<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee is working on a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, which includes a list of short- and long-term measures.</div>

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee is working on a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, which includes a list of short- and long-term measures.

<div><div><img></div>A container ship in San Francisco Bay. Photo credit: Shutterstock.Talks beginning this year among member states at the Internartional Martime Organization (IMO) will broach the subject of regulating vessel speeds, a proposal that would be pricey for vessel owners while slowing down shipper supply chains.“It’s something we’re going to be spending a lot of time looking at from a carrier perspective, and encourage shippers to look carefully as well,” World Shipping Council vice president Bryan Wood-Thomas told audience members at the <a>18th Annual TPM Conference in Long Beach, California,</a> on 6 March. “This is the time to look at it,...

A container ship in San Francisco Bay. Photo credit: Shutterstock. Talks beginning this year among member states at the Internartional Martime Organization (IMO) will broach the subject of regulating vessel speeds, a proposal that would be pricey for vessel owners while slowing down shipper supply chains. “It’s something we’re going to be spending a lot of time looking at from a carrier perspective, and encourage shippers to look carefully as well,” World Shipping Council vice president Bryan Wood-Thomas told audience members at the 18th Annual TPM Conference in Long Beach, California, on 6 March. “This is the time to look at it, because if you begin to look at it after most governments in the world have made a decision as to which direction to go, it will be too late.” The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is working on a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, which includes a list of short- and long-term measures. A proposal requiring ships to limit their speeds is “one of the few measures that will deliver emission reductions in the short-term” according to the Clean Shipping Coalition, an environmental group with “observer” status at the IMO. MEPC is scheduled to include the proposal at its next meeting in April. But while there is no question that reducing vessel speeds cuts emissions from individual ships, “even at a 10 percent speed reduction, you can’t do that across the world’s fleet and [compensate] by [putting into service] idle capacity, operators would still have to build new ships,” Wood-Thomas said. “If you go to 20 percent you have to build a lot of new inventory to the equation. And a 30 percent reduction would require a tremendous capital investment to move the same amount of material around the world.” Slow-steaming would reduce capacity short term Franck Kayser, an independent shipping consultant, told the audience such a proposal, if it were to be formalized into regulation, would also mean — at least in the short term — tighter capacity as volume from idle ship fleets are absorbed into service. “And that means demand for space increases over supply, so if this speed scheme goes forward, shippers will see a significant increase in costs.” Slow-steaming is typically used to lower operating costs when shipping is struggling. IMO studies have shown that total GHG emissions from international shipping decreased 10 percent between 2007 and 2012 — due in part to more efficient vessels, but also has a result of slow steaming. However, the recovery in 2017 of the dry bulk and container freight markets has resulted in many carriers abandoning the practice. Shipper supply chains, particularly those that trade in the reefer markets, would be at risk as well,” Wood-Thomas cautioned. “You start to have to grapple with issues of how increased transit times effect the world’s trade lanes, and how it’s going to affect the shipment of perishables. It gets complicated quickly.” Kevin Mannix, director of Oregon Shipping Group, which supports developing marine and over-the-road shipping in Oregon, contends that instead of regulating vessel speeds, there should be government incentives to help vessel owners retrofit or build new ships. “The government doesn’t have to choose winners or losers, but make determinations using engineering and economics, what type of technology is working out there, and then apply financial incentives to help try these things out.” This article originally appeared on Fairplay.com, a sister title of JOC.com within IHS Markit.Contact John Gallagher at john.gallagher@ihsmarkit.com and follow him on Twitter: @JohnAGallagher1 .

Container lines

Green slow-steaming proposal would reduce ship capacity

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Beijing is expected to soon announce the start date of its own 12-month pause on reciprocal port fees on US ships, a deal that was agreed to last week as part of a broad trade framework hammered out by the two superpowers.</div>

Beijing is expected to soon announce the start date of its own 12-month pause on reciprocal port fees on US ships, a deal that was agreed to last week as part of a broad trade framework hammered out by the two superpowers.

