<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">For the first time, China overtook Germany as the world's biggest exporter during the first half of 2009, the World Trade Organization reported Tuesday. 
 
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For the first time, China overtook Germany as the world's biggest exporter during the first half of 2009, the World Trade Organization reported Tuesday.

<div>For the first time, China overtook Germany as the world's biggest exporter during the first half of 2009, the World Trade Organization reported Tuesday. From January through June 2009, China's total export volume amounted to $521.7 billion, slightly exceeding Germany's exports, which totaled $521.6 billion. Germany has long been the biggest exporter of goods and services but has been closely followed by China in recent years. In 2007, Germany exported $1.32 trillion of goods over the full year while China's exports reached $1.22 trillion, according to the WTO. However, between 2000 and 2007 China's exports grew by an average annual...

For the first time, China overtook Germany as the world's biggest exporter during the first half of 2009, the World Trade Organization reported Tuesday. From January through June 2009, China's total export volume amounted to $521.7 billion, slightly exceeding Germany's exports, which totaled $521.6 billion. Germany has long been the biggest exporter of goods and services but has been closely followed by China in recent years. In 2007, Germany exported $1.32 trillion of goods over the full year while China's exports reached $1.22 trillion, according to the WTO. However, between 2000 and 2007 China's exports grew by an average annual rate of 25 percent, while Germany's exports grew by only 13 percent a year. A WTO spokesperson said China and Germany remain very close in the competition, and it is too soon to say if China will overtake Germany as the world's largest goods exporter for all of 2009. The final results will depend on several unknown factors, including foreign exchange rates and the pace of economic recovery in the various markets that buy exports from China and Germany in coming months. Contact Alan M. Field at afield@joc.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

China Becomes World's Largest Exporter

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Local liner sources who spoke with the Journal of Commerce signaled that carriers would cancel increase notices scheduled for Aug. 1 and instead extend existing prices through the first half of the month.</div>

Local liner sources who spoke with the Journal of Commerce signaled that carriers would cancel increase notices scheduled for Aug. 1 and instead extend existing prices through the first half of the month.

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<div class="phx-topic">Container carriers covering Indian westbound trades to the US are reconsidering the rate increases they had lined up for August because of an uncertain market environment stemming from the new tariffs that will hit the market. Local liner sources who spoke with the Journal of Commerce signaled that carriers would cancel increase notices scheduled for Aug. 1 and instead extend existing prices through the first half of the month after no noticeable volume gains were seen in the early days of peak shipping season. “There is just no room to push rates higher in the near term,” said a sales executive at a European carrier who asked not to be identified. “At best, we might be able to hold current rates somewhat firm for now.” Sources said that a significant cut in capacity from multiple blank sailings — reportedly six void calls across three India-US East Coast connections in July — has effectively helped carriers fill vessels to their full allocations in recent weeks. But with no major schedule disruptions reported for August, barring just two anticipated skips on Ocean Network Express’ (ONE) WIN loop, lead carriers remain skeptical about their ability to reach allocation targets without downward rate corrections. Asian carriers, mainly Cosco Shipping and subsidiary OOCL, have already dropped spot rates on the trade lane — down to between $2,000 to $2,100 per FEU versus the $2,500 to $2,800 price range held by their European peers, sources say. Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, pegged India-US East Coast spot rates at $2,633 per FEU as of July 30. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="56199e2b-5df4-468f-a149-b18ae7c32e51"></dynamic-object></div>Meanwhile, a 25% US tariff on Indian-origin goods that begins Aug. 1, plus an unspecified penalty for trading with Russia, has amplified those trade concerns. Tariff stability, now key to India-US trade expansion, hinges on a new bilateral trade deal both sides have been negotiating over the past few months, with breakthroughs ostensibly stalled by certain market access differences. Another round of talks is now scheduled for late August. Amid lingering uncertainty, many US buyers are said to be holding back on lifting Indian shipments already on order and/or placing new procurement plans. Sunil Vaswani, executive director of the Container Shipping Lines Association (India), believes the higher scale of US tariffs could significantly hurt Indian export flows, primarily pharmaceuticals, seafood and textiles and apparel. “The situation is being closely watched by the trade, including carriers,” he said. Other industry sources echoed that sentiment. “Indian exporters and US importers are now unable to accurately calculate landed costs or plan how to absorb the elevated tariff burden,” said Ajay Sahai, director-general at the Federation of Indian Exports Organization. “This lack of predictability is disrupting supply chain planning and pricing decisions.” Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>. </div>

