<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will file legislation in the next two days to create the American Infrastructure Financing Authority with an initial capitalization of $10 billion.
 
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Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will file legislation in the next two days to create the American Infrastructure Financing Authority with an initial capitalization of $10 billion.

<div>Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will file legislation in the next two days to create the American Infrastructure Financing Authority with an initial capitalization of $10 billion. Under the bill, an independent authority would <a>channel private investment money</a> for U.S. transportation, water and energy infrastructure, Kerry told reporters on Tuesday. Kerry said the bank will be able to attract billions in private equity to fund infrastructure projects of $100 million or more, or $25 million in rural areas. Any investment will have to have a discrete revenue source for repayment. "This bill is a statement about not only where we are...

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will file legislation in the next two days to create the American Infrastructure Financing Authority with an initial capitalization of $10 billion. Under the bill, an independent authority would channel private investment money for U.S. transportation, water and energy infrastructure, Kerry told reporters on Tuesday. Kerry said the bank will be able to attract billions in private equity to fund infrastructure projects of $100 million or more, or $25 million in rural areas. Any investment will have to have a discrete revenue source for repayment. "This bill is a statement about not only where we are today, but where we need to be in the future," Kerry said. "Government budgets at all levels are tight, but that does not eliminate the need for new infrastructure. Reliable modern infrastructure isn't a luxury. It's the lifeblood of our economy. In the face of global competition, our growth in exports is directly tied to the modernity of our infrastructure. And the reality about that infrastructure couldn't be more stark." Americans have been living on infrastructure that was built in the 1950s, Kerry said. The U.S. annually invests 2 percent of GDP in infrastructure while China invests 9 percent and Europe invests 5 percent. Kerry said the infrastructure authority would be run by professionals who would make the investment decisions. He was quick to separate the would-be AIFA from Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac. The infrastructure bank would be a not-for-profit institution, issue no stock and operate transparently under careful congressional oversight. Congress will raise seed money for the bank from existing sources. It could draw the funds from the Obama administration 2012 Department of Transportation budget, which provides $30 billion for competitive grants. The infrastructure bank would issue no grants, but Kerry and co-sponsor of the bill Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said that its operation will complement DOT'S TIFIA loan program. Lawmakers have embraced TIFIA as a successful government program. The AIFA bill will likely be a significant piece of surface transportation legislation that Senate and House are working on. Kerry's staff said the bill will be filed within two days. Kerry and Hutchison were joined at the conference by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, who praised the infrastructure bank as a job-creator. -- Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Kerry Introduces Infrastructure Bank

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The absence of a framework on how global shipping can pass on the higher operating costs of using low- or zero-emission fuels to cargo owners will likely stall investment in the sector. </div>

The absence of a framework on how global shipping can pass on the higher operating costs of using low- or zero-emission fuels to cargo owners will likely stall investment in the sector.

