<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Polar Air Cargo on Tuesday moved a step closer to a possible strike by its unionized pilots Tuesday </div>

Polar Air Cargo on Tuesday moved a step closer to a possible strike by its unionized pilots Tuesday

<div>Polar Air Cargo on Tuesday moved a step closer to a possible strike by its unionized pilots Tuesday as the National Mediation Board offered both sides binding arbitration after failing to make progress in negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement.Under terms of the Railway Labor Act, a rejection of arbitration by either side triggers a 30-day cooling-off period after which Polar crewmembers, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, can walk out.In a statement, Jeffrey H. Erickson, president and chief executive of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent of Polar Air Cargo, said the company was "disappointed" the sides had failed...

Polar Air Cargo on Tuesday moved a step closer to a possible strike by its unionized pilots Tuesday as the National Mediation Board offered both sides binding arbitration after failing to make progress in negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement. Under terms of the Railway Labor Act, a rejection of arbitration by either side triggers a 30-day cooling-off period after which Polar crewmembers, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, can walk out. In a statement, Jeffrey H. Erickson, president and chief executive of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent of Polar Air Cargo, said the company was "disappointed" the sides had failed to reach a "fair" agreement. Atlas said it offered the pilots an immediate 10.5-percent pay raise plus profit sharing, which would put them on a par with crewmembers at sister carrier Atlas Air. It rejected the pilots' demands for an immediate 20-percent hike followed by an 11-percent raise Dec. 1, which it said "can't be justified." Erickson said Atlas will implement contingency plans "to mitigate the impact of any work stoppage." He did not offer details.

Air Cargo

Polar, pilots move closer to strike

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence’s Global Port Congestion Analysis shows that half of Northern Europe's ports reported year-over-year declines in port moves per hour in Q2, while Asian ports faced higher arrival process times and mixed efficiency results. </div>

S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Global Port Congestion Analysis shows that half of Northern Europe's ports reported year-over-year declines in port moves per hour in Q2, while Asian ports faced higher arrival process times and mixed efficiency results.

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<div class="phx-topic">A new port performance analysis underscores the extent of congestion in European ports in the second quarter, flow challenges for Asian ports and how US ports were able to handle elevated, tariff-driven volumes. S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence’s Global Port Congestion Analysis shows that half of Northern Europe’s ports reported year-over-year declines in port moves per hour in Q2, while Asian ports faced higher arrival process times and mixed efficiency results. Meanwhile, most North American ports maintained average call sizes year over year, while their improving arrival process time. The analysis, released Friday, examines the year-on-year shifts in global port congestion metrics in the second quarter, including number of calls, average call size, arrival process time, berth hours, port-moves-per-hour and container dwell times. <h3>Global congestion hurdles </h3>Congestion hurdles in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean include efficiency declines and increased average port hours, or hours spent between arrival or anchorage until vessel departure. Congestion at European ports has been a growing problem for shippers, as the disparity between available capacity and demand <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/underinvestment-exposes-european-ports-to-systematic-bottlenecks-6062033">leaves deep-sea container terminals facing the potential of years-long bottlenecks</a>. Meanwhile, Mediterranean ports faced decreased productivity and increased average port hours. The report showed that Northeast Asian ports exhibited higher arrival process times and lower berth productivity year over year in the second quarter. Southeast Asian ports faced mixed results, with Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Manila and Port Klang improving their port moves per hour, while others, like Laem Chabang, Cai Mep and Chattogram, worsened. <h3>Consistency in North America </h3>The performance of North American ports mostly remained steady, with the Port of Long Beach experiencing a notable drop in average call sizes but an increase in recorded vessel calls in the second quarter year over year. Long Beach will be able to accommodate larger vessels through <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/long-beach-its-terminal-upgrade-to-boost-capacity-by-about-50-6042244">a $365 million upgrade</a> allowing International Transportation Service (ITS) to berth two 18,000-TEU ships simultaneously when the project is completed in early 2029. The project involves filling in a 19-acre slip that will convert the terminal into a larger, square-shaped facility that will enable more efficient container handling. ITS at present is, in effect, two separate terminals separated by the slip, which hinders operational efficiency. While most North American ports reviewed saw an increase in port moves per hour in the second quarter, Charleston showed the largest on-year gains. The port began to regain services from major carriers at its new Leatherman terminal after the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the International Longshoremen’s Association <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/sc-ports-strikes-deal-with-ila-to-fully-open-leatherman-marine-terminal-5192280">settled a legal dispute .</a>Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:Laura.Robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com.</a>Senior Editor Bill Mongelluzzo contributed to this report. </div>

