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The unknowns surrounding US tariffs and proposed fees on Chinese tonnage is forcing ship owners to take a wait-and-see approach to ordering new vessels.

Speakers at the conference in New Orleans agreed that recent volatility has yet to significantly slow projects or investments in the project cargo sector.

The closure of freighter slots at the airport beginning in August is expected to last several months because of an estimated $1 billion investment plan launched by port operator Adani Airport Holding.

The latest deals will increase the total number of methanol-enabled ships Wan Hai has on order to 32, worth a total of almost $5 billion.

F. Paul De Maria will become the new CEO of the group representing ocean carriers and marine terminal operators at East and Gulf coast ports.

The award is less than the electronics giant sought in its complaint against Zim over detention and demurrage billing, a case that saw the judge chide Zim’s billing practices.

S&P Global’s Flash PMI for April, released Thursday, shows that economic output in the developed world hit its lowest point since 2023, boding poorly for container growth this year.

The companies say it is important to be agile with capacity deployment if there is a significant decline in volumes crossing the docks at Los Angeles and Long Beach amid the trade conflict with China.

Carriers and importers are dealing with confusion over how tariffs in general, and the trade war between Washington and Beijing specifically, will affect commerce on the US’ busiest trade lane over the next 12 months.

US tariffs on China and the 90-day pause on tariffs imposed by Washington on a host of other countries made it difficult to assess how the market would develop this year, according to the forwarder’s CEO.

The analyst downgraded its container handling outlook following similar moves on global and US economic growth by the IMF and WTO this week.

The president of the second-largest US LTL provider sees Amazon’s decision to offer its vendors LTL service as an opportunity for ODFL to move more retail freight.

Shippers need to collect and share accurate shipment data and even rethink some shipping processes ahead of July 19 changes to LTL classification, experts tell the Journal of Commerce.

The carrier said its Gemini Cooperation alliance with Maersk is not resorting to blanked voyages to deal with the downturn, but it did redeploy ships to deal with demand changes.

Amid the US-China trade dispute, inquiries for bonded storage north of the border have increased four-fold this month, according to one Canada-based third-party logistics provider.

Demand for light vehicles and components began 2025 on a sour note amid rising production costs, tariff uncertainty and projections for slower US economic growth.

HHG imports rose almost 20% in 2024, fueled in part by home remodeling, but US tariffs on China and Vietnam could reverse that gain.

Shippers and ocean carriers told the Journal of Commerce they are reviewing the USTR actions to estimate how the fees will flow down to freight costs.

US electronics imports are riding a wave of cyclical replacement, but tariffs could bring on an ebb tide.

Qatar, IAG and MASkargo plan to get their trilateral partnership off the ground as soon as regulatory approval is secured.

But executives at both northern range hubs highlighted the extreme volatility of the first three months and the US tariff-driven uncertainty that lies ahead.

Disruption caused by trade wars will reach deep into global supply chains, depressing an already uncertain outlook for the US freight economy.

The increase in blank sailings coincides with the Port of Los Angeles’ expectation that container volumes will plunge 14% month over month in week 18 and 38.6% in week 19.

The alcoholic beverage industry is in decline as consumer tastes change, which is being felt in the import business as it deals with flat volumes.

The very idea of the United States getting back into shipbuilding at scale shows an erosion in acceptance of the concept of global trade, specifically comparative advantage.

Apparel importers are concerned that tariffs on China will do harm given more than 4 out of every 10 shipments of the product come from China.

US maritime regulators’ decision to add the multipurpose vessel operator to the controlled-carrier list comes amid a wider US-China trade dispute.

In addition to various ongoing supply chain disruptions that US agricultural shippers face, they must now contend with the highly volatile tariff environment that is forcing them to seek new markets for their products.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) laid out actions to counter China’s maritime dominance that could put Cosco Shipping and subsidiary OOCL on the hook for millions when their ships call the US.

While not ideal, the agreement reached at the IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee at least puts a price on global emissions that will help narrow the yawning cost gap between fossil fuels and greener alternatives.

Some – but not all – LTL trucking companies are handling more imports as US tariffs take effect, but the market is otherwise weak, carriers and analysts say.

Carriers in the specialized cargo sector are designing contracts that would shift the cost of the US’ possible tax on Chinese tonnage to heavy-lift and project cargo shippers.

Multiple sources who spoke with the Journal of Commerce say Chinese exporters facing demand headwinds in the US due to soaring tariffs will likely attempt to dump inventory stocks in other markets, with India widely viewed as a key target.

While no surge in volume has been reported on the trade lane, capacity deployment data shows ocean carriers are expecting an increase in demand over the coming weeks as shippers use the 90-day tariff pause to advance US orders.

A lawsuit filed this month by the port authority claims the council’s recent rezoning of industrial land could eventually lead to the development of residential units and an increase in vehicular traffic in the harbor area.

The export decline is already showing up in some data, with bookings for US exports to China for the week of April 8–15 down 5.4% from the prior week.

But the largest US intermodal provider said customers have not yet meaningfully adjusted their freight forecasts, and shippers continue to tender the quantity of loads outlined in their contracts.

With the door to US trade effectively slammed shut by tariffs, Chinese manufacturers are urgently looking for alternative markets in which to offload their surplus inventory.

US tariffs are forcing shippers in Mexico to rethink global sourcing and logistics strategies as complying with the USMCA becomes more complex.

Virginia continues to add infrastructure to its marine terminals as part of the port’s plan to handle mega-max vessels once dredging is finished late in 2025.