<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Freight is flowing more quickly through LTL terminals nationwide — a sign, carriers hope, of a steadier economic recovery.</div>

Freight is flowing more quickly through LTL terminals nationwide — a sign, carriers hope, of a steadier economic recovery.

<div>NAPLES, Fla. — There's a buzz about less-than-truckload transportation these days, and it's not the sound of drones.Despite predictions that tiny, unmanned aircraft flown by Amazon and others may drop packages on doorsteps some day, "until drones are invented that can handle 2,000 pound shipments, we're stuck with trucks," James Welch, chairman and CEO of YRC Worldwide, says.The buzz at the SMC3 summer conference here, where Welch spoke June 23, is being generated by freight flowing more quickly through LTL terminals nationwide — a sign, carriers hope, of a steadier economic recovery.LTL pricing is rising, perhaps by 3 to 4...

NAPLES, Fla. — There's a buzz about less-than-truckload transportation these days, and it's not the sound of drones. Despite predictions that tiny, unmanned aircraft flown by Amazon and others may drop packages on doorsteps some day, "until drones are invented that can handle 2,000 pound shipments, we're stuck with trucks," James Welch, chairman and CEO of YRC Worldwide, says. The buzz at the SMC3 summer conference here, where Welch spoke June 23, is being generated by freight flowing more quickly through LTL terminals nationwide — a sign, carriers hope, of a steadier economic recovery. LTL pricing is rising, perhaps by 3 to 4 percent in 2014, according to most sources, and carriers are getting better at figuring out how to price by lane and use technology to recoup transportation costs. That could lead to a more sustainable profitable industry, ensuring a healthier, more reliable and flexible carrier base for shippers. "I'm excited to work in this piece of the trucking industry," said Welch, who was hired at YRC Worldwide in 2011 to turn the company around after YRC suffered deep losses — a turnaround still in progress. "LTL carriers have always been resourceful, always found ways to meet the challenges we face," he said. "I'm convinced this group is smarter than we've been in the past." To date, most LTL operators are enjoying their best year since the end of the recession in 2009, with volume and tonnage rising and driving up pricing, despite the general economic wreckage of the first quarter. "Revenue has bounced back" after a severe winter raised havoc with U.S. supply chains, Welch said in an address to the more than 300 attendees at the SMC3 conference. The head of the $4.9 billion trucking holding company is largely optimistic about LTL's outlook. "There are some fundamental shifts in the economy we hope will remain strong," he said. For LTL, the key shift is in manufacturing activity, which increased for the 12th consecutive month in May, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The steady, if not stellar, improvement in manufacturing is a shot in the arm for LTL carriers, which depend more on industrial freight than their truckload counterparts, which are geared more toward retail shipments. "Services don't put freight on trucks, goods (manufactured) do," Welch said. Just how good a year 2014 will be for the LTL sector should become clearer as publicly owned carriers release second quarter earnings reports in July and August. "Despite the horrible winter, LTLs did pretty well" in the first quarter, David G. Ross, a managing director at investment research firm Stifel, said in a panel discussing the U.S. economy. "We think the second quarter will be even better for LTLs. Average tonnage per day is forecast to rise 6.7 percent (year-over-year). That's strong," he said. Welch and other LTL executives at the conference reported experiencing a "winter freight hangover" in March and April — a surge of freight that wasn't deliverable or was delayed by winter storms in the first quarter. Warmer temperatures pushed that freight into LTL networks. However, LTL demand remained elevated in May and June, they said, a sign the economic recovery has finally picked up its tepid pace. "June has stood up well," Welch said. But carriers are still wondering, he said, "Is this something we can bank on? Is the economic recovery really there?" That's because the recovery still lags when compared to previous upswings. During the recovery from the 2001-2003 downturn, U.S. gross domestic product grew 2.9 percent on average, while since 2009 GDP growth has averaged only 2.2 percent, Ross said. Economists recently surveyed by Reuters predict the U.S. economy will grow 2.2 percent this year, and 3 percent in 2015. At the SMC3 conference, Consulting Economist Don Ratajczak concurred with that estimate, but warned higher oil prices could drag the growth rate down. "Higher oil prices are slowing down the economy, but it hasn't slowed it down much yet," Ratajczak said. "Oil will make a difference if it stays up. If we're staring at West Texas crude costing $110 a barrel in September, we won't see 3 percent GDP growth in the fourth quarter," he said. Ratajczak previously forecast a return to 3 percent growth by that end-of-year period, but the recovery has been stubbornly slow. In part, that's because "we have fewer arrows in our quiver to jumpstart growth," Ross said. "We took what we could out of our homes before the housing bubble broke, and median household income is still below pre-recession levels." That's reflected in truck shipments, as well. The number of dry van loads is also lower than a decade ago, he said. That's partly because of weak consumer spending, but since 2008, higher fuel prices and the rise of intermodal rail also have checked growth in truckloads, Ross said. "Also, the dollar value of what's being moved is rising, while tonnage is (in the long-term) falling," a sign products and packaging are more compact and lighter. The LTL sector also is benefiting from tight capacity in the truckload business, Ross said. Because truckload carriers, from owner-operators to giants such as Swift Transportation and Schneider National, dominate the trucking landscape, it doesn't take much spillover from truckload trailers to LTL docks to make a big difference in LTL revenue. According to the Stifel analyst, if even 1 percent of the truckload freight were broken down, palletized and shipped by LTL, total LTL revenue could increase by more than $3 billion, or nearly 9 percent. Tightening truckload capacity is also strengthening LTL carriers' hand in pricing negotiations with customers. Ross expects the current "rate momentum" to continue through the end of the second quarter, at least. In the long term, LTL carriers should retain their pricing advantage "until the next recession," Ross said. Shippers at the SMC3 conference said finding ways to control rising U.S. transportation costs is their primary concern this year. One major roadblock for LTL carriers and their customers is the tightening market for truck drivers. Once primarily a long-haul truckload issue, the so-called driver shortage now affects every type of trucking operation, speakers at the SMC3 conference said. "This is everyone's problem," Welch said. During his stint as president of Yellow Transportation from 2000 through 2007, "we never had driver recruiters," he said. At YRC, a Teamsters company, "we were always able to attract drivers because of our benefits and pay." That's not the case post-recession, he said. "We have several recruiters now," Welch said. "If the economy shows improvement, I do believe capacity is going to be a real issue," he said. "Customers and carriers are going to have to form new kinds of relationships. The days of abusing the carrier over rates are in the past." Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com and follow him on Twitter: @wbcassidy_joc .

