<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">U.S. West Coast ports have arrived at a “crossroads” in 2014, according to the head of the Pacific Maritime Association.</div>

U.S. West Coast ports have arrived at a “crossroads” in 2014, according to the head of the Pacific Maritime Association.

<div>U.S. West Coast ports have arrived at a “crossroads” in 2014, according to the head of the Pacific Maritime Association.In the next 12 months, U.S. West Coast ports will have to continue their fight for market share in the Asia-Pacific trade in the face of potential labor instability, productivity challenges and emerging competitive threats such as the expansion of the Panama Canal and growing volumes to the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal.However, James McKenna, president and CEO of the PMA, said in JOC’s 2014 Annual Review and Outlook that 2014 represents an opportunity for West Coast ports to...

U.S. West Coast ports have arrived at a “crossroads” in 2014, according to the head of the Pacific Maritime Association. In the next 12 months, U.S. West Coast ports will have to continue their fight for market share in the Asia-Pacific trade in the face of potential labor instability, productivity challenges and emerging competitive threats such as the expansion of the Panama Canal and growing volumes to the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal. However, James McKenna, president and CEO of the PMA, said in JOC’s 2014 Annual Review and Outlook that 2014 represents an opportunity for West Coast ports to solidify their position as the “gateway of choice” for goods being sent to and from Asia. West Coast ports will be well-positioned if a new longshore labor contract can be negotiated this spring without disurption on the docks and if bigger ships now calling at West Coast ports can be handled efficiently. PMA, which represents West Coast shipping companies and terminal operators in their dealings with longshore labor, will be tasked with negotiating a new labor contract with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents West Coast dockworkers. The talks are set to begin in April in preparation for the expiration of the parties’ current six-year labor contract on June 30. If negotiations turn sour, as they did in the 2002 and 2008 negotiations, there may be delays to container movements, and the reputation of West Coast ports as effective gateways for trade could suffer. “It will be a milestone year as the ILWU-PMA labor agreement is up for renewal,” agreed Bill Wyatt, Port of Portland’s executive director, in his ARO essay. “Though the issues are complex and the stakes high, the ability to find new solutions to old problems is within our collective reach.” The upcoming contract talks between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association will focus on two major issues: the tax employers will have to pay under Obamacare on ILWU members’ Cadillac health care plan and jurisdiction by the ILWU over jobs performed by members of other unions in and around West Coast ports. Issues resulting from the potential loss of jobs due to technology and automation will also be a primary concern. In 2013, strikes, work slowdowns and sometimes violent picketing by office clerical workers in Southern California and ILWU container and grain-handler workers in Oakland, Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest made West Coast ports seem unstable . The success of the ILWU labor negotiations this year could be critical for West Coast ports that need to prove to carriers and their customers that they are reliable. Meanwhile, ships’ ever growing sizes will also continue to challenge ports’ productivity. As carriers have increasingly been turning to mega-ships to cut costs, the ability of ports to handle these vessels efficiently has become crucial to carriers, as well retail importers. Market shares of major West Coast ports in the third quarter of 2013. Full-size image "Big ships will continue to dominate the horizon for ports worldwide in 2014 and beyond,” said Al Moro, acting executive director of the Port of Long Beach, in the JOC’s upcoming ARO. “The key to a port’s competitiveness will be its ability to accommodate the latest generation of large container ships.” For example, the Port of Portland, Ore., could lose its biggest container carrier, Hanjin Shipping, as a result of issues with productivity. The Korea-based carrier last fall threatened to stop calling at Portland in order to cut costs following a protracted local jurisdictional dispute between the ILWU and electrical workers over reefer handling jobs. The dispute drove down productivity for Hanjin's ship calls to some of the lowest levels in North America. “The biggest issue for ports given all that’s going this year and larger trends is gateway-level productivity leading to customer value,” said Chris Lytle, Port of Oakland’s executive director, in JOC’s ARO. “Part of the equation is terminal productivity and efficiency, which will be critically important to retention of existing business and attracting new business as ports continue to compete for cargo volume.” Carriers are already beginning to favor ports that can process their mega-ships efficiently. For example, the largest vessels that carriers deploy in the U.S. trades call in Los Angeles-Long Beach inbound and Oakland outbound. It appears that carriers are pushing more cargo through these California gateways than the Pacific Northwest in an attempt to realize greater utilization of the mega-ships. According to Alphaliner, in Southern California, ships of 8,000 TEUs are very common now, vessels of 10,000 TEUs are relatively common and ships of 12,000 to 14,000 TEUs capacity are beginning to be deployed. In the Pacific Northwest, vessels of 5,000 to 8,000 TEUs capacity are common. West Coast ports’ market share in the last three years has declined, while East Coast and Gulf Coast ports’ market share has simultaneously increased. Full-size image McKenna also said that other competitive threats include expanding ports in Canada and Mexico, as well as new Asia-to-East Coast services via the Suez Canal, given the possibility of a further delay in the construction of the Panama Canal expansion. Furthermore, retailers have been expanding distribution centers in the eastern half of the U.S., which will also chip away at West Coast ports’ competitive position. “All of these alternatives have the potential to disrupt the long established patterns through West Coast ports,” McKenna said. It's not all bad news though. Despite these challenges, West Coast ports recovered market share from Canada and Mexico in the third quarter of 2013, with 81.5 percent of overall traffic, up 0.8 percentage point year-over-year. In addition, in the first 11 months of 2013, total loaded import and export containers at West Coast ports were up 2 percent year-over-year.