A new port performance analysis underscores the extent of congestion in European ports in the second quarter, flow challenges for Asian ports and how US ports were able to handle elevated, tariff-driven volumes. S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Global Port Congestion Analysis shows that half of Northern Europe’s ports reported year-over-year declines in port moves per hour in Q2, while Asian ports faced higher arrival process times and mixed efficiency results. Meanwhile, most North American ports maintained average call sizes year over year, while their improving arrival process time. The analysis, released Friday, examines the year-on-year shifts in global port congestion metrics in the second quarter, including number of calls, average call size, arrival process time, berth hours, port-moves-per-hour and container dwell times. Global congestion hurdles Congestion hurdles in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean include efficiency declines and increased average port hours, or hours spent between arrival or anchorage until vessel departure. Congestion at European ports has been a growing problem for shippers, as the disparity between available capacity and demand leaves deep-sea container terminals facing the potential of years-long bottlenecks . Meanwhile, Mediterranean ports faced decreased productivity and increased average port hours. The report showed that Northeast Asian ports exhibited higher arrival process times and lower berth productivity year over year in the second quarter. Southeast Asian ports faced mixed results, with Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Manila and Port Klang improving their port moves per hour, while others, like Laem Chabang, Cai Mep and Chattogram, worsened. Consistency in North America The performance of North American ports mostly remained steady, with the Port of Long Beach experiencing a notable drop in average call sizes but an increase in recorded vessel calls in the second quarter year over year. Long Beach will be able to accommodate larger vessels through a $365 million upgrade allowing International Transportation Service (ITS) to berth two 18,000-TEU ships simultaneously when the project is completed in early 2029. The project involves filling in a 19-acre slip that will convert the terminal into a larger, square-shaped facility that will enable more efficient container handling. ITS at present is, in effect, two separate terminals separated by the slip, which hinders operational efficiency. While most North American ports reviewed saw an increase in port moves per hour in the second quarter, Charleston showed the largest on-year gains. The port began to regain services from major carriers at its new Leatherman terminal after the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the International Longshoremen’s Association settled a legal dispute . Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com. Senior Editor Bill Mongelluzzo contributed to this report.

Maritime

Marine terminals

Longshore labor

Port infrastructure

North American ports

Port News

European ports face continued congestion; Asia gateways saw mixed results in Q2: analysis

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">With no clear definition of what duty and data processes are required by CBP after the Aug. 29 end to all de minimis exemptions, most import shipments via post to the US have been suspended until further notice.</div>

With no clear definition of what duty and data processes are required by CBP after the Aug. 29 end to all de minimis exemptions, most import shipments via post to the US have been suspended until further notice.