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<div class="phx-topic">The year-long pause on US port fees for Chinese-operated or built ships, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-china-suspend-reciprocal-port-fees-as-part-of-wider-trade-deal-6105849">agreed to last week between US and Chinese officials</a>, will start on Nov. 10, the White House announced Saturday. The move will pave the way for China to lift its retaliatory port fees on US-owned and controlled vessels, although there was no immediate response from Beijing whether its suspension of port charges will occur on the same day as the US action. But one Hong Kong-based analyst expected China to end its charges on Nov. 10 or shortly after, repeating what happened when China followed the US in imposing reciprocal port call charges on Oct. 14. During the 12-month pause in port fees, “the US will negotiate with China” over Beijing’s alleged dominance in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, the White House statement said, without giving further details. Those talks would take place while the US continued “its historic cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan on revitalizing American shipbuilding,” the statement added. The Nov. 10 date was announced in a statement that also gave further details of the trade concessions agreed to by both sides during talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 26 and confirmed by presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at their meeting in South Korea last Thursday. The broad agreement will see China purchase at least 12 million metric tons of US soybeans during the last two months of this year and buy at least 25 million mt a year in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Additionally, China will resume purchases of US sorghum and hardwood logs. China will also suspend all the retaliatory tariffs announced since March 4, including levies “on a vast swath of US agricultural products including chicken, wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products,” the White House statement said. China will suspend or remove all retaliatory non-tariff countermeasures taken against the US since March, statement added. "China will further extend the expiration of its market-based tariff exclusion process for imports from the United States and exclusions will remain valid until December 31, 2026,” the White House said. “China will terminate its various investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, including its antitrust, anti-monopoly, and anti-dumping investigations." The White House did not give any timeframe for China’s implementation of the trade concessions. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="a08410a8-0b00-4c48-9ef6-78b6354f0678"></dynamic-object></div>For its part, the US will end the 10% so-called “fentanyl tariffs” on Nov. 10 and maintain its suspension of heightened reciprocal tariffs on Chinese imports until Nov.10, 2026. The current 10% reciprocal tariff will remain in effect during the suspension period, the statement said. US imports from China have fallen sharply since mid-year amid the trade dispute. Imports hit 984,280 TEUs in July, the second-highest mark in 2025, then fell in August and September, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. <h3>Questions remain </h3>Despite the US-China deal on port fees, Brian Maloney, a partner at New York-based law firm Seward &amp; Kissel’s maritime and transportation group, said there are still many questions to be answered. "Will this apply to foreign-built vehicle carriers and ro/ro vessels or will the pause apply only to the fees for Chinese-owned, -operated or -built vessels?,” Maloney said. “When will the Chinese response pause kick in, which could matter for vessels actively trading? And will either country extend retroactive relief to Oct. 14?” Lars Jensen, CEO of consultant Vespucci Maritime and a Journal of Commerce contributor, said the lower tariffs open a window of opportunity for US shippers. "The question is whether it will prompt a boost in shipments — effectively pulling the seasonal boost from Chinese New Year forward by more than a month,” Jensen said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7391046713332875264/">in a LinkedIn post Monday</a>. “The coming weeks will show whether this is going to happen, or whether US importers see the upside of lower tariffs more than counteracted by a risk of consumer spending slowdown in the US." Jensen pointed out that shippers will have to go through the details of how the deal impacts them specifically. "But it is important to note here that almost all US actions are temporary in the sense that actions are merely paused until Nov. 10, 2026,” he wrote. “This means that more trade talks will have to happen prior to that date, and with this comes the risk of more changes (positive or negative)." Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="mailto:keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>. </div>

The year-long pause on US port fees for Chinese-operated or built ships, agreed to last week between US and Chinese officials , will start on Nov. 10, the White House announced Saturday. The move will pave the way for China to lift its retaliatory port fees on US-owned and controlled vessels, although there was no immediate response from Beijing whether its suspension of port charges will occur on the same day as the US action. But one Hong Kong-based analyst expected China to end its charges on Nov. 10 or shortly after, repeating what happened when China followed the US in imposing reciprocal port call charges on Oct. 14. During the 12-month pause in port fees, “the US will negotiate with China” over Beijing’s alleged dominance in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, the White House statement said, without giving further details. Those talks would take place while the US continued “its historic cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan on revitalizing American shipbuilding,” the statement added. The Nov. 10 date was announced in a statement that also gave further details of the trade concessions agreed to by both sides during talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 26 and confirmed by presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at their meeting in South Korea last Thursday. The broad agreement will see China purchase at least 12 million metric tons of US soybeans during the last two months of this year and buy at least 25 million mt a year in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Additionally, China will resume purchases of US sorghum and hardwood logs. China will also suspend all the retaliatory tariffs announced since March 4, including levies “on a vast swath of US agricultural products including chicken, wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products,” the White House statement said. China will suspend or remove all retaliatory non-tariff countermeasures taken against the US since March, statement added. "China will further extend the expiration of its market-based tariff exclusion process for imports from the United States and exclusions will remain valid until December 31, 2026,” the White House said. “China will terminate its various investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, including its antitrust, anti-monopoly, and anti-dumping investigations." The White House did not give any timeframe for China’s implementation of the trade concessions. For its part, the US will end the 10% so-called “fentanyl tariffs” on Nov. 10 and maintain its suspension of heightened reciprocal tariffs on Chinese imports until Nov.10, 2026. The current 10% reciprocal tariff will remain in effect during the suspension period, the statement said. US imports from China have fallen sharply since mid-year amid the trade dispute. Imports hit 984,280 TEUs in July, the second-highest mark in 2025, then fell in August and September, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Questions remain Despite the US-China deal on port fees, Brian Maloney, a partner at New York-based law firm Seward & Kissel’s maritime and transportation group, said there are still many questions to be answered. "Will this apply to foreign-built vehicle carriers and ro/ro vessels or will the pause apply only to the fees for Chinese-owned, -operated or -built vessels?,” Maloney said. “When will the Chinese response pause kick in, which could matter for vessels actively trading? And will either country extend retroactive relief to Oct. 14?” Lars Jensen, CEO of consultant Vespucci Maritime and a Journal of Commerce contributor, said the lower tariffs open a window of opportunity for US shippers. "The question is whether it will prompt a boost in shipments — effectively pulling the seasonal boost from Chinese New Year forward by more than a month,” Jensen said in a LinkedIn post Monday . “The coming weeks will show whether this is going to happen, or whether US importers see the upside of lower tariffs more than counteracted by a risk of consumer spending slowdown in the US." Jensen pointed out that shippers will have to go through the details of how the deal impacts them specifically. "But it is important to note here that almost all US actions are temporary in the sense that actions are merely paused until Nov. 10, 2026,” he wrote. “This means that more trade talks will have to happen prior to that date, and with this comes the risk of more changes (positive or negative)." Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Trans-Pacific

