<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A stagnant export-import freight market is pressuring profit margins for containerized rail operators in India.</div>

A stagnant export-import freight market is pressuring profit margins for containerized rail operators in India.

<div><div><img></div>India's leading intermodal rail service providers struggled in the last fiscal year. Photo Credit: Adani Logistics.A stagnant export-import freight market is pressuring profit margins for containerized rail operators in India, which could make them wary of expanding operations as the government pushes to shift cargo to the country’s railways to ease port congestion and speed cargo flows.Container Corporation of India (Concor), the country’s largest intermodal company, suffered a near 12 percent fall in net profit and a 5 percent dip in revenue in fiscal year 2016 to 2017 through the end of March, year over year. Yearly consolidated net earnings...

India's leading intermodal rail service providers struggled in the last fiscal year. Photo Credit: Adani Logistics. A stagnant export-import freight market is pressuring profit margins for containerized rail operators in India, which could make them wary of expanding operations as the government pushes to shift cargo to the country’s railways to ease port congestion and speed cargo flows. Container Corporation of India (Concor), the country’s largest intermodal company, suffered a near 12 percent fall in net profit and a 5 percent dip in revenue in fiscal year 2016 to 2017 through the end of March, year over year. Yearly consolidated net earnings decreased to Rs. 852.66 crore (approximately $132 million) from Rs. 966.60 crore, and revenue was down to Rs. 6,256.12 crore from Rs. 6,591.48 crore, according to a company filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange. The earnings statement shows operating income from Concor's core international freight segment was down 6 percent to Rs. 4,853.24 crore from Rs. 5,162.35 crore in fiscal 2015 to 2016, despite efforts to accelerate sales by venturing into new and emerging hinterland markets on the southeast coast. Revenue from the domestic intermodal market was relatively flat year over year, at Rs. 1,117.85 crore, according to the statement. The state-owned company trimmed its annual operating expenses by 3.7 percent to Rs. 5,096.48 crore from Rs. 5,290.96 crore previously, with rail-haulage charges disbursed to Indian Railways for use of its network and infrastructure down to Rs. 3,329.90 crore from Rs 3,636.08 crore. A rebound in India’s foreign trade in the second half of the last fiscal year ostensibly brought moderate stability to containerized rail pricing, as Concor boosted its net income in the fourth quarter, which ran from January to March, by 9.6 percent to Rs. 335.71 crore from Rs. 306.21 crore previously, despite a 2.8 year-over-year fall in quarterly revenue. Concor is adding five facilities to its national network of 65 terminals but faced a setback in May when it was forced to halt handling hazardous shipments at its flagship Tughlakabad Inland Container Depot near Delhi following a gas leak incident there that left hundreds of students from a nearby school hospitalized. Gateway Distriparks Ltd., Concor’s main private rival, also took a hit in fiscal 2016 to 2017, with net earnings down 33.7 percent year over year. The weakness in their earnings could make them hesitant to throw their full weight behind intermodal rail infrastructure development and road-to-rail freight conversion efforts that are a focus of the Narendra Modi government.

International rail

Weak demand, tight margins squeeze Concor profit

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The digital solution will be available for US imports this week and is set to roll out globally in August.</div>

