<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The largest impacts to the logistics industry in 2013 will focus on how the political parties work together in Washington to provide businesses with a greater level of confidence, and how they govern the country.</div>

The largest impacts to the logistics industry in 2013 will focus on how the political parties work together in Washington to provide businesses with a greater level of confidence, and how they govern the country.

<div>The largest impacts to the logistics industry in 2013 will focus on how the political parties work together in Washington to provide businesses with a greater level of confidence, and how they govern the country. Once there is a greater understanding of regulatory changes, and additional costs employers may bear in the future, we can begin to determine how to spend our capital and where to invest money in our companies.If employers believe the government is adequately addressing the fiscal issues with a long term solution, the unemployment rate should improve consistently. With increased confidence and stability, there won’t be...

The largest impacts to the logistics industry in 2013 will focus on how the political parties work together in Washington to provide businesses with a greater level of confidence, and how they govern the country. Once there is a greater understanding of regulatory changes, and additional costs employers may bear in the future, we can begin to determine how to spend our capital and where to invest money in our companies. If employers believe the government is adequately addressing the fiscal issues with a long term solution, the unemployment rate should improve consistently. With increased confidence and stability, there won’t be dramatic swings in economic policy that adversely impact our customers, our suppliers and our companies. Visit OHL online. See all ARO Government-related content.

Annual Review & Outlook 2013: OHL

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The Montreal Port Authority said permits are in the works for Contrecoeur’s underwater work, while DP World has signed on to design and operate the terminal</div>

The Montreal Port Authority said permits are in the works for Contrecoeur’s underwater work, while DP World has signed on to design and operate the terminal

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">DP World plans to develop and operate a C$1.6 billion container terminal outside of Montreal, after the port authority took the first step in securing a development permit for the facility capable of handling post-Panamax vessels.The global terminal operator on Monday said it had signed an agreement with the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) authority to design Contrecoeur’s surface work, which would be finalized in the coming weeks before developing a plan for long-term operations. DP World operates the Centerm facility at the Port of Vancouver, as well as the container terminals at the ports of Prince Rupert and Saint John.“This agreement marks an important milestone in shaping the Port of Montreal’s future and reinforces Canada’s role as a gateway for global trade,” DP World’s Canadian Chief Executive Douglas Smith said in <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dougsmithadani_im-proud-to-share-that-dp-world-in-canada-activity-7370841590816329729-ZOtQ?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_ios&amp;rcm=ACoAAAEaE6wBxuCBA3GF9B8BLvf-lPuv3EJkHFE">a LinkedIn post</a>. The Contrecoeur terminal, to be built on land the MPA acquired three decades ago, would have an annual throughput capacity of 1.15 million TEUs. Thanks to its location further up the St. Lawrence River, Contrecoeur will be able to handle larger ships than the roughly 8,000-TEU vessels that can call Montreal.The workhorse vessels serving Montreal’s four existing containers terminals, which are operated by Montreal Gateway Terminals Partnership and Termont Montreal, range in capacity from 4,000 to 5,000 TEUs. The port authority is working with federal agencies and river pilots to start trialing the navigation of larger ships on the St. Lawrence River.The MPA said last week it submitted a permitting application to the Canadian federal agency in charge of waterways for below-surface work on the Contrecoeur marine terminal. The MPA said it expects the agency to issue a permit for the work in the coming weeks. DP World said it expects underwater work on Contrecoeur to begin next year, with surface work slated to begin in 2027 and terminal operations to begin by 2030.The application involved 10 studies over two years on the project’s impact to local fish habits. The MPA said it plans to do extensive underwater and above-ground plantings and other remediation work to minimize the environmental impact of the Contrecoeur project.In planning since the 1980s, the Contrecoeur project faced <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-relaunches-search-process-for-contrecoeur-terminal-operator-5204826">a delay in 2023</a>after several terminal operators decided not to participate in bidding for the terminal’s concession due to the cost of the underwater work. Originally budgeted at C$1 billion, the project is now expected to cost C$1.5 billion.Since that time, the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-port-gets-federal-funds-for-mega-terminal-after-operators-balk-at-risk-5222977">federal</a> and <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/quebec-provides-new-funding-for-proposed-montreal-terminal-citing-us-trade-tensions-5947783">provincial governments</a> have provided more funding to the project. Advancing the Contrecoeur project has become more of a priority for Canada as the country <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/carney-has-fresh-opportunity-to-galvanize-canadian-shipping-industry-6047928">looks to lessen the country’s reliance on trade with the US</a>. In a visit to Montreal last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Contrecouer project could benefit from newly passed legislation streamlining environmental rules and other regulations to speed the construction of infrastructure projects of national importance.Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a> </div>