Container Shipping News

Maritime

Year-long pause on US port fees targeting China vessels to start Nov. 10

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">An immediate bump in cargo is likely in the wake of this week’s deal between Washington and Beijing, but it’s too early for US retailers who are tied to China to make supply chain decisions for 2026 spring and summer imports. </div>

An immediate bump in cargo is likely in the wake of this week’s deal between Washington and Beijing, but it’s too early for US retailers who are tied to China to make supply chain decisions for 2026 spring and summer imports.

<div class="phx-topic">The US-China trade deal announced this week will prompt some US retailers to move quickly on imports they need in the short term, but the seemingly tenuous nature of the agreement — notably its one-year term — will likely prevent a broad shift back to traditional ordering patterns, market participants say. “If it’s needed now, it will be ordered. Longer term, retailers need more time. There will be hesitancy,” an industry consultant who managed the logistics departments of two national retailers told the Journal of Commerce. Revelyst, an importer of outdoor gear, immediately shifted imports that it had scheduled to ship by air beginning Nov. 1 back to ocean mode after the US-China deal. “We’ll save a good deal of money,” said John Pace, the company’s senior manager of logistics. In the longer term, even with the deal’s elimination of the 10% so-called “fentanyl tax” on imports from China, the total tariff on most imports from China is about 47%, which is higher than tariffs on most countries in Asia. As such, Revelyst will continue to explore sourcing options from countries such as Vietnam, Pace said. The broad agreement <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-china-suspend-reciprocal-port-fees-as-part-of-wider-trade-deal-6105849">announced Thursday</a> also included a one-year pause in the reciprocal port fees the US and China had implemented on Oct. 14. The National Retail Federation (NRF), which represents a broad range of retailers, said a bump in imports in the short term is likely in the wake of the deal, but that it is too early for retailers who are tied to China to make supply chain decisions for spring and summer imports in 2026. “The challenge for retailers is there’s still so much uncertainty about what’s going to come out and when it’s going to come out,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy. Many details relating to tariffs on important commodities such as steel, aluminum, automobiles and lumber, when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin to collect duties, and what the status is of duties that have already been collected are still uncertain, Gold said. Jason Cook, CEO of the forwarder Ardent Global Logistics, said there’s been hesitancy over the past two months among retailers and direct importers to ship seasonal merchandise and replenishment product for fear the US-China talks would break down and the huge tariffs would remain in place. But those fears have been allayed, at least for now. “So make up for the hesitation and bring in as much inventory as possible in case things blow up again,” Cook said. <h3>Some importers keep supply chain strategy unchanged </h3>Still, some importers say their ordering patterns have not really been affected by the trade agreement. A national furniture retailer said the company earlier this year set its logistics plan and sourcing patterns for 2025, has stuck with those plans, and has no regrets for doing so. “The fact that major decisions are being made in such a knee-jerk fashion has us scared,” said the furniture retailer’s logistics manager. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="e8c13a3e-9f5a-412f-8741-adbf5e1a7779"></dynamic-object></div>An importer in the automotive sector said he has no intention of increasing imports from China. “A 10% [tariff] change is not material enough to make a switch,” the source said. “The overall rates are still very high.” <h3>Prior GRIs boosted rates in October </h3>Imports from all of Asia have remained relatively strong this fall even though carriers have been successful in propping up freight rates through a series of general rate increases (GRIs). Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, pegged Asia-West Coast rates at $2,075 per FEU as of Oct. 30, up from $1,300 earlier in the month as an Oct. 1 GRI was taking hold. Rates to the East Coast have risen to $3,075 per FEU from $2,260 over the same period. Trans-Pacific carriers pre-filed GRIs to take effect on Nov. 1, and so far the alliance carriers have been holding on to the intended rate hike, said Jon Monroe, who serves as an advisor to forwarders. Most, but not all, carriers are posting rates of $3,800 per FEU to the East Coast and $2,800 per FEU to the West Coast this weekend, Monroe said. “It looks like carriers are holding it together publicly but privately they’re cutting deals,” he said. Importers and forwarders who utilize so-called bullet rates and on-line rates from individual carriers can save about $300 to $400 per FEU, according to Monroe. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="6a6ec157-c71e-4ab2-ae59-6658aada11d8"></dynamic-object></div>Carriers have succeeded in propping up rates by reducing capacity in the trans-Pacific through blank sailings, but reduced blanks scheduled so far for November could result in additional capacity being available. The blanking rate to the West Coast so far for November is 8.2% of capacity, down from 20.8% in October, according to maritime intelligence provider eeSea. Similarly, blanked capacity from Asia to the East Coast is pegged thus far at 10.9% for November, down from 22.8% in October. