<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Manufacturers Seek Trade Pact Moratorium: A coalition of 17 U.S. manufacturing associations is seeki</div>

Manufacturers Seek Trade Pact Moratorium: A coalition of 17 U.S. manufacturing associations is seeki

<div>Manufacturers Seek Trade Pact Moratorium: A coalition of 17 U.S. manufacturing associations is seeking a moratorium on free-trade agreements and a halt to legislation aimed at further liberalization of preferential trade arrangements with Africa and the Middle East. The coalition said rising imports are largely to blame for what it said was a net loss of 2.7 million manufacturing jobs in the last three years. The ad hoc coalition's members include organizations representing textiles and machinery.Hutchison Acquires Rotterdam Terminal: Hutchison Port Holdings, the world's largest container terminal operator, has acquired one of the few remaining independent container terminals at Rotterdam....

Manufacturers Seek Trade Pact Moratorium: A coalition of 17 U.S. manufacturing associations is seeking a moratorium on free-trade agreements and a halt to legislation aimed at further liberalization of preferential trade arrangements with Africa and the Middle East. The coalition said rising imports are largely to blame for what it said was a net loss of 2.7 million manufacturing jobs in the last three years. The ad hoc coalition's members include organizations representing textiles and machinery. Hutchison Acquires Rotterdam Terminal: Hutchison Port Holdings, the world's largest container terminal operator, has acquired one of the few remaining independent container terminals at Rotterdam. The Hong Kong-based company purchased the Hanno terminal from Matrans, a privately held stevedore, for an undisclosed sum. The deal will boost Hutchison's annual containerized traffic through Rotterdam to almost 4 million TEUs, more than 70 percent of the port's total. Hutchison already controls ECT, Rotterdam's biggest terminal company, which handles 3.5 million TEUs a year. LA, Long Beach Top 11.5 Million TEUs: After a slow start, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are expected to report more than 11.5 million TEUs handled in 2003. Long Beach recorded increases of 20.6 percent in imports and 27 percent in exports in November. At Los Angeles, containerized imports rose 14.6 and exports grew 3.3 percent during November. Southern California experienced a diversion of cargo in later 2002 and early 2003 because of severe congestion in the wake of the lockout of West Coast longshoremen during labor negotiations. The ports of Oakland, Tacoma, Seattle and Portland also expect to post increases when results for 2003 are totaled. China Plans World's Largest Shipyard: A Chinese shipbuilding company has broken ground on what it says will be the world's biggest shipyard, official newspapers reported. The yard, being built on an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River, will feature seven construction docks along a five-mile stretch of coastline, the Shanghai Daily reported. When completed in 2015, the yard will be able to produce a total of 12 million deadweight tons of ships per year, a figure potentially representing dozens of vessels. Hyundai Heavy Industries currently operates the world's largest shipyard, in the South Korean city of Ulsan. China is the world's third-largest shipbuilder, behind South Korea and Japan. Mobile Seeks Private Developer: The Alabama State Port Authority is looking for partners to help develop and operate its proposed new container terminal at Mobile. The port has asked for "expressions of interest" in its proposed 120-acre Choctaw Point Terminal. Port officials want the requests to help identify potential operators and developers for the container terminal and its related facilities. The project is in the final stages of its draft environmental impact study. Construction is expected to begin next month, with the project scheduled for completion by fourth quarter 2006. The Port of Tampa, Fla., last year solicited a private partner for its new container terminal and signed up SSA Marine. The ports of Corpus Christi and Galveston, Texas, also are looking for private partners to help develop similar projects. Study Touts Container-On-Barge Services: A study commissioned by the Port of Pittsburgh says Ohio River terminals near the city are potential sites for container-on-barge transportation services. The study, funded through a cooperative agreement with the Maritime Administration, recommends that barge shipments of steel and containers be combined for intermodal distribution. The port is working with consultants to identify potential customers for container-on-barge service. KCS Expects TMM Ruling Soon: Kansas City Southern said it expects an arbitration ruling in its disputed acquisition of a Mexican railroad early last year. An arbitration panel has been studying the validity of an agreement by Grupo TMM to sell its 38.4 percent share of Mexican railway TFM to Kansas City Southern. Four months after the agreement was signed, TMM shareholders rejected the deal. KCS officials contend the acquisition agreement is valid through 2004, and recently won a Delaware court injunction barring TMM from violating the agreement until the dispute is resolved. Chinese Port Adds Berths: China's southeastern port of Fuzhou is adding deep-water berths in a bid to attract cross-strait traffic to and from Taiwan. Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, is one of two ports designated by China to handle direct sea business with Taiwan. The other is Xiamen, a special economic zone also in Fujian, the closest mainland point to China. Taiwan has repeatedly said it intends to permit direct sailings, but it hasn't made much progress - in part because it wants access to larger ports such as Shanghai. Even with requirements for a third stop on sailings between the mainland and Taiwan, cross-straits trade is expected to exceed $50 billion in 2003, up 25 percent from the previous year. Alameda Corridor Plans Security Upgrade: The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority plans to spend $750,000 to improve the 20-mile rail corridor's security. The improvements will include construction of a manned security operations center and installation of closed-circuit television cameras, motion detectors and fencing. The Transportation Security Administration is providing $601,000 of the cost through a grant.