Container carriers covering Indian westbound trades to the US are reconsidering the rate increases they had lined up for August because of an uncertain market environment stemming from the new tariffs that will hit the market. Local liner sources who spoke with the Journal of Commerce signaled that carriers would cancel increase notices scheduled for Aug. 1 and instead extend existing prices through the first half of the month after no noticeable volume gains were seen in the early days of peak shipping season. “There is just no room to push rates higher in the near term,” said a sales executive at a European carrier who asked not to be identified. “At best, we might be able to hold current rates somewhat firm for now.” Sources said that a significant cut in capacity from multiple blank sailings — reportedly six void calls across three India-US East Coast connections in July — has effectively helped carriers fill vessels to their full allocations in recent weeks. But with no major schedule disruptions reported for August, barring just two anticipated skips on Ocean Network Express’ (ONE) WIN loop, lead carriers remain skeptical about their ability to reach allocation targets without downward rate corrections. Asian carriers, mainly Cosco Shipping and subsidiary OOCL, have already dropped spot rates on the trade lane — down to between $2,000 to $2,100 per FEU versus the $2,500 to $2,800 price range held by their European peers, sources say. Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, pegged India-US East Coast spot rates at $2,633 per FEU as of July 30. Meanwhile, a 25% US tariff on Indian-origin goods that begins Aug. 1, plus an unspecified penalty for trading with Russia, has amplified those trade concerns. Tariff stability, now key to India-US trade expansion, hinges on a new bilateral trade deal both sides have been negotiating over the past few months, with breakthroughs ostensibly stalled by certain market access differences. Another round of talks is now scheduled for late August. Amid lingering uncertainty, many US buyers are said to be holding back on lifting Indian shipments already on order and/or placing new procurement plans. Sunil Vaswani, executive director of the Container Shipping Lines Association (India), believes the higher scale of US tariffs could significantly hurt Indian export flows, primarily pharmaceuticals, seafood and textiles and apparel. “The situation is being closely watched by the trade, including carriers,” he said. Other industry sources echoed that sentiment. “Indian exporters and US importers are now unable to accurately calculate landed costs or plan how to absorb the elevated tariff burden,” said Ajay Sahai, director-general at the Federation of Indian Exports Organization. “This lack of predictability is disrupting supply chain planning and pricing decisions.” Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Maritime

Container Shipping News

Trans-Pacific

Container lines

India-US carriers likely to kill August rate hikes amid new tariff uncertainty

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The legislation aims to incentivize a domestic crane industry and move US ports away from China’s dominant manufacturer.</div>

The legislation aims to incentivize a domestic crane industry and move US ports away from China’s dominant manufacturer.