DP World plans to develop and operate a C$1.6 billion container terminal outside of Montreal, after the port authority took the first step in securing a development permit for the facility capable of handling post-Panamax vessels. The global terminal operator on Monday said it had signed an agreement with the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) authority to design Contrecoeur’s surface work, which would be finalized in the coming weeks before developing a plan for long-term operations. DP World operates the Centerm facility at the Port of Vancouver, as well as the container terminals at the ports of Prince Rupert and Saint John. “This agreement marks an important milestone in shaping the Port of Montreal’s future and reinforces Canada’s role as a gateway for global trade,” DP World’s Canadian Chief Executive Douglas Smith said in a LinkedIn post . The Contrecoeur terminal, to be built on land the MPA acquired three decades ago, would have an annual throughput capacity of 1.15 million TEUs. Thanks to its location further up the St. Lawrence River, Contrecoeur will be able to handle larger ships than the roughly 8,000-TEU vessels that can call Montreal. The workhorse vessels serving Montreal’s four existing containers terminals, which are operated by Montreal Gateway Terminals Partnership and Termont Montreal, range in capacity from 4,000 to 5,000 TEUs. The port authority is working with federal agencies and river pilots to start trialing the navigation of larger ships on the St. Lawrence River. The MPA said last week it submitted a permitting application to the Canadian federal agency in charge of waterways for below-surface work on the Contrecoeur marine terminal. The MPA said it expects the agency to issue a permit for the work in the coming weeks. DP World said it expects underwater work on Contrecoeur to begin next year, with surface work slated to begin in 2027 and terminal operations to begin by 2030. The application involved 10 studies over two years on the project’s impact to local fish habits. The MPA said it plans to do extensive underwater and above-ground plantings and other remediation work to minimize the environmental impact of the Contrecoeur project. In planning since the 1980s, the Contrecoeur project faced a delay in 2023 after several terminal operators decided not to participate in bidding for the terminal’s concession due to the cost of the underwater work. Originally budgeted at C$1 billion, the project is now expected to cost C$1.5 billion. Since that time, the federal and provincial governments have provided more funding to the project. Advancing the Contrecoeur project has become more of a priority for Canada as the country looks to lessen the country’s reliance on trade with the US . In a visit to Montreal last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Contrecouer project could benefit from newly passed legislation streamlining environmental rules and other regulations to speed the construction of infrastructure projects of national importance. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com

Container lines

North American ports

DP World to build big-ship container terminal in Montreal

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The investment bank said non-Chinese carriers will largely avoid looming and escalating port fees, but Cosco and OOCL will be on the hook unless they adjust networks.</div>

The investment bank said non-Chinese carriers will largely avoid looming and escalating port fees, but Cosco and OOCL will be on the hook unless they adjust networks.

