<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A Hong Kong startup has launched a private beta version of a new online platform that is being billed as the “Expedia for freight shipping.”</div>

A Hong Kong startup has launched a private beta version of a new online platform that is being billed as the “Expedia for freight shipping.”

<div>A Hong Kong startup has launched a private beta version of a new online platform that is being billed as the “Expedia for freight shipping.”It’s a comparison a number of other young firms have made, but Freightos founder Zvi Schreiber says his may be the first to live up to the hype. According to Schreiber, Freightos will allow individual users and <a>freight forwarders</a> to search for and filter shipping options by price, time, route, fees and transportation mode.The online platform characterizes itself as a “big data solution” that pools prices and fees together in one place for its customers. The...

A Hong Kong startup has launched a private beta version of a new online platform that is being billed as the “Expedia for freight shipping.” It’s a comparison a number of other young firms have made, but Freightos founder Zvi Schreiber says his may be the first to live up to the hype. According to Schreiber, Freightos will allow individual users and freight forwarders to search for and filter shipping options by price, time, route, fees and transportation mode. The online platform characterizes itself as a “big data solution” that pools prices and fees together in one place for its customers. The company is already working with more than 30 freight forwarders, including logistics giants Hellmann Worldwide and Nippon Express . In the last quarter alone, the company estimates it processed 24,000 automated quotes running the gamut from the hundreds to the tens of thousands of dollars. “It’s quite straightforward, and quite analogous to what you’ve seen in other industries,” Schreiber told online tech journal TechCrunch . “But in this industry, it’s really quite revolutionary.” That industry, Schreiber has said, is extremely fragmented. Freightos is aimed at streamlining it. According to Schreiber, the top three freight forwarders do as much as $30 billion of business every year. No. 20 on that list still does the better part of $2 billion of business each year. And there are important players outside the top 20. Freightos raised $14 million to fund its latest private beta version. The platform is available to limited customers in multiple languages and currencies, including Chinese. “So far, the Freightos team has had fun showing that cross-border freight pricing can be automated,” the company said in a statement. “Now we need to show that all this can be scaled to cover even broader parts of a massive industry, working with partners and clients to unlock new opportunities for the industry with online freight pricing, routing and booking.” But Freightos is not the only company automating the freight business. Last year, Kuehne + Nagel introduced KN Freightnet, an online platform for placing air freight orders that cut down the time spent on obtaining quotes, placing bookings and tracking shipments. Another company operating in this sector is CargoSphere. Its president Neil Barni said confidential steamship contracts arrived in 60-page documents in Word, Excel or PDF formats, making it difficult to assemble the puzzle and create a bottom line cost.“The problem is that these static files are immediately obsolete,” Barni said. “By the time you have received the email and pulled out that PDF or Excel file, sent it around or put it on a shared drive, it is already old.”

Logistics Technology News

Hong Kong startup launches freight forwarding platform

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Outpost’s technology aims to answer key supply chain security questions and clarify visibility at terminal gates. </div>

Outpost’s technology aims to answer key supply chain security questions and clarify visibility at terminal gates.

