<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Wal-Mart’s recent decision to open a 1.2 million square-foot online retailing fulfillment center outside of Indianapolis suggests the state’s motto as the “crossroads of America” is well deserved.</div>

Wal-Mart’s recent decision to open a 1.2 million square-foot online retailing fulfillment center outside of Indianapolis suggests the state’s motto as the “crossroads of America” is well deserved.

<div><div><img></div>Basketball, corn and e-commerce? Wal-Mart’s recent decision to open a 1.2 million square-foot online retailing fulfillment center outside of Indianapolis suggests the state’s motto as the “crossroads of America” is well deserved. The distribution center in Plainfield, set to create up to 300 jobs by 2016, is near CSX Transportation’s intermodal hub in Avon and has access to five interstates, including the major east-west throughway I-70, Charlie Podell, senior vice president of Duke Realty’s Indiana operations, said.The Wal-Mart distribution center will be the newest tenant at AllPoints Midwest, a 958-acre distribution park jointly developed by Duke and Browning Investments. The...

Basketball, corn and e-commerce? Wal-Mart’s recent decision to open a 1.2 million square-foot online retailing fulfillment center outside of Indianapolis suggests the state’s motto as the “crossroads of America” is well deserved. The distribution center in Plainfield, set to create up to 300 jobs by 2016, is near CSX Transportation’s intermodal hub in Avon and has access to five interstates, including the major east-west throughway I-70, Charlie Podell, senior vice president of Duke Realty’s Indiana operations, said. The Wal-Mart distribution center will be the newest tenant at AllPoints Midwest, a 958-acre distribution park jointly developed by Duke and Browning Investments. The park is near Indianapolis International Airport, which houses FedEx’s second-busiest freight hub in the nation, Podell said. “The biggest advantage with central Indiana is that you have a two-day truck trip to 90 percent of the U.S. population,” he said. Wal-Mart moved fast in securing the space for the distribution center, which will have a 40-foot high ceiling, allowing for better pick-and-pack automation, Podell said. “It feels like (Wal-Mart) is coming on strong with a bunch of (distribution) locations,” Podell. That’s likely a reflection of Wal-Mart’s aggressive online retailing push, which so far has helped the retailer increase its e-commerce business faster than Amazon, which still dwarfs the brick-and-mortar retailer in total online sales, according to The Economist. The company saw e-commerce sales rocket 27 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, according to a SeekingAlpha transcript of the company’s May 15 earnings call. Wal-Mart is hardly the only e-commerce player that sees a benefit in locating in Indiana. Amazon opened a 650,000-square-foot distribution center in nearby Anson, which is northwest of Indianapolis, in late 2008 and has since expanded the facility to 1.1 million square feet. The nation’s largest online seller has at least four fulfillment centers in the state, according to its website. Amazon doesn’t publicize the locations of its fulfillment centers, but other websites that track the company’s network show it could have as many as seven facilities in Indiana. Shippers’ ability to hit such a large share of the U.S. population is a bigger driver of the e-commerce buildout than tax incentives, Podell said. The state’s right-to-work status has helped, too. Indiana, even in the Indianapolis region, also has more affordable industrial rates than what can generally be found in the Chicago area but distributors can still hit the biggest Midwest market via ground delivery in a few hours. Indiana also is attractive to e-commerce shippers because it doesn’t require online retailers to pay sales tax on goods fulfilled within the state. Through an agreement with the state, Amazon began paying sales taxes on goods fulfilled in Indiana, but other e-retailers aren’t yet required to do the same. The state appears to be waiting for the federal government to come up with a national scheme. Several supply-chain studies point to Indiana as the spot to set up your first U.S. distribution center, and IDS Transportation agrees with their findings, according to Rick LaGore, executive vice president of the third-party logistics provider and fulfillment operator. The company’s 500,000-square-foot facility, serving Jockey and other e-commerce retailers, pulls most of its imports from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex. From there, they are moved via intermodal rail to Chicago ramps and routed to the distribution center, which is located in Plainfield. IDS is increasingly moving more goods via the Canadian National Railway-Indiana Rail Road intermodal service, but the process has been slower than expected, LaGore said. The service connects Canada’s west coast ports of Prince Rupert and Vancouver with the state. Some of the same studies on where to place distribution centers point to a west coast site slightly inland, such as in Nevada or Utah. IDS appear to have followed such advice by recently acquiring Aspen Logistics, giving it 400,000 square feet of warehouse space in the Salt Lake City area. Contact Mark Szakonyi at mszakonyi@joc.com and follow him on Twitter: @szakonyi_joc .