LTL carriers building pricing power in 'strong' 2Q

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The terminal, developed by a consortium of Hutchison Ports, CMA Terminals, and Cosco Shipping Ports, aims to capture increasing east-west trade and is integrated with Egypt’s expanding transport network.</div>

The terminal, developed by a consortium of Hutchison Ports, CMA Terminals, and Cosco Shipping Ports, aims to capture increasing east-west trade and is integrated with Egypt’s expanding transport network.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Red Sea Container Terminals (RSCT) opened Egypt’s first semi-automated facility Thursday in Sokhna Port near the southern entrance to the Suez Canal. The new terminal was developed by a consortium of Hutchison Ports, CMA Terminals, and Cosco Shipping Ports and backed by a 30-year concession agreement with the Egyptian government. “With an investment exceeding $1.8 billion in the country, we recognize Egypt as a pivotal market at the intersection of key global trade routes,” Clemence Cheng, managing director for Europe at Hutchison Ports, said in a statement. The new terminal is coming online as major carriers begin to switch scheduled services from routes around the Cape of Good Hope to the Suez Canal and Red Sea. A <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/gemini-india-med-service-the-next-to-plan-return-to-red-seasuez-passage-6152941">Gemini Cooperation service on the India-Middle East-Mediterranean trade</a> is poised to  <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/maersk-set-to-resume-regular-suez-transits-on-india-usec-mecl-loop-sources-6152441">join Maersk’s MECL service</a> and CMA CGM’s  among major carriers in resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Situated a few kilometers south of the southern Suez Canal entrance and within the world’s deepest man-made port basin, RSCT's Phase I includes a 1,200-meter berth, a water depth of 18 meters, and an initial handling capacity of 1.7 million TEUs. Plans are in place to expand that to 3.5 million TEUs across 2.6 kilometers of quay. RSCT is integrated with Egypt’s expanding transport network, including direct highway and railway connections to major industrial zones, thus shortening transit times for imports, exports and transshipment. Major liners have mostly avoided the Red Sea/Suez route since late 2023 when Houthi militants operating in Yemen began their attacks on commercial shipping to protest Israel’s move into Gaza, forcing lengthy diversions around southern Africa. A Red Sea diversion tracker launched Wednesday by maritime consultancy Drewry found that in the week ended Jan. 11, 26 container ships — the highest number in five weeks — sailed through the Suez Canal.   Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.    </div>