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<div class="phx-topic">A company building a network of <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/shipper-need-for-agility-fuels-growth-of-us-shared-terminal-trucking-network-6026788">shared terminals for trucking companies</a> and their customers is offering technology designed to overcome one of the main obstacles to supply chain visibility and security: the gate. Outpost, a company founded in 2021 to provide secure fleet yards for truck parking, on Thursday launched a gate automation platform based in part on artificial intelligence (AI). The technology is designed to identify trucks, tractors, drivers and trailer seals as a vehicle approaches the gate and then clear the vehicle to enter or decline entry. “The reality of a modern industrial gate is that it’s both a security point and an operational control point,” Greg Akselrod, chief technology officer for Outpost, told the Journal of Commerce. The security function is focused on the actual location and decides whether a tractor-trailer gets access to a facility. The operational function is more closely tied to overall supply chain visibility and integrated with Outpost’s network and the customer’s systems. “Tying all this information into one central management layer creates a level of coordination that’s an overlooked opportunity for visibility and control in the supply chain,” said Akselrod. “That creates a ton of ways to offer efficiencies and lower costs.” <h3>Working in a shared space </h3>Outpost isn’t alone in recognizing the problem with gates. Companies, including logistics provider C.H. Robinson Worldwide, are looking into ways to use AI to tackle security issues at terminal and warehouse gates and <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ch-robinson-using-ai-to-advance-touchless-truck-scheduling-5214959">help speed truck appointments</a>. What differentiates Outpost is its terminal model, in which several trucking companies, shippers and logistics partners work together in a shared space. “We really see this as key to the fabric of interconnected terminals,” Akselrod said. However, the gate to a truck yard or distribution center or manufacturing plant often is the least automated part of a facility. The historical solution has been to put someone in a gatehouse, but that’s an increasingly inefficient solution, according to Outpost. “Our research shows that the average cost of having someone at a gate, 24/7, is about $25,000 a month,” he said, claiming automation can reduce that cost by 70%. Outpost is offering the technology to customers within its network and to those who want to install it at external facilities, Akselrod said. ”We’ve had strong interest from motor carriers, shippers, distribution centers and even railroads,” he said. “The value is outsized when you have a network of facilities.” Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto://bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a></div>

A company building a network of shared terminals for trucking companies and their customers is offering technology designed to overcome one of the main obstacles to supply chain visibility and security: the gate. Outpost, a company founded in 2021 to provide secure fleet yards for truck parking, on Thursday launched a gate automation platform based in part on artificial intelligence (AI). The technology is designed to identify trucks, tractors, drivers and trailer seals as a vehicle approaches the gate and then clear the vehicle to enter or decline entry. “The reality of a modern industrial gate is that it’s both a security point and an operational control point,” Greg Akselrod, chief technology officer for Outpost, told the Journal of Commerce. The security function is focused on the actual location and decides whether a tractor-trailer gets access to a facility. The operational function is more closely tied to overall supply chain visibility and integrated with Outpost’s network and the customer’s systems. “Tying all this information into one central management layer creates a level of coordination that’s an overlooked opportunity for visibility and control in the supply chain,” said Akselrod. “That creates a ton of ways to offer efficiencies and lower costs.” Working in a shared space Outpost isn’t alone in recognizing the problem with gates. Companies, including logistics provider C.H. Robinson Worldwide, are looking into ways to use AI to tackle security issues at terminal and warehouse gates and help speed truck appointments . What differentiates Outpost is its terminal model, in which several trucking companies, shippers and logistics partners work together in a shared space. “We really see this as key to the fabric of interconnected terminals,” Akselrod said. However, the gate to a truck yard or distribution center or manufacturing plant often is the least automated part of a facility. The historical solution has been to put someone in a gatehouse, but that’s an increasingly inefficient solution, according to Outpost. “Our research shows that the average cost of having someone at a gate, 24/7, is about $25,000 a month,” he said, claiming automation can reduce that cost by 70%. Outpost is offering the technology to customers within its network and to those who want to install it at external facilities, Akselrod said. ”We’ve had strong interest from motor carriers, shippers, distribution centers and even railroads,” he said. “The value is outsized when you have a network of facilities.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com

Supply chain

Trucking News

Surface

Shared-terminal operator rolls out AI-based gate security platform

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Less-than-truckload costs are up 7.3% year over year, according to the latest US data, but changes to the LTL classification system are adding little, if anything, to shipper rates. </div>

Less-than-truckload costs are up 7.3% year over year, according to the latest US data, but changes to the LTL classification system are adding little, if anything, to shipper rates.