THE WEEK

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Multiple local sources told the Journal of Commerce the escalating unrest that entered its fifth day Wednesday has brought all port operations, including vessel berthing and cargo clearance, to a halt. </div>

Multiple local sources told the Journal of Commerce the escalating unrest that entered its fifth day Wednesday has brought all port operations, including vessel berthing and cargo clearance, to a halt. 

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<div class="phx-topic">Mainline and feeder operators covering trades out of Bangladesh are reporting serious supply chain disruptions from near week-long strike action and protests by dockers and employees at Chittagong Port, the country's chief gateway. The workforce is pushing back against a recent government decision to hand over Chittagong’s busiest box terminal, the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCL), to DP World under a long-term lease deal. Multiple local sources told the Journal of Commerce the escalating unrest that entered its fifth day Wednesday has brought all port operations, including vessel berthing and cargo clearance, to a halt. “There is a full operational standstill at the moment and it’s going to be chaotic for some time even after resumption of services,” said a feeder line executive who did not want to be identified. <h3>Roughly 40 ships said to be at anchorage </h3>Mainline carriers, including Maersk and Ocean Network Express (ONE), have warned customers about potential shipping risks for their freight as the situation remains in a state of flux. “Operations within the port, including the movement of trucks between terminals, have been completely suspended,” a spokesperson for Maersk told the Journal of Commerce. “Maersk is closely monitoring the ongoing strike at Chittagong [Chattogram] Port and is in constant communication with the relevant port and government to understand the situation and its implications for cargo operations.” Maersk commands about 30% of Bangladeshi containerized trade, according to anecdotal industry data. Singapore-based ONE said in a customer advisory the deteriorating situation could hobble export and import trade through Chittagong, adding “it is keeping an eye on the developing port situation.” A Chittagong-based ship agent who spoke with the Journal of Commerce estimated the number of ships waiting at anchorage to enter the port at about 40 as of Wednesday afternoon local time and cargo stranded at the dock at approximately 10,000 TEUs. The agent also noted that off-dock storage yards are holding large export volumes as freight vehicles continue to accumulate in queues outside the port to drop off boxes. Chittagong handled 3.4 million TEUs in 2025, up 4% year over year, according to available data. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>. </div>