<div class="phx-topic">Most container lines will avoid paying new US fees on port calls next month after switching out any Chinese-built ships from their services, while Cosco Shipping and subsidiary OOCL face a $2 billion hit in the first year, unless they adjust their networks, according to a new report from investment bank HSBC.Barring a trade deal with China or last-minute delays by the Trump Administration, the US Trade Representative (USTR) <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/revised-china-tonnage-tax-less-disruptive-still-costly-6005402">will begin collecting fees on Chinese-built and -operated ships</a> that call US ports Oct. 14. The administration hasn’t given any indications of postponing or easing the tariffs, a maritime attorney with ties to the White House who asked not to be identified told the Journal of Commerce, noting that US Customs and Border Protection has already been instructed to collect the fees.The fees on Chinese-built ships start at the higher of $18 per net ton of vessel capacity or $120 per container, while ships operated by carriers based in China face a fee of $50 per net ton. Both sets of fees escalate over the next four years as part of the Trump administration’s attempt to <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trumps-expansionist-worldview-puts-us-maritime-interests-in-spotlight-5946935">boost US shipbuilding</a> at the expense of China’s industry. For Cosco and OOCL, which handle <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/coscooocl-saw-big-gains-in-us-imports-from-asia-in-early-2025-6026695">the largest share of containerized US imports from Asia</a>, the tariffs equate roughly to $600 per FEU, according to the HSBC report.However, the industry-wide impact for container shipping may be minimal, the HSBC report suggests, as just 15% of US port calls in 2024 were made by vessels built in China. Chinese-built ships account for just under 30% of the global container vessel fleet, with most ships built in Japan or South Korea.<h3>Rotating China-built ships out </h3>In the lead up to the Oct. 14 enforcement deadline, carriers have been making moves to avoid any US calls by Chinese-built ships. The Premier Alliance, for example, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/container-lines-begin-shifting-china-built-ships-out-of-us-loops-6069162">reconfigured a round-the-world service</a> to use Chinese ships on the Asia–Mediterranean leg and non-Chinese ships on the trans-Pacific leg. HSBC said the move will allow Premier Alliance partner Ocean Network Express to remove 10 Chinese-built ships from US service.By contrast, Maersk doesn’t expect any of its services will be affected by the new fees nor will shippers have any added costs because of the fees, Michael Britton, North American head of ocean products, said during a Journal of Commerce webinar last week. Maersk and its Gemini Cooperation partner Hapag-Lloyd primarily use South Korean ships in their trans-Pacific services, the HBSC report noted. ”The fleet has been deployed in such a way that we’re fully compliant with the rule, and we won’t have any costs associated with this,” Britton said. “We’ve also made it very clear: we have no intention of introducing any surcharge for this.”Although it said the USTR fees will be “negligible for non-Chinese lines,” HSBC estimated that Cosco could face $1.5 billion in port fees in 2026, equivalent to about $600 per US-bound container. The fee represents about 5% of the carrier’s expected revenue during the period, the report said. OOCL could face a $654 million hit, which would account for about 7% of estimated revenue during 2026, HSBC said, adding that the cost of the port fees could result in a two-thirds decline in operating earnings for 2026. Cosco in April said the USTR fees <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/cosco-slams-us-port-fees-as-other-carriers-reckon-with-potential-costs-5989606">would distort the shipping market</a>, while OOCL on Aug. 21 told investors that <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/tariff-linked-trade-pattern-shifts-could-offset-impact-of-us-port-fees-ooil-6066902">changing trade patterns away from the US</a> would mitigate the impact. <h3>Global capacity ripples </h3>Even though the impact of the USTR fees may be limited to certain carriers, they could still impact shipping more broadly, HSBC said. The current supply glut could extend further in the future if carriers decide to keep older non-Chinese vessels in operation longer than they would have otherwise. On the other hand, carriers will also have less flexibility to rotate in new ships or add new capacity to US trade lanes if the only available vessels were built in China.Service changes may be most critical for the Ocean Alliance, which comprises Cosco, OOCL, CMA CGM and Evergreen Marine. HSBC said CMA CGM and/or Evergreen may have to provide more of the vessels operating on the alliance’s trans-Pacific services to avoid exposure the port fees. Cosco and OOCL, meanwhile, could provide more of the tonnage going into the Ocean Alliance’s non-US trade lanes, or the group could offer transshipment options through Mexico and Canada. “The network realignment by Chinese and non-Chinese carriers could temporarily reduce services and tighten capacity,” HSBC said.Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a></div>

