Supply chain

A drop in consumer confidence, spurred by higher inflation and tariff fears, makes a significant increase in freight demand and truck rates less likely until late in 2025.

Shipper, forwarder and customs broker associations want to see the members of the Digital Container Shipping Association accelerate efforts to create interoperable process standards.

While the breakbulk sector failed to capitalize on the forward loading of steel to get in front of US import tariffs, it now has bigger concerns with US proposals to penalize Chinese-made MPVs.

The second tender from the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance calls for a carrier or a consortium of liners to move the equivalent of 1.5 million TEUs across the Pacific on ships powered by renewable synthetic fuels.

The FMC’s modified ruling in the TCW-Evergreen complaint allows room for carriers to charge late fees during port closures if the fees are reasonable.

Supply chain security technology provider Overhaul forecasts another big year for cargo theft in 2025, although not as big as a 49% year-over-year increase in 2024.

The US Trade Representative said the proposed fees are designed to counter China’s influence over the global shipbuilding and maritime industry.

As the new US administration looks to strengthen its regional sphere of influence, bipartisan political support is building to boost US shipbuilding, and thus, the country’s ability to project power in the Arctic and reduce dependence on foreign carriers.

Automation of the customs entry process, which software provider Magaya announced this week, is being enabled by advances in data extraction from emails and offline files.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will accept additional comments on a proposed rule that would require brokers to make transactional data available to carriers.

While carriers are progressively mastering the dark arts of blank sailings, inexplicable and/or unexplainable surcharges and other supply restraints and revenue enhancements, no amount of those tactics will be sufficient to deal with the oversupply of capacity once the Red Sea reopens, writes John McCauley.

Shipowners are having to make huge investments in vessels with a lifespan of over 20 years without a clear view of evolving regulations and technology that could render certain fuels unviable.

project44 is the latest established software provider to release a suite of artificial intelligence agents amid a torrent of startups building tools for logistics providers and shippers.

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.

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.

While tariffs and the trade wars that could result are indeed a serious matter, the direct effects of potential US tariffs on Canada and Mexico on the North American intermodal market would be “relatively minor,” writes Larry Gross.

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.

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.

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.

GenLogs uses a network of highway sensors to help freight brokers manage freight fraud and also identify sales and capacity opportunities.

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.

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.

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.

Changes in supply chains, rising manufacturing demand and even the collapse of Yellow have more LTL trucking firms looking for business on the US-Mexico border.

The FMC complaint is a rare instance of a container line accusing a shipper of not living up to the terms of a service contract.

Donald Trump, just hours after returning to the White House Monday, signed an executive order to begin the process of pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement climate change treaty.

President Donald Trump injecting himself into longshore labor talks and his recent threat to take over the Panama Canal are a precursor to the unpredictability container shipping will face over the next four years, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

Officials at Los Angeles and Long Beach say they are prepared to do what is necessary should the new administration target green policies at the ports.

Increased demand and diminishing new capacity will lead to an inflection point for logistics rents in a stronger second half of 2025, executives at the real estate developer say.

Just ahead of November’s election, then-Commissioner Sola laid out “America First” initiatives during an October speech, highlighting the further development of LNG export facilities and the fuel’s impact on ship bunkering.

A startup founded and backed by ex-Flexport sales executives is aiming to help shippers manage the flood of outbound sales efforts they receive from logistics providers.

A new report from the Biden administration alleges that Beijing has a poor compliance record with the WTO, practices duplicitous trade policies that give the country unfair advantages, and operates with an overall lack of transparency.

The question is not whether the market will be strong in the first quarter, but rather how high rates will climb, writes analyst Richard Bright.

With the president-elect looking to unwind some Biden administration policies, US port operators want to ensure that maritime transportation funding will not be unduly affected.

A handful of companies unveiled new products in the last week intended to enable decision-making based off the visibility data they provide.

The twin complaints to the FMC charge that several ocean carriers pushed the shippers into paying surcharges and premium rates totaling $5.5 million, while creating another $76 million in added spot market costs.