Red Sea Container Terminals (RSCT) opened Egypt’s first semi-automated facility Thursday in Sokhna Port near the southern entrance to the Suez Canal.  The new terminal was developed by a consortium of Hutchison Ports, CMA Terminals, and Cosco Shipping Ports and backed by a 30-year concession agreement with the Egyptian government.  “With an investment exceeding $1.8 billion in the country, we recognize Egypt as a pivotal market at the intersection of key global trade routes,” Clemence Cheng, managing director for Europe at Hutchison Ports, said in a statement.  The new terminal is coming online as major carriers begin to switch scheduled services from routes around the Cape of Good Hope to the Suez Canal and Red Sea. A  Gemini Cooperation service on the India-Middle East-Mediterranean trade  is poised to   join Maersk’s MECL service  and CMA CGM’s  among major carriers in resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.  Situated a few kilometers south of the southern Suez Canal entrance and within the world’s deepest man-made port basin, RSCT's Phase I includes a 1,200-meter berth, a water depth of 18 meters, and an initial handling capacity of 1.7 million TEUs. Plans are in place to expand that to 3.5 million TEUs across 2.6 kilometers of quay.  RSCT is integrated with Egypt’s expanding transport network, including direct highway and railway connections to major industrial zones, thus shortening transit times for imports, exports and transshipment.  Major liners have mostly avoided the Red Sea/Suez route since late 2023 when Houthi militants operating in Yemen began their attacks on commercial shipping to protest Israel’s move into Gaza, forcing lengthy diversions around southern Africa.  A Red Sea diversion tracker launched Wednesday by maritime consultancy Drewry found that in the week ended Jan. 11, 26 container ships — the highest number in five weeks — sailed through the Suez Canal.    Contact Greg Knowler at  greg.knowler@spglobal.com .     

Container lines

Asia-Europe

Container Shipping News

Maritime

Egypt opens new semi-automated Red Sea terminal as Suez traffic grows

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Data center construction in the US has more than doubled since 2023, helping to counterbalance slower construction of warehouses, notes Jason Miller.</div>

Data center construction in the US has more than doubled since 2023, helping to counterbalance slower construction of warehouses, notes Jason Miller.