The digital solution will be available for US imports this week and is set to roll out globally in August.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">Maersk’s six million customs declarations around the world and commercial data from across its network are being used to power a new centralized AI-powered approach to customs and tariff management that will launch this week. The “Maersk Trade &amp; Tariff Studio” will be available from June 28 for cargo imported into the US with a global rollout scheduled for August, said Lars Karlsson, the carrier’s global head of trade and customs consulting. “Today’s environment is defined by unpredictability, with newly imposed and suddenly postponed tariffs creating what many of our customers describe as ‘tariff chaos’,” he told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. While Karlsson acknowledged the wave of development in AI-powered trade tools that are becoming available from many sources, he said the need for scale in this area should not be underestimated. “The problem is how you train these new facilities for an area like trade,” the Maersk executive said. “You can create the algorithm for AI, but if it's not using vast amounts of real and verified, qualified trade data, it doesn't learn as fast. If you have six million custom decorations around the world in all territories like Maersk, that gives us an advantage to train our AI models much quicker than others.” A host of companies are piling into this arena. In the past six months, AI-focused <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ai-continues-its-advance-across-truckload-fleets-drayage-6004118">logistics technology startups Optimal Dynamics</a>, Augment, FreightHero, Freightmate AI, Vooma and HappyRobot have all landed venture funding rounds. And virtually every <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/incumbents-upstarts-strive-for-lead-in-agentic-ai-arms-race-5943100">established logistics software vendor</a> or tech-focused intermediary, including <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/next-phase-of-digital-forwarding-on-collision-course-with-ai-revolution-5952015">Flexport</a>, Shipwell, PortPro, FourKites and project44, has marketed itself as having agentic tools that make its products more usable. <h3>Decentralized approach is unsustainable </h3>Karlsson noted that global companies relied on 30 or 40 different local customs brokers based in as many ports or countries, resulting in fragmented data, limited visibility and unnecessarily paid duties. “This decentralized approach is increasingly unsustainable in a world where tariff levels are not only higher but also much more volatile,” he said. “We know from studies around the world by various research institutes that companies were, on average, overpaying 5% to 6% in customs duties even before the ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcements.” Maersk data shows that 20% of shipment delays are caused by poor customs preparation, and only 50% to 55% of trade that is eligible for existing Free Trade Agreements (FTA) actually use the respective FTAs. Karlsson said although more than 650 FTAs exist, they are complex, and companies often don’t have the resources to fully understand the application of details at origin and destination, leaving significant savings untapped. <h3>Providing a global view </h3>Karlsson outlined the processes driving Maersk’s new AI platform. It combines AI-powered tariff engineering and optimization, ensuring the correct application of over 6,000 product codes and 20,000-plus sub-codes. “The 6,000 harmonized product codes that regulate the tariffs are all published by the World Customs Organization, taken into national customs administrations and applied to the specific code in that country,” Karlsson said. While the tariff books are accessible to the public, a company will have a broker in each country working with the local tariffs only, while Maersk’s AI tool has a global view of tariffs. Maersk Trade &amp; Tariff Studio offers upstream compliance risk screening that tackles delays, detentions and penalties, and real time updates from data partners, as well as Maersk's network of 2,700 customs experts across the globe, all feeding tariff and regulation changes into a unified system. On top of coping with tariffs, another challenge for companies is compliance with a growing number of complex regulations, from product safety and labor standards to upcoming environmental mandates such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and deforestation regulations. Non-compliance can result in significant fines and market bans. “We scan for regulations, including sanctions, as early as possible in the supply chain to avoid customers ending up at the border being detained, delayed or penalized for non-compliance,” Karlsson told the Journal of Commerce. ”Customs declaration is one of the most complex areas in global logistics,” he said. “But if done right, companies will be saving money, saving problems and sleeping better at night.” Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Maersk’s six million customs declarations around the world and commercial data from across its network are being used to power a new centralized AI-powered approach to customs and tariff management that will launch this week. The “Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio” will be available from June 28 for cargo imported into the US with a global rollout scheduled for August, said Lars Karlsson, the carrier’s global head of trade and customs consulting. “Today’s environment is defined by unpredictability, with newly imposed and suddenly postponed tariffs creating what many of our customers describe as ‘tariff chaos’,” he told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. While Karlsson acknowledged the wave of development in AI-powered trade tools that are becoming available from many sources, he said the need for scale in this area should not be underestimated. “The problem is how you train these new facilities for an area like trade,” the Maersk executive said. “You can create the algorithm for AI, but if it's not using vast amounts of real and verified, qualified trade data, it doesn't learn as fast. If you have six million custom decorations around the world in all territories like Maersk, that gives us an advantage to train our AI models much quicker than others.” A host of companies are piling into this arena. In the past six months, AI-focused logistics technology startups Optimal Dynamics , Augment, FreightHero, Freightmate AI, Vooma and HappyRobot have all landed venture funding rounds. And virtually every established logistics software vendor or tech-focused intermediary, including Flexport , Shipwell, PortPro, FourKites and project44, has marketed itself as having agentic tools that make its products more usable. Decentralized approach is unsustainable Karlsson noted that global companies relied on 30 or 40 different local customs brokers based in as many ports or countries, resulting in fragmented data, limited visibility and unnecessarily paid duties. “This decentralized approach is increasingly unsustainable in a world where tariff levels are not only higher but also much more volatile,” he said. “We know from studies around the world by various research institutes that companies were, on average, overpaying 5% to 6% in customs duties even before the ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcements.” Maersk data shows that 20% of shipment delays are caused by poor customs preparation, and only 50% to 55% of trade that is eligible for existing Free Trade Agreements (FTA) actually use the respective FTAs. Karlsson said although more than 650 FTAs exist, they are complex, and companies often don’t have the resources to fully understand the application of details at origin and destination, leaving significant savings untapped. Providing a global view Karlsson outlined the processes driving Maersk’s new AI platform. It combines AI-powered tariff engineering and optimization, ensuring the correct application of over 6,000 product codes and 20,000-plus sub-codes. “The 6,000 harmonized product codes that regulate the tariffs are all published by the World Customs Organization, taken into national customs administrations and applied to the specific code in that country,” Karlsson said. While the tariff books are accessible to the public, a company will have a broker in each country working with the local tariffs only, while Maersk’s AI tool has a global view of tariffs. Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio offers upstream compliance risk screening that tackles delays, detentions and penalties, and real time updates from data partners, as well as Maersk's network of 2,700 customs experts across the globe, all feeding tariff and regulation changes into a unified system. On top of coping with tariffs, another challenge for companies is compliance with a growing number of complex regulations, from product safety and labor standards to upcoming environmental mandates such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and deforestation regulations. Non-compliance can result in significant fines and market bans. “We scan for regulations, including sanctions, as early as possible in the supply chain to avoid customers ending up at the border being detained, delayed or penalized for non-compliance,” Karlsson told the Journal of Commerce. ”Customs declaration is one of the most complex areas in global logistics,” he said. “But if done right, companies will be saving money, saving problems and sleeping better at night.” Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Logistics Technology News