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<div class="phx-topic">The most optimistic view of global maritime regulators punting on a new net-zero emissions framework is that efforts to derail it completely were avoided. For most in the shipping industry, however, the International Maritime Organization’s one-year delay is viewed as a major missed opportunity to give the investment community the certainty it needs to fund the transition to net-zero fuels. The Friday motion to delay adoption of the IMO’s net-zero framework was made at a tense and combative session of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in London. The vote to delay was 57 in favor and 49 against, with 21 abstentions. In the interim, member states will continue to work towards consensus on the decarbonization plans, but achieving the emissions-cutting targets agreed under the revised IMO greenhouse gas strategy in 2023 will now be under pressure. The IMO’s targets include at least a 20% — striving for 30% — reduction in emissions by 2030 and at least a 70%, striving for 80%, reduction by 2040 compared to 2008 levels. The ultimate goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. But critics argue that the absence of a framework on how global shipping can pass on to cargo owners the higher operating costs of using low- or zero-emission fuels will likely stall investment in shipbuilding and in scaling up production of alternative fuels to replace conventional, heavy emission bunkers. They fear that with no global pricing mechanism, there is likely to emerge a host of local carbon pricing initiatives that will be difficult for carriers to navigate. The United States’ willingness to threaten IMO member states voting against White House efforts to water down the regulations brings a challenge that wasn’t present in July 2023 when the IMO’s revised greenhouse gas strategy was agreed. The US believes putting a price on carbon emissions from ships will be passed on to its consumers, increasing costs by 10%. It was what triggered the extraordinary threats by the White House that included sanctions, port fees and visa refusals against member states voting to adopt the IMO net-zero framework. President Donald Trump even weighed in on his Truth Social media platform with a post last week saying, “the US will not stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping. Stand with the US and vote NO in London...!” <h3>States swayed by US threats </h3>The US was supported in its opposition to the measures by petrostates Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela, with Singapore raising the idea that the regulation be delayed and Saudi Arabia calling for the vote. Pressure from the US saw Liberia, the world’s largest ship registry with 16% of global tonnage, and Bahamas, home to almost 4% of global tonnage, reversing their support for the framework. Not everyone was cowed by the US threats, particularly the tiny Pacific Island states that are most vulnerable to the climate change dismissed as a hoax by Trump. “Don’t pretend that the Pacific was voiceless. We were ignored, bullied, threatened, cornered, sidelined and harassed. But we stood tall,” Marshall Islands Ambassador Albon Ishoda <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/albon-ishoda-384472333/recent-activity/all/">wrote in a LinkedIn post</a>. “When you mention those large countries that fought for or against the framework, don’t forget that it was the Pacific Island countries and Seychelles that gave the hardest miles and took the hardest hit,” Ishoda wrote. “A year delay is a year of more devastation and displacement for our communities that have nothing to do with this catastrophe. We don’t have the luxury of time.” There are concerns that the US considers the delay in adopting IMO decarbonization plans as a win and will use the time between now and next October to build further opposition against the net-zero framework, potentially killing the regulation. There are also concerns that the delay is a win for liquefied natural gas (LNG) that will continue to be the fuel of choice across shipping sectors. Reaction to the IMO vote to adjourn the attempted adoption of the net-zero framework for a year has been loud and predominantly negative, particularly concerning the enormous investment required to decarbonize the maritime industry. The Global Maritime Forum has estimated that achieving a 50% reduction in shipping's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will require investment of $1 trillion to $1.4 trillion between 2030 and 2050. If full decarbonization is the goal, the total could be as high as $1.9 trillion. “From an economic standpoint, introducing carbon pricing is essential to level the playing field with sustainable fuels, which are currently not economically viable,” said Rico Luman, senior economist for transport and logistics at global bank ING. “Regardless of the timing, a pricing mechanism will eventually be necessary to drive progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, also as it helps funding green investments,” Luman noted. <h3>Delay puts targets under pressure </h3>It was a sentiment repeated time and again as the reaction rolled in following the Friday afternoon vote. “The industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments needed to decarbonize the maritime sector, in line with the goals set out in the IMO greenhouse gas strategy,” said Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping. Kazakos said the framework would have created the first global carbon pricing mechanism for any industrial sector, with the aim of delivering a clear path for shipping’s transition to net-zero. The delay means meeting the IMO’s decarbonization targets has been made more difficult, Luman told the Journal of Commerce. “The current timeline needs to be reassessed, as the projected CO₂ reductions by 2030 already fall short of earlier ambitions,” he said. “As a result, achieving the 2040 and 2050 targets set out in the IMO’s net-zero strategy is becoming increasingly challenging — particularly given the long investment horizons typical in the shipping industry.” Jesse Fahnestock, director of decarbonization at the Global Maritime Forum, agreed, calling Friday’s adjournment “a disappointing setback for shipping” that will make delivery of maritime decarbonization targets even more challenging. Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime and a Journal of Commerce contributor, said the main container carriers were unlikely to stray from their current newbuilding path, at least for now. “But it will make it more difficult to convince...investors to come in hard on green fuel production with the new uncertainty,” <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsjensenvespuccimaritime/recent-activity/all/">Jensen wrote in a LinkedIn post</a> Monday. “In such an environment, LNG just got another improvement in its relative competitiveness versus the fully green fuels.” Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The most optimistic view of global maritime regulators punting on a new net-zero emissions framework is that efforts to derail it completely were avoided. For most in the shipping industry, however, the International Maritime Organization’s one-year delay is viewed as a major missed opportunity to give the investment community the certainty it needs to fund the transition to net-zero fuels. The Friday motion to delay adoption of the IMO’s net-zero framework was made at a tense and combative session of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in London. The vote to delay was 57 in favor and 49 against, with 21 abstentions. In the interim, member states will continue to work towards consensus on the decarbonization plans, but achieving the emissions-cutting targets agreed under the revised IMO greenhouse gas strategy in 2023 will now be under pressure. The IMO’s targets include at least a 20% — striving for 30% — reduction in emissions by 2030 and at least a 70%, striving for 80%, reduction by 2040 compared to 2008 levels. The ultimate goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. But critics argue that the absence of a framework on how global shipping can pass on to cargo owners the higher operating costs of using low- or zero-emission fuels will likely stall investment in shipbuilding and in scaling up production of alternative fuels to replace conventional, heavy emission bunkers. They fear that with no global pricing mechanism, there is likely to emerge a host of local carbon pricing initiatives that will be difficult for carriers to navigate. The United States’ willingness to threaten IMO member states voting against White House efforts to water down the regulations brings a challenge that wasn’t present in July 2023 when the IMO’s revised greenhouse gas strategy was agreed. The US believes putting a price on carbon emissions from ships will be passed on to its consumers, increasing costs by 10%. It was what triggered the extraordinary threats by the White House that included sanctions, port fees and visa refusals against member states voting to adopt the IMO net-zero framework. President Donald Trump even weighed in on his Truth Social media platform with a post last week saying, “the US will not stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping. Stand with the US and vote NO in London...!” States swayed by US threats The US was supported in its opposition to the measures by petrostates Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela, with Singapore raising the idea that the regulation be delayed and Saudi Arabia calling for the vote. Pressure from the US saw Liberia, the world’s largest ship registry with 16% of global tonnage, and Bahamas, home to almost 4% of global tonnage, reversing their support for the framework. Not everyone was cowed by the US threats, particularly the tiny Pacific Island states that are most vulnerable to the climate change dismissed as a hoax by Trump. “Don’t pretend that the Pacific was voiceless. We were ignored, bullied, threatened, cornered, sidelined and harassed. But we stood tall,” Marshall Islands Ambassador Albon Ishoda wrote in a LinkedIn post . “When you mention those large countries that fought for or against the framework, don’t forget that it was the Pacific Island countries and Seychelles that gave the hardest miles and took the hardest hit,” Ishoda wrote. “A year delay is a year of more devastation and displacement for our communities that have nothing to do with this catastrophe. We don’t have the luxury of time.” There are concerns that the US considers the delay in adopting IMO decarbonization plans as a win and will use the time between now and next October to build further opposition against the net-zero framework, potentially killing the regulation. There are also concerns that the delay is a win for liquefied natural gas (LNG) that will continue to be the fuel of choice across shipping sectors. Reaction to the IMO vote to adjourn the attempted adoption of the net-zero framework for a year has been loud and predominantly negative, particularly concerning the enormous investment required to decarbonize the maritime industry. The Global Maritime Forum has estimated that achieving a 50% reduction in shipping's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will require investment of $1 trillion to $1.4 trillion between 2030 and 2050. If full decarbonization is the goal, the total could be as high as $1.9 trillion. “From an economic standpoint, introducing carbon pricing is essential to level the playing field with sustainable fuels, which are currently not economically viable,” said Rico Luman, senior economist for transport and logistics at global bank ING. “Regardless of the timing, a pricing mechanism will eventually be necessary to drive progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, also as it helps funding green investments,” Luman noted. Delay puts targets under pressure It was a sentiment repeated time and again as the reaction rolled in following the Friday afternoon vote. “The industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments needed to decarbonize the maritime sector, in line with the goals set out in the IMO greenhouse gas strategy,” said Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping. Kazakos said the framework would have created the first global carbon pricing mechanism for any industrial sector, with the aim of delivering a clear path for shipping’s transition to net-zero. The delay means meeting the IMO’s decarbonization targets has been made more difficult, Luman told the Journal of Commerce. “The current timeline needs to be reassessed, as the projected CO₂ reductions by 2030 already fall short of earlier ambitions,” he said. “As a result, achieving the 2040 and 2050 targets set out in the IMO’s net-zero strategy is becoming increasingly challenging — particularly given the long investment horizons typical in the shipping industry.” Jesse Fahnestock, director of decarbonization at the Global Maritime Forum, agreed, calling Friday’s adjournment “a disappointing setback for shipping” that will make delivery of maritime decarbonization targets even more challenging. Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime and a Journal of Commerce contributor, said the main container carriers were unlikely to stray from their current newbuilding path, at least for now. “But it will make it more difficult to convince...investors to come in hard on green fuel production with the new uncertainty,” Jensen wrote in a LinkedIn post Monday. “In such an environment, LNG just got another improvement in its relative competitiveness versus the fully green fuels.” Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Maritime