North American ports

West Coast Ports to See New Threats in the New Year

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">‘Spectacular’ growth at the Persian Gulf terminal has brought forward expansion plans that will increase handling capacity by almost 50%.</div>

‘Spectacular’ growth at the Persian Gulf terminal has brought forward expansion plans that will increase handling capacity by almost 50%.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">CMA CGM and joint venture partner AD Ports said Tuesday they will add almost 1 million TEUs of capacity to their terminal in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port with the facility already at full capacity just 11 months after opening. Strong demand since the December 2024 launch of CMA Terminals Khalifa Port brought forward expansion plans by joint venture partners CMA Terminals (70%) and Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group (30%). Christine Cabau, executive vice president of operations and assets at CMA CGM, said the growth at the Persian Gulf terminal has been “spectacular.” “After 10 months of operations, the terminal has already reached full capacity and has led us to the decision of accelerating phase two deployment to meet the demand,” Cabau said in a statement. The $115 million cost of the expansion will be shared pro-rata between the partners. It is scheduled for completion in early 2028 and will grow the terminal’s capacity by almost 50% from 1.8 million TEUs to 2.7 million TEUs, increasing Khalifa Port’s overall container handling by 9% to 10.5 million TEUs annually. The work will extend the quay wall length by 50% from 800 meters to 1,200 meters and expand the yard area by more than 40% from 46 hectares to 67 hectares. Advanced reefer racks will be added to support refrigerated container storage. <h3>AD Ports growth </h3>The Khalifa Port expansion comes just a week after AD Ports took a 20% stake in the CMA CGM-operated <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/cma-cgm-accelerates-232-million-syrian-med-port-expansion-project-6066188">Latakia International Container Terminal in Syria</a>. The two companies are also involved in the joint venture development of a multipurpose cargo terminal in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo. AD Ports acquired Spain’s Noatum Logistics in 2023, and through its strategic partnerships with CMA CGM, the Abu Dhabi group is following in the footsteps of larger Dubai-based neighbor DP World in growing its end-to-end reach across the container shipping sector. Former DB Schenker CEO Jochen Thewes has been appointed CEO of AD Ports’ logistics cluster and will take office in December. Thewes’ role will be “to build on the success of Noatum Logistics...unlocking the full potential of its integrated trade and logistics ecosystem,” AD Ports said in a statement. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