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>. Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:laura.robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The US-China trade deal announced this week will prompt some US retailers to move quickly on imports they need in the short term, but the seemingly tenuous nature of the agreement — notably its one-year term — will likely prevent a broad shift back to traditional ordering patterns, market participants say. “If it’s needed now, it will be ordered. Longer term, retailers need more time. There will be hesitancy,” an industry consultant who managed the logistics departments of two national retailers told the Journal of Commerce. Revelyst, an importer of outdoor gear, immediately shifted imports that it had scheduled to ship by air beginning Nov. 1 back to ocean mode after the US-China deal. “We’ll save a good deal of money,” said John Pace, the company’s senior manager of logistics. In the longer term, even with the deal’s elimination of the 10% so-called “fentanyl tax” on imports from China, the total tariff on most imports from China is about 47%, which is higher than tariffs on most countries in Asia. As such, Revelyst will continue to explore sourcing options from countries such as Vietnam, Pace said. The broad agreement announced Thursday also included a one-year pause in the reciprocal port fees the US and China had implemented on Oct. 14. The National Retail Federation (NRF), which represents a broad range of retailers, said a bump in imports in the short term is likely in the wake of the deal, but that it is too early for retailers who are tied to China to make supply chain decisions for spring and summer imports in 2026. “The challenge for retailers is there’s still so much uncertainty about what’s going to come out and when it’s going to come out,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy. Many details relating to tariffs on important commodities such as steel, aluminum, automobiles and lumber, when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin to collect duties, and what the status is of duties that have already been collected are still uncertain, Gold said. Jason Cook, CEO of the forwarder Ardent Global Logistics, said there’s been hesitancy over the past two months among retailers and direct importers to ship seasonal merchandise and replenishment product for fear the US-China talks would break down and the huge tariffs would remain in place. But those fears have been allayed, at least for now. “So make up for the hesitation and bring in as much inventory as possible in case things blow up again,” Cook said. Some importers keep supply chain strategy unchanged Still, some importers say their ordering patterns have not really been affected by the trade agreement. A national furniture retailer said the company earlier this year set its logistics plan and sourcing patterns for 2025, has stuck with those plans, and has no regrets for doing so. “The fact that major decisions are being made in such a knee-jerk fashion has us scared,” said the furniture retailer’s logistics manager. An importer in the automotive sector said he has no intention of increasing imports from China. “A 10% [tariff] change is not material enough to make a switch,” the source said. “The overall rates are still very high.” Prior GRIs boosted rates in October Imports from all of Asia have remained relatively strong this fall even though carriers have been successful in propping up freight rates through a series of general rate increases (GRIs). Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, pegged Asia-West Coast rates at $2,075 per FEU as of Oct. 30, up from $1,300 earlier in the month as an Oct. 1 GRI was taking hold. Rates to the East Coast have risen to $3,075 per FEU from $2,260 over the same period. Trans-Pacific carriers pre-filed GRIs to take effect on Nov. 1, and so far the alliance carriers have been holding on to the intended rate hike, said Jon Monroe, who serves as an advisor to forwarders. Most, but not all, carriers are posting rates of $3,800 per FEU to the East Coast and $2,800 per FEU to the West Coast this weekend, Monroe said. “It looks like carriers are holding it together publicly but privately they’re cutting deals,” he said. Importers and forwarders who utilize so-called bullet rates and on-line rates from individual carriers can save about $300 to $400 per FEU, according to Monroe. Carriers have succeeded in propping up rates by reducing capacity in the trans-Pacific through blank sailings, but reduced blanks scheduled so far for November could result in additional capacity being available. The blanking rate to the West Coast so far for November is 8.2% of capacity, down from 20.8% in October, according to maritime intelligence provider eeSea. Similarly, blanked capacity from Asia to the East Coast is pegged thus far at 10.9% for November, down from 22.8% in October. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com . Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com .

Trade deal could boost short-term China imports, but uncertainty lingers

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The carrier, as it seeks with BlackRock to acquire the majority of Hutchison Port Holdings, is developing a mega-terminal in New Orleans and another terminal in Baltimore. </div>

The carrier, as it seeks with BlackRock to acquire the majority of Hutchison Port Holdings, is developing a mega-terminal in New Orleans and another terminal in Baltimore.