Delay in IMO decarbonization plans robs green fuels investors of certainty

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The partnership is part of a broader effort to advance the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor via the Adriatic’s main port. </div>

The partnership is part of a broader effort to advance the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor via the Adriatic’s main port.

<div class="phx-topic">CMA CGM and the Slovenian Port of Koper have established an automotive logistic services joint venture, expanding the carrier’s reach into Central Europe and upgrading an existing long-standing partnership. Rodolphe Saadé, CMA CGM’s chairman and CEO, signed the deal Monday during a visit to the port, alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and French President Emmanuel Macron. “In the context of the emerging India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, CMA CGM and the Port of Koper share the ambition to strengthen Slovenia’s role as a sustainable logistics hub at the heart of Europe,” CMA CGM said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Koper is the Adriatic’s main port and a strategic gateway for the transport of vehicles to and from Asia by sea and rail, and the logistics JV will build on CMA CGM’s established intermodal network in the region. The JV company will equip, maintain and operate the site for automotive logistic services. CMA CGM and Koper are considering other joint projects to improve the competitive position of the port and further develop regional trade flows, according to the statement. CMA CGM’s services from Koper are operated by LNG or methanol-powered vessels with a capacity of 15,000 TEUs, with rail connections to major Central European markets. The carrier has two weekly maritime services calling Koper: the Phoenician Express connecting Asia to the Mediterranean and the Bora Med service within the Mediterranean basin. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