Industrial Real Estate News

Wal-Mart latest to tap Indiana as e-commerce hub

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Momentum from robust growth on some Asian export trade lanes following the Christmas holidays has now slowed, with forwarders and analysts expecting muted demand over the coming two weeks.</div>

Momentum from robust growth on some Asian export trade lanes following the Christmas holidays has now slowed, with forwarders and analysts expecting muted demand over the coming two weeks.

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<div class="phx-topic">Air cargo analysts and forwarders are expecting a modest pre-Lunar New Year uptick in exports on Asian trade lanes following solid demand growth in January from China to Europe and from Southeast Asia and Taiwan to the US. With the Lunar New Year beginning relatively late on Feb. 17, industry forecasts are for a gradual increase in both volume and rates over the next two weeks before factories close for Asia’s main annual holiday. Capacity trends on the Asia-Europe lane suggest “robust” volume growth in January from China’s inland air freight hubs of Chongqing, Chengdu and Zhengzhou, according to Rotate analyst Ray Zedov. While Asia to US capacity was down year over year from all Asia-Pacific regions, "a deeper dive into the US market shows that capacity from Vietnam continues to grow as Chinese imports to the US are impacted by the new tariff policy in the US,” Zedov told the Journal of Commerce. The US removed its “de minimis” duty exemption on low-value goods from all its trading partners on Aug. 29 last year following the scrapping of duty-free access for low-value Chinese imports in May. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="50cf684b-e4f7-4f37-a0d6-346682e60c7f"></dynamic-object></div>Sou Ping Chee, regional head of air freight in Asia-Pacific for Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, said volume out of Asia had weakened by early February even with the holidays just two weeks away, which suggests muted demand this year. “However, there is still general expectation that demand will pick up next week ahead of Lunar New Year from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan across industries before these markets close for the biggest festive season in this part of the world,” he said. An Asia-based executive at a global forwarder said he was not seeing any major uptick in demand on China-Europe and the wider Asia Pacific-North America market. "It remains rather flat and even prior to the Lunar New Year we are not seeing anything exceptional,” the source said. He added that although overall demand out of Asia Pacific to North America has flattened out, demand out of Taipei and Vietnam has remained solid. “Taipei-US, Bangkok-US and Hanoi-US are busy,” he said. “Rates are holding steady at a higher level and demand remains strong, largely driven by AI-related components. Bangkok-Europe and Vietnam-Europe are also busy.” <h3>Rates rising on Asian export trade lanes </h3>Netherlands-based air cargo analyst WorldACD said after two weeks of strong sequential volume growth from Asia-Pacific to US and Europe markets, overall week-over-week growth came to a halt last week with flat volumes for both trade lanes. When compared to the same week last year, volume to the US was down 1%, and volume to Europe was up 7%. While spot rates on the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe in the last week of January were 9% down year over year, there were significant week-over-week increases on both trades, particularly from China origins, WorldACD data shows. Spot rates to the US last week rose 6% compared to the previous week to $4.02 per kilogram, while rates to Europe were up 7% at $3.80/kg as the market edged into the pre-Lunar New Year peak and capacity tightened on some airport pairings. Sou noted that rates on the Asian export trade lanes have remained at healthy levels in the first weeks of 2026 after softening over the Christmas period. “As such we do not expect a sharp an increase now, but rather spot rates are likely to creep up as we enter the last 10 days to Lunar New Year and pick up momentum from next week onwards,” he said. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said the moderate demand will extend to the full year, with global air freight demand in 2026 expected to grow 2.4% from 2025, though that would be down from last year’s 3.4% growth over 2024. “We can expect that demand will continue to be shaped by trade and geopolitical developments,” Walsh noted in a January market update, adding that carriers will continue to relocate capacity to support shifting trade patterns. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.   </div>