Container lines

Maritime

Maersk launches AI customs tool to tackle rising regulatory chaos

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Peak shipping season began early on both trade lanes, but the advancing of US orders from China will hit trans-Pacific demand in the second half of the year.</div>

Peak shipping season began early on both trade lanes, but the advancing of US orders from China will hit trans-Pacific demand in the second half of the year.

<div class="phx-topic">China-US trade in the second half of 2025 will be characterized by sharply falling rates and volume as frontloading momentum peters out and shippers sit with bloated inventories, while the demand outlook for Asia-Europe is far brighter, shipping analysts say. Just two weeks remain before the 90-day pause on global tariffs by the US ends on July 9, with a similar pause on China tariffs expiring Aug. 14. Although the outcome of Washington’s negotiations with its trading partners remains uncertain, declining demand on the trans-Pacific is expected whatever the result of talks. “Demand is expected to drop significantly, even if lower tariffs continue after the 90-day pause,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. “Shippers have been frontloading imports throughout 2024 and early 2025 so inventories will be brimming once the current cargo rush is over.” Ports along the US West Coast are due to experience a short-lived cargo surge over the next few weeks, which may slow the ongoing decline in spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific. The rate from Asia to the West Coast as of Tuesday was $2,800 per FEU, down 13% on the week and 54% lower than the recent high of $6,040 per FEU on June 6, according to Platts, a Journal of Commerce sister company within S&amp;P Global. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="bea6613f-87e3-42b2-84e2-aa2fd6f34f8f"></dynamic-object></div>Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at Bimco, said when the 90-day pause on tariffs ends, US importers will turn to the inventories they built up through frontloading in the first half of the year. “We expect that US import volume growth will suffer under the increased import tariffs and weaker economic growth,” Rasmussen noted in Bimco’s latest container shipping outlook released Wednesday. “We therefore estimate that the year-to-date frontloading of cargo will result in an equal downturn in imports during the second half of 2025,” he added. “In fact, we expect the downturn to be even more pronounced as the 55% tariff on Chinese goods gets implemented and the reciprocal tariff increases announced in April are implemented following the 90-day delay.” The import tariff for China went as high as 145% but was later lowered to 30% for the 90-day period ending Aug. 14. Last week, President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform that an agreement had been reached with China that will set the tariff applied on Chinese imports to 55%, although that has yet to be officially confirmed. A trade agreement has been reached between the US and UK that will lower the general tariff level for imports from the UK to 10%. And although negotiations are continuing with the European Union, it is likely the EU will face a 10% baseline tariff on all its US exports. Bimco has adjusted its 2025 volume growth forecast for the European and Mediterranean region upwards from 3.5% to 6% to reflect the stronger-than-expected year-to-date volumes. “Volume to the region grew 7.3% during the first four months of the year and economic conditions are improving with lower inflation, lower interest rates, lower unemployment than before COVID and a stronger euro all contributing to a brighter outlook,” Rasmussen said. “In the EU, consumers appear significantly better off as retail volumes have seen robust growth compared to a very weak second half of 2024, and consumer confidence remains mostly stable,” he added. <h3>Rates flatten on Asia-North Europe </h3>The peak season on Asia-Europe has begun and spot rates of $2,842 per FEU are up 49% since May 31, according to Xeneta. Rates have flattened out following the June freight-all-kinds (FAK) increases, but ocean carriers are planning to significantly reduce the deployed capacity on Asia-North Europe in August. If demand remains strong, rates are sure to rise. Data from visibility provider eeSea shows that the expected capacity on Asia-North Europe will fall by 90,000 TEUs in August from July, with blank capacity up 25% to 105,000 TEUs. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="6a5146cf-79d1-41fa-85fb-c1916fc625ac"></dynamic-object></div>Rasmussen noted that the conflict between Israel and Iran may have further delayed when ships will return to normal Red Sea and Suez Canal routings, and the Bimco outlook assumes no change in the diversions around southern Africa. When ships do return to Suez transits, Bimco is forecasting a 10% reduction in ship demand because of the shorter sailing distances. S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence has not recorded a Houthi militant attack on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since Dec. 10, 2024. While an apparent ceasefire was agreed to between the Houthis and the US in May, the US Department of Defense says the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group intercepted approximately 160 Houthi done and missile attacks over its five-month deployment in the Red Sea that ended in May, an indication of the resilience of Houthi attack capabilities. “Houthi attacks on US-affiliated shipping are likely to resume in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden at volumes probably not exceeding previous attacks and maintaining a severe risk to all vessels in transit due to uncertainties around Houthi targeting selection,” Jack Kennedy, head of Middle East and North Africa country risk at S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence, wrote in a report this week. S&amp;P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