CMA CGM and the Slovenian Port of Koper have established an automotive logistic services joint venture, expanding the carrier’s reach into Central Europe and upgrading an existing long-standing partnership. Rodolphe Saadé, CMA CGM’s chairman and CEO, signed the deal Monday during a visit to the port, alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and French President Emmanuel Macron. “In the context of the emerging India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, CMA CGM and the Port of Koper share the ambition to strengthen Slovenia’s role as a sustainable logistics hub at the heart of Europe,” CMA CGM said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Koper is the Adriatic’s main port and a strategic gateway for the transport of vehicles to and from Asia by sea and rail, and the logistics JV will build on CMA CGM’s established intermodal network in the region. The JV company will equip, maintain and operate the site for automotive logistic services. CMA CGM and Koper are considering other joint projects to improve the competitive position of the port and further develop regional trade flows, according to the statement. CMA CGM’s services from Koper are operated by LNG or methanol-powered vessels with a capacity of 15,000 TEUs, with rail connections to major Central European markets. The carrier has two weekly maritime services calling Koper: the Phoenician Express connecting Asia to the Mediterranean and the Bora Med service within the Mediterranean basin. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Port News

Container lines

Asia-Europe

International ports

Container Shipping News

CMA CGM inks auto logistics joint venture with Slovenian Port of Koper

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The ocean carrier and logistics provider already has big investments in Panama but may lack dedicated berth space for ships if MSC swoops in on two big container terminals there.</div>

The ocean carrier and logistics provider already has big investments in Panama but may lack dedicated berth space for ships if MSC swoops in on two big container terminals there.

<div class="phx-topic">Maersk signaled its interest in helping develop the Panama Canal’s yet-to-be-built container terminals, as the carrier faces the prospect of its former alliance partner Mediterranean Shipping Co. taking control of Panama’s current terminal assets. Speaking at an event Oct. 9 sponsored by Denmark’s embassy in Colombia, Maersk Chief Executive Vincent Clerc said his company may invest in the new terminals the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) hopes to build on both sides of the canal. This summer, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/panama-canal-mulls-developing-corozal-to-allay-neutrality-fears-over-hutchison-deal-6023330">the ACP said it was looking to develop container terminals</a> on the Pacific side at Corozal and on the Atlantic side near Colon. According to local press reports about the event, the ACP is starting its outreach to ocean carriers and terminal operators about the new terminal concessions, with a formal tender expected in the second half of 2026. The new terminals are part of Panama’s response to US government concerns about Chinese conglomerate CK Hutchison owning terminals on both sides of the canal. President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured Panama’s government about selling the terminals to a non-Chinese firm, despite <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/panama-canal-transit-data-belies-trumps-claims-of-chinas-control-project44-5948559">no evidence of US-bound ships receiving less preferential treatment for canal transits</a>. ACP President Ricuarte Vasquez Morales has said the canal needs more common carrier terminal capacity. MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited subsidiary and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners have emerged as the leading bidders for the terminals in Colon and Balboa. The sale, though, faces a lengthy regulatory review, plus the potential inclusion of Cosco Shipping as another partner as <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/beijing-issues-warning-over-hutchisons-proposed-sale-of-panama-ports-company-5962910">a sop to China for approving Hutchison’s sale of the terminals</a>. Hutchison has confirmed that a “major strategic investor from China” was looking to be part of a Hutchison acquisition. An MSC takeover of the two terminals could shut out Maersk from an important transshipment point for its north-south services. Over the past 12 months, Maersk-operated container ships have made 1,345 calls to Panama’s ports, according to data from Sea-web, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. MSC, as well, is a heavy user of Panama’s terminals, with 1,563 calls over the same time. In April, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/apm-acquires-first-railroad-asset-with-deal-for-panama-canals-short-line-5975493">Maersk bought the Panama Canal Railway</a>, the short-line railroad that links the ports of Balboa and Colon. Maersk, which is the railway’s largest customer, also operates a logistics park in the country. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Maersk signaled its interest in helping develop the Panama Canal’s yet-to-be-built container terminals, as the carrier faces the prospect of its former alliance partner Mediterranean Shipping Co. taking control of Panama’s current terminal assets. Speaking at an event Oct. 9 sponsored by Denmark’s embassy in Colombia, Maersk Chief Executive Vincent Clerc said his company may invest in the new terminals the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) hopes to build on both sides of the canal. This summer, the ACP said it was looking to develop container terminals on the Pacific side at Corozal and on the Atlantic side near Colon. According to local press reports about the event, the ACP is starting its outreach to ocean carriers and terminal operators about the new terminal concessions, with a formal tender expected in the second half of 2026. The new terminals are part of Panama’s response to US government concerns about Chinese conglomerate CK Hutchison owning terminals on both sides of the canal. President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured Panama’s government about selling the terminals to a non-Chinese firm, despite no evidence of US-bound ships receiving less preferential treatment for canal transits . ACP President Ricuarte Vasquez Morales has said the canal needs more common carrier terminal capacity. MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited subsidiary and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners have emerged as the leading bidders for the terminals in Colon and Balboa. The sale, though, faces a lengthy regulatory review, plus the potential inclusion of Cosco Shipping as another partner as a sop to China for approving Hutchison’s sale of the terminals . Hutchison has confirmed that a “major strategic investor from China” was looking to be part of a Hutchison acquisition. An MSC takeover of the two terminals could shut out Maersk from an important transshipment point for its north-south services. Over the past 12 months, Maersk-operated container ships have made 1,345 calls to Panama’s ports, according to data from Sea-web, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. MSC, as well, is a heavy user of Panama’s terminals, with 1,563 calls over the same time. In April, Maersk bought the Panama Canal Railway , the short-line railroad that links the ports of Balboa and Colon. Maersk, which is the railway’s largest customer, also operates a logistics park in the country. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Marine terminals