Air cargo analysts and forwarders are expecting a modest pre-Lunar New Year uptick in exports on Asian trade lanes following solid demand growth in January from China to Europe and from Southeast Asia and Taiwan to the US. With the Lunar New Year beginning relatively late on Feb. 17, industry forecasts are for a gradual increase in both volume and rates over the next two weeks before factories close for Asia’s main annual holiday. Capacity trends on the Asia-Europe lane suggest “robust” volume growth in January from China’s inland air freight hubs of Chongqing, Chengdu and Zhengzhou, according to Rotate analyst Ray Zedov. While Asia to US capacity was down year over year from all Asia-Pacific regions, "a deeper dive into the US market shows that capacity from Vietnam continues to grow as Chinese imports to the US are impacted by the new tariff policy in the US,” Zedov told the Journal of Commerce. The US removed its “de minimis” duty exemption on low-value goods from all its trading partners on Aug. 29 last year following the scrapping of duty-free access for low-value Chinese imports in May. Sou Ping Chee, regional head of air freight in Asia-Pacific for Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, said volume out of Asia had weakened by early February even with the holidays just two weeks away, which suggests muted demand this year. “However, there is still general expectation that demand will pick up next week ahead of Lunar New Year from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan across industries before these markets close for the biggest festive season in this part of the world,” he said. An Asia-based executive at a global forwarder said he was not seeing any major uptick in demand on China-Europe and the wider Asia Pacific-North America market. "It remains rather flat and even prior to the Lunar New Year we are not seeing anything exceptional,” the source said. He added that although overall demand out of Asia Pacific to North America has flattened out, demand out of Taipei and Vietnam has remained solid. “Taipei-US, Bangkok-US and Hanoi-US are busy,” he said. “Rates are holding steady at a higher level and demand remains strong, largely driven by AI-related components. Bangkok-Europe and Vietnam-Europe are also busy.” Rates rising on Asian export trade lanes Netherlands-based air cargo analyst WorldACD said after two weeks of strong sequential volume growth from Asia-Pacific to US and Europe markets, overall week-over-week growth came to a halt last week with flat volumes for both trade lanes. When compared to the same week last year, volume to the US was down 1%, and volume to Europe was up 7%. While spot rates on the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe in the last week of January were 9% down year over year, there were significant week-over-week increases on both trades, particularly from China origins, WorldACD data shows. Spot rates to the US last week rose 6% compared to the previous week to $4.02 per kilogram, while rates to Europe were up 7% at $3.80/kg as the market edged into the pre-Lunar New Year peak and capacity tightened on some airport pairings. Sou noted that rates on the Asian export trade lanes have remained at healthy levels in the first weeks of 2026 after softening over the Christmas period. “As such we do not expect a sharp an increase now, but rather spot rates are likely to creep up as we enter the last 10 days to Lunar New Year and pick up momentum from next week onwards,” he said. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said the moderate demand will extend to the full year, with global air freight demand in 2026 expected to grow 2.4% from 2025, though that would be down from last year’s 3.4% growth over 2024. “We can expect that demand will continue to be shaped by trade and geopolitical developments,” Walsh noted in a January market update, adding that carriers will continue to relocate capacity to support shifting trade patterns. Contact Greg Knowler at  greg.knowler@spglobal.com .   