China-US trade in the second half of 2025 will be characterized by sharply falling rates and volume as frontloading momentum peters out and shippers sit with bloated inventories, while the demand outlook for Asia-Europe is far brighter, shipping analysts say. Just two weeks remain before the 90-day pause on global tariffs by the US ends on July 9, with a similar pause on China tariffs expiring Aug. 14. Although the outcome of Washington’s negotiations with its trading partners remains uncertain, declining demand on the trans-Pacific is expected whatever the result of talks. “Demand is expected to drop significantly, even if lower tariffs continue after the 90-day pause,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. “Shippers have been frontloading imports throughout 2024 and early 2025 so inventories will be brimming once the current cargo rush is over.” Ports along the US West Coast are due to experience a short-lived cargo surge over the next few weeks, which may slow the ongoing decline in spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific. The rate from Asia to the West Coast as of Tuesday was $2,800 per FEU, down 13% on the week and 54% lower than the recent high of $6,040 per FEU on June 6, according to Platts, a Journal of Commerce sister company within S&P Global. Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at Bimco, said when the 90-day pause on tariffs ends, US importers will turn to the inventories they built up through frontloading in the first half of the year. “We expect that US import volume growth will suffer under the increased import tariffs and weaker economic growth,” Rasmussen noted in Bimco’s latest container shipping outlook released Wednesday. “We therefore estimate that the year-to-date frontloading of cargo will result in an equal downturn in imports during the second half of 2025,” he added. “In fact, we expect the downturn to be even more pronounced as the 55% tariff on Chinese goods gets implemented and the reciprocal tariff increases announced in April are implemented following the 90-day delay.” The import tariff for China went as high as 145% but was later lowered to 30% for the 90-day period ending Aug. 14. Last week, President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform that an agreement had been reached with China that will set the tariff applied on Chinese imports to 55%, although that has yet to be officially confirmed. A trade agreement has been reached between the US and UK that will lower the general tariff level for imports from the UK to 10%. And although negotiations are continuing with the European Union, it is likely the EU will face a 10% baseline tariff on all its US exports. Bimco has adjusted its 2025 volume growth forecast for the European and Mediterranean region upwards from 3.5% to 6% to reflect the stronger-than-expected year-to-date volumes. “Volume to the region grew 7.3% during the first four months of the year and economic conditions are improving with lower inflation, lower interest rates, lower unemployment than before COVID and a stronger euro all contributing to a brighter outlook,” Rasmussen said. “In the EU, consumers appear significantly better off as retail volumes have seen robust growth compared to a very weak second half of 2024, and consumer confidence remains mostly stable,” he added. Rates flatten on Asia-North Europe The peak season on Asia-Europe has begun and spot rates of $2,842 per FEU are up 49% since May 31, according to Xeneta. Rates have flattened out following the June freight-all-kinds (FAK) increases, but ocean carriers are planning to significantly reduce the deployed capacity on Asia-North Europe in August. If demand remains strong, rates are sure to rise. Data from visibility provider eeSea shows that the expected capacity on Asia-North Europe will fall by 90,000 TEUs in August from July, with blank capacity up 25% to 105,000 TEUs. Rasmussen noted that the conflict between Israel and Iran may have further delayed when ships will return to normal Red Sea and Suez Canal routings, and the Bimco outlook assumes no change in the diversions around southern Africa. When ships do return to Suez transits, Bimco is forecasting a 10% reduction in ship demand because of the shorter sailing distances. S&P Global Market Intelligence has not recorded a Houthi militant attack on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since Dec. 10, 2024. While an apparent ceasefire was agreed to between the Houthis and the US in May, the US Department of Defense says the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group intercepted approximately 160 Houthi done and missile attacks over its five-month deployment in the Red Sea that ended in May, an indication of the resilience of Houthi attack capabilities. “Houthi attacks on US-affiliated shipping are likely to resume in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden at volumes probably not exceeding previous attacks and maintaining a severe risk to all vessels in transit due to uncertainties around Houthi targeting selection,” Jack Kennedy, head of Middle East and North Africa country risk at S&P Global Market Intelligence, wrote in a report this week. S&P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Asia-Europe

Trans-Pacific

Trans-Pacific sailing into slowdown; Asia-Europe outlook brightens: analysts

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">In a statement posted on the FMC’s website, Sola said his last day at the agency would be June 30 and did not give a reason for his departure.</div>

In a statement posted on the FMC’s website, Sola said his last day at the agency would be June 30 and did not give a reason for his departure.