CMA CGM and joint venture partner AD Ports said Tuesday they will add almost 1 million TEUs of capacity to their terminal in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port with the facility already at full capacity just 11 months after opening. Strong demand since the December 2024 launch of CMA Terminals Khalifa Port brought forward expansion plans by joint venture partners CMA Terminals (70%) and Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group (30%). Christine Cabau, executive vice president of operations and assets at CMA CGM, said the growth at the Persian Gulf terminal has been “spectacular.” “After 10 months of operations, the terminal has already reached full capacity and has led us to the decision of accelerating phase two deployment to meet the demand,” Cabau said in a statement. The $115 million cost of the expansion will be shared pro-rata between the partners. It is scheduled for completion in early 2028 and will grow the terminal’s capacity by almost 50% from 1.8 million TEUs to 2.7 million TEUs, increasing Khalifa Port’s overall container handling by 9% to 10.5 million TEUs annually. The work will extend the quay wall length by 50% from 800 meters to 1,200 meters and expand the yard area by more than 40% from 46 hectares to 67 hectares. Advanced reefer racks will be added to support refrigerated container storage. AD Ports growth The Khalifa Port expansion comes just a week after AD Ports took a 20% stake in the CMA CGM-operated Latakia International Container Terminal in Syria . The two companies are also involved in the joint venture development of a multipurpose cargo terminal in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo. AD Ports acquired Spain’s Noatum Logistics in 2023, and through its strategic partnerships with CMA CGM, the Abu Dhabi group is following in the footsteps of larger Dubai-based neighbor DP World in growing its end-to-end reach across the container shipping sector. Former DB Schenker CEO Jochen Thewes has been appointed CEO of AD Ports’ logistics cluster and will take office in December. Thewes’ role will be “to build on the success of Noatum Logistics...unlocking the full potential of its integrated trade and logistics ecosystem,” AD Ports said in a statement. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Container lines

Forwarding

International ports

Maritime

CMA CGM to expand Abu Dhabi terminal as capacity maxes out

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Cargo owners typically balk at paying more for ocean transport, but the significantly improving schedule reliability from the Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd partnership is getting the attention of the market.</div>

Cargo owners typically balk at paying more for ocean transport, but the significantly improving schedule reliability from the Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd partnership is getting the attention of the market.