Air Cargo Forwarder News

Air Cargo

Solid January demand to largely mute Lunar New Year air freight rush

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The India/Middle East-Mediterranean service will be the first Gemini loop in two years to transit the Red Sea, with plans for other services to follow “where possible,” the alliance partners say.</div>

The India/Middle East-Mediterranean service will be the first Gemini loop in two years to transit the Red Sea, with plans for other services to follow “where possible,” the alliance partners say.

<div class="phx-topic">Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said Tuesday that the first vessels in their ME11/IMX service will be routed through the Suez Canal in mid-February, with plans by the carriers to send two other services through the waterway. The Journal of Commerce reported on Jan. 15 that the ME11/IMX service <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/gemini-india-med-service-the-next-to-plan-return-to-red-seasuez-passage-6152941">would resume the Suez route “shortly,”</a> citing a Maersk executive. It would be the first time in more than two years that a Gemini service has transited the Red Sea. “The service in scope is the ME11 service, which connects India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean,” Maersk said in a statement. “From mid-February, changes will be implemented on westbound sailings as of the vessel Albert Maersk and on eastbound sailings as of the vessel Astrid Maersk.” On the initial westbound sailing, the Albert Maersk will depart Mundra in India on Feb. 4 after arriving from Jebel Ali in the U.A.E.; on the eastbound sailing, the Astrid Maersk will depart Valencia in Spain on Feb. 3. A naval escort will ride shotgun during the Red Sea passages to guard against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants, the Gemini statement noted. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd also said that “where possible,” they will redirect Gemini’s AE12 Asia-Mediterranean and AE15 Asia-Turkey services through the Red Sea and Suez “at a later stage.” The carriers said further information for customers will follow, but no further changes to the Gemini network related to the Red Sea were foreseen at this stage. “We see this announcement as another important milestone for the industry,” J.P. Morgan said Tuesday in a note to customers. “It demonstrates the willingness of container shipping lines to improve flows and increase sailings via the Suez Canal.” But the investment bank said the market has yet to price in a sustained return to the Suez, which will add up to 7% of effective capacity to the global fleet. Earlier this year, Maersk made its first structural move back into the Red Sea by <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/maersk-set-to-resume-regular-suez-transits-on-india-usec-mecl-loop-sources-6152441">rerouting its standalone MECL service</a>, which links the Middle East and India with the US East Coast via the Suez Canal. <h3>Regional unease over volatile US-Iran relations </h3>The regional situation remains tense with a US carrier strike group now stationed in the Gulf of Oman to back up threats by President Donald Trump to launch military strikes on Iran. Tehran has vowed to respond to any attacks, which may spill over into the southern Red Sea controlled by Iran-backed Houthi militants. Gemini said switching the services from around the Cape of Good Hope to Suez would be carried out in a way that keeps disruption for customers to a minimum. But in a nod to the volatile regional security situation, the Gemini statement added: “Contingency plans are in place should the security situation deteriorate, which may necessitate reverting individual sailings or the wider structural change of the ME11service back to the Cape of Good Hope route.” Carriers have been forced to divert vessels around southern Africa since late 2023 when the Houthis began their attacks against commercial shipping to protest Israel’s move into Gaza. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd also warned shippers to review their bookings on the ME11 service and ensure they had sufficient insurance cover for their cargo being transported through the area. <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/shippers-shoulder-burden-of-red-sea-uncertainty-as-regional-tensions-rise-again-6160632">Cargo insurance is a significant hurdle for shippers</a> with freight transiting the Red Sea. Some shippers say their insurance brokers have refused to provide cover, while others say the high cost of premiums was prohibitive. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.     </div>

Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said Tuesday that the first vessels in their ME11/IMX service will be routed through the Suez Canal in mid-February, with plans by the carriers to send two other services through the waterway. The Journal of Commerce reported on Jan. 15 that the ME11/IMX service would resume the Suez route “shortly,” citing a Maersk executive. It would be the first time in more than two years that a Gemini service has transited the Red Sea. “The service in scope is the ME11 service, which connects India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean,” Maersk said in a statement. “From mid-February, changes will be implemented on westbound sailings as of the vessel Albert Maersk and on eastbound sailings as of the vessel Astrid Maersk.” On the initial westbound sailing, the Albert Maersk will depart Mundra in India on Feb. 4 after arriving from Jebel Ali in the U.A.E.; on the eastbound sailing, the Astrid Maersk will depart Valencia in Spain on Feb. 3. A naval escort will ride shotgun during the Red Sea passages to guard against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants, the Gemini statement noted. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd also said that “where possible,” they will redirect Gemini’s AE12 Asia-Mediterranean and AE15 Asia-Turkey services through the Red Sea and Suez “at a later stage.” The carriers said further information for customers will follow, but no further changes to the Gemini network related to the Red Sea were foreseen at this stage. “We see this announcement as another important milestone for the industry,” J.P. Morgan said Tuesday in a note to customers. “It demonstrates the willingness of container shipping lines to improve flows and increase sailings via the Suez Canal.” But the investment bank said the market has yet to price in a sustained return to the Suez, which will add up to 7% of effective capacity to the global fleet. Earlier this year, Maersk made its first structural move back into the Red Sea by rerouting its standalone MECL service , which links the Middle East and India with the US East Coast via the Suez Canal. Regional unease over volatile US-Iran relations The regional situation remains tense with a US carrier strike group now stationed in the Gulf of Oman to back up threats by President Donald Trump to launch military strikes on Iran. Tehran has vowed to respond to any attacks, which may spill over into the southern Red Sea controlled by Iran-backed Houthi militants. Gemini said switching the services from around the Cape of Good Hope to Suez would be carried out in a way that keeps disruption for customers to a minimum. But in a nod to the volatile regional security situation, the Gemini statement added: “Contingency plans are in place should the security situation deteriorate, which may necessitate reverting individual sailings or the wider structural change of the ME11service back to the Cape of Good Hope route.” Carriers have been forced to divert vessels around southern Africa since late 2023 when the Houthis began their attacks against commercial shipping to protest Israel’s move into Gaza. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd also warned shippers to review their bookings on the ME11 service and ensure they had sufficient insurance cover for their cargo being transported through the area. Cargo insurance is a significant hurdle for shippers with freight transiting the Red Sea. Some shippers say their insurance brokers have refused to provide cover, while others say the high cost of premiums was prohibitive. Contact Greg Knowler at  greg.knowler@spglobal.com .    

Container lines

Asia-Europe

Container Shipping News

Maritime

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd confirm they’ll route Gemini service through Suez

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The two markets hold high stakes, pegged at $2 billion in combined export value for both homegrown and global auto brands in India. </div>

The two markets hold high stakes, pegged at $2 billion in combined export value for both homegrown and global auto brands in India. 