<div class="phx-topic">Charleston, South Carolina — The president of Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s US business believes there aren’t enough new US port projects in the works that will create the capacity needed to handle the anticipated growth in cargo volumes in the coming years. Fabio Santucci says that better use of existing terminal footprints and more greenfield development were needed to support a market where consumer spending accounts for 70% of gross domestic product (GDP). And he said he’s confident in longer-term import growth and hopes the finalization of US trade deals will give cargo owners more certainty on changing tariff levels. “I think it’s essential that ports like Charleston and many others, continue to invest heavily in densifying the facilities, in focusing on their operating model because, let’s face it, there are not many new ports coming to the rescue,” Santucci said Wednesday at the South Carolina International Trade Conference. MSC, as it seeks with BlackRock to <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hutchison-deal-shows-thirst-of-big-carriers-to-control-global-terminal-assets-5960717">acquire the majority of Hutchison Port Holdings</a>, is developing <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-gulf-coast-ports-expanding-to-handle-continued-volume-growth-5911512">a mega-terminal in New Orleans</a> and <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/new-msc-backed-baltimore-container-terminal-on-track-for-2028-debut-5220430">another terminal in Baltimore</a>. The carrier, already the largest container operator by tonnage, would become the biggest marine terminal operator via its Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) arm if the $23 billion Hutchison deal is completed. Santucci acknowledged that US ports were able to handle import-driven surges earlier this year, but said overall performance has room to improve. “Nobody wants to keep a vessel at anchor waiting. It’s costing somebody a lot of money and there must be an impediment on the landside,” he said. <h3>Southeast ‘poised’ for growth </h3>MSC has grown its volume through Charleston by 15% this year, well above the port’s total growth. US laden volume through Charleston ticked up 0.5% year over year between January and August, according to PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. “The southeast [ports], specifically, the growth that we see on the industrial side, the population growth, specifically Charleston, are poised for a lot of growth in the coming years,” said Santucci. “The import market is not growing 15% so it means that our joint customers are seeing Charleston as a very good and useful gateway.” MSC earlier this year opened an expanded Charleston campus. In his first State of the Port address, Micah Mallace, the new head of the SC Port Authority, said <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/new-charleston-ceo-seeks-to-regain-container-growth-momentum-6104583">the port had ample terminal capacity</a> and would prioritize projects in the short term to feed expanded terminal capacity. When it opened in 2021, Charleston’s Leatherman terminal was the first new US terminal to come online since 2009. Contact Mark Szakonyi at <a href="mailto:mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com">mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Charleston, South Carolina — The president of Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s US business believes there aren’t enough new US port projects in the works that will create the capacity needed to handle the anticipated growth in cargo volumes in the coming years. Fabio Santucci says that better use of existing terminal footprints and more greenfield development were needed to support a market where consumer spending accounts for 70% of gross domestic product (GDP). And he said he’s confident in longer-term import growth and hopes the finalization of US trade deals will give cargo owners more certainty on changing tariff levels. “I think it’s essential that ports like Charleston and many others, continue to invest heavily in densifying the facilities, in focusing on their operating model because, let’s face it, there are not many new ports coming to the rescue,” Santucci said Wednesday at the South Carolina International Trade Conference. MSC, as it seeks with BlackRock to acquire the majority of Hutchison Port Holdings , is developing a mega-terminal in New Orleans and another terminal in Baltimore . The carrier, already the largest container operator by tonnage, would become the biggest marine terminal operator via its Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) arm if the $23 billion Hutchison deal is completed. Santucci acknowledged that US ports were able to handle import-driven surges earlier this year, but said overall performance has room to improve. “Nobody wants to keep a vessel at anchor waiting. It’s costing somebody a lot of money and there must be an impediment on the landside,” he said. Southeast ‘poised’ for growth MSC has grown its volume through Charleston by 15% this year, well above the port’s total growth. US laden volume through Charleston ticked up 0.5% year over year between January and August, according to PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. “The southeast [ports], specifically, the growth that we see on the industrial side, the population growth, specifically Charleston, are poised for a lot of growth in the coming years,” said Santucci. “The import market is not growing 15% so it means that our joint customers are seeing Charleston as a very good and useful gateway.” MSC earlier this year opened an expanded Charleston campus. In his first State of the Port address, Micah Mallace, the new head of the SC Port Authority, said the port had ample terminal capacity and would prioritize projects in the short term to feed expanded terminal capacity. When it opened in 2021, Charleston’s Leatherman terminal was the first new US terminal to come online since 2009. Contact Mark Szakonyi at  mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com .

Port News

Port infrastructure

North American ports

US port capacity lagging ahead of potential volume growth: MSC

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The railroads will make a harder play to capture Dallas-to-East Coast freight after track upgrades come online along the Gulf Coast early next year. </div>

The railroads will make a harder play to capture Dallas-to-East Coast freight after track upgrades come online along the Gulf Coast early next year.