<div class="phx-topic">The 2025 US freight market, especially the domestic truckload sector, underperformed expectations held at this time last year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) truckload producer price index (PPI), an estimate of the prices long-haul general freight carriers receive for trucking services, was down 1.8% year over year as of September, despite diesel prices rising 5.4% in the same period. This raises the question: Why did the market underperform expectations, including my own prediction that the truckload PPI would climb between 6% and 10% year over year by late 2025? <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6152975_0.1.jpg"></img></div>The strongest culprit for the underperformance was the Trump administration’s tariffs, and more specifically, the uncertainty created by their inconsistent implementation, with expansions and rollbacks often coming at a moment’s notice. Such uncertainty causes companies to postpone difficult-to-reverse investments, such as hiring new workers and expanding operations. Consistent with this, hiring by private employers reported by the BLS’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey program has fallen to levels not seen since 2010, and manufacturing survey data on capital investment intentions aggregated across five regional Federal Reserve banks fell sharply in February after rising strongly in December 2024 and January 2025. With this in mind, I expect demand for trucking services to show limited growth in the first half of 2026, with the potential to improve in the second half. Seasonally adjusted single-family housing starts have consistently been down 7% to 11% year over year from March through August, the most recent data available, except for July. Improved housing activity has the potential to be the greatest catalyst for improved freight demand. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="37cf2651-a5fa-4c43-acf0-90fbc3d3695e"></dynamic-object></div>While cuts to the federal funds rate will make the financing of construction projects more affordable, uncertainty about raw material prices and labor availability — due in part to immigration crackdowns — may keep activity from rebounding as strongly as we would expect under conditions where the Federal Open Market Committee is loosening monetary policy. Manufacturing demand likewise remains muted, with seasonally adjusted new orders aggregated across five Federal Reserve banks falling back into contraction in November. Historically, multiple months of new orders exceeding a value of 7.5 on this index have preceded turns in truckload pricing dynamics in carriers’ favor within a few months. In contrast, sharp falls in this index have accurately predicted weakening market conditions. <h3>Economic uncertainty could dull impact of rate cuts </h3>Interest rate cuts should spur demand for manufactured goods, but elevated economic policy uncertainty can mute the demand-generating impact of interest rate cuts. Likewise, the Institute for Supply Management’s separate <a href="https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-pmi-reports/pmi/november/">manufacturing survey</a> continues to suggest weak conditions at US plants. One sector likely to see continued strong demand through 2026 is the construction of data centers. Data center construction has more than doubled since 2023 and has helped counterbalance slower construction of warehouses. The need to equip data centers is further spurring demand for imported computers and electrical goods. Given weakness in other manufacturing sectors, such as paper — which generates more ton-miles of freight than transportation equipment plants — it is imperative carriers closely monitor for any signs of slowing data center construction activity. Regarding supply-side dynamics, while much has been written about heightened enforcement of English-language proficiency requirements, non-domiciled commercial drivers’ licenses and immigration enforcement of carriers in California, I remain skeptical that supply-side reductions alone will shift pricing dynamics in carriers’ favor. DAT’s most recent spot market pricing data showed that spot rates, adjusted for fuel prices, underperformed in November relative to October across dry-van, refrigerated and flatbed sectors compared with the same months in prior years. This is why demand factors will be front and center in 2026. Jason Miller is an associate professor of logistics at Michigan State University. Contact him at <a href="mailto:mill2831@broad.msu.edu">mill2831@broad.msu.edu.</a></div>

The 2025 US freight market, especially the domestic truckload sector, underperformed expectations held at this time last year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) truckload producer price index (PPI), an estimate of the prices long-haul general freight carriers receive for trucking services, was down 1.8% year over year as of September, despite diesel prices rising 5.4% in the same period. This raises the question: Why did the market underperform expectations, including my own prediction that the truckload PPI would climb between 6% and 10% year over year by late 2025? The strongest culprit for the underperformance was the Trump administration’s tariffs, and more specifically, the uncertainty created by their inconsistent implementation, with expansions and rollbacks often coming at a moment’s notice. Such uncertainty causes companies to postpone difficult-to-reverse investments, such as hiring new workers and expanding operations. Consistent with this, hiring by private employers reported by the BLS’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey program has fallen to levels not seen since 2010, and manufacturing survey data on capital investment intentions aggregated across five regional Federal Reserve banks fell sharply in February after rising strongly in December 2024 and January 2025. With this in mind, I expect demand for trucking services to show limited growth in the first half of 2026, with the potential to improve in the second half. Seasonally adjusted single-family housing starts have consistently been down 7% to 11% year over year from March through August, the most recent data available, except for July. Improved housing activity has the potential to be the greatest catalyst for improved freight demand. While cuts to the federal funds rate will make the financing of construction projects more affordable, uncertainty about raw material prices and labor availability — due in part to immigration crackdowns — may keep activity from rebounding as strongly as we would expect under conditions where the Federal Open Market Committee is loosening monetary policy. Manufacturing demand likewise remains muted, with seasonally adjusted new orders aggregated across five Federal Reserve banks falling back into contraction in November. Historically, multiple months of new orders exceeding a value of 7.5 on this index have preceded turns in truckload pricing dynamics in carriers’ favor within a few months. In contrast, sharp falls in this index have accurately predicted weakening market conditions. Economic uncertainty could dull impact of rate cuts Interest rate cuts should spur demand for manufactured goods, but elevated economic policy uncertainty can mute the demand-generating impact of interest rate cuts. Likewise, the Institute for Supply Management’s separate manufacturing survey continues to suggest weak conditions at US plants. One sector likely to see continued strong demand through 2026 is the construction of data centers. Data center construction has more than doubled since 2023 and has helped counterbalance slower construction of warehouses. The need to equip data centers is further spurring demand for imported computers and electrical goods. Given weakness in other manufacturing sectors, such as paper — which generates more ton-miles of freight than transportation equipment plants — it is imperative carriers closely monitor for any signs of slowing data center construction activity. Regarding supply-side dynamics, while much has been written about heightened enforcement of English-language proficiency requirements, non-domiciled commercial drivers’ licenses and immigration enforcement of carriers in California, I remain skeptical that supply-side reductions alone will shift pricing dynamics in carriers’ favor. DAT’s most recent spot market pricing data showed that spot rates, adjusted for fuel prices, underperformed in November relative to October across dry-van, refrigerated and flatbed sectors compared with the same months in prior years. This is why demand factors will be front and center in 2026. Jason Miller is an associate professor of logistics at Michigan State University. Contact him at mill2831@broad.msu.edu.