<div class="phx-topic">Heavy tariff pounding by Mexico and South Africa on automobile imports is threatening India’s car-carrying business for roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) supply chain stakeholders who had been eyeing stronger growth from the emerging markets amid trade diversification in Asia.  Mexico has more than doubled tariffs on finished passenger vehicles shipped in from countries without a free trade agreement (FTA), primarily targeting India and China, lifting the levy to 50% on Jan. 1 from the previous 20%. South Africa has signaled its intent follow suit in a similar protectionist approach. The two markets hold high stakes, pegged at $2 billion in combined export value for both homegrown and global auto brands in India.  Ro/ro industry sources in India speaking with the Journal of Commerce have raised alarms regarding potential trade setbacks due to the volatile environment.  “The elevated tariffs have dealt a serious blow for the Indian auto industry as it’s on the cusp of a rapid expansionist curve,” said a Mumbai-based executive handling operations for a South Korean car carrier.  “The booming growth journey of exports will be severely hampered.”  Even as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) explore tactical operational adjustments to soften the impact, a measurable near-term slowdown in export volumes appears inevitable, sources said. That’s underscored by the fact that nearly half of all passenger cars sold in South Africa in the first half of 2025 were of Indian origin, according to a year-end report from market intelligence firm Lightstone.  MOL, NYK Line, “K” Line, Hoegh Autoliners, Hyundai Glovis, and EUKOR Car Carriers are the largest ro/ro capacity providers out of India, with Mundra (Adani Ports) and Pipavav (APM Terminals) being their primary ports of call. Pipavav saw April to December ro/ro volumes swell to 161,000 units, up from 116,000 units in the same period a year earlier, data from the port confirmed.  <h3>OEMs doubling down on Indian exports </h3>OEMs are, officially, holding firm on their growth bets for India and downplaying the potential risks posed by shifting tariff regimes.  “Mexico has consistently been one of our important export markets, given the rising demand there and the traction of our India-made models,” Skoda Auto Volkswagen India told the Journal of Commerce. “For the moment, we have come to the conclusion that our business activities are not affected.”  The German-based group ships about 45,000 units of different models annually to Mexico.  Officials with Indian car leader Maruti Suzuki said during a recent earnings briefing the company was monitoring the tariff situation and weighing steps to de-risk its export portfolio. The automaker declined to comment further.  India’s total automobile exports soared 24% year over year to 6.3 million units in 2025, with passenger vehicle outflows up 16% to 863,000 units by segment, industry data shows, refueling the bullish industry sentiment.  “The demand has been steady across most markets, including in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America,” the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.  Any downturn in Indian auto exports could also weigh on already demand-stressed container lines as shippers often move completely built units (CBUs) in containers for direct and faster connectivity, in addition to using boxes to ship auto parts. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com.</a></div>

Heavy tariff pounding by Mexico and South Africa on automobile imports is threatening India’s car-carrying business for roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) supply chain stakeholders who had been eyeing stronger growth from the emerging markets amid trade diversification in Asia.  Mexico has more than doubled tariffs on finished passenger vehicles shipped in from countries without a free trade agreement (FTA), primarily targeting India and China, lifting the levy to 50% on Jan. 1 from the previous 20%. South Africa has signaled its intent follow suit in a similar protectionist approach. The two markets hold high stakes, pegged at $2 billion in combined export value for both homegrown and global auto brands in India.  Ro/ro industry sources in India speaking with the Journal of Commerce have raised alarms regarding potential trade setbacks due to the volatile environment.  “The elevated tariffs have dealt a serious blow for the Indian auto industry as it’s on the cusp of a rapid expansionist curve,” said a Mumbai-based executive handling operations for a South Korean car carrier.  “The booming growth journey of exports will be severely hampered.”  Even as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) explore tactical operational adjustments to soften the impact, a measurable near-term slowdown in export volumes appears inevitable, sources said. That’s underscored by the fact that nearly half of all passenger cars sold in South Africa in the first half of 2025 were of Indian origin, according to a year-end report from market intelligence firm Lightstone.  MOL, NYK Line, “K” Line, Hoegh Autoliners, Hyundai Glovis, and EUKOR Car Carriers are the largest ro/ro capacity providers out of India, with Mundra (Adani Ports) and Pipavav (APM Terminals) being their primary ports of call. Pipavav saw April to December ro/ro volumes swell to 161,000 units, up from 116,000 units in the same period a year earlier, data from the port confirmed.  OEMs doubling down on Indian exports OEMs are, officially, holding firm on their growth bets for India and downplaying the potential risks posed by shifting tariff regimes.  “Mexico has consistently been one of our important export markets, given the rising demand there and the traction of our India-made models,” Skoda Auto Volkswagen India told the Journal of Commerce. “For the moment, we have come to the conclusion that our business activities are not affected.”  The German-based group ships about 45,000 units of different models annually to Mexico.  Officials with Indian car leader Maruti Suzuki said during a recent earnings briefing the company was monitoring the tariff situation and weighing steps to de-risk its export portfolio. The automaker declined to comment further.  India’s total automobile exports soared 24% year over year to 6.3 million units in 2025, with passenger vehicle outflows up 16% to 863,000 units by segment, industry data shows, refueling the bullish industry sentiment.  “The demand has been steady across most markets, including in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America,” the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.  Any downturn in Indian auto exports could also weigh on already demand-stressed container lines as shippers often move completely built units (CBUs) in containers for direct and faster connectivity, in addition to using boxes to ship auto parts. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com.