<div class="phx-topic">The suspension of mail shipments to the US has gone global as postal organizations around the world cite their inability to comply with the tight “de minimis” elimination timeline provided by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ahead of the Aug. 29 implementation date. Asia-Pacific postal organizations – including Japan Post, Australia Post and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Post – joined their European Union counterparts this week in suspending parcel shipments through postal networks to the US Postal Service (USPS) as they work through compliance issues. “The US de minimis elimination is causing global logistical disruptions, with postal suspensions reflecting unresolved operational challenges,” Dmitry Kulish, director of air cargo/Asia-Pacific for air freight logistics provider ACN Group, told the Journal of Commerce. “Asian and European shippers alike are seeking clarity from CBP, but until systems are updated, postal halts will likely persist,” Kulish warned. President Donald Trump’s executive order – “Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries” – will from Friday require duties to be paid to US customs on all imported goods, regardless of their country of origin. However, technical details of the new rules were only released on Aug. 15, leaving just two weeks for the world’s postal companies to prepare for a comprehensive change in customs requirements. With still no clear definition of what duty and data processes are required by CBP, most shipments via post to the US have been suspended until further notice. Currently, low-value goods and gifts can be imported into the US duty-free from other countries due to a de minimis customs threshold of $800. Beginning Aug. 29, all imports, except letters and documents with no value and purely private shipments of gifts with a value under $100, will face duties. <h3>‘Little public guidance’ </h3>Cindy Allen, CEO of consulting firm Trade Force Multiplier and a former customs executive with FedEx, said foreign postal services were being forced into a freight forwarder role of arranging customs clearance in the US or requiring shippers to do so on their own. “Little public guidance has been offered to foreign postal services, and without a set procedure or approach, each must determine what is required to move packages into the US,” Allen told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. “The implementation has been chaotic at best,” she added. “The biggest hurdle was who was going to assess, collect and tender the duty to CBP. The postal service doesn’t have the mechanisms or capacity to appoint a broker to handle all the shipments as would happen in a normal freight environment.” Compliance with the new rules will require substantial modification of shipment control processes, and dozens of mostly state-run postal organizations around the world have complained at the short notice given by CBP for new customs requirements. Spain’s state-owned postal service Correos said the two-week notice given by CBP was not enough, considering its impact on critical processes such as the collection of duties at source, the collection and reporting of new data and interaction with the various cross-border institutions involved in the new mechanism. “Due to the limited timeframe to adapt to these new requirements, and in order to protect the interests of its customers, Correos will temporarily suspend shipments to the United States and Puerto Rico until the appropriate solution has been developed and implemented to comply with the new regulation,” the company said in a statement. France’s La Poste said the US customs duties from Aug. 29 would be the responsibility of the sender and not the recipient – unlike in the rest of the world – and must be paid to CBP before the items enter the US. “However, to date, the United States has not provided European postal operators with concrete procedures for collecting taxes,” La Poste said in a statement noting its suspension of US postal shipments this week. “It is therefore impossible for us to undertake the work necessary to implement these new requirements.” <h3>Key import questions remain unanswered </h3>The DHL Group stopped accepting parcel and postal items destined for the US on Aug. 22, pointing out that new processes required by US authorities for postal shipping differed from previously applicable regulations. “Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL noted in a statement. The global elimination of duty-free access to low-value goods will not have a noticeable impact on air cargo, according to Frederic Horst, managing director of consultancy Trade and Transport Group. “US carriers reported about 22,000 tonnes of inbound mail in the 12 months ended May 2025. That is less than 1% of total US inbound air cargo traffic,” Horst told the Journal of Commerce. “For mail (to the US), the biggest origins are the UK, Australia and Germany with 7,300, 3,200 and 2,100 tonnes, respectively, over the last 12 months,” he added. “Most mail moves on passenger carriers so if there is any impact it will be felt by carriers operating from those countries.” US customs data shows that in 2024, 1.36 billion packages valued at $64 billion entered the country under the de minimis exemption. The e-commerce shipments accounted for close to 50% of China-to-US air freight volume, with big Chinese platforms Temu and Shein filling dozens of freighters every day. That spigot was turned off on May 2 with dramatic effect when the de minimis exemption was eliminated for imports from China and Hong Kong. Data from air freight analyst Rotate shows overall China-US air cargo demand fell more than 30% in June year over year following a 28% drop in May, while China’s e-commerce exports to the US in July were down 44% year over year. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The suspension of mail shipments to the US has gone global as postal organizations around the world cite their inability to comply with the tight “de minimis” elimination timeline provided by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ahead of the Aug. 29 implementation date. Asia-Pacific postal organizations – including Japan Post, Australia Post and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Post – joined their European Union counterparts this week in suspending parcel shipments through postal networks to the US Postal Service (USPS) as they work through compliance issues. “The US de minimis elimination is causing global logistical disruptions, with postal suspensions reflecting unresolved operational challenges,” Dmitry Kulish, director of air cargo/Asia-Pacific for air freight logistics provider ACN Group, told the Journal of Commerce. “Asian and European shippers alike are seeking clarity from CBP, but until systems are updated, postal halts will likely persist,” Kulish warned. President Donald Trump’s executive order – “Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries” – will from Friday require duties to be paid to US customs on all imported goods, regardless of their country of origin. However, technical details of the new rules were only released on Aug. 15, leaving just two weeks for the world’s postal companies to prepare for a comprehensive change in customs requirements. With still no clear definition of what duty and data processes are required by CBP, most shipments via post to the US have been suspended until further notice. Currently, low-value goods and gifts can be imported into the US duty-free from other countries due to a de minimis customs threshold of $800. Beginning Aug. 29, all imports, except letters and documents with no value and purely private shipments of gifts with a value under $100, will face duties. ‘Little public guidance’ Cindy Allen, CEO of consulting firm Trade Force Multiplier and a former customs executive with FedEx, said foreign postal services were being forced into a freight forwarder role of arranging customs clearance in the US or requiring shippers to do so on their own. “Little public guidance has been offered to foreign postal services, and without a set procedure or approach, each must determine what is required to move packages into the US,” Allen told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. “The implementation has been chaotic at best,” she added. “The biggest hurdle was who was going to assess, collect and tender the duty to CBP. The postal service doesn’t have the mechanisms or capacity to appoint a broker to handle all the shipments as would happen in a normal freight environment.” Compliance with the new rules will require substantial modification of shipment control processes, and dozens of mostly state-run postal organizations around the world have complained at the short notice given by CBP for new customs requirements. Spain’s state-owned postal service Correos said the two-week notice given by CBP was not enough, considering its impact on critical processes such as the collection of duties at source, the collection and reporting of new data and interaction with the various cross-border institutions involved in the new mechanism. “Due to the limited timeframe to adapt to these new requirements, and in order to protect the interests of its customers, Correos will temporarily suspend shipments to the United States and Puerto Rico until the appropriate solution has been developed and implemented to comply with the new regulation,” the company said in a statement. France’s La Poste said the US customs duties from Aug. 29 would be the responsibility of the sender and not the recipient – unlike in the rest of the world – and must be paid to CBP before the items enter the US. “However, to date, the United States has not provided European postal operators with concrete procedures for collecting taxes,” La Poste said in a statement noting its suspension of US postal shipments this week. “It is therefore impossible for us to undertake the work necessary to implement these new requirements.” Key import questions remain unanswered The DHL Group stopped accepting parcel and postal items destined for the US on Aug. 22, pointing out that new processes required by US authorities for postal shipping differed from previously applicable regulations. “Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL noted in a statement. The global elimination of duty-free access to low-value goods will not have a noticeable impact on air cargo, according to Frederic Horst, managing director of consultancy Trade and Transport Group. “US carriers reported about 22,000 tonnes of inbound mail in the 12 months ended May 2025. That is less than 1% of total US inbound air cargo traffic,” Horst told the Journal of Commerce. “For mail (to the US), the biggest origins are the UK, Australia and Germany with 7,300, 3,200 and 2,100 tonnes, respectively, over the last 12 months,” he added. “Most mail moves on passenger carriers so if there is any impact it will be felt by carriers operating from those countries.” US customs data shows that in 2024, 1.36 billion packages valued at $64 billion entered the country under the de minimis exemption. The e-commerce shipments accounted for close to 50% of China-to-US air freight volume, with big Chinese platforms Temu and Shein filling dozens of freighters every day. That spigot was turned off on May 2 with dramatic effect when the de minimis exemption was eliminated for imports from China and Hong Kong. Data from air freight analyst Rotate shows overall China-US air cargo demand fell more than 30% in June year over year following a 28% drop in May, while China’s e-commerce exports to the US in July were down 44% year over year. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Postal groups cite customs compliance issues in US shipment suspensions