<div class="phx-topic">Partners Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX Transportation plan to complete major track upgrades along the Gulf Coast early next year that will enable faster intermodal train service between Texas and the US Southeast and bring the route closer to competing with trucking. The upgrade project began after the US Surface Transportation Board in October 2024 approved two transactions allowing CPKC and CSX to acquire approximately 140 miles of track in Alabama and Mississippi from the Meridian &amp; Bigbee Railroad, a short line. The railroads have been replacing old infrastructure that limited trains to a speed of 25 miles per hour with new tracks capable of handling trains moving at nearly twice that pace. Work is expected to wrap up in January or February. “[It will] allow us to create a transit time and a product option never before possible. This is going to connect Atlanta to Dallas in about 30 hours,” CPKC CEO Keith Creel said on an earnings call this week. “And 30 hours is truck-like competitive, single truck-like competitive. I think it’s a unique differentiator that can’t be replicated in a UP-NS combination.” Allowing that possibility required upgrading CPKC’s 50-mile section of track and CSX’s 94-mile portion. “We put a tremendous amount of investment when we took that line back, upwards of $100 million already,” Kevin Boone, CSX’s CFO, said at the South Carolina International Trade Conference on Thursday. “It’s already a good service today, but you’ll see a very, very competitive service, and even more to go next year.” The main beneficiary of the work is intermodal service provider Schneider National, which has close partnerships with both railroads and anchors the Southeast Mexico Express trains linking Mexico and Atlanta through the same corridor. Creel emphasized that the upgrades finally give CPKC and CSX a chance to compete for domestic freight between Atlanta and Dallas, which the Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index shows has long favored trucks on both cost and speed. <h3>Truck advantages hard to overcome </h3>Still, while intermodal service on the route becomes more competitive, the track upgrades might not completely change the calculus. The 780-mile run between Atlanta and Dallas requires a driver to take a 10-hour rest break en route. But at an average of 450 miles per day, the total door-to-door highway transit is approximately 24 hours, faster than the projected 30-hour schedule by rail. The CPKC-CSX transit also assumes a perfect handoff between the railroads in Myrtlewood, Alabama. CPKC itself has noted the frequent delays that occur on interchanges between two railroads in general when highlighting the benefits of its single-line railroad between Mexico and Chicago versus a two-railroad solution. And the 30-hour figure excludes drayage, lift-on and lift-off time at terminals, and mounting containers onto chassis, all key elements in true door-to-door intermodal transit. Even so, the track upgrades do narrow the competitive gap and give Schneider a platform to market other advantages of rail, such as capacity alternative and lower greenhouse gas emissions. If the service proves reliable and the pricing remains competitive, the Atlanta-Dallas route could begin to see a shift of truckload volumes to intermodal. The improved corridor could also open new routes, such as Charlotte and Jacksonville to Dallas via Atlanta. BNSF Railway and CSX launched a similar service in September linking Southern California with Charlotte and Jacksonville, building on a train that has run between California and Atlanta for nearly two decades. A comparable overlay toward Dallas could follow. While Union Pacific Railroad offers an option from Mexico to the Southeast via Memphis, it requires a truck to dray containers between terminals. The upgraded Meridian &amp; Bigbee line represents one of the final building blocks in creating a more direct, rail-only link between Mexico, Texas, and the Southeast for the first time in a generation. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Partners Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX Transportation plan to complete major track upgrades along the Gulf Coast early next year that will enable faster intermodal train service between Texas and the US Southeast and bring the route closer to competing with trucking. The upgrade project began after the US Surface Transportation Board in October 2024 approved two transactions allowing CPKC and CSX to acquire approximately 140 miles of track in Alabama and Mississippi from the Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, a short line. The railroads have been replacing old infrastructure that limited trains to a speed of 25 miles per hour with new tracks capable of handling trains moving at nearly twice that pace. Work is expected to wrap up in January or February. “[It will] allow us to create a transit time and a product option never before possible. This is going to connect Atlanta to Dallas in about 30 hours,” CPKC CEO Keith Creel said on an earnings call this week. “And 30 hours is truck-like competitive, single truck-like competitive. I think it’s a unique differentiator that can’t be replicated in a UP-NS combination.” Allowing that possibility required upgrading CPKC’s 50-mile section of track and CSX’s 94-mile portion. “We put a tremendous amount of investment when we took that line back, upwards of $100 million already,” Kevin Boone, CSX’s CFO, said at the South Carolina International Trade Conference on Thursday. “It’s already a good service today, but you’ll see a very, very competitive service, and even more to go next year.” The main beneficiary of the work is intermodal service provider Schneider National, which has close partnerships with both railroads and anchors the Southeast Mexico Express trains linking Mexico and Atlanta through the same corridor. Creel emphasized that the upgrades finally give CPKC and CSX a chance to compete for domestic freight between Atlanta and Dallas, which the Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index shows has long favored trucks on both cost and speed. Truck advantages hard to overcome Still, while intermodal service on the route becomes more competitive, the track upgrades might not completely change the calculus. The 780-mile run between Atlanta and Dallas requires a driver to take a 10-hour rest break en route. But at an average of 450 miles per day, the total door-to-door highway transit is approximately 24 hours, faster than the projected 30-hour schedule by rail. The CPKC-CSX transit also assumes a perfect handoff between the railroads in Myrtlewood, Alabama. CPKC itself has noted the frequent delays that occur on interchanges between two railroads in general when highlighting the benefits of its single-line railroad between Mexico and Chicago versus a two-railroad solution. And the 30-hour figure excludes drayage, lift-on and lift-off time at terminals, and mounting containers onto chassis, all key elements in true door-to-door intermodal transit. Even so, the track upgrades do narrow the competitive gap and give Schneider a platform to market other advantages of rail, such as capacity alternative and lower greenhouse gas emissions. If the service proves reliable and the pricing remains competitive, the Atlanta-Dallas route could begin to see a shift of truckload volumes to intermodal. The improved corridor could also open new routes, such as Charlotte and Jacksonville to Dallas via Atlanta. BNSF Railway and CSX launched a similar service in September linking Southern California with Charlotte and Jacksonville, building on a train that has run between California and Atlanta for nearly two decades. A comparable overlay toward Dallas could follow. While Union Pacific Railroad offers an option from Mexico to the Southeast via Memphis, it requires a truck to dray containers between terminals. The upgraded Meridian & Bigbee line represents one of the final building blocks in creating a more direct, rail-only link between Mexico, Texas, and the Southeast for the first time in a generation. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