Breakbulk carriers

Ro/ro cargo

Auto tariff wars in Mexico, South Africa threaten to torpedo Indian ro/ro trade

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Both sides had been engaged in protracted negotiations to break the trade deadlock that had cut India’s imports to the US East Coast by more than 30% over the past six months.</div>

Both sides had been engaged in protracted negotiations to break the trade deadlock that had cut India’s imports to the US East Coast by more than 30% over the past six months.

<div class="phx-topic">The US and India on Monday said they reached a trade agreement after a months-long dispute, prompting Washington to cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from the 50% that went into effect last August. In a key concession, India said it would stop its purchases of Russian oil. “When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement. Both sides had been engaged in protracted negotiations to break the trade deadlock that had cut India’s imports to the US East Coast (USEC) by more than 30%. Further details, including the timeline for when the lower tariffs go into effect, were not immediately available. But the US said it would lower a “reciprocal” tariff on Indian goods from 25% to 18%, while also eliminating a separate 25% punitive tariff linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. The lower tariffs make several Indian-made products, particularly textiles and apparel, more competitive than rival Asian sourcing markets, which augurs well for a potential trade boost between India and the US. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="ae1df54b-4003-46b5-a8c3-e0d35707e941"></dynamic-object></div>“This is big news for the India-US trade,” an executive at a European ocean carrier told the Journal of Commerce. “We are hoping to see a rebound in capacity demand.” Westbound volumes on the trade lane have been under tremendous pressure since the tariff uncertainty, forcing carriers to push ocean rates down to recent lows. Carriers have also been strategically adjusting capacity through blank calls to keep supply-demand dynamics as balanced as possible. Imports from India to the USEC have fallen 32% since the trade dispute broke out, from 93,160 TEUs in August to 63,590 TEUs in December, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="893ffa5c-0a69-45c7-a555-425e44318711"></dynamic-object></div>And spot rates from India to the USEC that were $2,640 per FEU on Aug. 1 have steadily fallen since to $1,212.50 as of Jan. 30, down 54%, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Major carriers have been unable to hold on to their intended rate hikes over the past few months with little demand support emerging. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>.</div>

The US and India on Monday said they reached a trade agreement after a months-long dispute, prompting Washington to cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from the 50% that went into effect last August. In a key concession, India said it would stop its purchases of Russian oil. “When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement. Both sides had been engaged in protracted negotiations to break the trade deadlock that had cut India’s imports to the US East Coast (USEC) by more than 30%. Further details, including the timeline for when the lower tariffs go into effect, were not immediately available. But the US said it would lower a “reciprocal” tariff on Indian goods from 25% to 18%, while also eliminating a separate 25% punitive tariff linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. The lower tariffs make several Indian-made products, particularly textiles and apparel, more competitive than rival Asian sourcing markets, which augurs well for a potential trade boost between India and the US. “This is big news for the India-US trade,” an executive at a European ocean carrier told the Journal of Commerce. “We are hoping to see a rebound in capacity demand.” Westbound volumes on the trade lane have been under tremendous pressure since the tariff uncertainty, forcing carriers to push ocean rates down to recent lows. Carriers have also been strategically adjusting capacity through blank calls to keep supply-demand dynamics as balanced as possible. Imports from India to the USEC have fallen 32% since the trade dispute broke out, from 93,160 TEUs in August to 63,590 TEUs in December, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. And spot rates from India to the USEC that were $2,640 per FEU on Aug. 1 have steadily fallen since to $1,212.50 as of Jan. 30, down 54%, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Major carriers have been unable to hold on to their intended rate hikes over the past few months with little demand support emerging. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Supply chain

US agrees to slash tariffs on imports from India after reaching trade deal

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The software company with a network of thousands of proprietary roadside cameras has been primarily serving freight brokers with capacity sourcing and fraud mitigation tools. </div>

The software company with a network of thousands of proprietary roadside cameras has been primarily serving freight brokers with capacity sourcing and fraud mitigation tools.