Mainline and feeder operators covering trades out of Bangladesh are reporting serious supply chain disruptions from near week-long strike action and protests by dockers and employees at Chittagong Port, the country's chief gateway. The workforce is pushing back against a recent government decision to hand over Chittagong’s busiest box terminal, the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCL), to DP World under a long-term lease deal. Multiple local sources told the Journal of Commerce the escalating unrest that entered its fifth day Wednesday has brought all port operations, including vessel berthing and cargo clearance, to a halt. “There is a full operational standstill at the moment and it’s going to be chaotic for some time even after resumption of services,” said a feeder line executive who did not want to be identified. Roughly 40 ships said to be at anchorage Mainline carriers, including Maersk and Ocean Network Express (ONE), have warned customers about potential shipping risks for their freight as the situation remains in a state of flux. “Operations within the port, including the movement of trucks between terminals, have been completely suspended,” a spokesperson for Maersk told the Journal of Commerce. “Maersk is closely monitoring the ongoing strike at Chittagong [Chattogram] Port and is in constant communication with the relevant port and government to understand the situation and its implications for cargo operations.” Maersk commands about 30% of Bangladeshi containerized trade, according to anecdotal industry data. Singapore-based ONE said in a customer advisory the deteriorating situation could hobble export and import trade through Chittagong, adding “it is keeping an eye on the developing port situation.” A Chittagong-based ship agent who spoke with the Journal of Commerce estimated the number of ships waiting at anchorage to enter the port at about 40 as of Wednesday afternoon local time and cargo stranded at the dock at approximately 10,000 TEUs. The agent also noted that off-dock storage yards are holding large export volumes as freight vehicles continue to accumulate in queues outside the port to drop off boxes. Chittagong handled 3.4 million TEUs in 2025, up 4% year over year, according to available data. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Port News

International ports

Longshore labor

Maritime

Labor strike at Chittagong Port cripples Bangladesh container flows

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Sources say sustained weak market fundamentals have caused this year to be atypical in terms of demand in the immediate run-up to Lunar New Year, which begins Feb. 17.</div>

Sources say sustained weak market fundamentals have caused this year to be atypical in terms of demand in the immediate run-up to Lunar New Year, which begins Feb. 17.

<div class="phx-topic">Softer spot rates, weak volume forecasts and poor consumer sentiment spell one thing in the tariff-weary trans-Pacific container market: The traditional pre-Lunar New Year rush of cargo is not happening in 2026. Sources say sustained weak market fundamentals have caused this year to be atypical in terms of demand in the immediate run-up to Lunar New Year, which begins Feb. 17. Factories in China will close for at least a week for the holiday, which normally causes a freight surge of some magnitude before the doors shut. But not this year. “I would say demand is muted. There’s still uncertainty among retailers about tariffs,” an ocean carrier executive told the Journal of Commerce. “There has already been frontloading of spring merchandise.” To the extent there was any so-called rush at all, even in January, it is “clearly behind us,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst for the rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. “(This year) is another year where supply growth exceeds demand growth,” Sand said. Downward movement in spot rates before the Lunar New Year factory closures is largely the result of the weak demand from retailers and other importers. North Asia to US West Coast spot rates that started January at $2,075 per FEU were at $1,900 as of Tuesday, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Drewry had Shanghai-to-Los Angeles rates at $3,132 per FEU on Jan. 8, but those had fallen to $2,442 by month’s end. Shanghai-West Coast rates of $1,867 per FEU from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange as of Jan. 30 were down from $2,188 at the start of the month. According to all the indices, current spot rates are about 50% lower than they were a year ago. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="7f641553-97ec-4014-8e54-fef6408538d9"></dynamic-object></div>A forwarder who spoke with the Journal of Commerce noted that the lower listed spot rates this week are only part of the story. Carriers are continuing to offer discount rates, known as bullet or voyage-specific rates, that are as much as several hundred dollars lower than the posted spot/freight-all-kinds (FAK) rates. For example, some lines are offering bullet rates of $1,750 per FEU to the West Coast and $2,500 per FEU to the East Coast, and they are readily available to shippers. “It’s the bullet rates that are moving cargo,” the source said. That pricing structure would seem to indicate that retailers and other importers will have leverage entering annual service contract negotiations that are already underway and will pick up in intensity in early March following the Journal of Commerce’s TPM26 conference in Long Beach. <h3>Blank sailings accelerating </h3>Meanwhile, blank sailings, another demand barometer, are accelerating in February. Data from eeSea shows that carriers intend thus far to blank 206,835 TEUs of capacity this month on the Asia to West Coast trade, up from 107,318 TEUs in January. From Asia to the East and Gulf coasts, the blanks so far in February are at 96,881 TEUs, according to eeSea, up from 77,339 TEUs in January. ”Carriers are blanking extensively in the weeks commencing Feb. 23 and March 2 in classic response to the lower exports out of China as a result of the CNY festive days,” Xeneta’s Sand said. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="e5c8a2a0-9aa5-4787-bbed-bf4b7a9f9677"></dynamic-object></div>US retailers have already forecasted weaker cargo volumes over the next three months. Global Port Tracker, published monthly by the National Retail Federation (NRF), forecasts that US imports in February will be down 4.6% from the same month a year ago, with March imports down 12.6% and April down 8.1% from the year-ago months. US import volumes are also impacted by the confidence of consumers to spend. According to the Conference Board, a think tank, the consumer confidence index fell to 84.5 in January, well below market expectations and the lowest reading since May 2014. “Confidence collapsed in January as consumer concerns about both the present situation and expectations for the future deepened,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com.</a>Contact Mark Szakonyi at <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com">mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com.</a></div>