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<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The company’s spending push is another sign that shipping and logistics multinationals are increasingly betting on India’s potential as an alternative maritime hub. </div>

The company’s spending push is another sign that shipping and logistics multinationals are increasingly betting on India’s potential as an alternative maritime hub.

<div class="phx-topic">Global terminal and logistics giant DP World is rapidly bolstering its Indian footprint in anticipation of demand growth amid trade diversification moves and other promising regional market dynamics. The Dubai-based company has committed a further $5 billion to expand its integrated supply chain ecosystems in India. The announcement came Thursday during a government-spearheaded maritime conclave in Mumbai. That fresh investment adds to the $3 billion DP World has already poured into the Indian market across marine terminal and multimodal logistics verticals, the company said in a statement. “DP World has been a part of India’s growth story for nearly three decades,” said group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. “This new investment, combined with the strategic partnerships, reaffirms our commitment to advancing India’s maritime and logistics industry and cementing the nation’s position in global trade.” The group aims to tap new opportunities in coastal shipping, shipbuilding and repair, and other advanced freight service solutions. Coastal shipping development seems to be an emerging priority on DP World’s growth agenda for India, possibly by adding more locally flagged assets to subsidiary Unifeeder’s fleet. Unifeeder acquired Indian feeder line Shreyas Shipping in 2020. DP World subsidiary Drydocks World also plans to open a ship repair cluster at Cochin, looking beyond the port gates. <h3>DP World not alone in new Indian investment </h3>The global operator already holds five container terminal concessions across four port locations in India. Additionally, it is building a $550-million box terminal off Kandla Port along the Indian west coast with an annual designed capacity of 2.2 million TEUs, targeted to begin phase 1 operations in 2027. DP World’s 2024 Indian container volumes stood at 5.4 million TEUs, representing approximately 22% of the 24 million TEUs handled nationally during the year, data shows. The company’s investment push is another sign that shipping and logistics multinationals are increasingly betting on India’s potential as an alternative maritime hub. For example, in addition <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/maersk-joins-cma-cgm-in-reflagging-container-ships-in-india-amid-antitrust-pressure-6104614">to vessel reflaggings and shipyard-related interests</a>, Maersk now intends to extend its Indian reach to container manufacturing, historically a Chinese fiefdom. The Danish liner is said to be exploring a partnership with Delhi-based diversified group DCM Shriram for local production and/or sourcing. This seemingly ties in with DCM’s existing joint venture with South Korea’s Hyundai Mobis in that field. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>. </div>