<div class="phx-topic">Technology vendor GenLogs has secured $60 million in funding to build out its platform of tools that help service providers find available trucking capacity and mitigate freight theft and fraud, the company said Monday. The investment will be used to extend GenLogs’ reach to shippers, insurers and customers in the government and financial sectors, the Virginia-based company said in a statement. GenLogs, founded in 2023, has primarily served truckload freight brokers, but its customer list now includes J.B. Hunt, Werner Enterprises, and the Jacksonville Port Authority. GenLogs’ technology has been used mostly to help brokers source carriers and discover lanes where specific shippers move loads. The company broadened its focus as freight fraud and theft spiraled in the truckload industry, using its network of proprietary roadside sensors to help law enforcement track down missing loads and assets. The applicability of GenLogs’ data to financial and risk management sensors has had CEO Ryan Joyce, a former US intelligence officer, eyeing use cases in the banking and insurance sectors, he told the Journal of Commerce in December. GenLogs’ tools can also be used by shippers to track down shipments that have gone missing, help them avoid potentially unscrupulous carriers, and aid them in sourcing vetted capacity in lanes they run. GenLogs says it deletes any footage of private vehicles captured by its network of cameras before screening for commercial markings, such as a US Department of Transportation number, and blurs the vehicle’s windows to prevent personal biometric identification from being made known. Joyce said in a post on X Monday that GenLogs serves approximately 100 carriers, brokers, shippers, ports, insurance companies and law enforcement organizations, and has increased its revenue by 14 times over the past year, without specifying an exact figure. He also said that GenLogs supplements data gathered by its own cameras with data from satellites, IoT devices, and open-source information. The company has previously raised $21 million in two prior rounds of funding. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Technology vendor GenLogs has secured $60 million in funding to build out its platform of tools that help service providers find available trucking capacity and mitigate freight theft and fraud, the company said Monday. The investment will be used to extend GenLogs’ reach to shippers, insurers and customers in the government and financial sectors, the Virginia-based company said in a statement. GenLogs, founded in 2023, has primarily served truckload freight brokers, but its customer list now includes J.B. Hunt, Werner Enterprises, and the Jacksonville Port Authority. GenLogs’ technology has been used mostly to help brokers source carriers and discover lanes where specific shippers move loads. The company broadened its focus as freight fraud and theft spiraled in the truckload industry, using its network of proprietary roadside sensors to help law enforcement track down missing loads and assets. The applicability of GenLogs’ data to financial and risk management sensors has had CEO Ryan Joyce, a former US intelligence officer, eyeing use cases in the banking and insurance sectors, he told the Journal of Commerce in December. GenLogs’ tools can also be used by shippers to track down shipments that have gone missing, help them avoid potentially unscrupulous carriers, and aid them in sourcing vetted capacity in lanes they run. GenLogs says it deletes any footage of private vehicles captured by its network of cameras before screening for commercial markings, such as a US Department of Transportation number, and blurs the vehicle’s windows to prevent personal biometric identification from being made known. Joyce said in a post on X Monday that GenLogs serves approximately 100 carriers, brokers, shippers, ports, insurance companies and law enforcement organizations, and has increased its revenue by 14 times over the past year, without specifying an exact figure. He also said that GenLogs supplements data gathered by its own cameras with data from satellites, IoT devices, and open-source information. The company has previously raised $21 million in two prior rounds of funding. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

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