Most container lines will avoid paying new US fees on port calls next month after switching out any Chinese-built ships from their services, while Cosco Shipping and subsidiary OOCL face a $2 billion hit in the first year, unless they adjust their networks, according to a new report from investment bank HSBC. Barring a trade deal with China or last-minute delays by the Trump Administration, the US Trade Representative (USTR) will begin collecting fees on Chinese-built and -operated ships that call US ports Oct. 14. The administration hasn’t given any indications of postponing or easing the tariffs, a maritime attorney with ties to the White House who asked not to be identified told the Journal of Commerce, noting that US Customs and Border Protection has already been instructed to collect the fees. The fees on Chinese-built ships start at the higher of $18 per net ton of vessel capacity or $120 per container, while ships operated by carriers based in China face a fee of $50 per net ton. Both sets of fees escalate over the next four years as part of the Trump administration’s attempt to boost US shipbuilding at the expense of China’s industry. For Cosco and OOCL, which handle the largest share of containerized US imports from Asia , the tariffs equate roughly to $600 per FEU, according to the HSBC report. However, the industry-wide impact for container shipping may be minimal, the HSBC report suggests, as just 15% of US port calls in 2024 were made by vessels built in China. Chinese-built ships account for just under 30% of the global container vessel fleet, with most ships built in Japan or South Korea. Rotating China-built ships out In the lead up to the Oct. 14 enforcement deadline, carriers have been making moves to avoid any US calls by Chinese-built ships. The Premier Alliance, for example, reconfigured a round-the-world service to use Chinese ships on the Asia–Mediterranean leg and non-Chinese ships on the trans-Pacific leg. HSBC said the move will allow Premier Alliance partner Ocean Network Express to remove 10 Chinese-built ships from US service. By contrast, Maersk doesn’t expect any of its services will be affected by the new fees nor will shippers have any added costs because of the fees, Michael Britton, North American head of ocean products, said during a Journal of Commerce webinar last week. Maersk and its Gemini Cooperation partner Hapag-Lloyd primarily use South Korean ships in their trans-Pacific services, the HBSC report noted. ”The fleet has been deployed in such a way that we’re fully compliant with the rule, and we won’t have any costs associated with this,” Britton said. “We’ve also made it very clear: we have no intention of introducing any surcharge for this.” Although it said the USTR fees will be “negligible for non-Chinese lines,” HSBC estimated that Cosco could face $1.5 billion in port fees in 2026, equivalent to about $600 per US-bound container. The fee represents about 5% of the carrier’s expected revenue during the period, the report said. OOCL could face a $654 million hit, which would account for about 7% of estimated revenue during 2026, HSBC said, adding that the cost of the port fees could result in a two-thirds decline in operating earnings for 2026. Cosco in April said the USTR fees would distort the shipping market , while OOCL on Aug. 21 told investors that changing trade patterns away from the US would mitigate the impact. Global capacity ripples Even though the impact of the USTR fees may be limited to certain carriers, they could still impact shipping more broadly, HSBC said. The current supply glut could extend further in the future if carriers decide to keep older non-Chinese vessels in operation longer than they would have otherwise. On the other hand, carriers will also have less flexibility to rotate in new ships or add new capacity to US trade lanes if the only available vessels were built in China. Service changes may be most critical for the Ocean Alliance, which comprises Cosco, OOCL, CMA CGM and Evergreen Marine. HSBC said CMA CGM and/or Evergreen may have to provide more of the vessels operating on the alliance’s trans-Pacific services to avoid exposure the port fees. Cosco and OOCL, meanwhile, could provide more of the tonnage going into the Ocean Alliance’s non-US trade lanes, or the group could offer transshipment options through Mexico and Canada. “The network realignment by Chinese and non-Chinese carriers could temporarily reduce services and tighten capacity,” HSBC said. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com