<div class="phx-topic">Chairman Louis Sola announced Tuesday he is leaving the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) a mere five months after being <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trump-appoints-louis-sola-to-chairmans-slot-at-fmc-5926442">appointed to lead the agency</a> responsible for regulating ocean trade to and from US ports. In a statement posted on the FMC’s website, Sola said his last day at the agency will be June 30. He did not give a reason for his departure. “I have had the privilege of helping safeguard the integrity of the US maritime industry, bringing greater transparency to port operations, and overseeing a supply chain that moves more than $5 trillion in goods annually,” Sola said in the statement. Sola, appointed to the commission in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term, pointed to work he did as a commissioner during the pandemic to resolve supply chain-related disruptions, as well as a recent investigation into flags of convenience, which resulted in calls for the deflagging of more than 140 sanctioned vessels. On Jan. 20, Trump elevated Sola to replace previous FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei, with a mandate to support initiatives around balanced trade and an emphasis on enhancing trade to and from Latin America. Early in his brief tenure as chairman, Sola was outspoken about whether the Panama Canal was a <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/fmc-chair-questions-level-playing-field-in-panama-canal-operations-5932469">“level playing field”</a> for US shippers due to Chinese operational involvement in ports on both ends of the canal. He also was leading an investigation into whether global chokepoints, primarily major canals, were hurting US maritime transportation interests. Sola formerly served on the Florida Board of Pilots Commissioners and as CEO of a ship and yacht brokerage before being nominated to the FMC. Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Chairman Louis Sola announced Tuesday he is leaving the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) a mere five months after being appointed to lead the agency responsible for regulating ocean trade to and from US ports. In a statement posted on the FMC’s website, Sola said his last day at the agency will be June 30. He did not give a reason for his departure. “I have had the privilege of helping safeguard the integrity of the US maritime industry, bringing greater transparency to port operations, and overseeing a supply chain that moves more than $5 trillion in goods annually,” Sola said in the statement. Sola, appointed to the commission in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term, pointed to work he did as a commissioner during the pandemic to resolve supply chain-related disruptions, as well as a recent investigation into flags of convenience, which resulted in calls for the deflagging of more than 140 sanctioned vessels. On Jan. 20, Trump elevated Sola to replace previous FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei, with a mandate to support initiatives around balanced trade and an emphasis on enhancing trade to and from Latin America. Early in his brief tenure as chairman, Sola was outspoken about whether the Panama Canal was a “level playing field” for US shippers due to Chinese operational involvement in ports on both ends of the canal. He also was leading an investigation into whether global chokepoints, primarily major canals, were hurting US maritime transportation interests. Sola formerly served on the Florida Board of Pilots Commissioners and as CEO of a ship and yacht brokerage before being nominated to the FMC. Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com .

Supply chain

FMC’s Sola to leave agency months after being elevated to chairman’s slot

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The surge, however brief, will nonetheless be a welcome boost in business for the ports after a lackluster May and early June.</div>

The surge, however brief, will nonetheless be a welcome boost in business for the ports after a lackluster May and early June.