Maersk considering investment in Panama’s new terminals

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Companies large and small — from C.H. Robinson to ShipAngel — are unveiling new suites of AI agents to augment their customers’ capacities and help them organize unstructured data.</div>

Companies large and small — from C.H. Robinson to ShipAngel — are unveiling new suites of AI agents to augment their customers’ capacities and help them organize unstructured data.

<div class="phx-topic">The march of artificial AI into the world of logistics is accelerating, specifically around the development of AI agents built directly into standalone software or tools provided by third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Those advancements are impacting key processes in both the international and domestic logistics environment, including demand planning and auditing freight bills, but more broadly agents are popping up in virtually every software platform with which shippers interact. Yet, there remains confusion and residual skepticism about the extent to which AI agents can transform logistics workforces. Most logistics professionals have a sense they are either already using AI agents or interacting with them in an unseen way but aren’t yet experiencing a different way of working. As more major logistics players make investments in agentic AI, that could soon change. The latest example is C.H. Robinson, which on Monday said it has enhanced its ability to use AI to uncover data from sources where it has been traditionally hard to extract and categorize information. C.H. Robinson, the largest US freight broker and a top 10 ocean forwarder, has <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/truckload-brokers-eye-human-technology-balance-as-ai-takes-hold-5876340">leaned heavily into AI</a> over the last few years as a means to reshape its business. “With agentic AI, we’re unlocking the value trapped in unstructured data: phone calls, emails, tribal knowledge,” the company’s chief technology officer, Mike Neill, said in a statement Monday. “In September alone, one of our AI agents captured 318,000 freight tracking updates from a single type of phone call. Previously invisible to our systems, that data now flows to another AI agent that updates our platform, feeding our predictive [estimated times of arrival] and optimizing our customers’ deliveries.” While C.H. Robinson is a prime example of the largest companies in logistics recrafting their service offerings around agentic AI, it is far from alone. Among other large providers, project44 and FourKites have <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/fourkites-exit-from-gartner-visibility-assessment-highlights-evolving-market-5958243">built entire sets of AI agents</a> to support their ambitions to appeal more broadly to shippers. WiseTech Global — provider of the most widely-used freight management software among global forwarders, told the Journal of Commerce in September it is similarly building an array of AI agents to allows its customers to better utilize its customs, tracking and accounting products. And Maersk <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/maersk-launches-ai-customs-tool-to-tackle-rising-regulatory-chaos-6031746">launched an AI customs tool</a> in June designed to benefit from the large datasets that the shipping line’s scale provides. C.H. Robinson, with the largest dataset in truckload brokerage, has made a similar connection. <h3>Wide spectrum of tools </h3>The activity is far from confined to larger players in the market. Last week, ShipAngel, which started as a freight rate management software vendor for shippers, announced it is now offering a more comprehensive set of tools for shippers, all driven by embedded AI agents that can book and track shipments off an already established rate. “Enterprise software is undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation,” ShipAngel CEO Graham Parker said about what the company is describing as a shift into enterprise resource planning (ERP) specifically built for supply chains. “Monolithic systems are giving way to modular, intelligent architectures.” Parker’s contention is that most shippers are burdened with ERPs that are built mostly for finance and planning teams, not supply chain teams. ShipAngel’s use of AI agents — also known as digital workers — is key to its ability to gather unstructured data that’s often difficult for those teams to gather and make decisions about. In late September, Jason Traff, CEO of transportation management system (TMS) provider Shipwell, told the Journal of Commerce Inland Distribution Conference that the most likely functions to be handed to AI agents are demand planning, truckload scheduling, freight bill auditing, and logistics cost analysis. Traff stressed that AI agents’ strengths lie in adapting to new variables and simulating human-like behavior and reasoning. AI-based workflow automation, on the other hand, is strongest at pattern recognition and handling sets of complex rules. <h3>Accessing unstructured data </h3>At the Virginia Maritime Association’s (VMA’s) International Trade Symposium in Norfolk Thursday, Vijay Harrell, CEO of software provider TradeLanes, described how AI agents within the company’s product allow its exporter customers to get automated messages around vessel schedule amendments or changes to earlier return dates. Those changes have historically been detected by having people — at the exporter or the exporter’s 3PL — periodically check carrier or terminal websites. Paul Albert-Lebrun, CEO of container terminal software provider Nodal, similarly explained on an AI panel how digital workers would help terminal operators get more out of their existing terminal operating systems and extract key pieces of unstructured data from adjacent systems to make informed decisions on things such as labor deployment and crane operations. At the RateLinx Insight Conference Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona, CEO Shannon Vaillancourt described how AI helps shippers make informed decisions that have traditionally been negatively affected by human sentiment. For instance, he said people tend to “remember things that didn’t happen and anchor decisions based on irrelevant data.” He also said people resist change because they fixate on bad experiences with transportation vendors that aren’t representative of that vendor’s objective performance. But Mac McCall, a senior research associate at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, told the VMA conference that a future based around digital workers need not exclude people. “I’m a Star Trek fan, and if you look at the bridge of the Enterprise, you see the most advanced technology available, but there are still people being presented with information and making decisions,” he said. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The march of artificial AI into the world of logistics is accelerating, specifically around the development of AI agents built directly into standalone software or tools provided by third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Those advancements are impacting key processes in both the international and domestic logistics environment, including demand planning and auditing freight bills, but more broadly agents are popping up in virtually every software platform with which shippers interact. Yet, there remains confusion and residual skepticism about the extent to which AI agents can transform logistics workforces. Most logistics professionals have a sense they are either already using AI agents or interacting with them in an unseen way but aren’t yet experiencing a different way of working. As more major logistics players make investments in agentic AI, that could soon change. The latest example is C.H. Robinson, which on Monday said it has enhanced its ability to use AI to uncover data from sources where it has been traditionally hard to extract and categorize information. C.H. Robinson, the largest US freight broker and a top 10 ocean forwarder, has leaned heavily into AI over the last few years as a means to reshape its business. “With agentic AI, we’re unlocking the value trapped in unstructured data: phone calls, emails, tribal knowledge,” the company’s chief technology officer, Mike Neill, said in a statement Monday. “In September alone, one of our AI agents captured 318,000 freight tracking updates from a single type of phone call. Previously invisible to our systems, that data now flows to another AI agent that updates our platform, feeding our predictive [estimated times of arrival] and optimizing our customers’ deliveries.” While C.H. Robinson is a prime example of the largest companies in logistics recrafting their service offerings around agentic AI, it is far from alone. Among other large providers, project44 and FourKites have built entire sets of AI agents to support their ambitions to appeal more broadly to shippers. WiseTech Global — provider of the most widely-used freight management software among global forwarders, told the Journal of Commerce in September it is similarly building an array of AI agents to allows its customers to better utilize its customs, tracking and accounting products. And Maersk launched an AI customs tool in June designed to benefit from the large datasets that the shipping line’s scale provides. C.H. Robinson, with the largest dataset in truckload brokerage, has made a similar connection. Wide spectrum of tools The activity is far from confined to larger players in the market. Last week, ShipAngel, which started as a freight rate management software vendor for shippers, announced it is now offering a more comprehensive set of tools for shippers, all driven by embedded AI agents that can book and track shipments off an already established rate. “Enterprise software is undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation,” ShipAngel CEO Graham Parker said about what the company is describing as a shift into enterprise resource planning (ERP) specifically built for supply chains. “Monolithic systems are giving way to modular, intelligent architectures.” Parker’s contention is that most shippers are burdened with ERPs that are built mostly for finance and planning teams, not supply chain teams. ShipAngel’s use of AI agents — also known as digital workers — is key to its ability to gather unstructured data that’s often difficult for those teams to gather and make decisions about. In late September, Jason Traff, CEO of transportation management system (TMS) provider Shipwell, told the Journal of Commerce Inland Distribution Conference that the most likely functions to be handed to AI agents are demand planning, truckload scheduling, freight bill auditing, and logistics cost analysis. Traff stressed that AI agents’ strengths lie in adapting to new variables and simulating human-like behavior and reasoning. AI-based workflow automation, on the other hand, is strongest at pattern recognition and handling sets of complex rules. Accessing unstructured data At the Virginia Maritime Association’s (VMA’s) International Trade Symposium in Norfolk Thursday, Vijay Harrell, CEO of software provider TradeLanes, described how AI agents within the company’s product allow its exporter customers to get automated messages around vessel schedule amendments or changes to earlier return dates. Those changes have historically been detected by having people — at the exporter or the exporter’s 3PL — periodically check carrier or terminal websites. Paul Albert-Lebrun, CEO of container terminal software provider Nodal, similarly explained on an AI panel how digital workers would help terminal operators get more out of their existing terminal operating systems and extract key pieces of unstructured data from adjacent systems to make informed decisions on things such as labor deployment and crane operations. At the RateLinx Insight Conference Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona, CEO Shannon Vaillancourt described how AI helps shippers make informed decisions that have traditionally been negatively affected by human sentiment. For instance, he said people tend to “remember things that didn’t happen and anchor decisions based on irrelevant data.” He also said people resist change because they fixate on bad experiences with transportation vendors that aren’t representative of that vendor’s objective performance. But Mac McCall, a senior research associate at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, told the VMA conference that a future based around digital workers need not exclude people. “I’m a Star Trek fan, and if you look at the bridge of the Enterprise, you see the most advanced technology available, but there are still people being presented with information and making decisions,” he said. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

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AI agents proliferate in logistics despite skepticism

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The top ocean carriers serving Colombo have kept their calls intact while others are skipping calls. </div>

The top ocean carriers serving Colombo have kept their calls intact while others are skipping calls.