<div class="phx-topic">Revisions to the US less-than-truckload (LTL) classification system that were expected to result in higher LTL costs have proven more of a damp squib than a high explosive. Almost a month after the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/lack-of-accurate-data-a-threat-to-us-shippers-as-ltl-reclassification-nears-5990210">July 19 implementation</a> of the new National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), shippers, carriers and logistics providers report little to no change in freight invoices. Carriers are reporting few complaints from customers, if any. LTL rates continue to rise, but little if any of that increase can be attributed to changes to the NMFC. The US long-distance LTL producer price index (PPI) — a measure of all-inclusive LTL costs — rose 1.7% from June to 265.45 in July, a 7.3% year-over-year gain, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Thursday. LTL costs are now 15% higher than they were when the then third-largest provider Yellow collapsed in July 2023, according to the BLS PPI index, now at a record high. The fear was that the “reimagination” of the NMFC would push rates even higher. The changes to the NMFC shifted more than 2,000 products or commodities into classes determined by density alone, rather than other shipping characteristics. Although the NMFC does not set pricing, it helps determine how shipments are priced. In interviews over the past month, large shippers told the Journal of Commerce they either prepared for the revised NMFC ahead of time or that the revisions didn’t affect their freight or their business. Many used FAK (freight-all-kinds) pricing methods for LTL freight. That’s not what LTL executives expected from the biggest overhaul to the NMFC — a system of classifying commodities used to create LTL pricing structures — in its 90-year history. “Leading up to [the revisions], about two months prior, we got a lot of questions,” National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) COO Joe Ohr told the Journal of Commerce. “But the level of preparation the industry did was amazing.” (The NMFTA oversees the NMFC).“We’re pleasantly surprised,” said Geoff Muessig, chief marketing officer at Pitt Ohio, a multi-regional LTL provider based in Pittsburgh. Pitt Ohio spent several months prepping its customers for classification changes, and Muessig expected some pricing shock. However, in the past month, “I have not seen any significant change in invoice amounts,” Muessig told the Journal of Commerce. “Customer acceptance [of the revisions] has been solid. We’ve had very few requests to make changes to price structures.” “We expected pricing adjustments, calls and complaints, but it’s been quiet for us, and many of the carriers we work with have said it’s been quite quiet,” said Mich Fabriga, vice president of LTL pricing for AFS Logistics, a third-party logistics provider. AFS Logistics handles freight bill auditing for shipper customers. Fabriga told the Journal of Commerce he has seen minor changes to billing caused by the NMFC revisions. “We’re not seeing the big uproar we were expecting” in the wake of NMFC revisions, he said. “It’s almost like a Y2K moment,” he added, referring to the much-predicted computer apocalypse that failed to materialize when 1999 ended and 2000 began. <h3>A muted marketplace </h3>There are several possible reasons why the impact of the NMFC revisions has been muted. One is that many shippers, especially large-volume shippers, did indeed prepare. “Many customers certainly did the research, they made the changes” needed to avoid price increases, said Muessig, namely providing their LTL carriers with accurate information on shipment dimensions and weight to determine density. “My take is the marketplace has absorbed the change,” he said. It’s also early in the data collection process, AFS’ Fabriga said. “It’s probably too early” to make definitive statements about the impact of the classification changes, he acknowledged. Larger shippers are also more likely to use FAK pricing embedded in their contracts to avoid relying on class-based rates, Muessig noted. The impact of the NMFC revisions may become more apparent as annual contracts come up for negotiation. FedEx Freight, the largest US LTL provider, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/fedex-freight-delays-enforcement-of-ltl-re-classification-6047284">delayed implementing the NMFC revisions</a> until Dec. 1, giving thousands of shippers a 150-day reprieve. FedEx Freight said shippers needed more time to get ready for the new classifications. But the rest of the LTL sector did not automatically follow suit. “In terms of the [NMFC] changes, look, we’re not backing down on the implementation,” Matthew Batteh, CFO at Saia, told Wall Street analysts during a July 25 earnings call. Saia runs 75% of its freight through equipment that captures shipment dimensions every day, Batteh said. “We sell space on our trailers, and this aligns more of the book to be density-based,” he said. “We’ve invested heavily in dimensioners for that exact reason.” <h3>Absorbing change </h3>Others have questioned whether LTL carriers would enforce changes that could raise rates in a soft LTL freight market. “Carriers aren’t being very strict about it,” said Satish Jindel, president of SJ Consulting Group, a transportation research firm. “Many carriers aren’t set up to capture dimensions and shippers aren’t set up to supply dimensions,” Jindel said. “They both are not letting go of the old system.” It’s also not clear that carriers have much to gain by pushing shippers — especially large customers that provide high volumes of freight in critical lanes. Smaller shippers with low LTL volumes and irregular shipping are most likely absorbing higher costs, but as they deal with increased costs related to higher US tariffs, the NMFC revisions may be the least of their worries. “When we say improve your packaging to improve density, that sounds like an easy ask, but it’s actually not,” Fabriga said. “You often simply can’t add or subtract product to adjust the size of your shipment,” he added. “The cost of offsetting the change can be higher than the revised rate itself.” Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto://bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Revisions to the US less-than-truckload (LTL) classification system that were expected to result in higher LTL costs have proven more of a damp squib than a high explosive. Almost a month after the July 19 implementation of the new National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), shippers, carriers and logistics providers report little to no change in freight invoices. Carriers are reporting few complaints from customers, if any. LTL rates continue to rise, but little if any of that increase can be attributed to changes to the NMFC. The US long-distance LTL producer price index (PPI) — a measure of all-inclusive LTL costs — rose 1.7% from June to 265.45 in July, a 7.3% year-over-year gain, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Thursday. LTL costs are now 15% higher than they were when the then third-largest provider Yellow collapsed in July 2023, according to the BLS PPI index, now at a record high. The fear was that the “reimagination” of the NMFC would push rates even higher. The changes to the NMFC shifted more than 2,000 products or commodities into classes determined by density alone, rather than other shipping characteristics. Although the NMFC does not set pricing, it helps determine how shipments are priced. In interviews over the past month, large shippers told the Journal of Commerce they either prepared for the revised NMFC ahead of time or that the revisions didn’t affect their freight or their business. Many used FAK (freight-all-kinds) pricing methods for LTL freight. That’s not what LTL executives expected from the biggest overhaul to the NMFC — a system of classifying commodities used to create LTL pricing structures — in its 90-year history. “Leading up to [the revisions], about two months prior, we got a lot of questions,” National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) COO Joe Ohr told the Journal of Commerce. “But the level of preparation the industry did was amazing.” (The NMFTA oversees the NMFC). “We’re pleasantly surprised,” said Geoff Muessig, chief marketing officer at Pitt Ohio, a multi-regional LTL provider based in Pittsburgh. Pitt Ohio spent several months prepping its customers for classification changes, and Muessig expected some pricing shock. However, in the past month, “I have not seen any significant change in invoice amounts,” Muessig told the Journal of Commerce. “Customer acceptance [of the revisions] has been solid. We’ve had very few requests to make changes to price structures.” “We expected pricing adjustments, calls and complaints, but it’s been quiet for us, and many of the carriers we work with have said it’s been quite quiet,” said Mich Fabriga, vice president of LTL pricing for AFS Logistics, a third-party logistics provider. AFS Logistics handles freight bill auditing for shipper customers. Fabriga told the Journal of Commerce he has seen minor changes to billing caused by the NMFC revisions. “We’re not seeing the big uproar we were expecting” in the wake of NMFC revisions, he said. “It’s almost like a Y2K moment,” he added, referring to the much-predicted computer apocalypse that failed to materialize when 1999 ended and 2000 began. A muted marketplace There are several possible reasons why the impact of the NMFC revisions has been muted. One is that many shippers, especially large-volume shippers, did indeed prepare. “Many customers certainly did the research, they made the changes” needed to avoid price increases, said Muessig, namely providing their LTL carriers with accurate information on shipment dimensions and weight to determine density. “My take is the marketplace has absorbed the change,” he said. It’s also early in the data collection process, AFS’ Fabriga said. “It’s probably too early” to make definitive statements about the impact of the classification changes, he acknowledged. Larger shippers are also more likely to use FAK pricing embedded in their contracts to avoid relying on class-based rates, Muessig noted. The impact of the NMFC revisions may become more apparent as annual contracts come up for negotiation. FedEx Freight, the largest US LTL provider, delayed implementing the NMFC revisions until Dec. 1, giving thousands of shippers a 150-day reprieve. FedEx Freight said shippers needed more time to get ready for the new classifications. But the rest of the LTL sector did not automatically follow suit. “In terms of the [NMFC] changes, look, we’re not backing down on the implementation,” Matthew Batteh, CFO at Saia, told Wall Street analysts during a July 25 earnings call. Saia runs 75% of its freight through equipment that captures shipment dimensions every day, Batteh said. “We sell space on our trailers, and this aligns more of the book to be density-based,” he said. “We’ve invested heavily in dimensioners for that exact reason.” Absorbing change Others have questioned whether LTL carriers would enforce changes that could raise rates in a soft LTL freight market. “Carriers aren’t being very strict about it,” said Satish Jindel, president of SJ Consulting Group, a transportation research firm. “Many carriers aren’t set up to capture dimensions and shippers aren’t set up to supply dimensions,” Jindel said. “They both are not letting go of the old system.” It’s also not clear that carriers have much to gain by pushing shippers — especially large customers that provide high volumes of freight in critical lanes. Smaller shippers with low LTL volumes and irregular shipping are most likely absorbing higher costs, but as they deal with increased costs related to higher US tariffs, the NMFC revisions may be the least of their worries. “When we say improve your packaging to improve density, that sounds like an easy ask, but it’s actually not,” Fabriga said. “You often simply can’t add or subtract product to adjust the size of your shipment,” he added. “The cost of offsetting the change can be higher than the revised rate itself.” Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