<div class="phx-topic">Talk of a premium charge from Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd for the superior schedule reliability being achieved by the alliance since its launch in February is receiving a mixed reaction from the market. Executives from the two carriers have recently been extolling the value created by allowing customers to take one or two weeks’ worth of inventory out of their supply chains, but not all shippers are convinced. At a Hamburg conference for beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) organized by shipper network ShiftX last week, attendees appeared to be split into two camps — those who question why they should pay more to have their containers delivered on time, and those who ship products where on-time delivery represents value. “But it’s all about plannability,” Antonios Rigalos, managing partner of ShiftX, told the Journal of Commerce. “BCOs would rather build up inventory than be left with not enough stock, so the transit time is important, but the schedules need to be reliable.” The supply chain director for a European retailer said even though planning was crucial, a premium charge simply for delivering on time in a scheduled weekly service would not be well received. “As long as we can plan, it’s manageable,” the source said. “What doesn’t work is if we plan for 40 days and our containers arrive in 70 days, or the other way around. Accurate is more important than faster and we need to be able to predict arrivals.” The opposite held true for a European furniture importer. He agreed that accurate schedules were important, but added that there was significant value to be unlocked by carriers providing shorter lead times and ocean transits. “From the purchase order to delivery, the faster the goods arrive in Europe, the faster our customers get their deliveries,” the importer said. “Our products are seasonal, so there are narrow timelines ahead of the high season as well as in the low season when we build up stocks. “These are high volumetric products so there are not that many products in a container or stored in destination warehouses, and any extension of the lead time will have a significant price impact on the final customer,” he added. Gemini was designed to achieve a target of 90% schedule reliability with its fully phased in network. According to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis, Gemini’s on-time performance across all arrivals was at 89.1% in September, while global schedule reliability was about 65%. <h3>Reliability ‘a fundamental cost of service’ </h3>While shippers are typically resistant to paying more for ocean transport, improved schedule reliability came with significant cost benefits, according to Wolfgang Lehmacher, a global supply chain strategist. “Reliability has long commanded a premium in the express sector, where I invested for years, because predictability drives value creation,” Lehmacher told the Journal of Commerce. “In ocean freight, resistance to [Gemini’s] stance reveals an industry still habituated to mediocrity,” he said. “As performance becomes measurable and differentiation clear, the debate shifts from being about paying more to recognizing that reliability is a fundamental cost of service, not an unexpected ask.” The delta between the reliability of Gemini and its rivals will allow Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to place a price on the improved service levels, Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hapag-lloyd-refining-gemini-network-to-improve-efficiencies-habben-jansen-6115582">during a third-quarter earnings call with analysts last week</a>. “We will come with the introduction of a new quality promise for on-time delivery on a box level because that’s, in the end, the ultimate promise to customers that we will deliver their box on time,” Habben Jansen said. “The next step is to make sure we continue to grow volume on the back of an excellent product and also make sure we get adequately paid for that,” he added. “Because if we can help our customers to run their supply chains a lot better, then that must be more efficient for them as it allows them to take out inventory. And of course, we would like also to be adequately paid for that.” Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc had the same message in his <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/value-unlocked-by-gemini-will-clear-path-for-premium-charge-maersk-ceo-6111339">third-quarter earnings call earlier this month</a>. He said conversations with customers around a premium were already underway, but the current on-time performance would need to be sustained before such a charge could be rolled out. “We need to be certain that we have a long enough track record that it unlocks value for them [shippers], that we can then capture some of that value for us,” Clerc told analysts. “For instance, today every customer has buffer stock, and that reliability needs to unlock a reduction in that buffer stock,” he added. “They need to trust that [Gemini] has weathered sufficient ups and downs and is steady [so] that they can take out some of that buffer stock.” Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Talk of a premium charge from Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd for the superior schedule reliability being achieved by the alliance since its launch in February is receiving a mixed reaction from the market. Executives from the two carriers have recently been extolling the value created by allowing customers to take one or two weeks’ worth of inventory out of their supply chains, but not all shippers are convinced. At a Hamburg conference for beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) organized by shipper network ShiftX last week, attendees appeared to be split into two camps — those who question why they should pay more to have their containers delivered on time, and those who ship products where on-time delivery represents value. “But it’s all about plannability,” Antonios Rigalos, managing partner of ShiftX, told the Journal of Commerce. “BCOs would rather build up inventory than be left with not enough stock, so the transit time is important, but the schedules need to be reliable.” The supply chain director for a European retailer said even though planning was crucial, a premium charge simply for delivering on time in a scheduled weekly service would not be well received. “As long as we can plan, it’s manageable,” the source said. “What doesn’t work is if we plan for 40 days and our containers arrive in 70 days, or the other way around. Accurate is more important than faster and we need to be able to predict arrivals.” The opposite held true for a European furniture importer. He agreed that accurate schedules were important, but added that there was significant value to be unlocked by carriers providing shorter lead times and ocean transits. “From the purchase order to delivery, the faster the goods arrive in Europe, the faster our customers get their deliveries,” the importer said. “Our products are seasonal, so there are narrow timelines ahead of the high season as well as in the low season when we build up stocks. “These are high volumetric products so there are not that many products in a container or stored in destination warehouses, and any extension of the lead time will have a significant price impact on the final customer,” he added. Gemini was designed to achieve a target of 90% schedule reliability with its fully phased in network. According to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis, Gemini’s on-time performance across all arrivals was at 89.1% in September, while global schedule reliability was about 65%. Reliability ‘a fundamental cost of service’ While shippers are typically resistant to paying more for ocean transport, improved schedule reliability came with significant cost benefits, according to Wolfgang Lehmacher, a global supply chain strategist. “Reliability has long commanded a premium in the express sector, where I invested for years, because predictability drives value creation,” Lehmacher told the Journal of Commerce. “In ocean freight, resistance to [Gemini’s] stance reveals an industry still habituated to mediocrity,” he said. “As performance becomes measurable and differentiation clear, the debate shifts from being about paying more to recognizing that reliability is a fundamental cost of service, not an unexpected ask.” The delta between the reliability of Gemini and its rivals will allow Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to place a price on the improved service levels, Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said during a third-quarter earnings call with analysts last week . “We will come with the introduction of a new quality promise for on-time delivery on a box level because that’s, in the end, the ultimate promise to customers that we will deliver their box on time,” Habben Jansen said. “The next step is to make sure we continue to grow volume on the back of an excellent product and also make sure we get adequately paid for that,” he added. “Because if we can help our customers to run their supply chains a lot better, then that must be more efficient for them as it allows them to take out inventory. And of course, we would like also to be adequately paid for that.” Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc had the same message in his third-quarter earnings call earlier this month . He said conversations with customers around a premium were already underway, but the current on-time performance would need to be sustained before such a charge could be rolled out. “We need to be certain that we have a long enough track record that it unlocks value for them [shippers], that we can then capture some of that value for us,” Clerc told analysts. “For instance, today every customer has buffer stock, and that reliability needs to unlock a reduction in that buffer stock,” he added. “They need to trust that [Gemini] has weathered sufficient ups and downs and is steady [so] that they can take out some of that buffer stock.” Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Shippers split as Gemini floats premium charge on reliability

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The move represents the latest effort by the two railroads to jointly convince shippers to shift more truckload freight to rail by addressing intermodal’s slower transits. </div>

The move represents the latest effort by the two railroads to jointly convince shippers to shift more truckload freight to rail by addressing intermodal’s slower transits.

