Maritime

Despite its strong performance, the South Korean carrier said uncertainty over the timing of a return to Suez Canal transits and the impact of US tariffs on trans-Pacific trade flows was clouding its 2025 outlook.

Donald Trump said he planned to announce that the US would impose a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum, both of which are key cargo types for the breakbulk sector.

But with a large drop in imports forecast for the second half of February, terminal operators say they will get dwell times and cargo fluidity back to normal by the end of the month.

But Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said US port cargo “could be badly hit” if tariffs on Asian and European countries increase prices and prompt US consumers to buy less.

Three carriers who were part of the now-disbanded THE Alliance can start offering service to and from the US by Sunday after the Federal Maritime Commission studied the new partnership’s market impact.

The threat of US tariffs, inflation, rising government borrowing and slower interest rate cuts are undermining cargo confidence in the US and beyond, according to benchmark indicators.

Vincent Clerc says one reason for the delay is the liner’s extreme profitability since the pandemic, a reality he said was “taking a lot of the light” from its integrated logistics plans.

The proposed Edgemoor container terminal was slated for groundbreaking in January, but the project timeline is now uncertain after a federal judge ruled its permit was unlawful in a case brought by the nearby Port of Philadelphia.

Investment in wind power and air lubrication gives multipurpose vessel operators an extra shot at compliance with the FuelEU emissions rules.

The third-most-profitable year in the carrier’s history could be followed by a breakeven result if voyages through the Red Sea resume before the end of the year, the CEO told analysts Thursday.

Forwarders say shippers are booking space to the US for low-value commodities such as plywood, tile and paper, which prior to the rate drop had been limited to less-expensive routes.

Sources at Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in India have confirmed that feeder services for the Bangladesh trade have not been included in the new network structure.

A new report from software vendor Kaleris has found that terminal operators around the globe believe they are providing better visibility data than shippers say are they receiving.

The disruption to the Asia-Europe trade lane is expected to be limited as the transition from old services to the new alliances is being made during the traditionally slow post-Lunar New Year period.

Unstructured data, security concerns and value questions are holding back the progression of technology in the breakbulk industry.

Regulatory uncertainty around the allowance of digital trade documents is one factor that has slowed the adoption of electronic bills of lading in the shipping industry.

The ocean carrier is diving into domestic intermodal logistics for shippers sending freight from inland markets to the West Coast.

The most significant drop will take place in the second half of the month after Lunar New Year, with about 7% of the lost capacity attributed to a short month and “gaps in service handoffs,” according to maritime intelligence firm eeSea.

The latest move by the port involves a proposal by intermodal logistics provider IntermodeX to develop a transload facility near Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal that is designed to primarily attract import containers.

DSV CEO Jens Lund said the size of the Schenker acquisition meant it could take up to two years before the companies were fully integrated into the world’s largest forwarder.

The vessel, carrying 1,353 containers of Chilean cherries to China, suffered a main engine failure in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 13, 17 days into what was supposed to be a 24-day voyage.

In the “Newsmakers” Q&A, K+N’s head of ocean logistics touches upon US tariffs, sourcing shifts away from China, Red Sea transits and the benefits of AI.

The Geneva-based carrier said a network of 210,000 reefer containers and more than 500 vessels are already equipped with its new iReefer monitoring system.

There has been a steady decline in average rate levels on the major trade lanes since December, and as the new alliances and MSC’s standalone network launch, there is no sign of an end to the slide.

Shipowners in the sector view the ambitious SHIPS for America legislation as unrealistic, with the domestic shipbuilding industry under-skilled and lacking the capacity needed to meaningfully contribute to the specialized MPV fleet.

Sources tell the Journal of Commerce the union will convene a midweek meeting in Florida of its local wage scale committees across the 14 ports under its jurisdiction.

The Singapore-based carrier reported strong demand on its two main trade lanes out of Asia in its most recent fiscal quarter, with the trans-Pacific recording 100% utilization.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have made 90% schedule reliability a core promise of their new partnership, and the pledge will be under intense scrutiny by the carriers’ customers.

Forwarders say that breakbulk and project cargo shippers are taking a greater interest in alternative fuel options for specialist ships.

The largest US freight broker expects the first quarter of 2025 to be weak for trucking as the freight recession remains in place, but it is converting more customers to use its services for ocean freight.

The breakbulk sector can lean on the progress of key US ports in facilitating the safe bunkering of next generation alternative shipping fuels

It would be the 10th consecutive year the carrier has reported a profit as it capitalized on increasing demand supported by elevated rates.

The planned development in Eastern Canada marks the latest stage in a nearly two-year-old partnership between the company and the Class I railroad.

Ports in the UK are already seeing rising operational delays as a string of storms moves in from the Atlantic and major ports in Europe issue high wind warnings.

EPCs say that tariffs enforced after project costs are finalized not only impact the bottom line but in some cases destroy the viability of a project, hitting volumes in the breakbulk trade.

The comments by Louis Sola during a Senate hearing come amid rising US scrutiny of Chinese influence over the crucial waterway.

The former Wisconsin congressman and Fox Business host was confirmed by a 77-22 vote on Tuesday.

Liners believe they left money on the table in 2024–25 service contracts, sources tell the Journal of Commerce, and are putting up opening quotes about 25% higher than a year ago in their initial talks with customers.

The arrangement allows international carriers to transship domestic import and export cargoes at Shanghai’s Yangshan deepwater port from selected ports in northern China.

China celebrates the Year of the Snake Tuesday, and while there is always a move to get export orders on the water before the holidays, the push this year came earlier than expected.