Surface

Supply chain

‘Imperative’ that truckload carriers watch for any slowing in data center activity

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The weekly loop, known as the ME11 for Maersk and the IMX for partner Hapag-Lloyd, would join Maersk’s MECL service and CMA CGM’s Indamex among major carriers in resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez.</div>

The weekly loop, known as the ME11 for Maersk and the IMX for partner Hapag-Lloyd, would join Maersk’s MECL service and CMA CGM’s Indamex among major carriers in resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez.

<div class="phx-topic">A Gemini Cooperation service on the India-Middle East-Mediterranean trade is poised to return to the shorter Red Sea/Suez Canal route “shortly,” a source at Gemini partner Maersk told the Journal of Commerce. The weekly loop — known as the ME11 for Maersk and the IMX for partner Hapag-Lloyd — calls Jebel Ali (Dubai), Mundra and Nhava Sheva (India), Salalah (Oman), Port Tangier (Morocco), Valencia (Spain) and Port Said (Egypt). “Schedule readjustments are being worked out with Hapag-Lloyd to resume Red Sea transits,” said a Maersk executive with knowledge of the matter who did not want to be identified. “The service will shortly switch over.” Officially, the Danish carrier declined to provide any details of upcoming Gemini schedule changes when contacted by the Journal of Commerce. “Currently, we cannot comment on any future sailings,” Maersk said in an email response. The Gemini loop would <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/maersk-set-to-resume-regular-suez-transits-on-india-usec-mecl-loop-sources-6152441">join Maersk’s MECL service</a> and CMA CGM’s Indamex among major carriers in resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Major liners have mostly avoided the route since late 2023 when Houthi militants operating in Yemen began their attacks on commercial shipping to protest Israel’s move into Gaza, forcing lengthy diversions around southern Africa. <h3>Gemini has three India services </h3>The ME11/IMX schedule development should be viewed in the context of Gemini's operational fleet structure. For the India/Mediterranean trade coverage, Maersk has the flexibility to implement Red Sea/Suez transits because it is the sole tonnage provider, with space allotted to its partner, unlike the West India-North Europe string, which has a Hapag-Lloyd capacity sway. Overall, the Gemini framework has three services out of India: two serving northwestern markets via the ports of Nhava Sheva and Mundra and one linking the southeastern region via Ennore, near Chennai. Capacity utilization out of Ennore is facing pressure due to the general slowdown in Indian exports, with Gemini scaling down space allocations for 2026, forwarder sources in Chennai said. The India-Mediterranean trade is now a crowded field for mainline carriers, driven by the entry of several regional carriers, including Turkish participants, and non-vessel-operating common carriers trying to cash in on the Red Sea disruption with direct services. CMA CGM is <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/cma-cgm-reworks-india-med-loop-rotation-to-streamline-red-sea-operations-6142192">already operating its “Medex” service on the trade lane via the Red Sea/Suez route</a>, with the shift implemented in June 2025. Forwarder sources have put current average booking rates from Nhava Sheva to Port Said at between $1,400 and $1,500 per FEU, down about $200 over the past month despite sporadic sailing cuts on mainline services. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com.</a></div>