<div class="phx-topic">BNSF Railway and CSX Transportation on Monday partnered to launch service upgrades featuring new trains and faster transits from Southern California to the Ohio Valley and Northeast, in most cases slashing more than a day off prior transits. The moves represent <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/bnsf-csx-unveil-new-joint-intermodal-lanes-in-aftermath-of-up-ns-merger-6067789">the latest effort by the two railroads to jointly convince shippers</a> to shift more truckload freight to rail by addressing intermodal’s slower transits. Nine lanes are covered in the latest upgrades, including a new service from Southern California to Louisville and Philadelphia. The other seven pre-existing routes will see an average savings of nearly 32 hours less in transit. Trains will run five days per week, originating from BNSF’s Hobart terminal just outside of downtown Los Angeles. The new BNSF-CSX partnership comes months after the two railroads announced a joint “single-line like” service from Los Angeles to Charlotte and Jacksonville and Phoenix to Atlanta. Unlike that service, however, which is a straight train all the way through, the latest partnership will include breaking down trains and building new ones in CSX’s terminal in North Baltimore, Ohio. The joint upgrades come as Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway seek to merge in an $85 billion transaction that would create a single-line railroad covering the US coast to coast. Major, high-volume lanes will benefit from the BNSF-CSX moves. From Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio, the expedited service will be 28 hours faster, to Newark (Kearny) 32 hours, and to Springfield, Massachusetts, 52 hours faster. “These new schedules offer even more immediate value for our customers today by increasing speed, flexibility and optionality while delivering integrated service for freight moving across the US,” BNSF <a href="https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/customer-notifications/notification.page?notId=faster-coast-to-coast-solutions-bnsf-and-csx-launch-new-intermodal-schedules-to-ohio-valley-and-northeast">wrote in an advisory</a> announcing the service upgrades. <h3>Using trains with fewer crew changes </h3>BNSF and CSX say they will provide the better service in two ways. First, BNSF has converted trains to expedited trains, known as “Z” trains, which have fewer crew changes along the way and may travel at faster speeds. Secondly, BNSF and CSX will take all trains to a CSX terminal in Northwest Ohio where major work will be done to reconfigure the trains. No work will occur in Chicago, where cross-town drays between two rail terminals often add a day or more to the transit. The BNSF intermodal trains will still run through Chicago, being handed off to a CSX crew at 59th Street before continuing onward to Ohio. Upon reaching Northwest Ohio, CSX would then build trains for Columbus and Louisville, a train for Newark (Kearny) with a stop in Philadelphia, and a train to Springfield with a stop in Syracuse. BNSF and CSX will also be able to ramp up service to Newark and Philadelphia next year once double-stack intermodal service through Baltimore launches next spring. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

BNSF Railway and CSX Transportation on Monday partnered to launch service upgrades featuring new trains and faster transits from Southern California to the Ohio Valley and Northeast, in most cases slashing more than a day off prior transits. The moves represent the latest effort by the two railroads to jointly convince shippers to shift more truckload freight to rail by addressing intermodal’s slower transits. Nine lanes are covered in the latest upgrades, including a new service from Southern California to Louisville and Philadelphia. The other seven pre-existing routes will see an average savings of nearly 32 hours less in transit. Trains will run five days per week, originating from BNSF’s Hobart terminal just outside of downtown Los Angeles. The new BNSF-CSX partnership comes months after the two railroads announced a joint “single-line like” service from Los Angeles to Charlotte and Jacksonville and Phoenix to Atlanta. Unlike that service, however, which is a straight train all the way through, the latest partnership will include breaking down trains and building new ones in CSX’s terminal in North Baltimore, Ohio. The joint upgrades come as Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway seek to merge in an $85 billion transaction that would create a single-line railroad covering the US coast to coast. Major, high-volume lanes will benefit from the BNSF-CSX moves. From Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio, the expedited service will be 28 hours faster, to Newark (Kearny) 32 hours, and to Springfield, Massachusetts, 52 hours faster. “These new schedules offer even more immediate value for our customers today by increasing speed, flexibility and optionality while delivering integrated service for freight moving across the US,” BNSF wrote in an advisory announcing the service upgrades. Using trains with fewer crew changes BNSF and CSX say they will provide the better service in two ways. First, BNSF has converted trains to expedited trains, known as “Z” trains, which have fewer crew changes along the way and may travel at faster speeds. Secondly, BNSF and CSX will take all trains to a CSX terminal in Northwest Ohio where major work will be done to reconfigure the trains. No work will occur in Chicago, where cross-town drays between two rail terminals often add a day or more to the transit. The BNSF intermodal trains will still run through Chicago, being handed off to a CSX crew at 59th Street before continuing onward to Ohio. Upon reaching Northwest Ohio, CSX would then build trains for Columbus and Louisville, a train for Newark (Kearny) with a stop in Philadelphia, and a train to Springfield with a stop in Syracuse. BNSF and CSX will also be able to ramp up service to Newark and Philadelphia next year once double-stack intermodal service through Baltimore launches next spring. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