<div class="phx-topic">A surge of cargo has congested Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port and spurred some container lines to skip the transshipment gateway. On Friday morning, the port had about 15 container ships waiting at anchor for berth, but the queue had fallen to 10 by Monday. Eight ships were being worked at marine terminals.“Terminal operations have been adversely affected due to high yard congestion, increased transshipment volumes and unfavorable weather conditions,” global forwarder Kuehne + Nagel said in a report. Industry sources confirming recent Colombo call omissions included the NIX (China-India Express) loop that Israeli liner Zim Integrated Shipping Services operates jointly with other intra-Asia operators. Zim has also reportedly halted Indian bookings out of Colombo on the NIX. Ocean Network Express (ONE) has, according to industry sources, issued a “Colombo skip” advisory for its intra-Asia “CIP” (China-India-Pakistan) string. But, while incurring some delays, the top carriers serving Colombo — Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM — have mostly kept their calls intact, seemingly thanks to priority handling. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority did not respond to a request for comment. Colombo logged volume peaks in August and September — 741,124 TEUs and 742,116 TEUs, respectively, marking 2025 monthly highs, according to industry sources. <h3>A house of cards </h3>Colombo terminals have been operating well above 80% capacity for some time, so any cargo influxes from diversions of regional trades <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/indias-ban-on-pakistan-cargo-raises-disruption-risk-5997588">and other geopolitical factors</a> place heavy pressure on the infrastructure there, sources say. A bout of heightened terminal delays in early 2025 sparked a large number of vessel omissions for Colombo. And the latest disruption comes <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/adani-opens-colombos-fifth-box-terminal-with-maersk-trial-call-for-gemini-5980314">despite the phase 1 launch</a> of the Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT), developed by India’s Adani Group, raising more questions over chronic inland capacity issues. “Unlike at Indian ports, import cargo is not moved off site at Colombo after landing,” said a Colombo port official who didn’t want to be identified. “So, if cargo is not picked up timely, terminals get choked up.” Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>. </div>

A surge of cargo has congested Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port and spurred some container lines to skip the transshipment gateway. On Friday morning, the port had about 15 container ships waiting at anchor for berth, but the queue had fallen to 10 by Monday. Eight ships were being worked at marine terminals. “Terminal operations have been adversely affected due to high yard congestion, increased transshipment volumes and unfavorable weather conditions,” global forwarder Kuehne + Nagel said in a report. Industry sources confirming recent Colombo call omissions included the NIX (China-India Express) loop that Israeli liner Zim Integrated Shipping Services operates jointly with other intra-Asia operators. Zim has also reportedly halted Indian bookings out of Colombo on the NIX. Ocean Network Express (ONE) has, according to industry sources, issued a “Colombo skip” advisory for its intra-Asia “CIP” (China-India-Pakistan) string. But, while incurring some delays, the top carriers serving Colombo — Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM — have mostly kept their calls intact, seemingly thanks to priority handling. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority did not respond to a request for comment. Colombo logged volume peaks in August and September — 741,124 TEUs and 742,116 TEUs, respectively, marking 2025 monthly highs, according to industry sources. A house of cards Colombo terminals have been operating well above 80% capacity for some time, so any cargo influxes from diversions of regional trades and other geopolitical factors place heavy pressure on the infrastructure there, sources say. A bout of heightened terminal delays in early 2025 sparked a large number of vessel omissions for Colombo. And the latest disruption comes despite the phase 1 launch of the Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT), developed by India’s Adani Group, raising more questions over chronic inland capacity issues. “Unlike at Indian ports, import cargo is not moved off site at Colombo after landing,” said a Colombo port official who didn’t want to be identified. “So, if cargo is not picked up timely, terminals get choked up.” Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Cargo surge congests Colombo as some carriers avoid