US LTL rates still rising after muted response to shipment reclassification

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Mediterranean Shipping Co. is adding new calls to West Africa on its South Africa service as former alliance partner Maersk pulls out of direct services from the continent.</div>

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is adding new calls to West Africa on its South Africa service as former alliance partner Maersk pulls out of direct services from the continent.

<div class="phx-topic">Mediterranean Shipping Co. is expanding its South Africa-US East Coast service to cover some West African ports, a move that comes as Maersk plans to vacate its direct Africa service and the continent faces new US tariffs.MSC said this week the South Africa direct service it announced in May would now include a northbound call at the Ivory Coast’s Port of San-Pedro, while the southbound rotation would include a call at Togo’s Port of Lomé starting Oct. 1. The US rotation would include the ports of New York and New Jersey, Baltimore and Savannah, along with a seasonal call at Philadelphia and transshipment at Freeport in the Bahamas. The service will use a rotation of eight ships, along with four additional ships available to ensure schedule consistency. MSC’s expansion of direct call services from Africa to the US comes as one-time alliance partner Maersk plans to discontinue its Amex service between South Africa and the US East Coast in October. Amex’s end will leave transshipping African goods through Europe as the only option on Maersk services. The service expansion also leverages MSC’s terminal network throughout Africa, which expanded with the 2021 purchase of the <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/msc-offers-6-billion-for-bollors-african-terminal-assets-5228988">Bollore Group’s portfolio of 16 marine terminals on the continent</a>. MSC’s Terminal Investment Ltd. (TiL) runs Lomé’s largest marine terminal and operates the main cocoa export terminal in the Ivory Coast.<h3>MSC leads US-Africa market share </h3>The container trade between Africa and North America is still small, with only 120,972 TEUs of imports from Africa to the US for all of 2024, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. MSC vessels handled 48% of that volume, while Maersk was second at 38%. US exports to Africa totaled 280,097 TEUs last year, with MSC handling 37% of that share and Maersk 33%. Those market shares have become even more lopsided this year due to frontloading. Through Aug. 15, MSC handled 54% of African exports to the US, while Maersk had a 34% share. The second quarter saw volumes from Africa jump 24% from the first quarter, according to PIERS data. The Trump administration has targeted South Africa with a 30% tariff rate that began Aug. 7. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is expanding its South Africa-US East Coast service to cover some West African ports, a move that comes as Maersk plans to vacate its direct Africa service and the continent faces new US tariffs. MSC said this week the South Africa direct service it announced in May would now include a northbound call at the Ivory Coast’s Port of San-Pedro, while the southbound rotation would include a call at Togo’s Port of Lomé starting Oct. 1. The US rotation would include the ports of New York and New Jersey, Baltimore and Savannah, along with a seasonal call at Philadelphia and transshipment at Freeport in the Bahamas. The service will use a rotation of eight ships, along with four additional ships available to ensure schedule consistency. MSC’s expansion of direct call services from Africa to the US comes as one-time alliance partner Maersk plans to discontinue its Amex service between South Africa and the US East Coast in October. Amex’s end will leave transshipping African goods through Europe as the only option on Maersk services. The service expansion also leverages MSC’s terminal network throughout Africa, which expanded with the 2021 purchase of the Bollore Group’s portfolio of 16 marine terminals on the continent . MSC’s Terminal Investment Ltd. (TiL) runs Lomé’s largest marine terminal and operates the main cocoa export terminal in the Ivory Coast. MSC leads US-Africa market share The container trade between Africa and North America is still small, with only 120,972 TEUs of imports from Africa to the US for all of 2024, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. MSC vessels handled 48% of that volume, while Maersk was second at 38%. US exports to Africa totaled 280,097 TEUs last year, with MSC handling 37% of that share and Maersk 33%. Those market shares have become even more lopsided this year due to frontloading. Through Aug. 15, MSC handled 54% of African exports to the US, while Maersk had a 34% share. The second quarter saw volumes from Africa jump 24% from the first quarter, according to PIERS data. The Trump administration has targeted South Africa with a 30% tariff rate that began Aug. 7. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