Rail News

North-American rail

Surface

BNSF, CSX launch faster cross-country intermodal service

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Stephen Edwards’ five-year tenure at Norfolk is marked by major capacity expansions at its two marine terminals, along with new vessel and rail services. </div>

Stephen Edwards’ five-year tenure at Norfolk is marked by major capacity expansions at its two marine terminals, along with new vessel and rail services.

<div class="phx-topic">Stephen Edwards is stepping down as leader of the Port of Virginia after having overseen the port during its recent push to serve ultra-large container ships. The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) said Monday that Edwards will vacate his role as the port’s chief executive at the end of 2025, with Chief Administrative Office Sarah McCoy assuming the role on an interim basis. Edwards, who will be taking a role in the private sector, has led the port since January 2021 after a three-year stint as the head of West Coast marine terminal operator TraPac. During his time at Norfolk, Edwards oversaw more than $1 billion in capital spending that expanded the port’s capacity. In 2022, the port completed $800 million in upgrades to its two container terminals, including new cranes for handling ultra-large container ships. In May 2023, the port’s board of commissioners approved another $150 million for the expansion of container service to Norfolk International Terminals’ (NIT’s) north berth. After securing <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/federal-funds-kickstart-virginias-inner-harbor-dredging-project-5243365">the federal funding two years earlier</a>, the Port of Virginia completed <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/capital-upgrades-ready-usec-ports-for-another-year-of-growth-5913772">the dredging of its harbor to 55 feet</a> in 2024, making it the deepest port on the East Coast. The port has also become a major intermodal gateway along the US East Coast after having completed <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/port-of-virginia-to-begin-nit-rail-expansion-in-february-5219652">an $80 million expansion of the NIT’s rail capacity</a>. Following that expansion, Hapag-Lloyd started offering <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/hapag-lloyd-offering-new-westbound-rail-service-from-port-of-virginia-5218837">trans-Atlantic shippers inland intermodal service to the US West Coast</a> via the Virginia gateway. Edwards also played a role in renegotiating the port’s lease for the Virginia International Gateway (VIG) terminal with its owner Alinda Capital Partners through 2065. In February, the VPA secured an option to buy VIG at a pre-determined price and have greater investment and operational control of the site. Thanks to the pandemic-era surge, Virginia’s container volumes have grown at an average annual rate of 5.7% between 2021 and 2024. Virginia has also been <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/chinas-ports-still-lead-performance-rankings-while-indias-move-higher-cppi-5213974">one of the top ranked US ports</a> in the annual Container Port Performance Index published by the World Bank and S&amp;P Global, parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Stephen Edwards is stepping down as leader of the Port of Virginia after having overseen the port during its recent push to serve ultra-large container ships. The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) said Monday that Edwards will vacate his role as the port’s chief executive at the end of 2025, with Chief Administrative Office Sarah McCoy assuming the role on an interim basis. Edwards, who will be taking a role in the private sector, has led the port since January 2021 after a three-year stint as the head of West Coast marine terminal operator TraPac. During his time at Norfolk, Edwards oversaw more than $1 billion in capital spending that expanded the port’s capacity. In 2022, the port completed $800 million in upgrades to its two container terminals, including new cranes for handling ultra-large container ships. In May 2023, the port’s board of commissioners approved another $150 million for the expansion of container service to Norfolk International Terminals’ (NIT’s) north berth. After securing the federal funding two years earlier , the Port of Virginia completed the dredging of its harbor to 55 feet in 2024, making it the deepest port on the East Coast. The port has also become a major intermodal gateway along the US East Coast after having completed an $80 million expansion of the NIT’s rail capacity . Following that expansion, Hapag-Lloyd started offering trans-Atlantic shippers inland intermodal service to the US West Coast via the Virginia gateway. Edwards also played a role in renegotiating the port’s lease for the Virginia International Gateway (VIG) terminal with its owner Alinda Capital Partners through 2065. In February, the VPA secured an option to buy VIG at a pre-determined price and have greater investment and operational control of the site. Thanks to the pandemic-era surge, Virginia’s container volumes have grown at an average annual rate of 5.7% between 2021 and 2024. Virginia has also been one of the top ranked US ports in the annual Container Port Performance Index published by the World Bank and S&P Global, parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Port News