<div class="phx-topic">Legislation that would provide tax credits for companies to build port cranes in the US has been introduced in the House of Representatives, the latest attempt to shift the manufacturing of logistics equipment away from China. The Port Cranes Tax Credit Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi) would reduce “the financial burden for companies investing in American-made cranes and components ... and [cut] US reliance on foreign suppliers for critical port equipment,” Ezell’s office said in a statement Wednesday. The bill would provide a 25% investment tax credit for US companies to manufacture or repair ship-to-shore (STS) cranes. The bill also includes a 40% production tax credit that would rise to 60% if 90% of the crane’s components are also sourced in the US. The legislation takes direct aim at the stranglehold that Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) has on US port cranes, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-ports-hit-back-at-white-house-move-to-levy-new-tariff-on-chinese-cranes-5192168">with an 80% market share</a>. Some in Congress have alleged that ZPMC cranes at US ports are security risks, offering hackers <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/white-house-counters-risk-of-chinese-port-cranes-with-20-billion-for-us-sourcing-5200230">a way to disrupt operations through remote monitoring software on the cranes</a>. “The threat of cyber intrusions and espionage from the Chinese Communist Party is real,” Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in the statement. “I’m deeply concerned that so many of our ports are forced to use cranes manufactured by a Chinese state-owned company.” The legislation has received the endorsement of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), with AAPA President Cary Davis saying the tax credit is “a tangible first step on the supply side toward incentivizing the reshoring of key cargo-handling equipment in the coming years since there are currently no domestic STS crane manufacturers.” The AAPA, though, has been less enthusiastic about other efforts to reshore crane manufacturing. The group said <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ports-look-to-delay-proposed-us-tariffs-on-chinese-made-cranes-6007628">it was not in favor of the US Trade Representative’s proposed 100% tariff on Chinese-made cranes</a>, part of President Donald Trump’s strategy for the US to regain market share in the maritime logistics industry. The Biden administration kicked off efforts to reshore US STS crane manufacturing following reports of cyber intrusions at US ports, outlining in February 2024 <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/white-house-counters-risk-of-chinese-port-cranes-with-20-billion-for-us-sourcing-5200230">$20 billion in incentives</a> for companies to start making cranes in the US. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Legislation that would provide tax credits for companies to build port cranes in the US has been introduced in the House of Representatives, the latest attempt to shift the manufacturing of logistics equipment away from China. The Port Cranes Tax Credit Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi) would reduce “the financial burden for companies investing in American-made cranes and components ... and [cut] US reliance on foreign suppliers for critical port equipment,” Ezell’s office said in a statement Wednesday. The bill would provide a 25% investment tax credit for US companies to manufacture or repair ship-to-shore (STS) cranes. The bill also includes a 40% production tax credit that would rise to 60% if 90% of the crane’s components are also sourced in the US. The legislation takes direct aim at the stranglehold that Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) has on US port cranes, with an 80% market share . Some in Congress have alleged that ZPMC cranes at US ports are security risks, offering hackers a way to disrupt operations through remote monitoring software on the cranes . “The threat of cyber intrusions and espionage from the Chinese Communist Party is real,” Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in the statement. “I’m deeply concerned that so many of our ports are forced to use cranes manufactured by a Chinese state-owned company.” The legislation has received the endorsement of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), with AAPA President Cary Davis saying the tax credit is “a tangible first step on the supply side toward incentivizing the reshoring of key cargo-handling equipment in the coming years since there are currently no domestic STS crane manufacturers.” The AAPA, though, has been less enthusiastic about other efforts to reshore crane manufacturing. The group said it was not in favor of the US Trade Representative’s proposed 100% tariff on Chinese-made cranes , part of President Donald Trump’s strategy for the US to regain market share in the maritime logistics industry. The Biden administration kicked off efforts to reshore US STS crane manufacturing following reports of cyber intrusions at US ports, outlining in February 2024 $20 billion in incentives for companies to start making cranes in the US. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Port News

Port infrastructure

North American ports

Congress eyes a tax credit for reshoring port crane manufacturing

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Higher costs and shifting deadlines are making business difficult for small cargo owners and those shipping low-value goods.</div>

Higher costs and shifting deadlines are making business difficult for small cargo owners and those shipping low-value goods.