Softer spot rates, weak volume forecasts and poor consumer sentiment spell one thing in the tariff-weary trans-Pacific container market: The traditional pre-Lunar New Year rush of cargo is not happening in 2026. Sources say sustained weak market fundamentals have caused this year to be atypical in terms of demand in the immediate run-up to Lunar New Year, which begins Feb. 17. Factories in China will close for at least a week for the holiday, which normally causes a freight surge of some magnitude before the doors shut. But not this year. “I would say demand is muted. There’s still uncertainty among retailers about tariffs,” an ocean carrier executive told the Journal of Commerce. “There has already been frontloading of spring merchandise.” To the extent there was any so-called rush at all, even in January, it is “clearly behind us,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst for the rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. “(This year) is another year where supply growth exceeds demand growth,” Sand said. Downward movement in spot rates before the Lunar New Year factory closures is largely the result of the weak demand from retailers and other importers. North Asia to US West Coast spot rates that started January at $2,075 per FEU were at $1,900 as of Tuesday, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Drewry had Shanghai-to-Los Angeles rates at $3,132 per FEU on Jan. 8, but those had fallen to $2,442 by month’s end. Shanghai-West Coast rates of $1,867 per FEU from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange as of Jan. 30 were down from $2,188 at the start of the month. According to all the indices, current spot rates are about 50% lower than they were a year ago. A forwarder who spoke with the Journal of Commerce noted that the lower listed spot rates this week are only part of the story. Carriers are continuing to offer discount rates, known as bullet or voyage-specific rates, that are as much as several hundred dollars lower than the posted spot/freight-all-kinds (FAK) rates. For example, some lines are offering bullet rates of $1,750 per FEU to the West Coast and $2,500 per FEU to the East Coast, and they are readily available to shippers. “It’s the bullet rates that are moving cargo,” the source said. That pricing structure would seem to indicate that retailers and other importers will have leverage entering annual service contract negotiations that are already underway and will pick up in intensity in early March following the Journal of Commerce’s TPM26 conference in Long Beach. Blank sailings accelerating Meanwhile, blank sailings, another demand barometer, are accelerating in February. Data from eeSea shows that carriers intend thus far to blank 206,835 TEUs of capacity this month on the Asia to West Coast trade, up from 107,318 TEUs in January. From Asia to the East and Gulf coasts, the blanks so far in February are at 96,881 TEUs, according to eeSea, up from 77,339 TEUs in January. ”Carriers are blanking extensively in the weeks commencing Feb. 23 and March 2 in classic response to the lower exports out of China as a result of the CNY festive days,” Xeneta’s Sand said. US retailers have already forecasted weaker cargo volumes over the next three months. Global Port Tracker, published monthly by the National Retail Federation (NRF), forecasts that US imports in February will be down 4.6% from the same month a year ago, with March imports down 12.6% and April down 8.1% from the year-ago months. US import volumes are also impacted by the confidence of consumers to spend. According to the Conference Board, a think tank, the consumer confidence index fell to 84.5 in January, well below market expectations and the lowest reading since May 2014. “Confidence collapsed in January as consumer concerns about both the present situation and expectations for the future deepened,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com. Contact Mark Szakonyi at  mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com.