<div class="phx-topic">Ports along the US West Coast are due to experience a short-lived cargo surge over the next few weeks as importers rush to bring goods into the country ahead of the expiry of temporary tariff relief implemented by the Trump administration. The surge, however brief, will nonetheless be a welcome boost in business for the ports after a lackluster May and early June. Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, told the Journal of Commerce that vessel arrivals scheduled for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the coming weeks “are the highest container ships on-the-way levels since January 2025 and July and September 2024.” According to the ports’ websites, Los Angeles projects that imports this week will total 138,519 TEUs before dipping to 124,713 TEUs next week and 101,003 TEUs for the week of July 6. Long Beach is forecasting its imports will total 84,109 TEUs this week before jumping to 125,286 TEUs next week and 116,947 TEUs the week of July 6. Further out, 93,797 TEUs are expected for the week of July 13, rising again to 114,073 TEUs for the week of July 20. The ports consider 100,000 TEUs or greater to be a strong week. In May, Los Angeles totaled 320,878 TEUs in imports, or approximately 71,000 TEUs a week, according to PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Long Beach saw 296,348 TEUs, or about 66,000 TEUs weekly. The import boost expected over the next few weeks comes ahead of <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trans-pacific-spot-rates-falling-as-tariff-linked-demand-surge-loses-steam-6027420">two key dates put in place by the White House — July 9 and Aug. 14</a>. The first is when a 90-day reprieve on higher tariffs against essentially all US trading partners expires; the second is when similar relief on imports from China ends. What will happen after those dates is unknown. The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) of Seattle and Tacoma, meanwhile, forecasts 55 vessel arrivals for June, 49 in July and 48 in August. That’s up from 46 in May. “Looking forward, numbers will likely increase for the last two weeks in June,” a spokesperson for the NWSA told the Journal of Commerce. “There are both fewer blank sailings and additional cargo that is anticipated for the second half of the month.” West Coast ports should not face any significant congestion issues handling the spike in imports in the coming few weeks given the weak month of May. <h3>Could rate decline pause? </h3>An increase in import volumes over the coming weeks could slow the ongoing decline in spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific. The rate from Asia to the West Coast as of Monday was $2,900 per FEU, down 10% on the week and 50% lower than the recent high of $6,040 per FEU on June 6, according to Platts, a Journal of Commerce sister company within S&amp;P Global. “The trans-Pac just seems to be such a moving target,” a forwarder in the Pacific Northwest told the Journal of Commerce. “We’re updating our rates almost daily.” <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="e8c13a3e-9f5a-412f-8741-adbf5e1a7779"></dynamic-object></div>The import surge on the West Coast also seems to be additional proof that the peak shipping season — normally August through October — has come early this year. The most recent <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/pause-on-tariffs-prompts-us-retailers-to-upgrade-summer-import-forecast-6022230">Global Port Tracker</a> published by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates forecasts that US imports will decline 8.1% in July, 14.7% in August, 21.8% in September and 19.8% in October compared with the same months in 2024. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>.Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:laura.robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Ports along the US West Coast are due to experience a short-lived cargo surge over the next few weeks as importers rush to bring goods into the country ahead of the expiry of temporary tariff relief implemented by the Trump administration. The surge, however brief, will nonetheless be a welcome boost in business for the ports after a lackluster May and early June. Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, told the Journal of Commerce that vessel arrivals scheduled for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the coming weeks “are the highest container ships on-the-way levels since January 2025 and July and September 2024.” According to the ports’ websites, Los Angeles projects that imports this week will total 138,519 TEUs before dipping to 124,713 TEUs next week and 101,003 TEUs for the week of July 6. Long Beach is forecasting its imports will total 84,109 TEUs this week before jumping to 125,286 TEUs next week and 116,947 TEUs the week of July 6. Further out, 93,797 TEUs are expected for the week of July 13, rising again to 114,073 TEUs for the week of July 20. The ports consider 100,000 TEUs or greater to be a strong week. In May, Los Angeles totaled 320,878 TEUs in imports, or approximately 71,000 TEUs a week, according to PIERS, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Long Beach saw 296,348 TEUs, or about 66,000 TEUs weekly. The import boost expected over the next few weeks comes ahead of two key dates put in place by the White House — July 9 and Aug. 14 . The first is when a 90-day reprieve on higher tariffs against essentially all US trading partners expires; the second is when similar relief on imports from China ends. What will happen after those dates is unknown. The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) of Seattle and Tacoma, meanwhile, forecasts 55 vessel arrivals for June, 49 in July and 48 in August. That’s up from 46 in May. “Looking forward, numbers will likely increase for the last two weeks in June,” a spokesperson for the NWSA told the Journal of Commerce. “There are both fewer blank sailings and additional cargo that is anticipated for the second half of the month.” West Coast ports should not face any significant congestion issues handling the spike in imports in the coming few weeks given the weak month of May. Could rate decline pause? An increase in import volumes over the coming weeks could slow the ongoing decline in spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific. The rate from Asia to the West Coast as of Monday was $2,900 per FEU, down 10% on the week and 50% lower than the recent high of $6,040 per FEU on June 6, according to Platts, a Journal of Commerce sister company within S&P Global. “The trans-Pac just seems to be such a moving target,” a forwarder in the Pacific Northwest told the Journal of Commerce. “We’re updating our rates almost daily.” The import surge on the West Coast also seems to be additional proof that the peak shipping season — normally August through October — has come early this year. The most recent Global Port Tracker published by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates forecasts that US imports will decline 8.1% in July, 14.7% in August, 21.8% in September and 19.8% in October compared with the same months in 2024. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com .

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Quick-hit, tariff-driven import surge on tap for US West Coast ports

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC and Cosco are among mainliners charging add-ons on overweight containers.</div>

CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC and Cosco are among mainliners charging add-ons on overweight containers.