<div class="phx-topic">For years, the guessing game for international logistics managers revolved around ocean freight rate levels and transit time predictability. But today, the biggest unknown for those same managers is the lack of certainty around how US tariffs will impact their total cost of goods sold. More import logistics managers, particularly for smaller cargo owners and those shipping low-value goods, are having to change sourcing locations or stop shipping from any of those spots entirely due to higher tariffs making the cost of buying the goods uneconomical. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6053066_0.1.jpg"></img></div>This is further complicated by shifting deadlines guiding when various tariffs take effect and forces another consideration on the part of logistics managers who are traditionally focused more on the cost of securing transportation. That broadens the degree to which those logistics managers need to think about things such as sourcing and trade compliance. Indeed, US tariff policy now swings more often and abruptly than ocean spot rates. Some US importers of India-sourced goods are now forced to reconsider whether to keep ordering from the country after President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff, dealing a blow to India being seen as an emerging production alternative to China. US importers of goods from the European Union are weighing similar considerations <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trans-atlantic-trade-dispute-averted-as-us-eu-reach-weekend-deal-6051144">after last weekend’s announcement</a> of a 15% US tariff, while the Aug 1. deadline for higher tariffs to kick in against other trade partners looms. The shipping industry is split on whether the deadline will hold or be pushed again after Trump granted an initial extension. A separate Aug. 14 deadline on higher China tariffs <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-tariff-truce-holds-now-us-says-trump-has-final-say-2025-07-29/">appears headed for an extension</a> after US and Chinese officials failed to reach a deal during talks this week in Stockholm. <h3>Importers’ muddied planning </h3>The whiplash effect of the Trump administration’s trade policy is muddying the ability of US importers to plan in a way that OL USA President Alan Baer said he can’t recall seeing in his 50 years in the industry. US import customers have asked the forwarder to go as far as pulling containers off the docks at origin because the extent of US tariffs no longer makes importing feasible, he said. Other customers have, less dramatically, simply held off on placing new orders and leaned on production lines in countries less affected by US tariffs or they’ve significantly pulled back their orders. One US importer of women’s undergarments used to ship 100 containers monthly from China, but the current US tariffs at 30% make selling all the items to Walmart infeasible, he said. “So, they’re trying to reprice,” said Baer. “They’re looking at, okay, we can’t take it in China anymore, so they moved some sourcing to Ethiopia. They moved some sourcing to Ghana, and it’s a shell game for a lot of companies at the moment, waiting for the dust to settle to figure out where they should try to make stuff that they want to sell.” Larger retailers are certainly mindful of the changing tariff environment and can adjust where to source certain products, to a degree, when they have relationships with manufacturers in multiple countries. They also have more leverage to force the suppliers to take on more of the cost, allowing retailers to spare American consumers higher costs, for now. All this uncertainty translates into foggier-than-usual forecasts from cargo owners to carriers and results in shoulder shrugs from shippers when asked about demand in the medium term. It’s hardly surprising, then, that more container capacity than needed returned to the trans-Pacific after China bookings began rebounding in mid-May, when Trump announced the 90-day pause on US tariffs of 145%. Barometers of future import demand are of limited help to carriers. Consumer sentiment may be improving and the labor market resilient, but economists and a growing number of companies warn that the true impact of higher tariffs on the US economy will show in the cost of products in the second half of the year. The rise in the consumer price index, climbing to 2.7% in June from 2.4% in May — the highest since February — may signal that the impact of higher tariffs is only now beginning to be felt. Contact Mark Szakonyi at <a href="mailto:mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com">mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