A Gemini Cooperation service on the India-Middle East-Mediterranean trade is poised to return to the shorter Red Sea/Suez Canal route “shortly,” a source at Gemini partner Maersk told the Journal of Commerce. The weekly loop — known as the ME11 for Maersk and the IMX for partner Hapag-Lloyd — calls Jebel Ali (Dubai), Mundra and Nhava Sheva (India), Salalah (Oman), Port Tangier (Morocco), Valencia (Spain) and Port Said (Egypt). “Schedule readjustments are being worked out with Hapag-Lloyd to resume Red Sea transits,” said a Maersk executive with knowledge of the matter who did not want to be identified. “The service will shortly switch over.” Officially, the Danish carrier declined to provide any details of upcoming Gemini schedule changes when contacted by the Journal of Commerce. “Currently, we cannot comment on any future sailings,” Maersk said in an email response. The Gemini loop would join Maersk’s MECL service and CMA CGM’s Indamex among major carriers in resuming transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Major liners have mostly avoided the route since late 2023 when Houthi militants operating in Yemen began their attacks on commercial shipping to protest Israel’s move into Gaza, forcing lengthy diversions around southern Africa. Gemini has three India services The ME11/IMX schedule development should be viewed in the context of Gemini's operational fleet structure. For the India/Mediterranean trade coverage, Maersk has the flexibility to implement Red Sea/Suez transits because it is the sole tonnage provider, with space allotted to its partner, unlike the West India-North Europe string, which has a Hapag-Lloyd capacity sway. Overall, the Gemini framework has three services out of India: two serving northwestern markets via the ports of Nhava Sheva and Mundra and one linking the southeastern region via Ennore, near Chennai. Capacity utilization out of Ennore is facing pressure due to the general slowdown in Indian exports, with Gemini scaling down space allocations for 2026, forwarder sources in Chennai said. The India-Mediterranean trade is now a crowded field for mainline carriers, driven by the entry of several regional carriers, including Turkish participants, and non-vessel-operating common carriers trying to cash in on the Red Sea disruption with direct services. CMA CGM is already operating its “Medex” service on the trade lane via the Red Sea/Suez route , with the shift implemented in June 2025. Forwarder sources have put current average booking rates from Nhava Sheva to Port Said at between $1,400 and $1,500 per FEU, down about $200 over the past month despite sporadic sailing cuts on mainline services. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com.

Port News

International ports

Gemini India-Med service the next to plan return to Red Sea/Suez passage

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Tailwind Shipping, which emerged during the pandemic as a vessel operating arm of retailer Lidl, has enabled booking and shipment management tools within CargoWise, the widely used forwarding software platform.</div>

Tailwind Shipping, which emerged during the pandemic as a vessel operating arm of retailer Lidl, has enabled booking and shipment management tools within CargoWise, the widely used forwarding software platform.