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The world of LTL is slow to embrace change. Business anachronisms permeate current supply chain processes. These vestiges of the way things used to work define the LTL freight transportation procurement process of many modern shippers.David Knuth, logistics specialist at IEWC, a global supplier of cable and wire based in Wisconsin, is happy to have modernized the RFP process, automating the entire LTL bidding procedure with Bid$ense, SMC³’s automated truckload and LTL freight transportation sourcing solution. But when prompted, he can still recall what once was.In his previous job, a large part of his duties were consumed by creating an intermodal bid package for carriers. In a spreadsheet, Knuth detailed the company’s volumes lane by lane, taking care to delete any errant keystrokes or misleading data. He would then email out the information to each carrier, taking time to respond to detailed technical questions about the spreadsheet data. Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. Carriers are alerted with timely prompts for RFP deliverables, so shippers aren’t waiting by the phone for responses.Another benefit of automating the process is the data-cleansing assistance. When Knuth sent spreadsheets to carriers, data errors might cloud the bidding process; he might have to resend data or simply accept a price that did not truly reflect the costs of doing business. Data cleansing is incredibly beneficial, he said.The spreadsheet technique also made bidding analysis an onerous task. Since Bid$ense automates and streamlines the entire RFP process, intensive examination is now simple. SMC³ knows that each bid has more than one best outcome. With uniform responses from each carrier, shippers can quickly rank results and create an unlimited quantity of what-if scenarios to make the optimal procurement decision.Jesse Burnett of Central Garden &amp; Pet experiences many of the same benefits. Founded in 1980, Central Garden &amp; Pet has spent the last three decades growing from a small garden supply company to a provider of a range of products from dog chews and bird seed to soil supplements and natural insecticides. For much of its life, the company shipped these disparate goods via LTL and truckload carriers to retailers throughout the country, relying on each business unit to negotiate directly with their freight transportation providers. This arrangement worked fairly well for a small company, but as Central Garden &amp; Pet expanded, leadership decided to consolidate decision making.Burnett helped centralize the transportation decision making in 2015 with SMC³’s Bid$ense. Before Bid$ense, every business unit operated independently as far as negotiating with carriers.“There were a lot of different things just floating around,” he said. “We didn’t have master agreements in place; no national pricing at all. The pricing from carriers was just all over the place, depending on where you were.”The transformations he saw with Bid$ense were immediate. Burnett has been using the tool about every other year since its implementation at the company. Central Garden and Pet’s $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. In the end, though, Burnett found that Bid$ense was both widespread and well known, and that his carrier partners already knew how to use the application. Burnett also highlighted the data-cleansing process as a major benefit, saying the rigorous process ensures that carriers always return the best price.“It definitely has helped drive savings,” he said. “Any time you go out there and you drive that competitiveness with the carriers and they know they’re in a bid environment, it seems to sharpen their pencils.”Transportation procurement is an integral part of the modern supply chain. With Bid$ense, shippers can develop a strategic implementation plan that saves them time and money, but also helps them create strong relationships with their carrier partners. These carriers appreciate the solution’s data-cleansing process; when carriers receive a complete shipment history and future volume forecast, they don’t have to guess on pricing. Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$ense has the analytical horsepower to get the job done.SMC³ 2020 Customer Case Study

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Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

If there’s one immutable truth in the world of logistics, it’s this: LTL is an inherently complex form of transportation. Tariffs, rates, DIM weights, transit times — it’s enough to confuse even seasoned logistics professionals. The solution to this knowledge gap has historically been on-the-job training or university supply chain education, but for a variety of reasons there is now a pressing need for third-party, remote LTL training that prepares logistics workers for transportation success. Global Scope Can Overlook Local Intricacies In the past, professionals looking to move into a supply chain career learned about the basics of supply chain from universities. However, many of these college supply chain programs are now global in scope, focusing on worldwide supply chain management instead of the intricacies of specialized domestic transportation. And even these programs, which used to be widespread, are becoming less common. LTL is not an industry of broad-brush strokes; supply chain professionals really need a pointillistic understanding of the logistics of LTL in order to excel in the industry. Accelerating Need for Dedicated LTL Education This lack of specified training put the onus on employers to prepare new hires with the LTL knowledge needed to do their jobs. Dedicated LTL study is a necessity, not a luxury. At the same time, changes in LTL and the broader supply chain world are accelerating. The reliance on e-commerce has ballooned since the start of the pandemic, and last-mile LTL shipments and related e-commerce strains on the supply chain won’t diminish once social distancing abates. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle. So supply chain employers need logistics workers that are fully versed in all aspects of the industry, ready to solve unique shipping and delivery problems based on their extensive supply chain knowledge But why care about LTL? It’s been reported that some shippers in today’s world are no longer concerned with what mode is used to ship their goods. A Multimodal Approach Ensures On-Time Delivery This mode agnosticism means supply chain stakeholders have to be well versed in all modes of transportation. As unforeseen weather events and other disruptions, such as protests, become more common, savvy logistics employees will need to be armed with familiarity of all modes, not just the most popular, to ensure that freight is delivered on time, without damage, and in the most financially expedient way possible. Offerings like SMC³’s LTL online education courses cover a wide range of topics from LTL basics and operations to more advanced concepts like pricing analytics and transportation law. The company also has plans to continually refresh content, adding new expert presenters and taking the feedback of students to make the courses even better as time goes on. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://logisticstrainingcenter.com/smc3-courses/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">SMC³’s LTL Online Education program</a>&nbsp;and view the 2021 hybrid schedule, featuring live industry experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smc3.com/onlinelearning2021/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">here.</a>

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Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

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