For years, the guessing game for international logistics managers revolved around ocean freight rate levels and transit time predictability. But today, the biggest unknown for those same managers is the lack of certainty around how US tariffs will impact their total cost of goods sold. More import logistics managers, particularly for smaller cargo owners and those shipping low-value goods, are having to change sourcing locations or stop shipping from any of those spots entirely due to higher tariffs making the cost of buying the goods uneconomical. This is further complicated by shifting deadlines guiding when various tariffs take effect and forces another consideration on the part of logistics managers who are traditionally focused more on the cost of securing transportation. That broadens the degree to which those logistics managers need to think about things such as sourcing and trade compliance. Indeed, US tariff policy now swings more often and abruptly than ocean spot rates. Some US importers of India-sourced goods are now forced to reconsider whether to keep ordering from the country after President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff, dealing a blow to India being seen as an emerging production alternative to China. US importers of goods from the European Union are weighing similar considerations after last weekend’s announcement of a 15% US tariff, while the Aug 1. deadline for higher tariffs to kick in against other trade partners looms. The shipping industry is split on whether the deadline will hold or be pushed again after Trump granted an initial extension. A separate Aug. 14 deadline on higher China tariffs appears headed for an extension after US and Chinese officials failed to reach a deal during talks this week in Stockholm. Importers’ muddied planning The whiplash effect of the Trump administration’s trade policy is muddying the ability of US importers to plan in a way that OL USA President Alan Baer said he can’t recall seeing in his 50 years in the industry. US import customers have asked the forwarder to go as far as pulling containers off the docks at origin because the extent of US tariffs no longer makes importing feasible, he said. Other customers have, less dramatically, simply held off on placing new orders and leaned on production lines in countries less affected by US tariffs or they’ve significantly pulled back their orders. One US importer of women’s undergarments used to ship 100 containers monthly from China, but the current US tariffs at 30% make selling all the items to Walmart infeasible, he said. “So, they’re trying to reprice,” said Baer. “They’re looking at, okay, we can’t take it in China anymore, so they moved some sourcing to Ethiopia. They moved some sourcing to Ghana, and it’s a shell game for a lot of companies at the moment, waiting for the dust to settle to figure out where they should try to make stuff that they want to sell.” Larger retailers are certainly mindful of the changing tariff environment and can adjust where to source certain products, to a degree, when they have relationships with manufacturers in multiple countries. They also have more leverage to force the suppliers to take on more of the cost, allowing retailers to spare American consumers higher costs, for now. All this uncertainty translates into foggier-than-usual forecasts from cargo owners to carriers and results in shoulder shrugs from shippers when asked about demand in the medium term. It’s hardly surprising, then, that more container capacity than needed returned to the trans-Pacific after China bookings began rebounding in mid-May, when Trump announced the 90-day pause on US tariffs of 145%. Barometers of future import demand are of limited help to carriers. Consumer sentiment may be improving and the labor market resilient, but economists and a growing number of companies warn that the true impact of higher tariffs on the US economy will show in the cost of products in the second half of the year. The rise in the consumer price index, climbing to 2.7% in June from 2.4% in May — the highest since February — may signal that the impact of higher tariffs is only now beginning to be felt. Contact Mark Szakonyi at mark.szakonyi@spglobal.com .

Supply chain

Tariff volatility puts smaller US importers in planning limbo

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">While not yet reflected in freight rates, analysts and forwarders report growing space constraints out of Southeast Asian origins. </div>

While not yet reflected in freight rates, analysts and forwarders report growing space constraints out of Southeast Asian origins.