Trans-Atlantic

Trans-Pacific

US port fees could exceed $2B for Cosco, OOCL: HSBC

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The fruit shipper cites the downsides of moving perishables by breakbulk methods, criticizing the “hours of exposure to extreme heat or cold and frequent handling.” </div>

The fruit shipper cites the downsides of moving perishables by breakbulk methods, criticizing the “hours of exposure to extreme heat or cold and frequent handling.”

<div class="phx-topic">Fresh Del Monte Produce will switch from breakbulk to dedicated container shipping services for its banana and pineapple exports from the Philippines when intra-Asia carrier CNC Line upgrades its services to South Korea and Japan next week. This adds another <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/breakbulk-reefer-segment-hanging-on-in-shrinking-market-5738520">blow to breakbulk as a transport mode</a> for both fruits, which are under broader pressure from tariff reforms in both countries. The global fruit and vegetable producer confirmed the switch to CNC Line in a statement. CNC Line said the short transit times for its two revamped services is “ideal for perishables and fresh fruits,” without naming Fresh Del Monte Produce specifically. The fruit producer said the collaboration with CNC Line “marks a departure from traditional breakbulk shipping methods.”“By transitioning to dedicated container vessels, we’re not only improving cold chain reliability and minimizing damage but also creating a more agile, scalable logistics model that better serves our retail partners across Asia,” Raul Saca, Fresh Del Monte senior vice president, global logistics, said in the statement.Fresh Del Monte said fruits transported by traditional breakbulk methods “may face hours of exposure to extreme heat or cold and frequent handling,” whereas shipping in container ships “keeps fruit in consistent, temperature-controlled conditions from farm to customer.” The company said it would utilize CNC’s upgraded BMX Philippines-South Korea service that will relaunch from Davao in Mindanao on Sept. 19 with a direct sailing to Pusan and a new call at the nearby city of Masan. The backhaul will include calls at Dalian and Qingdao in northern China, Xiamen and Nansha in southern China and Manila. Fresh Del Monte will start using CNC’s expanded Japan-Philippines (JP8) service when it begins on Sept. 21. CNC said in a customer advisory that the service will be direct from Davao to Tokyo with expanded coverage with calls at three additional Japanese ports — Yokohama, Kobe and Moji. The return leg includes calls at Nansha and Shekou in southern China and Subic Bay in the Philippines. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>. </div>

Fresh Del Monte Produce will switch from breakbulk to dedicated container shipping services for its banana and pineapple exports from the Philippines when intra-Asia carrier CNC Line upgrades its services to South Korea and Japan next week. This adds another blow to breakbulk as a transport mode for both fruits, which are under broader pressure from tariff reforms in both countries. The global fruit and vegetable producer confirmed the switch to CNC Line in a statement. CNC Line said the short transit times for its two revamped services is “ideal for perishables and fresh fruits,” without naming Fresh Del Monte Produce specifically. The fruit producer said the collaboration with CNC Line “marks a departure from traditional breakbulk shipping methods.” “By transitioning to dedicated container vessels, we’re not only improving cold chain reliability and minimizing damage but also creating a more agile, scalable logistics model that better serves our retail partners across Asia,” Raul Saca, Fresh Del Monte senior vice president, global logistics, said in the statement. Fresh Del Monte said fruits transported by traditional breakbulk methods “may face hours of exposure to extreme heat or cold and frequent handling,” whereas shipping in container ships “keeps fruit in consistent, temperature-controlled conditions from farm to customer.” The company said it would utilize CNC’s upgraded BMX Philippines-South Korea service that will relaunch from Davao in Mindanao on Sept. 19 with a direct sailing to Pusan and a new call at the nearby city of Masan. The backhaul will include calls at Dalian and Qingdao in northern China, Xiamen and Nansha in southern China and Manila. Fresh Del Monte will start using CNC’s expanded Japan-Philippines (JP8) service when it begins on Sept. 21. CNC said in a customer advisory that the service will be direct from Davao to Tokyo with expanded coverage with calls at three additional Japanese ports — Yokohama, Kobe and Moji. The return leg includes calls at Nansha and Shekou in southern China and Subic Bay in the Philippines. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