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Tech services company WNS is being added as the Digital Container Shipping Association’s “execution arm” to embed standards into systems commonly used by carriers, forwarders and shippers.</div>

Tech services company WNS is being added as the Digital Container Shipping Association’s “execution arm” to embed standards into systems commonly used by carriers, forwarders and shippers.

<div class="phx-topic">The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) is turning to a growing network of partners to help it drive adoption of the process standards it has developed over the last six years for the shipping industry. DCSA this summer added WNS, a technology services company that works with multiple shipping lines, to its roster of partners, which already include Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Valenciaport and multimodal logistics provider Samskip. The addition of WNS is potentially impactful given the company’s reach into global logistics, with 30 customers that include forwarders and non-vessel-operating companies. DCSA is a nonprofit consortium founded in 2019 to develop standards among shipping lines to make it easier for shippers and logistics companies to do business across carriers. The idea behind the partnership program, called DCSA+, is to take standards DCSA has developed around track-and-trace, electronic bills of lading, container booking and just-in-time port calls and embed them within systems used by shipping lines, their partners and customers. Three of DCSA’s 11 carrier members are current WNS customers. Jaison Augustine, WNS’ business unit head for shipping and logistics, told the Journal of Commerce WNS sees itself as the “execution arm” of the DCSA partnership. “We are accountable for delivering outcomes for our customers, and the standards DCSA is developing are moving toward those goals,” he said. “Standards are necessary but not sufficient in and of itself. That’s where we come in.” Augustine said having a growing group of partners that can help implement the standards DCSA has developed might set the association up for its “IATA moment,” a reference to the long-standing International Air Transport Association that supports the airline industry. “Standards by themselves don’t dictate success,” he said. “Adoption is critical.” <h3>Standards implementation grew in 2024 </h3>DCSA had somewhat of a watershed year in 2024. Use of individual standards by DCSA members grew, while nearly three-quarters of the data conveyed by electronic data interchanges (EDI) has now been converted to application programming interfaces (APIs), DCSA Chief Growth Officer Mariana Bock-Losada told the Journal of Commerce. And yet there is still a need for DCSA’s members to go faster to actually implement the standards that have been developed in the systems they use and the ones their customers and partners use. “This is the right moment to actively start accelerating the standards,” Bock-Losada said. “Collaboration has to extend beyond the members developing standards based on carriers and their priorities and implementing them in their own systems. That’s why we have selected these priority partners in areas like short sea, terminals and forwarders.” Augustine said WNS is in a position to help reach those adjacent groups because the work it does is about understanding what processes work and don’t work. “We see how the sausage is made,” he said. “From the quality of shipping instructions to incomplete information to the way companies submit requests, ratings, bills of lading. It’s an ocean of excel sheets and workarounds.” The reason adoption is slow, Augustine said, is because if there is any friction or burden in doing something new, shippers will turn away. “The shippers themselves say, ‘if I’m dealing with six carriers, and everyone is not on the same standards, I’m not going to deal with all these different processes,” he said. “There are some unique aspects of this industry where efforts to unify it have not gotten the buy in. It’s endemic in the industry, primarily because it’s inward-focused.” <h3>Technology spend </h3>Augustine said it has to go back to how carriers spend their technology budget. “Here’s the paradox: every carrier spends hundreds of millions of dollars modernizing their systems, and it’s a continuous cycle,” he said, referencing investment in customer-facing tools like booking, rating and bill of lading. “But my strong contention is the best of these systems doesn’t give them a dollar in freight, and it doesn’t give them a competitive advantage,” he added. “Their service deployment and reliability is the competitive advantage.” Bock-Losada said the DCSA is pushing for investment that tackles common problems that all customers face so they can be solved in a unified way. There will be different metrics to measuring success of the partnership program. Bock-Losada pointed to the “volume of data being exchanged through APIs,” based on DCSA standards, between carrier members and external parties. Augustine said efficacy should be judged by the percentage of cargo moving by member lines that adheres to DCSA standards. “But that’s only from the carrier perspective,” he said. “What is in it for the shippers to adopt the standards? The volume of transactions that are adhering to standards the carriers are propagating will soon be the [key performance indicator] by which we’ll be measured.” Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) is turning to a growing network of partners to help it drive adoption of the process standards it has developed over the last six years for the shipping industry. DCSA this summer added WNS, a technology services company that works with multiple shipping lines, to its roster of partners, which already include Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Valenciaport and multimodal logistics provider Samskip. The addition of WNS is potentially impactful given the company’s reach into global logistics, with 30 customers that include forwarders and non-vessel-operating companies. DCSA is a nonprofit consortium founded in 2019 to develop standards among shipping lines to make it easier for shippers and logistics companies to do business across carriers. The idea behind the partnership program, called DCSA+, is to take standards DCSA has developed around track-and-trace, electronic bills of lading, container booking and just-in-time port calls and embed them within systems used by shipping lines, their partners and customers. Three of DCSA’s 11 carrier members are current WNS customers. Jaison Augustine, WNS’ business unit head for shipping and logistics, told the Journal of Commerce WNS sees itself as the “execution arm” of the DCSA partnership. “We are accountable for delivering outcomes for our customers, and the standards DCSA is developing are moving toward those goals,” he said. “Standards are necessary but not sufficient in and of itself. That’s where we come in.” Augustine said having a growing group of partners that can help implement the standards DCSA has developed might set the association up for its “IATA moment,” a reference to the long-standing International Air Transport Association that supports the airline industry. “Standards by themselves don’t dictate success,” he said. “Adoption is critical.” Standards implementation grew in 2024 DCSA had somewhat of a watershed year in 2024. Use of individual standards by DCSA members grew, while nearly three-quarters of the data conveyed by electronic data interchanges (EDI) has now been converted to application programming interfaces (APIs), DCSA Chief Growth Officer Mariana Bock-Losada told the Journal of Commerce. And yet there is still a need for DCSA’s members to go faster to actually implement the standards that have been developed in the systems they use and the ones their customers and partners use. “This is the right moment to actively start accelerating the standards,” Bock-Losada said. “Collaboration has to extend beyond the members developing standards based on carriers and their priorities and implementing them in their own systems. That’s why we have selected these priority partners in areas like short sea, terminals and forwarders.” Augustine said WNS is in a position to help reach those adjacent groups because the work it does is about understanding what processes work and don’t work. “We see how the sausage is made,” he said. “From the quality of shipping instructions to incomplete information to the way companies submit requests, ratings, bills of lading. It’s an ocean of excel sheets and workarounds.” The reason adoption is slow, Augustine said, is because if there is any friction or burden in doing something new, shippers will turn away. “The shippers themselves say, ‘if I’m dealing with six carriers, and everyone is not on the same standards, I’m not going to deal with all these different processes,” he said. “There are some unique aspects of this industry where efforts to unify it have not gotten the buy in. It’s endemic in the industry, primarily because it’s inward-focused.” Technology spend Augustine said it has to go back to how carriers spend their technology budget. “Here’s the paradox: every carrier spends hundreds of millions of dollars modernizing their systems, and it’s a continuous cycle,” he said, referencing investment in customer-facing tools like booking, rating and bill of lading. “But my strong contention is the best of these systems doesn’t give them a dollar in freight, and it doesn’t give them a competitive advantage,” he added. “Their service deployment and reliability is the competitive advantage.” Bock-Losada said the DCSA is pushing for investment that tackles common problems that all customers face so they can be solved in a unified way. There will be different metrics to measuring success of the partnership program. Bock-Losada pointed to the “volume of data being exchanged through APIs,” based on DCSA standards, between carrier members and external parties. Augustine said efficacy should be judged by the percentage of cargo moving by member lines that adheres to DCSA standards. “But that’s only from the carrier perspective,” he said. “What is in it for the shippers to adopt the standards? The volume of transactions that are adhering to standards the carriers are propagating will soon be the [key performance indicator] by which we’ll be measured.” Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Container lines