CEO Edwards leaving Port of Virginia at end of year

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The yawning imbalance between China’s imports and exports is another way functional ocean capacity, like with port congestion, is being sapped by forces beyond the control of ocean carriers. </div>

The yawning imbalance between China’s imports and exports is another way functional ocean capacity, like with port congestion, is being sapped by forces beyond the control of ocean carriers.

<div class="phx-topic">The widening imbalance between what China exports and imports is beginning to absorb functional container ship tonnage, requiring more container equipment and handling. Manufacturers in China have been able to find new export markets outside of the United States since Washington launched an onslaught of tariffs in April, and, notably, kept growing those markets even as domestic consumption lags. The ratio of China exports to imports in the last two years has steadily risen from 3.12 to 3.29, according to a 12-month rolling analysis of data from Container Trade Statistics (CTS). <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6118381_0.1.jpg"></img></div>“The momentum [out of China] is strong,” Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc said during the carrier’s Nov. 6 third-quarter earnings call. “The consequence for us is not only the resilience of demand growth, which will contribute to absorbing some of the new capacity coming online, but also the increased trade imbalance that it is causing, which over time will lead to higher production costs and lower asset intensity for the industry.” The yawning imbalance between China’s import and exports is another way functional ocean capacity, like with port congestion, is being sapped by forces beyond the control of ocean carriers. Those factors blunting functional tonnage will grow in importance as overcapacity — at least as measured conventionally in terms of deployed tonnage and ocean demand — is set to expand next year, deepening the industry downcycle. Global volume demand is forecast to expand 2.5% to 3.5% next year, compared with the 4.5% to 5.5% expected growth in 2025, according to shipowner association BIMCO. Global container capacity will be up 7.3% by the end of this year compared with 2024 and will grow 3.1% year over year in 2026, BIMCO says. China continues to drive container volume growth. The country’s export volumes through the first nine months of this year and last have jumped 20% year over year, according to CTS. In the face of US tariffs of approximately 47%, exporters in China have expanded their reach and depth into Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. But the Chinese government’s efforts to increased domestic consumption, fueling imports, have yet to spur consumers to significantly up their spending. China’s domestic consumption accounted for 39% of gross domestic product in 2023, according to the Hinrich Foundation, a nonprofit supporting trade. Comparably, US domestic consumption accounted for 68% of GDP in 2023. Notably, China’s manufacturing output and retail sales in October expanded at their slowest pace in a year, according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Chinese container trade is growing 4%, driven by exports expanding 7%, thus creating “this dichotomy that there is between head-haul growth and average growth ... absorbing a lot more capacity,” Clerc said. As a result, the delivery this year of new tonnage — more than 2.2 million TEUs, according to the global order book — isn’t increasing overcapacity “as brutally as one would suspect” Maersk’s CEO said. <h3>Empty nautical miles </h3>Meanwhile, the imbalance of import and export flows is expanding globally, with 41% of containers moving without cargo, according to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis’ Sept. 14 “Sunday Spotlight” report. Just six years ago, a little less than one-third of container equipment was shipped without cargo, according to the analysis of CTS data. “Clearly, the Red Sea crisis has made a strong impact on the average sailing distance for an empty container, showing that it is not just a relative increase versus the full loads, but also an additional absolute increase in the work needed,” wrote Sea-Intelligence CEO Alan Murphy. Given that, the cost of handling empty containers, from having to reposition them more often and ultimately needing more equipment in total to support laden containers, has increased, Murphy said. The impact of China’s growing import-export imbalance in terms of soaking up tonnage and container equipment capacity, however, may have limited staying power. And the industry has its own levers still to pull, said Clerc. For example, just eight vessels, totaling 4,130 TEUs of capacity, have been scrapped thus far in 2025, according to BIMCO. “There is pent-up demand for [scrapping],” Clerc said. “And so I think over time, we will see that some of the levers that so far have come at us, whether it was higher demand from China or sailing around the Cape of Good Hope or COVID, this will fade away, and we’ll be back to having to use the tools that we normally use in the