Container Shipping News

Maritime

Breakbulk News

Fresh Del Monte Produce switching from breakbulk to box transport

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Full ships, a low number of blank sailings and improving schedule reliability have stabilized the westbound trade lane but will do little to raise rate levels, say executives and analysts. </div>

Full ships, a low number of blank sailings and improving schedule reliability have stabilized the westbound trade lane but will do little to raise rate levels, say executives and analysts.

<div class="phx-topic">The absence of another bump of volume on the horizon for the rest of the year will further weaken the westbound trans-Atlantic trade despite fully utilized ships and low levels of blank sailings, shipping executives warn. Spot and contract rates are under pressure and US retailers’ subdued expectations for the winter shopping season, as reflected by low single-digit volume growth, are adding to the uncertainty gripping the trans-Atlantic. “With long-term rates at an all-time low and moving sideways, short-term rates could slide in the near future,” Destine Ozuygur, product marketing manager at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, told the Journal of Commerce’s European Shipping and Trade Outlook: The Trans-Atlantic webinar. Data from Xeneta shows long-term rates from North Europe to the US East Coast signed in the last three months falling to $627 per FEU by Sept. 8, down 42% since Jan. 1. The long-term rate has fallen 32% since June 30. Spot rates are following the same pattern and at $1,060 per FEU on Sept. 8, are down 43% since the beginning of the year and down 20% since June 30. ”We are not seeing blanks introduced in order to actually tighten capacity or bump up the rates, and I do believe that signals healthy demand,” Ozuygur said. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="5033ee53-82a4-4316-827d-9bf04d8c4c5d"></dynamic-object></div>Michael Britton, head of ocean products for North America at Maersk, noted that the underlying health of the US economy and imports through September appeared to be strong. ”We’re seeing pretty positive reports coming out of some of the sectors here in the US, including the retail sector,” he told the webinar. “We maintain cautious optimism that the market will continue to grow, and demand will remain positive.” Volumes from January through July are up 2% year over year, according to the latest available data from PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. <h3>Upward trend of schedule reliability </h3>Shippers on the trade are also benefitting from significant improvement in schedule reliability on routes from both North Europe and the Mediterranean to the US East Coast, according to Ozuygur. ”We’ve seen an increase in on-time performance from 24% to 58% from North Europe since January, and the Mediterranean monthly reliability has nudged its way up from 24% to 36%,” Ozuygur said. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="9ef503b6-2b15-4e10-afa3-6f0a419f0374"></dynamic-object></div>While the trans-Atlantic schedule reliability is significantly better than the major trades out of Asia and has improved steadily through the year, “50% within the grand scope of things is not amazing,” Ozuygur said. The trans-Atlantic is the only trade lane where the Gemini Cooperation of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd has been able to maintain its above-90% schedule reliability promise. Xeneta data shows Gemini’s average schedule reliability on the trans-Atlantic was 92%; the next best was non-alliance services at 58% and third was Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), whose standalone services averaged an on-time performance of 36%. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="a6f7b7e7-2b0f-41f9-85bf-6830b97b301c"></dynamic-object></div>Britton said the hub-and-spoke network offered by Gemini was a structural change that underpinned the improved performance. ”What we’ve seen in the past is that the services which were calling anywhere from 12 to 15 ports on any one rotation had a much lower reliability than those that were calling six to eight ports,” he told the webinar. “So, we came up with a network design that allows us to make every vessel sail a shorter distance, add fewer ports on every rotation, and that is done by leveraging a network of hubs that we operate around the world,” he noted. The improvement in schedule reliability is appreciated by customers of the carriers, but Scott Dudley, head of ocean freight for North America at Rhenus Logistics, said maintaining the reliability over the long term will be Gemini’s greatest challenge. “The big question is how Gemini is planning to keep up the high performance,” he said. “It is less about the effectiveness of it, because they have shown they can be effective, but the big question is about the efficiency of the whole system.” Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The absence of another bump of volume on the horizon for the rest of the year will further weaken the westbound trans-Atlantic trade despite fully utilized ships and low levels of blank sailings, shipping executives warn. Spot and contract rates are under pressure and US retailers’ subdued expectations for the winter shopping season, as reflected by low single-digit volume growth, are adding to the uncertainty gripping the trans-Atlantic. “With long-term rates at an all-time low and moving sideways, short-term rates could slide in the near future,” Destine Ozuygur, product marketing manager at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, told the Journal of Commerce’s European Shipping and Trade Outlook: The Trans-Atlantic webinar. Data from Xeneta shows long-term rates from North Europe to the US East Coast signed in the last three months falling to $627 per FEU by Sept. 8, down 42% since Jan. 1. The long-term rate has fallen 32% since June 30. Spot rates are following the same pattern and at $1,060 per FEU on Sept. 8, are down 43% since the beginning of the year and down 20% since June 30. ”We are not seeing blanks introduced in order to actually tighten capacity or bump up the rates, and I do believe that signals healthy demand,” Ozuygur said. Michael Britton, head of ocean products for North America at Maersk, noted that the underlying health of the US economy and imports through September appeared to be strong. ”We’re seeing pretty positive reports coming out of some of the sectors here in the US, including the retail sector,” he told the webinar. “We maintain cautious optimism that the market will continue to grow, and demand will remain positive.” Volumes from January through July are up 2% year over year, according to the latest available data from PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Upward trend of schedule reliability Shippers on the trade are also benefitting from significant improvement in schedule reliability on routes from both North Europe and the Mediterranean to the US East Coast, according to Ozuygur. ”We’ve seen an increase in on-time performance from 24% to 58% from North Europe since January, and the Mediterranean monthly reliability has nudged its way up from 24% to 36%,” Ozuygur said. While the trans-Atlantic schedule reliability is significantly better than the major trades out of Asia and has improved steadily through the year, “50% within the grand scope of things is not amazing,” Ozuygur said. The trans-Atlantic is the only trade lane where the Gemini Cooperation of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd has been able to maintain its above-90% schedule reliability promise. Xeneta data shows Gemini’s average schedule reliability on the trans-Atlantic was 92%; the next best was non-alliance services at 58% and third was Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), whose standalone services averaged an on-time performance of 36%. Britton said the hub-and-spoke network offered by Gemini was a structural change that underpinned the improved performance. ”What we’ve seen in the past is that the services which were calling anywhere from 12 to 15 ports on any one rotation had a much lower reliability than those that were calling six to eight ports,” he told the webinar. “So, we came up with a network design that allows us to make every vessel sail a shorter distance, add fewer ports on every rotation, and that is done by leveraging a network of hubs that we operate around the world,” he noted. The improvement in schedule reliability is appreciated by customers of the carriers, but Scott Dudley, head of ocean freight for North America at Rhenus Logistics, said maintaining the reliability over the long term will be Gemini’s greatest challenge. “The big question is how Gemini is planning to keep up the high performance,” he said. “It is less about the effectiveness of it, because they have shown they can be effective, but the big question is about the efficiency of the whole system.” Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Trans-Atlantic pricing weakens without year-end volume bump

