customers and get them comfortable with our ability to deliver across our network in a way that meets their needs.” The company’s intermodal volumes decreased 6% year over year in the fourth quarter, but revenue per load rose 2.8%. Nevertheless, the company highlighted that the division’s operating ratio was 100.1%, still losing money, but only barely, after years of significant operating losses in the business. Swift Intermodal and Hub Group are the two companies who would most benefit if federal regulators approved a deal for Union Pacific Railroad to acquire Norfolk Southern Railway. They are the only two asset-owning intermodal providers in the US who are already exclusive partners to both railroads, making any transition in 2027 relatively seamless. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Truckload shippers should expect their annual contract rates to rise by low-to mid-single-digit percentages due to the likelihood of tighter capacity this year, according to Knight-Swift Transportation. Negotiations are ongoing or about to begin with many truckload customers. The company said the momentum that propelled rates upward in December had trickled into the first couple of weeks of January, while more shippers are shifting their business from non-asset brokers to asset-based carriers. Shippers are making the move because of uneasiness about the federal government’s crackdown on non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and English language proficiency among drivers, Knight Swift said. Shippers who have spoken to the Journal of Commerce have generally said truckload rates are rising 1.5% to 3% in their 2026 bids, although some have been able to lock in unchanged rates by switching away from incumbent carriers. “What we’d be pushing for would be low-to mid-single-digit improvements in contract rates and maybe closer to mid than low,” Knight Swift CEO Adam Miller said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday. “Maybe that may not align with what our customers want to see in a pre-bid. Some of this stuff is going to go into a bid to see where the market is from a balance standpoint.” Despite what Knight Swift said was a disappointing peak season, it believes capacity is fragile, as the December spot market surge in truckload showed, and more capacity will come out this year. If a disruption occurred, or manufacturing and industrial demand pick up, then capacity might become tight quickly. Knight-Swift, similar to J.B. Hunt Transport Services last week , was careful not to call the end of the freight recession. “We’ve seen head fakes before, but I think we’re feeling better about where this market is headed,” Miller said. “And we do feel better about what the [US Department of Transportation] is doing to clean up capacity in our industry.” The US Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a sub-agency, have cracked down on non-domiciled CDLs issued to non-citizens who have certain types of visas, including asylum seekers. Miller also pointed out that temporary protective status is ending for countries such as Ethiopia, Haiti, and Somalia, which would disqualify those drivers from continuing to operate a truck here. “Also, there were 3,000 [driving] schools recently removed because of noncompliance and another 4,000 schools that have placed on notice for noncompliance,” Miller said. “Two of our schools at Swift were audited, and we passed with flying colors, as we’d expect. So, it is real. It is happening.” Consolidating LTL business Knight Swift said it saw some “softness” in less-than-truckload (LTL) demand toward the end of the fourth quarter. The company’s emphasis in 2026 is uniting all its LTL businesses under one brand, AAA Cooper Transportation. When Knight Swift started its LTL division in July 2021, it kept the AAA Cooper and Midwest Motor Express brands separate. It continued to keep the brands separate when acquiring the LTL division of Dependable Highway Express in 2024. Nevertheless, it has reversed course because the company believes it has caused confusion among existing and potential LTL shippers. “We had integrated systems from a back-end perspective between the three businesses that we have combined, [but] it was creating confusion in our sales efforts,” Miller said. “We’ve already seen [a united brand] really help us in our sales efforts to present a single face to our customers and get them comfortable with our ability to deliver across our network in a way that meets their needs.” The company’s intermodal volumes decreased 6% year over year in the fourth quarter, but revenue per load rose 2.8%. Nevertheless, the company highlighted that the division’s operating ratio was 100.1%, still losing money, but only barely, after years of significant operating losses in the business. Swift Intermodal and Hub Group are the two companies who would most benefit if federal regulators approved a deal for Union Pacific Railroad to acquire Norfolk Southern Railway. They are the only two asset-owning intermodal providers in the US who are already exclusive partners to both railroads, making any transition in 2027 relatively seamless. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

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Shippers will see rates climb as truckload capacity tightens: Knight Swift

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The LNG market is cementing its position as the alternative fuel of choice for the container shipping industry with significant expansion in ship orders and global bunkering infrastructure, a SEA-LNG report has found.</div>

The LNG market is cementing its position as the alternative fuel of choice for the container shipping industry with significant expansion in ship orders and global bunkering infrastructure, a SEA-LNG report has found.