DCSA turns to industry partners to drive shipping standards adoption

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Local freight forwarders who spoke with the Journal of Commerce have reported three upcoming blank calls out of West India through the first half of September in anticipation of lower cargo lifts. </div>

Local freight forwarders who spoke with the Journal of Commerce have reported three upcoming blank calls out of West India through the first half of September in anticipation of lower cargo lifts.

<div class="phx-topic">The 50% tariffs on Indian exports to the US, which went into effect Wednesday, have seemingly left container carriers active on the westbound trade lane at a crossroads regarding supply-demand dynamics. Realizing the pressure of filling vessels, carriers operating the premier India-US East Coast (USEC) networks have already begun reworking their capacity deployment strategies, industry sources say. Local freight forwarders who spoke with the Journal of Commerce have reported three upcoming blank calls out of West India (Nhava Sheva/Mundra) through the first half of September in anticipation of lower cargo lifts. “The updated schedules do not show sailings for three USEC services between Weeks 36 and 37,” said a Mumbai-based forwarder who didn’t want to be identified. “Cargo bookings to the US have dropped drastically, so capacity cutbacks were/are in the cards.” West India-North America trades typically have six weekly sailings, although service reliability has been problematic since the Red Sea disruption. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="56199e2b-5df4-468f-a149-b18ae7c32e51"></dynamic-object></div>The abrupt capacity pull comes on top of schedule dislocations linked to network structural issues, including two vessel gaps on Ocean Network Express’ (ONE’s) WIN service that lacks the tonnage capacity to offer a weekly rotation. Additionally, sliding schedules have forced a similar sailing cut for CMA CGM’s Indamex service in Week 39 as the French liner works to restore reliability with its recently announced phase-in of three more ships to the network and rotation adjustments. “The carriers are in for enormous demand downturns, so even a service exit will be no surprise,” an industry observer said. <h3>Rate hikes pulled back </h3>As the market tightens, India-USEC carriers have also recalled all rate increase notices previously lined up for Sept. 1 and instead have extended their existing short-term contract rates into at least the first week of September. Average quotes from Asian liners for loads from Nhava Sheva to New York now stand at $2,000 to $2,100 per FEU, compared with the $2,300 to $2,500 range held by mega European operators, forwarder sources said. Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, pegged India-USEC spot rates at $2,300 per FEU as of Aug. 26, down 3% on the week. Meanwhile, Indian export industry stakeholders are evaluating the effect of the new tariff structure on trade volumes. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="e4740cee-e00c-4254-8216-5ed1bb48d192"></dynamic-object></div>“It [50% tariff] can severely impact India’s exports to the US, with approximately 55% of India’s US-bound shipments now exposed to pricing disadvantages of 30% to 35%, rendering them uncompetitive in comparison to competitors from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines as well as other Southeast and South Asian countries,” S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said in a statement. Data from PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global, shows volumes from the Indian Subcontinent to the US jumped to 152,630 TEUs in July, the highest so far in 2025 as shippers rushed to beat the August tariff deadline.Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>.</div>