<div class="phx-topic">Tailwind Shipping Lines, the vessel operating arm of supermarket retailer Lidl, said Wednesday it has integrated with CargoWise, the widely used forwarding software platform owned by WiseTech Global. The move links CargoWise to a key customer segment that WiseTech has recently chased since acquiring software provider E2open in May 2025. The integration with Tailwind enables forwarders to access within CargoWise the ocean booking, confirmation and management features for shipments moving on Tailwind vessels. That includes access to Tailwind’s schedules, dynamic rates and capacity, as well as the ability to digitally modify bookings without leaving CargoWise. “The direct integration with CargoWise removes manual steps from the process and ensures data consistency from start to finish,” Nico Peters, vice president of commercial management at Tailwind, said in a statement. “It is a smarter, more digital shipping experience built around speed and accuracy, which exactly mirrors Tailwind’s key characteristics.” Lidl launched Tailwind in 2022 amid global capacity constraints stemming from pandemic-induced container demand. The subsidiary has remained in business even as demand has normalized and now sells capacity to forwarders. It primarily handles the containerized transport of non-food goods, originally exclusively for Lidl, but now also for other customers. Tailwind operates three liner services: the Panda Express Service (PAX) between China and the Mediterranean; the Tiger Express Service (TEX) between Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka; and the European short-sea operator Dolphin Express Service (DEX), which transports goods between Barcelona in Spain and Moerdijk in the Netherlands. Those services are built around schedule reliability by focusing on minimal port calls at smaller ports. <h3>May extend to rail, inland services </h3>While Tailwind is a container line, its affiliation with one of Europe’s largest retailers is notable, given WiseTech’s $2.1 billion acquisition of E2open in 2022. E2open’s customer base is largely shippers, and analysts have speculated since the transaction that WiseTech would target shippers more directly in the years ahead, given it already has the vast majority of the world’s forwarders as customers for its transportation management, customs compliance and accounting tools. “More than 99% of the world’s ocean freight managed through CargoWise can be electronically booked directly with shipping lines and [non-vessel-operating common carriers],” Bjorn Schwarz, WiseTech’s integration and transformation manager, said in the statement. “Transparent real-time data sharing enables Tailwind to optimize their planning and capacity management and quickly act on market changes.” Schwarz said Tailwind customers using CargoWise benefit from a simplified booking experience that removes double data entry, eliminates unnecessary emails, reduces human errors, and enhances visibility and productivity. The companies said the plan is to extend the integration to eventually cover Tailwind’s rail and inland transport services. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Tailwind Shipping Lines, the vessel operating arm of supermarket retailer Lidl, said Wednesday it has integrated with CargoWise, the widely used forwarding software platform owned by WiseTech Global.  The move links CargoWise to a key customer segment that WiseTech has recently chased since acquiring software provider E2open in May 2025.  The integration with Tailwind enables forwarders to access within CargoWise the ocean booking, confirmation and management features for shipments moving on Tailwind vessels. That includes access to Tailwind’s schedules, dynamic rates and capacity, as well as the ability to digitally modify bookings without leaving CargoWise.  “The direct integration with CargoWise removes manual steps from the process and ensures data consistency from start to finish,” Nico Peters, vice president of commercial management at Tailwind, said in a statement. “It is a smarter, more digital shipping experience built around speed and accuracy, which exactly mirrors Tailwind’s key characteristics.”  Lidl launched Tailwind in 2022 amid global capacity constraints stemming from pandemic-induced container demand. The subsidiary has remained in business even as demand has normalized and now sells capacity to forwarders. It primarily handles the containerized transport of non-food goods, originally exclusively for Lidl, but now also for other customers.  Tailwind operates three liner services: the Panda Express Service (PAX) between China and the Mediterranean; the Tiger Express Service (TEX) between Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka; and the European short-sea operator Dolphin Express Service (DEX), which transports goods between Barcelona in Spain and Moerdijk in the Netherlands. Those services are built around schedule reliability by focusing on minimal port calls at smaller ports.  May extend to rail, inland services  While Tailwind is a container line, its affiliation with one of Europe’s largest retailers is notable, given WiseTech’s $2.1 billion acquisition of E2open in 2022. E2open’s customer base is largely shippers, and analysts have speculated since the transaction that WiseTech would target shippers more directly in the years ahead, given it already has the vast majority of the world’s forwarders as customers for its transportation management, customs compliance and accounting tools.  “More than 99% of the world’s ocean freight managed through CargoWise can be electronically booked directly with shipping lines and [non-vessel-operating common carriers],” Bjorn Schwarz, WiseTech’s integration and transformation manager, said in the statement. “Transparent real-time data sharing enables Tailwind to optimize their planning and capacity management and quickly act on market changes.”  Schwarz said Tailwind customers using CargoWise benefit from a simplified booking experience that removes double data entry, eliminates unnecessary emails, reduces human errors, and enhances visibility and productivity.  The companies said the plan is to extend the integration to eventually cover Tailwind’s rail and inland transport services.  Contact Eric Johnson at  eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Forwarding

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Shipper-turned-carrier integrates with CargoWise to target forwarder business

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Canada’s eastern-most port has completed the final phase of a project that has added a new berth and increased track capacity for handling intermodal rail. </div>

Canada’s eastern-most port has completed the final phase of a project that has added a new berth and increased track capacity for handling intermodal rail.