Container lines

Forwarding

Trans-Pacific

North American ports

Container Shipping News

Tariffs claim another victim on the trans-Pacific: the pre-CNY cargo surge

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Just days after last week’s storm shut terminals and disrupted shipping schedules, Maersk warned that weather in the region has “deteriorated beyond initial expectations.”</div>

Just days after last week’s storm shut terminals and disrupted shipping schedules, Maersk warned that weather in the region has “deteriorated beyond initial expectations.”

<div class="phx-topic">Severe Atlantic storms continue to batter the Bay of Biscay and Western Mediterranean, with container terminals in Morocco and southern Spain forced to shut for the second time in a week. CMA CGM has even announced an “emergency operational recovery” surcharge of $100 per container beginning Feb. 5 for all cargo to the port of Casablanca, which has been heavily impacted by the weather conditions. “Casablanca has been forced to close for almost half of the days in January — an unprecedented situation,” CMA CGM told customers in an advisory this week. “New closures have already been announced for February, driven by the same extreme swell and wind patterns that continue to make safe operations impossible.” Vessel crossings resumed through the Bay of Biscay on Saturday and Sunday and terminal operations were restarted, but Maersk warned customers in an advisory Wednesday that the weather in the region has now “deteriorated beyond initial expectations.” “This means that terminals are expected to close for longer than anticipated, and vessels will be leaving their berths for safety at the latest [Feb. 3],” the carrier said. “This unfortunately also means that vessel schedules will be further delayed, again impacting operations in the Western Mediterranean, Northern Europe and beyond.” The main transshipment terminals affected at the entrance to the Mediterranean are Tanger-Med in Morocco and Algeciras in Spain. A series of extreme winter storms have hammered Europe this year, bringing huge swells and gale force winds to the Western Mediterranean and <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/severe-winter-storm-disrupts-north-europe-port-inland-operations-6148334">freezing temperatures hampering terminal and yard operations</a> in North Europe ports. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.    </div>

Severe Atlantic storms continue to batter the Bay of Biscay and Western Mediterranean, with container terminals in Morocco and southern Spain forced to shut for the second time in a week. CMA CGM has even announced an “emergency operational recovery” surcharge of $100 per container beginning Feb. 5 for all cargo to the port of Casablanca, which has been heavily impacted by the weather conditions. “Casablanca has been forced to close for almost half of the days in January — an unprecedented situation,” CMA CGM told customers in an advisory this week. “New closures have already been announced for February, driven by the same extreme swell and wind patterns that continue to make safe operations impossible.” Vessel crossings resumed through the Bay of Biscay on Saturday and Sunday and terminal operations were restarted, but Maersk warned customers in an advisory Wednesday that the weather in the region has now “deteriorated beyond initial expectations.” “This means that terminals are expected to close for longer than anticipated, and vessels will be leaving their berths for safety at the latest [Feb. 3],” the carrier said. “This unfortunately also means that vessel schedules will be further delayed, again impacting operations in the Western Mediterranean, Northern Europe and beyond.” The main transshipment terminals affected at the entrance to the Mediterranean are Tanger-Med in Morocco and Algeciras in Spain. A series of extreme winter storms have hammered Europe this year, bringing huge swells and gale force winds to the Western Mediterranean and freezing temperatures hampering terminal and yard operations in North Europe ports. Contact Greg Knowler at  greg.knowler@spglobal.com .    