The 50% tariffs on Indian exports to the US, which went into effect Wednesday, have seemingly left container carriers active on the westbound trade lane at a crossroads regarding supply-demand dynamics. Realizing the pressure of filling vessels, carriers operating the premier India-US East Coast (USEC) networks have already begun reworking their capacity deployment strategies, industry sources say. Local freight forwarders who spoke with the Journal of Commerce have reported three upcoming blank calls out of West India (Nhava Sheva/Mundra) through the first half of September in anticipation of lower cargo lifts. “The updated schedules do not show sailings for three USEC services between Weeks 36 and 37,” said a Mumbai-based forwarder who didn’t want to be identified. “Cargo bookings to the US have dropped drastically, so capacity cutbacks were/are in the cards.” West India-North America trades typically have six weekly sailings, although service reliability has been problematic since the Red Sea disruption. The abrupt capacity pull comes on top of schedule dislocations linked to network structural issues, including two vessel gaps on Ocean Network Express’ (ONE’s) WIN service that lacks the tonnage capacity to offer a weekly rotation. Additionally, sliding schedules have forced a similar sailing cut for CMA CGM’s Indamex service in Week 39 as the French liner works to restore reliability with its recently announced phase-in of three more ships to the network and rotation adjustments. “The carriers are in for enormous demand downturns, so even a service exit will be no surprise,” an industry observer said. Rate hikes pulled back As the market tightens, India-USEC carriers have also recalled all rate increase notices previously lined up for Sept. 1 and instead have extended their existing short-term contract rates into at least the first week of September. Average quotes from Asian liners for loads from Nhava Sheva to New York now stand at $2,000 to $2,100 per FEU, compared with the $2,300 to $2,500 range held by mega European operators, forwarder sources said. Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, pegged India-USEC spot rates at $2,300 per FEU as of Aug. 26, down 3% on the week. Meanwhile, Indian export industry stakeholders are evaluating the effect of the new tariff structure on trade volumes. “It [50% tariff] can severely impact India’s exports to the US, with approximately 55% of India’s US-bound shipments now exposed to pricing disadvantages of 30% to 35%, rendering them uncompetitive in comparison to competitors from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines as well as other Southeast and South Asian countries,” S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said in a statement. Data from PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global, shows volumes from the Indian Subcontinent to the US jumped to 152,630 TEUs in July, the highest so far in 2025 as shippers rushed to beat the August tariff deadline. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

International ports

India-US liners adjust capacity to prepare for tariff-linked volume downturn

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Sentiment heard with greater frequency from within the industry and from financial analysts holds that overcapacity will overwhelm constraints on capacity in a possible multi-year swoon.</div>

Sentiment heard with greater frequency from within the industry and from financial analysts holds that overcapacity will overwhelm constraints on capacity in a possible multi-year swoon.

<div class="phx-topic">It is becoming hard to shake the impression that container shipping is headed into a rocky stretch — for shippers and carriers alike. Sentiment heard with greater frequency from within the industry and from financial analysts holds that overcapacity will overwhelm constraints on capacity in a possible multi-year swoon, sending rates back to pre-COVID-19 levels and leading carriers to experience “deep losses,” according to J.P. Morgan. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/6069890_0.1.jpg"></img></div>“We continue to see an industry that is suffering from material oversupply,” J.P. Morgan wrote in a market update Tuesday. “We see this as a clear issue that the industry will be forced to negotiate, even if diversions away from Suez last longer than we expect.” Thus, breaks on capacity driven by factors external to the industry, such as Red Sea diversions, as well as growing port congestion, both of which carriers have benefited enormously from since the pandemic, will be no match for the growing impact of 30% more capacity hitting the water in the coming years as the largest order book since 2009 is processed and delivered. For US shippers facing margin pressure due to tariffs, lower rates will be a welcome relief from the toxic dynamic since COVID, when rates soared while reliability collapsed. But there is a flip side to that: The rocky stretch for shippers will materialize as carriers react to unfavorable market dynamics, as they inevitably will. Carriers may be unable to neutralize the impact of overcapacity, but they can mitigate it, or at the very least will try. As fundamentals deteriorate, carriers will react in ways that will be less visible to shippers, such as by increasing the scrapping of older ships. But they will also react in ways that will directly affect shippers, who will likely experience a prolonged spate of blank sailings, network adjustments and slow steaming that result in longer transit times, causing a broader supply chain impact on inventories and lead times. That scenario will occur because, outside of the Gemini Cooperation alliance, which launched earlier this year on the premise of delivering 90%-plus schedule reliability to the market, the broader carrier industry is focused primarily on managing its network in support of its own financial well-being, even if doing so comes at the expense of customers’ desire for schedule reliability. <h3>Liners ‘no longer intolerant’ of long-term port congestion </h3>Carriers, especially at the higher end of the market, learned long ago that over-investment in things such as fuel to speed up and maintain schedule integrity was not typically rewarded by the market in the form of higher rates. That made carriers skeptical of the value of reliability, a theory that proved itself during and after COVID, when reliability crashed due to the idling of ships and containers, and yet carriers earned record profits during the period. They saw it again in 2024 and 2025 when profits were propped up by the 10% or so of capacity being taken out of the market due to another factor beyond their control — the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Similarly, carriers are no longer as intolerant as they once were of growing long-term port congestion in Asia and Europe, seeing the upside in taking capacity out of the market. The amount of global container ship capacity removed due to port congestion is now 4% versus 2% pre-COVID, according to J.P. Morgan — hardly a negative issue for carriers staring at a costly, multi-year gap between supply and demand. But that gap is becoming hard to ignore. Carriers are preparing for a potentially prolonged downturn, <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ocean-carriers-intensify-cost-cutting-efforts-as-rates-slide-on-major-trades-6069811">cutting costs</a> and modeling out scenarios where rates sink well below current levels. In its update Tuesday, J.P. Morgan said volumes grew 4.5% in the first half of 2025 due to accelerated shipments caused by US tariffs, but the market is quickly cooling off. The bank expects market growth to slow to 1.8% in the third quarter and be flat in the fourth quarter, then grow 2% annually in 2026 and beyond based on its GDP growth forecasts. In 2025, it sees effective supply growth of 6.5% versus 2024. “Furthermore, we continue to expect capacity to return to the Suez Canal in 2026, which we believe will drive supply growth up to 9% [year over year],” the bank said. “If the trans-Suez route remains constrained, effective supply would likely still grow by 3%-5%, still putting pressure on rates.” It said the 4% of capacity removed due to port congestion has “normalized” and will not grow more pronounced, meaning less impact for carriers in mitigating overcapacity. Contact Peter Tirschwell at <a href="mailto:peter.tirschwell@spglobal.com">peter.tirschwell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