Trans-Atlantic

Container lines

MSC will expand Africa-US trade with new calls

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Carriers have responded by adjusting schedules and blanking sailings, but the capacity management has so far failed to hold up prices on the trade lane.</div>

Carriers have responded by adjusting schedules and blanking sailings, but the capacity management has so far failed to hold up prices on the trade lane.

<div class="phx-topic">The spot market on the Asia-Europe ocean trade continues to decline as carriers battle to overcome a growing capacity overhang despite reports of solid demand through the summer and ongoing port congestion in Europe. While carriers have responded by adjusting schedules and blanking sailings on routes to both North Europe and the Mediterranean, pulling the capacity management levers has not yet been able to slow the steadily falling rates. Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen told analysts during a first-half earnings call Thursday that bookings on Asia-Europe remain “robust.” And although rates were falling, he described that as normal for this time of year. “Sometimes the peak season ends a little bit early, and right now it looks like we won’t see a strong peak running up to the end of September,” the CEO said. “Volumes into Europe have been pretty steady, and bookings are still robust, but we now need to see what happens in the coming couple of weeks.” Asia to North Europe spot rates of $2,700 per FEU this week are half the level recorded at the beginning of January and have fallen 15% in the past two months, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Asia-Mediterranean rates have been on an even more dramatic slide, falling 44% in the past two months to this week’s price of $2,600/FEU, also a decline of 50% compared with the first week of January. “Carriers face an immense challenge in preventing freight rates from falling further against the backdrop of significant overcapacity in the global fleet,” Emily Stausbøll, senior analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, noted in a recent market update. “It is unlikely the Red Sea will open up to container shipping at large during 2025, but in this scenario the challenge facing carriers in managing capacity would increase exponentially,” she added. <h3>Conservative capacity cuts </h3>The order book is currently at 9.3 million TEUs, or 29% of the in-service container shipping fleet, according to Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce. Just over 1.2 million TEUs of vessels above 14,501 TEUs are expected to be delivered this year, mostly for Asia-Europe, while just 91,000 TEUs will be scrapped. Carriers are blanking sailings in an attempt to slow the rate decline but remain surprisingly conservative in their capacity withdrawals. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="eebb48eb-ad03-4e0f-a647-67693692edb4"></dynamic-object></div>Asia-North Europe carriers will deploy 1.1 million TEUs in capacity in August while blanking 94,470 TEUs, down from the 120,000 TEUs blanked in July, data from visibility provider eeSea shows. Capacity available in September will drop to just over 1 million TEUs, with blank sailings of 42,601 TEUs. Destine Ozuygur, chief analyst at eeSea, said the persistent port congestion in Europe could be contributing to carriers announcing fewer blanks during August and September on Asia-North Europe. “Blanks last August accounted for about 13% of planned calls, and 15% of total planned calls in September, while this year it shapes up to 11% of planned calls in August and just 6% in September,” Ozuygur told the Journal of Commerce. C.H. Robinson advised Asia-Europe shippers in a recent market update to continue booking space three to four weeks ahead, as August capacity was expected to remain tight despite demand softening in some segments. “The combination of port congestion and deliberate capacity cuts favors advance planning over spot market strategies,” the forwarder noted. Schedule reliability data for the Asia-North Europe trade lane reveals the impact of the port bottlenecks. After reaching a 2025 high of 45% in May, on-time performance on the trade lane in July was 28%, according to eeSea. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The spot market on the Asia-Europe ocean trade continues to decline as carriers battle to overcome a growing capacity overhang despite reports of solid demand through the summer and ongoing port congestion in Europe. While carriers have responded by adjusting schedules and blanking sailings on routes to both North Europe and the Mediterranean, pulling the capacity management levers has not yet been able to slow the steadily falling rates. Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen told analysts during a first-half earnings call Thursday that bookings on Asia-Europe remain “robust.” And although rates were falling, he described that as normal for this time of year. “Sometimes the peak season ends a little bit early, and right now it looks like we won’t see a strong peak running up to the end of September,” the CEO said. “Volumes into Europe have been pretty steady, and bookings are still robust, but we now need to see what happens in the coming couple of weeks.” Asia to North Europe spot rates of $2,700 per FEU this week are half the level recorded at the beginning of January and have fallen 15% in the past two months, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Asia-Mediterranean rates have been on an even more dramatic slide, falling 44% in the past two months to this week’s price of $2,600/FEU, also a decline of 50% compared with the first week of January. “Carriers face an immense challenge in preventing freight rates from falling further against the backdrop of significant overcapacity in the global fleet,” Emily Stausbøll, senior analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, noted in a recent market update. “It is unlikely the Red Sea will open up to container shipping at large during 2025, but in this scenario the challenge facing carriers in managing capacity would increase exponentially,” she added. Conservative capacity cuts The order book is currently at 9.3 million TEUs, or 29% of the in-service container shipping fleet, according to Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce. Just over 1.2 million TEUs of vessels above 14,501 TEUs are expected to be delivered this year, mostly for Asia-Europe, while just 91,000 TEUs will be scrapped. Carriers are blanking sailings in an attempt to slow the rate decline but remain surprisingly conservative in their capacity withdrawals. Asia-North Europe carriers will deploy 1.1 million TEUs in capacity in August while blanking 94,470 TEUs, down from the 120,000 TEUs blanked in July, data from visibility provider eeSea shows. Capacity available in September will drop to just over 1 million TEUs, with blank sailings of 42,601 TEUs. Destine Ozuygur, chief analyst at eeSea, said the persistent port congestion in Europe could be contributing to carriers announcing fewer blanks during August and September on Asia-North Europe. “Blanks last August accounted for about 13% of planned calls, and 15% of total planned calls in September, while this year it shapes up to 11% of planned calls in August and just 6% in September,” Ozuygur told the Journal of Commerce. C.H. Robinson advised Asia-Europe shippers in a recent market update to continue booking space three to four weeks ahead, as August capacity was expected to remain tight despite demand softening in some segments. “The combination of port congestion and deliberate capacity cuts favors advance planning over spot market strategies,” the forwarder noted. Schedule reliability data for the Asia-North Europe trade lane reveals the impact of the port bottlenecks. After reaching a 2025 high of 45% in May, on-time performance on the trade lane in July was 28%, according to eeSea. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Forwarding

Asia-Europe

Maritime

Asia-Europe ocean rates edging down despite ‘robust’ bookings

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The US-based ocean carrier and logistics company paid about $2 million for the two transload specialists following the July shutdown of GSC.</div>

The US-based ocean carrier and logistics company paid about $2 million for the two transload specialists following the July shutdown of GSC.