<div class="phx-topic">Ocean carriers operating and ordering liquefied natural gas (LNG)-capable vessels are effectively “inoculating” themselves against ongoing regulatory uncertainty, according to industry coalition SEA-LNG. The shift to LNG as an interim alternative fuel reduces emissions to comply with European Union rules and has a lower cost of compliance with EU regulations and potential future decarbonization regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) compared with alternative fuels, SEA-LNG noted in its “View from the Bridge” report released this week. “It is clear LNG is on a runway to the future,” Peter Keller, chairman of SEA-LNG, told the Journal of Commerce in London following publication of the report. "Most of the alternative fuel ships in the container shipping order book are LNG-capable and our direction could not be clearer.” Despite uncertainties caused by the IMO’s decision to delay the adoption of its net-zero framework, the container shipping industry has continued to invest heavily in dual-fuel vessels and bunkering infrastructure. The swelling order book growth in 2025 was dominated by the container sector, which accounted for 88% of LNG dual-fuel orders, with 61% of those orders for vessels with a capacity of 14,500 to 24,000 TEUs. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="e8be4ac1-33cb-4758-93c4-1d0f92f52e7d"></dynamic-object></div>Data from Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, shows that just over 4 million TEUs of capacity for LNG dual-fuel ships was on order in 2025, compared with 2 million TEUs of methanol-capable vessels. The SEA-LNG report estimated that investment in LNG dual-fuel vessels and associated fuel supply chains over the past 10 years has amounted to more than $150 billion. A large portion of that is going into the supply side, with fuel availability at scale crucial for the global shipping industry. <h3>Surge in European demand </h3>The report said bunkering of liquefied biomethane has surged in Europe over the past year, driven by increasingly stringent EU regulations and voluntary, customer-related commitments. “Demand for LNG as a marine fuel has grown significantly over the past year, driven not only by regulatory developments like FuelEU Maritime but also by the growth of the LNG dual-fuel fleet,” Michael Schaap, commercial director of Titan Clean Fuels, said in the report. In 2024, the LNG market size was about 406 million metric tons, or approximately 100 times the current consumption of LNG as a marine fuel, the report noted. There is over 1 billion metric tons per annum of LNG import terminal capacity with terminals in or near all major bunkering ports. As demand from shipping grows for green methane, biomethane and e-methane, their production facilities can plug into the existing infrastructure. LNG bunkering is currently available in 222 ports worldwide, with plans underway to add a further 622. By the end of 2025, there were 62 LNG bunker vessels operating in hubs such as Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Barcelona, Singapore, Shanghai, and the US East Coast, and 38 LNG bunker vessels on order. Shell is forecasting an LNG bunker market size of more than 15 million metric tons per annum by 2030, driven by the rapid growth in the LNG dual-fuel fleet and projected declines in LNG prices. Future LNG prices are forecast to drop with approximately 170 million metric tons per annum of new liquefaction capacity coming on stream by 2030, representing about a 42% increase in LNG supply. Regulatory uncertainty reached a head in October last year when the IMO decided to <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/imo-punts-on-pivotal-net-zero-shipping-regulation-6099141">postpone the adoption of its global net-zero framework</a> for a year following robust US-led opposition to the proposed pricing and fuel intensity measures. The IMO will focus on building consensus around its net-zero framework this year before a reconvened Marine Environment Protection Committee meets in October to finalize the legally binding measures. While many member states and non-governmental groups were frustrated, the SEA-LNG report said the delay offered an opportunity for the IMO to find the right way forward. “We need certainty because without that we risk other components getting in the way,” SEA-LNG's Keller told the Journal of Commerce. “Regulations can bring unintended consequences, especially when you are dealing with 176 countries that all have their own ideas of what should be in the regulations.” <h3>Avoiding double compliance costs </h3>The SEA-LNG report called on the IMO to ensure a single global decarbonization framework for maritime, with any local or regional regulations converging with IMO regulations to avoid double compliance costs. The industry coalition wants the net-zero framework to be based on regulations that were goal-based and technology-neutral, protecting first movers and incentivizing solutions that were practical, scalable and investable. “If the IMO makes any fuel prescriptive it could hurt the early movers and we don’t want that,” Keller said. The SEA-LNG report also addressed “methane slip” from ships under power from LNG and “fugitive emissions” in the LNG supply chain, with climate activists pointing out that methane from fossil LNG is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 emissions. SEA-LNG said methane slip had to be resolved if LNG was going to become a long-term and viable solution toward net-zero, and the coalition and other industry groups were making progress in addressing the issue. The report stated that across the global LNG fueled fleet, methane slip in the latest low-pressure engine technologies had fallen by 60% and would be resolved by 2030. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Ocean carriers operating and ordering liquefied natural gas (LNG)-capable vessels are effectively “inoculating” themselves against ongoing regulatory uncertainty, according to industry coalition SEA-LNG. The shift to LNG as an interim alternative fuel reduces emissions to comply with European Union rules and has a lower cost of compliance with EU regulations and potential future decarbonization regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) compared with alternative fuels, SEA-LNG noted in its “View from the Bridge” report released this week. “It is clear LNG is on a runway to the future,” Peter Keller, chairman of SEA-LNG, told the Journal of Commerce in London following publication of the report. "Most of the alternative fuel ships in the container shipping order book are LNG-capable and our direction could not be clearer.” Despite uncertainties caused by the IMO’s decision to delay the adoption of its net-zero framework, the container shipping industry has continued to invest heavily in dual-fuel vessels and bunkering infrastructure. The swelling order book growth in 2025 was dominated by the container sector, which accounted for 88% of LNG dual-fuel orders, with 61% of those orders for vessels with a capacity of 14,500 to 24,000 TEUs. Data from Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, shows that just over 4 million TEUs of capacity for LNG dual-fuel ships was on order in 2025, compared with 2 million TEUs of methanol-capable vessels. The SEA-LNG report estimated that investment in LNG dual-fuel vessels and associated fuel supply chains over the past 10 years has amounted to more than $150 billion. A large portion of that is going into the supply side, with fuel availability at scale crucial for the global shipping industry. Surge in European demand The report said bunkering of liquefied biomethane has surged in Europe over the past year, driven by increasingly stringent EU regulations and voluntary, customer-related commitments. “Demand for LNG as a marine fuel has grown significantly over the past year, driven not only by regulatory developments like FuelEU Maritime but also by the growth of the LNG dual-fuel fleet,” Michael Schaap, commercial director of Titan Clean Fuels, said in the report. In 2024, the LNG market size was about 406 million metric tons, or approximately 100 times the current consumption of LNG as a marine fuel, the report noted. There is over 1 billion metric tons per annum of LNG import terminal capacity with terminals in or near all major bunkering ports. As demand from shipping grows for green methane, biomethane and e-methane, their production facilities can plug into the existing infrastructure. LNG bunkering is currently available in 222 ports worldwide, with plans underway to add a further 622. By the end of 2025, there were 62 LNG bunker vessels operating in hubs such as Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Barcelona, Singapore, Shanghai, and the US East Coast, and 38 LNG bunker vessels on order. Shell is forecasting an LNG bunker market size of more than 15 million metric tons per annum by 2030, driven by the rapid growth in the LNG dual-fuel fleet and projected declines in LNG prices. Future LNG prices are forecast to drop with approximately 170 million metric tons per annum of new liquefaction capacity coming on stream by 2030, representing about a 42% increase in LNG supply. Regulatory uncertainty reached a head in October last year when the IMO decided to postpone the adoption of its global net-zero framework for a year following robust US-led opposition to the proposed pricing and fuel intensity measures. The IMO will focus on building consensus around its net-zero framework this year before a reconvened Marine Environment Protection Committee meets in October to finalize the legally binding measures. While many member states and non-governmental groups were frustrated, the SEA-LNG report said the delay offered an opportunity for the IMO to find the right way forward. “We need certainty because without that we risk other components getting in the way,” SEA-LNG's Keller told the Journal of Commerce. “Regulations can bring unintended consequences, especially when you are dealing with 176 countries that all have their own ideas of what should be in the regulations.” Avoiding double compliance costs The SEA-LNG report called on the IMO to ensure a single global decarbonization framework for maritime, with any local or regional regulations converging with IMO regulations to avoid double compliance costs. The industry coalition wants the net-zero framework to be based on regulations that were goal-based and technology-neutral, protecting first movers and incentivizing solutions that were practical, scalable and investable. “If the IMO makes any fuel prescriptive it could hurt the early movers and we don’t want that,” Keller said. The SEA-LNG report also addressed “methane slip” from ships under power from LNG and “fugitive emissions” in the LNG supply chain, with climate activists pointing out that methane from fossil LNG is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 emissions. SEA-LNG said methane slip had to be resolved if LNG was going to become a long-term and viable solution toward net-zero, and the coalition and other industry groups were making progress in addressing the issue. The report stated that across the global LNG fueled fleet, methane slip in the latest low-pressure engine technologies had fallen by 60% and would be resolved by 2030. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Clear direction set for LNG amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty: industry group 

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