industry, which [are] scrapping, idling, slow steaming and so on.” Contact Mark Szakonyi at <a href="mailto:mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com">mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The widening imbalance between what China exports and imports is beginning to absorb functional container ship tonnage, requiring more container equipment and handling. Manufacturers in China have been able to find new export markets outside of the United States since Washington launched an onslaught of tariffs in April, and, notably, kept growing those markets even as domestic consumption lags. The ratio of China exports to imports in the last two years has steadily risen from 3.12 to 3.29, according to a 12-month rolling analysis of data from Container Trade Statistics (CTS). “The momentum [out of China] is strong,” Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc said during the carrier’s Nov. 6 third-quarter earnings call. “The consequence for us is not only the resilience of demand growth, which will contribute to absorbing some of the new capacity coming online, but also the increased trade imbalance that it is causing, which over time will lead to higher production costs and lower asset intensity for the industry.” The yawning imbalance between China’s import and exports is another way functional ocean capacity, like with port congestion, is being sapped by forces beyond the control of ocean carriers. Those factors blunting functional tonnage will grow in importance as overcapacity — at least as measured conventionally in terms of deployed tonnage and ocean demand — is set to expand next year, deepening the industry downcycle. Global volume demand is forecast to expand 2.5% to 3.5% next year, compared with the 4.5% to 5.5% expected growth in 2025, according to shipowner association BIMCO. Global container capacity will be up 7.3% by the end of this year compared with 2024 and will grow 3.1% year over year in 2026, BIMCO says. China continues to drive container volume growth. The country’s export volumes through the first nine months of this year and last have jumped 20% year over year, according to CTS. In the face of US tariffs of approximately 47%, exporters in China have expanded their reach and depth into Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. But the Chinese government’s efforts to increased domestic consumption, fueling imports, have yet to spur consumers to significantly up their spending. China’s domestic consumption accounted for 39% of gross domestic product in 2023, according to the Hinrich Foundation, a nonprofit supporting trade. Comparably, US domestic consumption accounted for 68% of GDP in 2023. Notably, China’s manufacturing output and retail sales in October expanded at their slowest pace in a year, according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Chinese container trade is growing 4%, driven by exports expanding 7%, thus creating “this dichotomy that there is between head-haul growth and average growth ... absorbing a lot more capacity,” Clerc said. As a result, the delivery this year of new tonnage — more than 2.2 million TEUs, according to the global order book — isn’t increasing overcapacity “as brutally as one would suspect” Maersk’s CEO said. Empty nautical miles Meanwhile, the imbalance of import and export flows is expanding globally, with 41% of containers moving without cargo, according to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis’ Sept. 14 “Sunday Spotlight” report. Just six years ago, a little less than one-third of container equipment was shipped without cargo, according to the analysis of CTS data. “Clearly, the Red Sea crisis has made a strong impact on the average sailing distance for an empty container, showing that it is not just a relative increase versus the full loads, but also an additional absolute increase in the work needed,” wrote Sea-Intelligence CEO Alan Murphy. Given that, the cost of handling empty containers, from having to reposition them more often and ultimately needing more equipment in total to support laden containers, has increased, Murphy said. The impact of China’s growing import-export imbalance in terms of soaking up tonnage and container equipment capacity, however, may have limited staying power. And the industry has its own levers still to pull, said Clerc. For example, just eight vessels, totaling 4,130 TEUs of capacity, have been scrapped thus far in 2025, according to BIMCO. “There is pent-up demand for [scrapping],” Clerc said. “And so I think over time, we will see that some of the levers that so far have come at us, whether it was higher demand from China or sailing around the Cape of Good Hope or COVID, this will fade away, and we’ll be back to having to use the tools that we normally use in the industry, which [are] scrapping, idling, slow steaming and so on.” Contact Mark Szakonyi at  mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com .

Trans-Pacific

Widening China import-export imbalance soaking up container capacity

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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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