<div class="phx-topic">Canada’s Port of Saint John has completed a four-year project to upgrade its marine terminal that will quadruple its container handling capability; allow it to handle large, post-Panamax ships; and provide more intermodal rail capacity. The Port of Saint John said Tuesday that the C$247 million project at DP World’s Westside terminal was completed in December. The two-phase project — <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/saint-john-attracts-42-million-to-increase-port-capacity-5224858">funded primarily by the port along with the province of New Brunswick and Canada’s Transport Ministry</a> — has brought Saint John’s nominal capacity to 800,000 TEUs, up from 150,000 TEUs in 2021. The main feature of the work, part of the project’s first phase, is an additional 1,131-foot berth with a 56-foot depth alongside, allowing Saint John to handle vessels of 10,000 TEUs or larger. The largest ship that currently calls Saint John is approximately 7,000 TEUs. Saint John said it also increased laydown and yard space at the terminal. The terminal will also have expanded track capacity for building longer intermodal train blocks, making it capable of building blocks of roughly 8,000 feet, up from the original 3,000-foot length. The Port of Saint John is served primarily by Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), which has the shortest track distance between the port and eastern Canada’s major cities. But it also has service from Canadian National, as well as southbound connections into the US via CSX Transportation. The port said completion of the first phase of the project has already resulted in a 400% year-over-year increase in its container throughput, to 240,000 TEUs in 2025. Aligns with federal investment plan Although planned years ahead of time, Saint John’s terminal upgrades <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/canada-looks-for-new-container-gateways-for-decoupling-from-us-6122714">are aligned with the Canadian government’s goal announced in November</a> of investing C$5 billion in trade infrastructure, the port’s statement said. The investments in new trade infrastructure stem from Canada’s move to lessen its trade reliance on the US. Saint John “is a national asset that will help move more Canadian goods to global markets, more efficiently and reliably,” Canada’s Minister of Transport Steve MacKinnon said in the statement. Saint John primarily serves Canada’s trans-Atlantic trade, with vessel transits from European ports making up the majority of its vessel calls, according to data from Sea-web, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. The port also serves as a gateway for eastern Canada’s north-south trades with South America and the Caribbean. Saint John is also boosting its cold-chain capacity, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/americold-adding-port-saint-john-warehouse-as-part-of-cpkc-alliance-5933184">with Americold building a refrigerated warehouse</a> just outside the port that will connect to CPKC’s network. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Canada’s Port of Saint John has completed a four-year project to upgrade its marine terminal that will quadruple its container handling capability; allow it to handle large, post-Panamax ships; and provide more intermodal rail capacity. The Port of Saint John said Tuesday that the C$247 million project at DP World’s Westside terminal was completed in December. The two-phase project — funded primarily by the port along with the province of New Brunswick and Canada’s Transport Ministry — has brought Saint John’s nominal capacity to 800,000 TEUs, up from 150,000 TEUs in 2021. The main feature of the work, part of the project’s first phase, is an additional 1,131-foot berth with a 56-foot depth alongside, allowing Saint John to handle vessels of 10,000 TEUs or larger. The largest ship that currently calls Saint John is approximately 7,000 TEUs. Saint John said it also increased laydown and yard space at the terminal. The terminal will also have expanded track capacity for building longer intermodal train blocks, making it capable of building blocks of roughly 8,000 feet, up from the original 3,000-foot length. The Port of Saint John is served primarily by Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), which has the shortest track distance between the port and eastern Canada’s major cities. But it also has service from Canadian National, as well as southbound connections into the US via CSX Transportation. The port said completion of the first phase of the project has already resulted in a 400% year-over-year increase in its container throughput, to 240,000 TEUs in 2025. Aligns with federal investment plan Although planned years ahead of time, Saint John’s terminal upgrades are aligned with the Canadian government’s goal announced in November of investing C$5 billion in trade infrastructure, the port’s statement said. The investments in new trade infrastructure stem from Canada’s move to lessen its trade reliance on the US. Saint John “is a national asset that will help move more Canadian goods to global markets, more efficiently and reliably,” Canada’s Minister of Transport Steve MacKinnon said in the statement. Saint John primarily serves Canada’s trans-Atlantic trade, with vessel transits from European ports making up the majority of its vessel calls, according to data from Sea-web, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. The port also serves as a gateway for eastern Canada’s north-south trades with South America and the Caribbean. Saint John is also boosting its cold-chain capacity, with Americold building a refrigerated warehouse just outside the port that will connect to CPKC’s network. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

North American ports

Marine terminals

Canada’s Port of Saint John ready for larger ships, more containers

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