Trans-Atlantic

Asia-Europe

Atlantic storms force terminals in Western Mediterranean to close again

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Charleston’s total rail lifts for 2025 were about one-quarter of the planned capacity of Navy Base Intermodal Facility, prompting the port’s CEO to reset capital spending plans. </div>

Charleston’s total rail lifts for 2025 were about one-quarter of the planned capacity of Navy Base Intermodal Facility, prompting the port’s CEO to reset capital spending plans.

<div class="phx-topic">The Port of Charleston has paused work on its near-dock rail yard pending agreements with Class I railroads to service the facility, the port’s chief executive said, adding that shipper demand for more intermodal capacity may not be needed until 2028. South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports) Chief Executive Micah Mallace told state legislators last week Charleston has “slowed construction” of the Navy Base Intermodal Facility until it has finalized operating agreements with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). “We are working on delivering operating agreements with the railroads,” Mallace said. “We aspire to finish that quickly. Upon successful completion of that, we will restart our delivery of the facility.” The last major work on the facility involves 80,000 feet of southbound track that would link Navy Base directly to both CSX and Norfolk Southern trackage. Navy Base has northern access that connects to CSX trackage, but the southern access is a preferred route for both railroads. Under previous chief executive Barbara Melvin, the port expected to announce <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/charlestons-navy-base-rail-yard-project-faces-delays-big-cost-overruns-6070926">a construction award for the project last October</a>, but that award has been paused. Mallace, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/sc-ports-taps-former-commercial-executive-to-lead-6092988">who took over as CEO that month</a>, has been <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/new-charleston-ceo-seeks-to-regain-container-growth-momentum-6104583">reevaluating the port’s capital spending plans</a> in light of slower growth in cargo demand. “SC Ports continues to work with our partners at CSX and NS to deliver additional rail capacity and enhance intermodal competitiveness to support growth in the Southeast market,” the port said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce. Mallace appeared before the South Carolina legislators to ask that some $2 million in state funding previously appropriated to SC Ports for joint development of a container terminal with the Georgia Port Authority (GPA) on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River be redirected to a local economic development agency. The request stemmed from the GPA’s “wish to deliver capacity on the Georgia side of the river,” Mallace said. <h3>Navy Base start anticipated for 2028 </h3>SC Ports previously forecast a potential 2026 launch of Navy Base service with CSX and later adding NS access by 2027 once the southern access and other infrastructure was complete. While there is no specific target for Navy Base’s full completion, Mallace said “we estimate needing to bring it on in 2028.” Intermodal cargo at the port is currently trucked to the CSX and NS intermodal facilities under Charleston’s “Rapid Rail” program. Navy Base allows the port to handle containers faster via a one-mile dedicated drayage road connected to the Leatherman marine terminal. Navy Base is designed to handle 1 million container lifts per year. It connects Charleston directly to its inland ports at Dillon and Greer, which are served respectively by CSX and NS, as well as other destinations in the Southeast. Dillon handled 48,761 container lifts last year, a 33% increase from 2024 largely due to a state initiative to reroute soybean shipments to export markets after the closure of a nearby processing facility, as well as demand from Dillon’s retailer shippers, according to SC Ports. Greer, which serves some of the state’s manufacturers and other retail distributors and can handle 300,000 lifts annually, saw approximately two-thirds of that at 197,805 container lifts last year, up 2% from a year earlier. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Port of Charleston has paused work on its near-dock rail yard pending agreements with Class I railroads to service the facility, the port’s chief executive said, adding that shipper demand for more intermodal capacity may not be needed until 2028. South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports) Chief Executive Micah Mallace told state legislators last week Charleston has “slowed construction” of the Navy Base Intermodal Facility until it has finalized operating agreements with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). “We are working on delivering operating agreements with the railroads,” Mallace said. “We aspire to finish that quickly. Upon successful completion of that, we will restart our delivery of the facility.” The last major work on the facility involves 80,000 feet of southbound track that would link Navy Base directly to both CSX and Norfolk Southern trackage. Navy Base has northern access that connects to CSX trackage, but the southern access is a preferred route for both railroads. Under previous chief executive Barbara Melvin, the port expected to announce a construction award for the project last October , but that award has been paused. Mallace, who took over as CEO that month , has been reevaluating the port’s capital spending plans in light of slower growth in cargo demand. “SC Ports continues to work with our partners at CSX and NS to deliver additional rail capacity and enhance intermodal competitiveness to support growth in the Southeast market,” the port said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce. Mallace appeared before the South Carolina legislators to ask that some $2 million in state funding previously appropriated to SC Ports for joint development of a container terminal with the Georgia Port Authority (GPA) on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River be redirected to a local economic development agency. The request stemmed from the GPA’s “wish to deliver capacity on the Georgia side of the river,” Mallace said. Navy Base start anticipated for 2028 SC Ports previously forecast a potential 2026 launch of Navy Base service with CSX and later adding NS access by 2027 once the southern access and other infrastructure was complete. While there is no specific target for Navy Base’s full completion, Mallace said “we estimate needing to bring it on in 2028.” Intermodal cargo at the port is currently trucked to the CSX and NS intermodal facilities under Charleston’s “Rapid Rail” program. Navy Base allows the port to handle containers faster via a one-mile dedicated drayage road connected to the Leatherman marine terminal. Navy Base is designed to handle 1 million container lifts per year. It connects Charleston directly to its inland ports at Dillon and Greer, which are served respectively by CSX and NS, as well as other destinations in the Southeast. Dillon handled 48,761 container lifts last year, a 33% increase from 2024 largely due to a state initiative to reroute soybean shipments to export markets after the closure of a nearby processing facility, as well as demand from Dillon’s retailer shippers, according to SC Ports. Greer, which serves some of the state’s manufacturers and other retail distributors and can handle 300,000 lifts annually, saw approximately two-thirds of that at 197,805 container lifts last year, up 2% from a year earlier. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Port infrastructure