<div class="phx-topic">European air freight importers are being indirectly affected by a tariff-driven shift in Asian trade flows that is putting capacity out of Southeast Asia under increasing pressure. While deployed air cargo capacity on routes from Southeast Asia to both Europe and the US remains flat this week compared with the average of the past four weeks, the shifting of volume from China to its southern neighbors is tightening available space, according to Jonathan Mellink, head of sales at air cargo analyst Rotate. “Shippers have shifted supply chains to cater for the differences in [US] tariff levies on different countries of origin, and we see these goods — computers, smartphones, auto parts — that were mostly coming out of China are being sourced in other locations,” Mellink told an air freight webinar hosted by Rhenus Logistics this week. For example, Mellink said 90% of all video game consoles were exported from China last year, but 50% of the products were now being sourced from Vietnam. Another example included Apple iPhones made in India, where significant volumes produced for the European market have been shifted to the US. While some electronics such as laptops, semiconductors and smartphones are excluded from the 10% US “reciprocal tariff” on Chinese imports, all imports of Chinese origin are subject to the 20% fentanyl tariff. “Shippers are trying to be agile and change their supply chains to benefit from at least some of the tariff differences out there,” Mellink said. Still, Chris Bode, vice president of global air freight at Rhenus Logistics, said exporters shifting thousands of tons of air freight from China to Southeast Asian manufacturing hubs such as Thailand and Vietnam risk overloading the outbound market. “[Thailand and Vietnam] are exporting roughly 40,000 tons a month on average, and when suddenly you have another 3,000 tons of a single commodity that was originally from China, it can affect global supply and demand,” Bode told the air freight webinar. “If a customer today is importing automotive-related cargo from Thailand into Germany, he will feel the impact of the US tariffs, even though he’s not involved directly with China-US trade,” he added. “It is important to understand how this new supply-demand is going to balance out and what its impact will be on customers that do not have direct trade flows with the US.” <h3>Keeping eggs ‘in the China basket’ </h3>The shifting of trade flows also poses a challenge to airlines, especially those deeply committed to the Chinese market, such as Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. Leonard Rodrigues, director of revenue management and network planning at Etihad Cargo, told the webinar that the carrier in June signed a joint business agreement with Shenzhen-based SF Airlines, the largest cargo carrier in China. “It’s going to be very interesting to see what the impact of the tariffs and the trade volatility will be, because a big share of our eggs is in the China basket,” he told the air freight webinar, noting that Etihad in the past year has increased the number of weekly China flights from 11 to 18. However, Rodrigues said “making life easier” was the fact that Etihad Cargo had low exposure to the US, with only 3% of its freighter capacity deployed on Asia-US trade routes. Another factor insulating the carrier from the shifting trade flows was its size, as Etihad Cargo is a small player compared with the major air freight operators. Despite the shifting trade flows, Rodrigues pointed to the stability of air freight rates, with China-US rates this week close to levels seen during Chinese New Year in early February and China-North Europe up 10% over that time. China-North America rates were at $5.02 per kilogram this week while the China-Europe market was at $4.25/kg, according to the Baltic Air Index. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

European air freight importers are being indirectly affected by a tariff-driven shift in Asian trade flows that is putting capacity out of Southeast Asia under increasing pressure. While deployed air cargo capacity on routes from Southeast Asia to both Europe and the US remains flat this week compared with the average of the past four weeks, the shifting of volume from China to its southern neighbors is tightening available space, according to Jonathan Mellink, head of sales at air cargo analyst Rotate. “Shippers have shifted supply chains to cater for the differences in [US] tariff levies on different countries of origin, and we see these goods — computers, smartphones, auto parts — that were mostly coming out of China are being sourced in other locations,” Mellink told an air freight webinar hosted by Rhenus Logistics this week. For example, Mellink said 90% of all video game consoles were exported from China last year, but 50% of the products were now being sourced from Vietnam. Another example included Apple iPhones made in India, where significant volumes produced for the European market have been shifted to the US. While some electronics such as laptops, semiconductors and smartphones are excluded from the 10% US “reciprocal tariff” on Chinese imports, all imports of Chinese origin are subject to the 20% fentanyl tariff. “Shippers are trying to be agile and change their supply chains to benefit from at least some of the tariff differences out there,” Mellink said. Still, Chris Bode, vice president of global air freight at Rhenus Logistics, said exporters shifting thousands of tons of air freight from China to Southeast Asian manufacturing hubs such as Thailand and Vietnam risk overloading the outbound market. “[Thailand and Vietnam] are exporting roughly 40,000 tons a month on average, and when suddenly you have another 3,000 tons of a single commodity that was originally from China, it can affect global supply and demand,” Bode told the air freight webinar. “If a customer today is importing automotive-related cargo from Thailand into Germany, he will feel the impact of the US tariffs, even though he’s not involved directly with China-US trade,” he added. “It is important to understand how this new supply-demand is going to balance out and what its impact will be on customers that do not have direct trade flows with the US.” Keeping eggs ‘in the China basket’ The shifting of trade flows also poses a challenge to airlines, especially those deeply committed to the Chinese market, such as Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. Leonard Rodrigues, director of revenue management and network planning at Etihad Cargo, told the webinar that the carrier in June signed a joint business agreement with Shenzhen-based SF Airlines, the largest cargo carrier in China. “It’s going to be very interesting to see what the impact of the tariffs and the trade volatility will be, because a big share of our eggs is in the China basket,” he told the air freight webinar, noting that Etihad in the past year has increased the number of weekly China flights from 11 to 18. However, Rodrigues said “making life easier” was the fact that Etihad Cargo had low exposure to the US, with only 3% of its freighter capacity deployed on Asia-US trade routes. Another factor insulating the carrier from the shifting trade flows was its size, as Etihad Cargo is a small player compared with the major air freight operators. Despite the shifting trade flows, Rodrigues pointed to the stability of air freight rates, with China-US rates this week close to levels seen during Chinese New Year in early February and China-North Europe up 10% over that time. China-North America rates were at $5.02 per kilogram this week while the China-Europe market was at $4.25/kg, according to the Baltic Air Index. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Air Cargo