It is becoming hard to shake the impression that container shipping is headed into a rocky stretch — for shippers and carriers alike. Sentiment heard with greater frequency from within the industry and from financial analysts holds that overcapacity will overwhelm constraints on capacity in a possible multi-year swoon, sending rates back to pre-COVID-19 levels and leading carriers to experience “deep losses,” according to J.P. Morgan. “We continue to see an industry that is suffering from material oversupply,” J.P. Morgan wrote in a market update Tuesday. “We see this as a clear issue that the industry will be forced to negotiate, even if diversions away from Suez last longer than we expect.” Thus, breaks on capacity driven by factors external to the industry, such as Red Sea diversions, as well as growing port congestion, both of which carriers have benefited enormously from since the pandemic, will be no match for the growing impact of 30% more capacity hitting the water in the coming years as the largest order book since 2009 is processed and delivered. For US shippers facing margin pressure due to tariffs, lower rates will be a welcome relief from the toxic dynamic since COVID, when rates soared while reliability collapsed. But there is a flip side to that: The rocky stretch for shippers will materialize as carriers react to unfavorable market dynamics, as they inevitably will. Carriers may be unable to neutralize the impact of overcapacity, but they can mitigate it, or at the very least will try. As fundamentals deteriorate, carriers will react in ways that will be less visible to shippers, such as by increasing the scrapping of older ships. But they will also react in ways that will directly affect shippers, who will likely experience a prolonged spate of blank sailings, network adjustments and slow steaming that result in longer transit times, causing a broader supply chain impact on inventories and lead times. That scenario will occur because, outside of the Gemini Cooperation alliance, which launched earlier this year on the premise of delivering 90%-plus schedule reliability to the market, the broader carrier industry is focused primarily on managing its network in support of its own financial well-being, even if doing so comes at the expense of customers’ desire for schedule reliability. Liners ‘no longer intolerant’ of long-term port congestion Carriers, especially at the higher end of the market, learned long ago that over-investment in things such as fuel to speed up and maintain schedule integrity was not typically rewarded by the market in the form of higher rates. That made carriers skeptical of the value of reliability, a theory that proved itself during and after COVID, when reliability crashed due to the idling of ships and containers, and yet carriers earned record profits during the period. They saw it again in 2024 and 2025 when profits were propped up by the 10% or so of capacity being taken out of the market due to another factor beyond their control — the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Similarly, carriers are no longer as intolerant as they once were of growing long-term port congestion in Asia and Europe, seeing the upside in taking capacity out of the market. The amount of global container ship capacity removed due to port congestion is now 4% versus 2% pre-COVID, according to J.P. Morgan — hardly a negative issue for carriers staring at a costly, multi-year gap between supply and demand. But that gap is becoming hard to ignore. Carriers are preparing for a potentially prolonged downturn, cutting costs and modeling out scenarios where rates sink well below current levels. In its update Tuesday, J.P. Morgan said volumes grew 4.5% in the first half of 2025 due to accelerated shipments caused by US tariffs, but the market is quickly cooling off. The bank expects market growth to slow to 1.8% in the third quarter and be flat in the fourth quarter, then grow 2% annually in 2026 and beyond based on its GDP growth forecasts. In 2025, it sees effective supply growth of 6.5% versus 2024. “Furthermore, we continue to expect capacity to return to the Suez Canal in 2026, which we believe will drive supply growth up to 9% [year over year],” the bank said. “If the trans-Suez route remains constrained, effective supply would likely still grow by 3%-5%, still putting pressure on rates.” It said the 4% of capacity removed due to port congestion has “normalized” and will not grow more pronounced, meaning less impact for carriers in mitigating overcapacity. Contact Peter Tirschwell at peter.tirschwell@spglobal.com .

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

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