Marine terminals

Charleston slows railyard development amid insufficient shipper demand

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Absorbing its largest and most complex takeover to date was initially expected to take at least two years to complete, but will now be fully wrapped 20 months after the DB Schenker acquisition closed. </div>

Absorbing its largest and most complex takeover to date was initially expected to take at least two years to complete, but will now be fully wrapped 20 months after the DB Schenker acquisition closed.

<div class="phx-topic">DSV expects to complete its integration of DB Schenker by the end of the year, far earlier than expected, with the emphasis firmly on growing synergies within the combined entity and using artificial intelligence to transform the business, DSV executives said Wednesday. The integration process was initially expected to take at least two years to complete, but will now be fully wrapped 20 months after the Schenker acquisition closed. The full financial impact will be felt in 2027. “It is the largest and most complex transaction we have ever made, and that was reflected in our initial integration plans,” DSV CFO Michael Ebbe told the Journal of Commerce as the Denmark-based forwarder announced its 2025 results. “We started in August by onboarding countries and going live and in Q3 [and] Q4,” Ebbe said. “And the beginning of this year, we started to onboard complex large markets like China, Germany, Sweden and Singapore and now we have a plan for the next phase to finalize integration before year-end.” The contribution of DB Schenker in the fourth quarter significantly boosted DSV’s annual earnings and volumes. Revenue for 2025 was up 51.3% at $39 billion, gross profit rose 59% to $10 billion, and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of $3.1 billion was up 23.8% from the year prior. Air freight volume of 2 million metric tons for 2025 was up 42%, while ocean freight of 3.7 million TEUs was up 38% year over year. Combined revenue for the air and sea division of $21.7 billion was up 35.6% compared with 2024. In the fourth quarter, despite the contribution of Schenker volume, the air and sea business faced headwinds in the form of geopolitical uncertainty, shifting trade flows and the impact of a weakening US dollar against the Danish krone. Air freight volume was up 63% in the fourth quarter at 592,000 metric tons, but average gross profit per metric ton of $1,201 was down 8% year over year, mainly due to Schenker dilution. It was a similar picture in ocean freight. Volume was up 52% in the fourth quarter at just over 1 million TEUs, while average gross profit of $601/TEU was down 17%. Synergies from the Schenker integration will reach almost $800 million this year and close to $1.5 billion in 2027. Total transaction and integration costs will be close to $1.7 billion. <h3>Implementing AI at an enterprise level </h3>It was the focus on consolidating IT infrastructure and implementing AI at an enterprise level to improve productivity across the combined business that stood out in an earnings call with DSV executives Wednesday. Complexity has increased due to the Schenker acquisition, and DSV is consolidating and combining operations into selected systems across its air and sea, road, and contract logistics divisions, with AI playing an integral part of the digital operations. “When you introduce technology, you can do it on an enterprise level, a regional level, in clusters, countries, branches, departments, [or] on a personal level,” DSV CEO Jens Lund told analysts on the earnings call. “But the further you go down into the stack, the less benefit you get of it. “It has to be something that is done on enterprise level,” he added. “This is the only way we’ve managed to create value. This is also how you transform the business.” Lund pointed to a customs AI tool rolled out by DSV last year to improve the efficiency of customs handling, as well as an in-house “AI Factory” platform that was planning, forecasting and developing AI tools aimed at optimizing routes and processes. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