<div class="phx-topic">The parent of US-based ocean carrier Pasha has acquired two Pacific Northwest transloading businesses of newly shuttered California trucking company GSC Logistics, which bought the businesses two years ago but whose assets are now under court receivership following a loan default. Pasha Group said in a statement Wednesday its logistics arm acquired MacMillan-Piper and Tacoma Transload in agreement with <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/drayage-stakeholders-say-industry-under-threat-from-falling-rates-increased-costs-6045985">the court-appointed receiver of GSC’s assets</a>. The two businesses have five leased warehouses totaling 370,000 square feet that service trucks as well as BNSF Railway and Union Pacific railcars. Pasha said the businesses have “specialized expertise in handling commodities including agriculture, paper, lumber, steel, and dry bulk.” Pasha Chief Executive George Pasha IV said in the statement the acquisition is a “strategic leap forward” for the company, which is mostly known for Jones Act container and automotive shipping services to Hawaii. Pasha also handles breakbulk and military cargoes. “This move expands our capacity and flexibility across the Pacific Northwest,” Pasha said. Pasha did not disclose the purchase price. But an asset purchase agreement filed with a court order authorizing the sale shows Pasha will pay up to $1.9 million for the warehouse space and equipment and up to $600,000 for the account receivables. <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/retail-3pl-gsc-expands-service-scope-with-macmillan-piper-acquisition-5223496">GSC bought MacMillan and Tacoma Transload in July 2023</a> in a bid to diversify from its main business serving the Port of Oakland and northern California. According to court documents filed by its lender, GSC had $4.6 million in promissory notes as of last year related to the purchases. An Illinois district court placed GSC under receivership in July following its default on a $2 million loan made by asset-based lender SG Stonegate in December 2024. Among other obligations, the loan required GSC to have operating earnings of at least $904,000 during the fourth quarter of last year; the company’s operating earnings fell to about $105,000. GSC entered a forbearance agreement in February 2025 that required it to stanch its losses and seek out a buyer by the end of April. However, GSC had negative cash flow of $755,000 between February and May and had not found a buyer, according to a court document filed by SG Stonegate. Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The parent of US-based ocean carrier Pasha has acquired two Pacific Northwest transloading businesses of newly shuttered California trucking company GSC Logistics, which bought the businesses two years ago but whose assets are now under court receivership following a loan default. Pasha Group said in a statement Wednesday its logistics arm acquired MacMillan-Piper and Tacoma Transload in agreement with the court-appointed receiver of GSC’s assets . The two businesses have five leased warehouses totaling 370,000 square feet that service trucks as well as BNSF Railway and Union Pacific railcars. Pasha said the businesses have “specialized expertise in handling commodities including agriculture, paper, lumber, steel, and dry bulk.” Pasha Chief Executive George Pasha IV said in the statement the acquisition is a “strategic leap forward” for the company, which is mostly known for Jones Act container and automotive shipping services to Hawaii. Pasha also handles breakbulk and military cargoes. “This move expands our capacity and flexibility across the Pacific Northwest,” Pasha said. Pasha did not disclose the purchase price. But an asset purchase agreement filed with a court order authorizing the sale shows Pasha will pay up to $1.9 million for the warehouse space and equipment and up to $600,000 for the account receivables. GSC bought MacMillan and Tacoma Transload in July 2023 in a bid to diversify from its main business serving the Port of Oakland and northern California. According to court documents filed by its lender, GSC had $4.6 million in promissory notes as of last year related to the purchases. An Illinois district court placed GSC under receivership in July following its default on a $2 million loan made by asset-based lender SG Stonegate in December 2024. Among other obligations, the loan required GSC to have operating earnings of at least $904,000 during the fourth quarter of last year; the company’s operating earnings fell to about $105,000. GSC entered a forbearance agreement in February 2025 that required it to stanch its losses and seek out a buyer by the end of April. However, GSC had negative cash flow of $755,000 between February and May and had not found a buyer, according to a court document filed by SG Stonegate. Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

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Drayage

Pasha picks up GSC’s Pacific Northwest transload businesses in court sale

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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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