Air Cargo Carriers News

Tariff-linked trade flow shift tightens Asian air freight capacity

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Cargo movers are holding back on executing breakbulk and project cargo shipments as much as possible until there is a clearer picture of costs in the current unsettled market. </div>

Cargo movers are holding back on executing breakbulk and project cargo shipments as much as possible until there is a clearer picture of costs in the current unsettled market.

<div class="phx-topic">“Strategic inaction” is the order of the day in the tariff uncertainty-hit multipurpose vessel (MPV) sector, shippers say. Carlos Cortes, supply chain director for North America at wood products shipper CMPC Forest Products, told the Journal of Commerce the company is continuing to monitor tariff developments, “but we are holding back on executing until we can get better visibility of the final situation,” a direction he described as “strategic inaction.” Cortes noted a slight decline in North American MPV freight rates, but said it was “nothing significant” for contracted rates. “For me, the main takeaway is that the North America market is stable and holding on amid the geopolitical and economic conditions,” he said. Cortes added that he hadn’t seen major changes to capacity availability. “We are expediting vessels as much as we can and for now haven’t experienced major disruptions,” he said. “We will need to see how this changes if [tariffs] are finally confirmed in August.” Continued stability in multipurpose freight rates could be the “calm before the storm” or an indication of a resilient market environment, said specialist broker Toepfer Transport. In its July 25 Multipurpose Shipping Report, the broker said its bellwether Toepfer Multipurpose Index (TMI) remains stable, with almost no significant up or down movement. The index stood at $12,905 per day for July, up just 0.07% from June. The TMI is based on expected average rates for six- to 12-month time charters for 12,500-deadweight-ton (dwt) “F-Type” vessels with safe working loads (SWLs) of 240 to 360 metric tons, as reported to Toepfer by owners and operators. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="ea382181-08cd-4298-912f-87c79836bcf7"></dynamic-object></div><h3>Geopolitical tensions continue to bite </h3>Toepfer said the hoped-for reopening of Red Sea routes to the Suez Canal by the end of the year <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/new-houthi-attacks-likely-kill-hopes-of-shipping-returning-to-red-sea-this-year-6040923">has gone by the boards due to the recent Houthi attacks on commercial vessels</a> and tensions surrounding Israel and Iran. “The expected decline in tonnage-miles for breakbulk and project cargoes associated with the resumption of the Suez transit will not occur in the near future,” the broker said. Meanwhile, the volatility around US import tariffs has compounded market uncertainty, making it difficult to predict project costs and risks involving the US supply chain. A similar downbeat forecast applies to Europe, where weak exports are still sufficient to sustain break-even income for carriers, but “there is no indication of improvement over the next few months,” Toepfer said. A silver lining for the MPV market is that exports from the Far East “continue to ensure the effective utilization of the fleet and the generation of sufficient income for carriers,” Toepfer said. And in Africa, carriers have reported to the broker that there has been “a significant increase of cargo export.” Charters are also steadily moving with the majority of F500 and F600 XL-type MPVs ordered on speculation and fixed at rate levels that reflect the stable-to-positive sentiment of carriers and the expectations of the investors and banks behind the newbuildings. While ordering activity in the MPV space is currently limited — a fault of the “current mismatch between charter rates and prices,” Toepfer said — behind the scenes, there is “a sense of optimism and a readiness to seize opportunities, as many are eager to be prepared once the conditions align.” Contact Carly Fields at <a href="mailto:carly.fields@spglobal.com">carly.fields@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