Global terminal and logistics giant DP World is rapidly bolstering its Indian footprint in anticipation of demand growth amid trade diversification moves and other promising regional market dynamics. The Dubai-based company has committed a further $5 billion to expand its integrated supply chain ecosystems in India. The announcement came Thursday during a government-spearheaded maritime conclave in Mumbai. That fresh investment adds to the $3 billion DP World has already poured into the Indian market across marine terminal and multimodal logistics verticals, the company said in a statement. “DP World has been a part of India’s growth story for nearly three decades,” said group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. “This new investment, combined with the strategic partnerships, reaffirms our commitment to advancing India’s maritime and logistics industry and cementing the nation’s position in global trade.” The group aims to tap new opportunities in coastal shipping, shipbuilding and repair, and other advanced freight service solutions. Coastal shipping development seems to be an emerging priority on DP World’s growth agenda for India, possibly by adding more locally flagged assets to subsidiary Unifeeder’s fleet. Unifeeder acquired Indian feeder line Shreyas Shipping in 2020. DP World subsidiary Drydocks World also plans to open a ship repair cluster at Cochin, looking beyond the port gates. DP World not alone in new Indian investment The global operator already holds five container terminal concessions across four port locations in India. Additionally, it is building a $550-million box terminal off Kandla Port along the Indian west coast with an annual designed capacity of 2.2 million TEUs, targeted to begin phase 1 operations in 2027. DP World’s 2024 Indian container volumes stood at 5.4 million TEUs, representing approximately 22% of the 24 million TEUs handled nationally during the year, data shows. The company’s investment push is another sign that shipping and logistics multinationals are increasingly betting on India’s potential as an alternative maritime hub. For example, in addition to vessel reflaggings and shipyard-related interests , Maersk now intends to extend its Indian reach to container manufacturing, historically a Chinese fiefdom. The Danish liner is said to be exploring a partnership with Delhi-based diversified group DCM Shriram for local production and/or sourcing. This seemingly ties in with DCM’s existing joint venture with South Korea’s Hyundai Mobis in that field. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

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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

In 1995, we began operations with a clear vision: to grow alongside Mexico and connect the world through our terminals. Our priority has always been to deliver excellence in service, foster economic development, and strengthen our communities. We firmly believe that progress is not only measured in tons of cargo moved, but in the opportunities we create. _______________________________________________________________ This year marks a significant milestone: SSA Marine Mexico celebrates 30 years of presence in the country, having established itself from day one as the leading port operator nationwide. Over the past three decades, we have built a legacy of reliability, innovation, and commitment to Mexico’s growth. Our journey has been defined by continuous evolution and a steadfast dedication to our mission. SSA Marine México currently operates in six of the country’s most important ports: Cozumel, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Progreso, Tuxpan, and Veracruz. Additionally, we have signed a concession to operate a new multipurpose terminal in Guaymas, Sonora, expanding our footprint to the north of the country. We serve a wide range of segments including containers, general cargo, automobiles, cruise ships, hydrocarbons, and asphalt. As part of this ongoing commitment, SSA Marine Mexico continues to strengthen its infrastructure and capabilities. International trade remains a key driver of global economic growth, and we are proud to support this momentum. Through our continuous improvement strategy, we invest in cutting-edge technology and equipment to deliver more efficient and competitive services, contributing to the success of Mexican businesses. •	Manzanillo, Colima- Specialized Container Terminal I: On October 13, we celebrated the arrival of two new STS (Ship To Shore) Super Post Panamax dockside cranes. This $21.2 million USD investment significantly boosts our operational capacity, streamlining cargo reception and delivery processes. In line with our modernization efforts, we will also retire four of our oldest cranes, paving the way for a more sustainable and technologically advanced fleet that meets the evolving demands of international trade. With these upgrades, SSA Marine México now operates a total of 16 cranes along our 1,350-meter dock, reaffirming our position as a national benchmark in port <span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-4_3 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-large" data-figure-size="large" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="4:3"><img src="/content-assets/1760982635607_Manzanillo.jpg" alt="Image provided by SSA Marine" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"> •	As for the Multipurpose Terminal and Specialized Facility, also in Manzanillo, Colima, improvement and conditioning works are planned, along with the acquisition of four E-RTG (Electric Rubber-Tyred Gantry) cranes to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability. •	At our Automobile and General Cargo Terminal in the port of Veracruz, we continue to lead with specialized value-added services that support our clients’ growth. Recent investments include a new washing cabin and a general cargo warehouse, increasing indoor storage capacity by 67%. •	Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan – Specialized Automobile Terminal: we are working on the development of an additional 4-hectare storage space within our bonded area and a 10-hectare Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC). These enhancements, along with ongoing personnel and system improvements, will reinforce our leadership in automotive handling across the Mexican Pacific coast.<span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-4_3 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-large" data-figure-size="large" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="4:3"><img src="/content-assets/1760982742240_Lazaro.jpg" alt="Image provided by SSA Marine" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"> Through these strategic investments, SSA Marine Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the sustained growth of Mexico’s foreign trade. By expanding capacity, modernizing infrastructure, and diversifying services, we continue to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in global logistics. Today, we celebrate three decades of dedication, innovation, and leadership, with deep gratitude to our employees, clients, and partners for being part of this incredible journey. LINK: https://www.ssamarine.mx/<span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-16_9 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-small" data-figure-size="small" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="16:9"><img src="/content-assets/1760982787360_SSA%20Marine%20Mexico%20logo%20150pxW.png" alt="" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit">

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SSA Marine Mexico: 30 years growing together.

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