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Railroads are expanding services between Mexico and the US, while Canada–US intermodal container traffic is down by double-digit percentages, writes rail analyst Larry Gross. </div>

Railroads are expanding services between Mexico and the US, while Canada–US intermodal container traffic is down by double-digit percentages, writes rail analyst Larry Gross.

<div class="phx-topic">With all the trade turmoil currently underway, it might be useful to take another look at the cross-border intermodal markets, where two very different stories are playing out. The Canada–US market is in a world of hurt, while the Mexico–US market is showing signs of improvement. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6077199_0.1.jpg"></img></div>These two markets are very different. The Canada–US market is substantially larger than the Mexico–US market; more than twice as many containers crossed the Canadian border in the past 12 months as crossed the Mexican border. Further, the composition of these markets is distinct. The Canadian cross-border market is all about marine containers, which comprise over 90% of traffic. Most of these 20- and 40-foot boxes land at ports in Western and Eastern Canada and are transported to inland US destinations by stack trains. In contrast, 53-foot domestic containers accounted for 99% of the Mexican cross-border market in the last 12 months. How have these markets performed? Consider the 10-year history on a 12-month moving average through July 25, according to the most recent data available from the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="98a22d6d-11ce-4c3b-a2b5-adfcc080503b"></dynamic-object></div>Total North American intermodal volume has grown 6% since 2015. That’s not terribly impressive given that real GDP has moved up 24% over the same time frame, but traffic has increased. The same cannot be said for either of the cross-border markets. As of July, Mexico–US traffic is down about 10% from 2015 levels, while Canada–US volumes have fallen a stunning 42%. Yet, there were indeed periods during which each of the cross-border markets outperformed the average. For Mexico, it was a rather brief interlude in 2016–17. The heyday for Canada began in 2017 and lasted for four years. Things changed dramatically for both markets in 2021. It marked the beginning of an unsteady recovery for the Mexico–US cross-border market, with the index rising from 76 in December 2021 to a reading of 90 in July 2025, an 18% improvement. At the same time, the Canada–US index has dropped from 112 in April 2021 to 58 in July, a 48% decline. But is total North American intermodal activity the right benchmark? After all, the Canada cross-border trade is international, and Mexico–US trade is overwhelmingly domestic. Figure 2 contains both the North American International and Domestic performance as the benchmarks. It tells a more nuanced story with regard to the Canadian market. Total international activity also declined significantly from the middle of 2021 through the end of 2023. It was only in 2024 and 2025 that the bulk of the divergence occurred. Clearly, substantial damage was inflicted in 2024 by the various disruptions that impacted this trade. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="9e292c73-4ae9-4673-a69a-6ab4f9bbfb89"></dynamic-object></div>On the other hand, the Mexican market has not tracked very well with the North American domestic market. Cross-border volume improved through 2022 and 2023, while overall domestic activity largely declined. There followed, however, a dip in cross-border activity in 2023 in the face of generally improving domestic intermodal volume. Only recently has the cross-border volume regained the level achieved 18 months earlier. Through the first seven months of 2025, Canada–US cross-border revenue moves slid 18% year over year, while Mexico–US volume rose 13%. This can be compared with a 4.3% year-to-date gain in total North American volume, with international and domestic container traffic rising 6.5% and 2.1%, respectively. There may be additional heavy weather ahead for the Canadian border market. Under the US Trade Representative’s Section 301 action, Chinese-owned and -built ships docking in the US will incur fees starting Oct. 14. Within the same Section 301 document is a proposal for fees on containers originating overseas and entering the US via land routes. These fees would be meant to compensate for the China-related ship fees, as well as potentially the Harbor Maintenance Tax. As of now, these fees have not been formalized, but the threat remains. On the other hand, it appears that Mexico–US intermodal services are gaining traction. The dip in 2024 may have been a function of the market scrambling that resulted from the merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern, but now, it appears that these services are gaining stride. Larry Gross is president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting. Contact him at <a href="lgross@intermodalindepth.com">lgross@intermodalindepth.com</a>. </div>

With all the trade turmoil currently underway, it might be useful to take another look at the cross-border intermodal markets, where two very different stories are playing out. The Canada–US market is in a world of hurt, while the Mexico–US market is showing signs of improvement. These two markets are very different. The Canada–US market is substantially larger than the Mexico–US market; more than twice as many containers crossed the Canadian border in the past 12 months as crossed the Mexican border. Further, the composition of these markets is distinct. The Canadian cross-border market is all about marine containers, which comprise over 90% of traffic. Most of these 20- and 40-foot boxes land at ports in Western and Eastern Canada and are transported to inland US destinations by stack trains. In contrast, 53-foot domestic containers accounted for 99% of the Mexican cross-border market in the last 12 months. How have these markets performed? Consider the 10-year history on a 12-month moving average through July 25, according to the most recent data available from the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). Total North American intermodal volume has grown 6% since 2015. That’s not terribly impressive given that real GDP has moved up 24% over the same time frame, but traffic has increased. The same cannot be said for either of the cross-border markets. As of July, Mexico–US traffic is down about 10% from 2015 levels, while Canada–US volumes have fallen a stunning 42%. Yet, there were indeed periods during which each of the cross-border markets outperformed the average. For Mexico, it was a rather brief interlude in 2016–17. The heyday for Canada began in 2017 and lasted for four years. Things changed dramatically for both markets in 2021. It marked the beginning of an unsteady recovery for the Mexico–US cross-border market, with the index rising from 76 in December 2021 to a reading of 90 in July 2025, an 18% improvement. At the same time, the Canada–US index has dropped from 112 in April 2021 to 58 in July, a 48% decline. But is total North American intermodal activity the right benchmark? After all, the Canada cross-border trade is international, and Mexico–US trade is overwhelmingly domestic. Figure 2 contains both the North American International and Domestic performance as the benchmarks. It tells a more nuanced story with regard to the Canadian market. Total international activity also declined significantly from the middle of 2021 through the end of 2023. It was only in 2024 and 2025 that the bulk of the divergence occurred. Clearly, substantial damage was inflicted in 2024 by the various disruptions that impacted this trade. On the other hand, the Mexican market has not tracked very well with the North American domestic market. Cross-border volume improved through 2022 and 2023, while overall domestic activity largely declined. There followed, however, a dip in cross-border activity in 2023 in the face of generally improving domestic intermodal volume. Only recently has the cross-border volume regained the level achieved 18 months earlier. Through the first seven months of 2025, Canada–US cross-border revenue moves slid 18% year over year, while Mexico–US volume rose 13%. This can be compared with a 4.3% year-to-date gain in total North American volume, with international and domestic container traffic rising 6.5% and 2.1%, respectively. There may be additional heavy weather ahead for the Canadian border market. Under the US Trade Representative’s Section 301 action, Chinese-owned and -built ships docking in the US will incur fees starting Oct. 14. Within the same Section 301 document is a proposal for fees on containers originating overseas and entering the US via land routes. These fees would be meant to compensate for the China-related ship fees, as well as potentially the Harbor Maintenance Tax. As of now, these fees have not been formalized, but the threat remains. On the other hand, it appears that Mexico–US intermodal services are gaining traction. The dip in 2024 may have been a function of the market scrambling that resulted from the merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern, but now, it appears that these services are gaining stride. Larry Gross is president and founder of Gross Transportation Consulting. Contact him at lgross@intermodalindepth.com .