“Strategic inaction” is the order of the day in the tariff uncertainty-hit multipurpose vessel (MPV) sector, shippers say. Carlos Cortes, supply chain director for North America at wood products shipper CMPC Forest Products, told the Journal of Commerce the company is continuing to monitor tariff developments, “but we are holding back on executing until we can get better visibility of the final situation,” a direction he described as “strategic inaction.” Cortes noted a slight decline in North American MPV freight rates, but said it was “nothing significant” for contracted rates. “For me, the main takeaway is that the North America market is stable and holding on amid the geopolitical and economic conditions,” he said. Cortes added that he hadn’t seen major changes to capacity availability. “We are expediting vessels as much as we can and for now haven’t experienced major disruptions,” he said. “We will need to see how this changes if [tariffs] are finally confirmed in August.” Continued stability in multipurpose freight rates could be the “calm before the storm” or an indication of a resilient market environment, said specialist broker Toepfer Transport. In its July 25 Multipurpose Shipping Report, the broker said its bellwether Toepfer Multipurpose Index (TMI) remains stable, with almost no significant up or down movement. The index stood at $12,905 per day for July, up just 0.07% from June. The TMI is based on expected average rates for six- to 12-month time charters for 12,500-deadweight-ton (dwt) “F-Type” vessels with safe working loads (SWLs) of 240 to 360 metric tons, as reported to Toepfer by owners and operators. Geopolitical tensions continue to bite Toepfer said the hoped-for reopening of Red Sea routes to the Suez Canal by the end of the year has gone by the boards due to the recent Houthi attacks on commercial vessels and tensions surrounding Israel and Iran. “The expected decline in tonnage-miles for breakbulk and project cargoes associated with the resumption of the Suez transit will not occur in the near future,” the broker said. Meanwhile, the volatility around US import tariffs has compounded market uncertainty, making it difficult to predict project costs and risks involving the US supply chain. A similar downbeat forecast applies to Europe, where weak exports are still sufficient to sustain break-even income for carriers, but “there is no indication of improvement over the next few months,” Toepfer said. A silver lining for the MPV market is that exports from the Far East “continue to ensure the effective utilization of the fleet and the generation of sufficient income for carriers,” Toepfer said. And in Africa, carriers have reported to the broker that there has been “a significant increase of cargo export.” Charters are also steadily moving with the majority of F500 and F600 XL-type MPVs ordered on speculation and fixed at rate levels that reflect the stable-to-positive sentiment of carriers and the expectations of the investors and banks behind the newbuildings. While ordering activity in the MPV space is currently limited — a fault of the “current mismatch between charter rates and prices,” Toepfer said — behind the scenes, there is “a sense of optimism and a readiness to seize opportunities, as many are eager to be prepared once the conditions align.” Contact Carly Fields at carly.fields@spglobal.com .

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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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