DSV expects to complete its integration of DB Schenker by the end of the year, far earlier than expected, with the emphasis firmly on growing synergies within the combined entity and using artificial intelligence to transform the business, DSV executives said Wednesday. The integration process was initially expected to take at least two years to complete, but will now be fully wrapped 20 months after the Schenker acquisition closed. The full financial impact will be felt in 2027. “It is the largest and most complex transaction we have ever made, and that was reflected in our initial integration plans,” DSV CFO Michael Ebbe told the Journal of Commerce as the Denmark-based forwarder announced its 2025 results. “We started in August by onboarding countries and going live and in Q3 [and] Q4,” Ebbe said. “And the beginning of this year, we started to onboard complex large markets like China, Germany, Sweden and Singapore and now we have a plan for the next phase to finalize integration before year-end.” The contribution of DB Schenker in the fourth quarter significantly boosted DSV’s annual earnings and volumes. Revenue for 2025 was up 51.3% at $39 billion, gross profit rose 59% to $10 billion, and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of $3.1 billion was up 23.8% from the year prior. Air freight volume of 2 million metric tons for 2025 was up 42%, while ocean freight of 3.7 million TEUs was up 38% year over year. Combined revenue for the air and sea division of $21.7 billion was up 35.6% compared with 2024. In the fourth quarter, despite the contribution of Schenker volume, the air and sea business faced headwinds in the form of geopolitical uncertainty, shifting trade flows and the impact of a weakening US dollar against the Danish krone. Air freight volume was up 63% in the fourth quarter at 592,000 metric tons, but average gross profit per metric ton of $1,201 was down 8% year over year, mainly due to Schenker dilution. It was a similar picture in ocean freight. Volume was up 52% in the fourth quarter at just over 1 million TEUs, while average gross profit of $601/TEU was down 17%. Synergies from the Schenker integration will reach almost $800 million this year and close to $1.5 billion in 2027. Total transaction and integration costs will be close to $1.7 billion. Implementing AI at an enterprise level It was the focus on consolidating IT infrastructure and implementing AI at an enterprise level to improve productivity across the combined business that stood out in an earnings call with DSV executives Wednesday. Complexity has increased due to the Schenker acquisition, and DSV is consolidating and combining operations into selected systems across its air and sea, road, and contract logistics divisions, with AI playing an integral part of the digital operations. “When you introduce technology, you can do it on an enterprise level, a regional level, in clusters, countries, branches, departments, [or] on a personal level,” DSV CEO Jens Lund told analysts on the earnings call. “But the further you go down into the stack, the less benefit you get of it. “It has to be something that is done on enterprise level,” he added. “This is the only way we’ve managed to create value. This is also how you transform the business.” Lund pointed to a customs AI tool rolled out by DSV last year to improve the efficiency of customs handling, as well as an in-house “AI Factory” platform that was planning, forecasting and developing AI tools aimed at optimizing routes and processes. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

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