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At SSA Marine Mexico, we firmly believe that business development must go hand in hand with social and environmental well-being. Our vision is not solely focused on operating efficiently, but also on creating a meaningful and positive impact in the communities where we are present. Since 1995, we have reaffirmed this commitment through tangible actions that reflect our core values of responsibility, solidarity, and sustainability. <span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-3_2 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="3:2"><img src="/content-assets/1752584535914_Photo%201.jpg" alt="" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"> A Year of Major Achievements Over the past year, we allocated more than $107,000 USD to the implementation of 60 social and environmental projects, positively impacting over 7,800 people across various regions of Mexico. Each initiative was designed with a holistic approach, addressing key areas that contribute to long-term community development. Education: Laying the Foundation for the Future Education is one of the most powerful tools to promote social mobility and equitable development. At SSA Marine Mexico, we support academic initiatives that inspire and empower the next generation of leaders. One of our most impactful partnerships was with the University of Colima, where we sponsored the “Reto Camp” program. This initiative encourages university students to develop innovative solutions in the fields of sustainability, logistics, and port operations, offering them mentorship, tools, and real-world challenges to solve. In addition, we donated microscopes, school supplies, and educational materials to institutions in underserved communities, helping to improve the learning environment and provide students with the resources they need to succeed. Health and Sports: Promoting Wellness We believe that healthy communities are strong communities. We have supported several local sporting events and provided direct assistance to talented athletes, enabling them to pursue their passions and represent their regions with pride. Beyond sports, we also strengthened our collaboration with critical emergency response organizations such as the Mexican Red Cross and Civil Protection. Our contributions helped enhance their readiness and capabilities in times of crisis, ensuring better outcomes for those affected by emergencies. Supporting Vulnerable Groups: Reaching Those Who Need It Most A core part of our social responsibility efforts is directed toward supporting vulnerable populations. We have contributed to a range of initiatives focused on children, migrants, and at-risk families. These efforts included donations to orphanages and shelters, as well as support for the National Institute of Migration and grassroots organizations dedicated to protecting and empowering people facing adversity. By standing with those in need, we reinforce our commitment to inclusion and social justice, values that are central to our identity as a responsible company. <span class="joc_admin__inline-image joc_admin__inline-image-aspect-ratio-3_2 joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left" data-figure-aspect-ratio="3:2"><img src="/content-assets/1752584944645_Photo%202.png" alt="" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit">Culture: Strengthening Community Identity Cultural identity is a key element in building resilient and united communities. At SSA Marine Mexico, we actively participate in the organization and sponsorship of cultural events that celebrate local traditions and foster civic pride. 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In 2024, we invested $22 million USD in the acquisition of 11 state-of-the-art E-RTG cranes. These electric rubber-tired gantry cranes represent a significant technological advancement in port equipment. Seven of them are already operating on clean electric energy, resulting in a reduction of nearly 4,000 tons of CO₂ emissions and improving operational efficiency by 7%. The remaining four cranes are fully compatible with future electrification, underscoring our long-term strategy to modernize our operations in an environmentally responsible way. This investment is part of a broader innovation roadmap that includes digitalization, automation, and cleaner energy sources—all designed to ensure that our ports continue to grow without compromising the health of our planet. Building a Better Tomorrow, Together At SSA Marine Mexico, we understand that sustainability is a shared and ongoing responsibility. True impact requires collaboration across sectors, long-term vision, and unwavering commitment. That is why we continue to work hand-in-hand with local authorities, non-profit organizations, universities, and our own employees to create solutions that are both scalable and sustainable. Our journey is far from over. In the years ahead, we will continue to deepen our community engagement, explore cleaner technologies, and strengthen the social fabric of the regions where we operate. Each initiative, no matter the size, is a step toward building a future where business success goes hand-in-hand with human and environmental prosperity. We are proud of what we have achieved in 2024, but we are even more excited about what lies ahead. SSA Marine Mexico — Moving the World, Caring for People and Planet. LINK: <a href="https://www.ssamarine.mx/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">https://www.ssamarine.mx/</a>

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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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