<div class="phx-topic">Indian cargo owners are facing a new wave of surcharges from major carriers on laden containers exceeding the standard weight threshold as westbound capacity suffers due to persistent schedule disruptions. CMA CGM, Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Cosco Shipping are among mainliners charging add-ons on overweight containers, according to industry updates. Indian export trades hit by the surcharge wave include shipments to the US, the Mediterranean, Africa and South America. Local freight forwarders who spoke with the Journal of Commerce have confirmed that Maersk recently began levying a fee of $200 per TEU for shipments to the US weighing over 22 metric tons. Maersk now operates an enhanced “MECL” service on the India-US East Coast trade, with its space out of West India overbooked in recent weeks amid sailing cutbacks on competing networks. Similarly, CMA CGM from July 13 will implement an overweight surcharge of $600 per TEU for dry shipments over 18 metric tons moving to the East Coast of South America, complementing a $150-per-TEU fee it has already lined up for 27-ton-plus loads from West India to Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) beginning July 1. Forwarder sources noted that the lead carriers are trying to restrict heavy cargo loadings, especially stones, tiles and metal products, and instead target lightweight cargo to maximize capacity utilization through better vessel stowage planning. “Fewer 40-foot boxes in the market have also contributed to the overweight problem,” a sales executive at a European liner who didn’t want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “Our average container weight per TEU has been in the region of 19 metric tons to 19.5 metric tons, as against the 14-metric-ton limit, on many recent sailings.” A second forwarder said surcharges on heavier loads are now across the board, with the scale varying from carrier to carrier. “The carriers who are not charging [overweight fees] mostly do not accept manual cargo bookings,” the forwarder said. Shipper sources echoed that concern, noting that carriers typically try to push through additional surcharges as the industry heads into the traditional peak season. “We should expect more [surcharge] hits in the coming days,” a Mumbai-based yarn exporter said. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="mailto:bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>.</div>

Indian cargo owners are facing a new wave of surcharges from major carriers on laden containers exceeding the standard weight threshold as westbound capacity suffers due to persistent schedule disruptions. CMA CGM, Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Cosco Shipping are among mainliners charging add-ons on overweight containers, according to industry updates. Indian export trades hit by the surcharge wave include shipments to the US, the Mediterranean, Africa and South America. Local freight forwarders who spoke with the Journal of Commerce have confirmed that Maersk recently began levying a fee of $200 per TEU for shipments to the US weighing over 22 metric tons. Maersk now operates an enhanced “MECL” service on the India-US East Coast trade, with its space out of West India overbooked in recent weeks amid sailing cutbacks on competing networks. Similarly, CMA CGM from July 13 will implement an overweight surcharge of $600 per TEU for dry shipments over 18 metric tons moving to the East Coast of South America, complementing a $150-per-TEU fee it has already lined up for 27-ton-plus loads from West India to Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) beginning July 1. Forwarder sources noted that the lead carriers are trying to restrict heavy cargo loadings, especially stones, tiles and metal products, and instead target lightweight cargo to maximize capacity utilization through better vessel stowage planning. “Fewer 40-foot boxes in the market have also contributed to the overweight problem,” a sales executive at a European liner who didn’t want to be identified told the Journal of Commerce. “Our average container weight per TEU has been in the region of 19 metric tons to 19.5 metric tons, as against the 14-metric-ton limit, on many recent sailings.” A second forwarder said surcharges on heavier loads are now across the board, with the scale varying from carrier to carrier. “The carriers who are not charging [overweight fees] mostly do not accept manual cargo bookings,” the forwarder said. Shipper sources echoed that concern, noting that carriers typically try to push through additional surcharges as the industry heads into the traditional peak season. “We should expect more [surcharge] hits in the coming days,” a Mumbai-based yarn exporter said. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.com .

Indian exporters face overweight box surcharges as carriers push scalability

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The world of LTL is slow to embrace change. Business anachronisms permeate current supply chain processes. These vestiges of the way things used to work define the LTL freight transportation procurement process of many modern shippers.David Knuth, logistics specialist at IEWC, a global supplier of cable and wire based in Wisconsin, is happy to have modernized the RFP process, automating the entire LTL bidding procedure with Bid$ense, SMC³’s automated truckload and LTL freight transportation sourcing solution. But when prompted, he can still recall what once was.In his previous job, a large part of his duties were consumed by creating an intermodal bid package for carriers. In a spreadsheet, Knuth detailed the company’s volumes lane by lane, taking care to delete any errant keystrokes or misleading data. He would then email out the information to each carrier, taking time to respond to detailed technical questions about the spreadsheet data. Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. Carriers are alerted with timely prompts for RFP deliverables, so shippers aren’t waiting by the phone for responses.Another benefit of automating the process is the data-cleansing assistance. When Knuth sent spreadsheets to carriers, data errors might cloud the bidding process; he might have to resend data or simply accept a price that did not truly reflect the costs of doing business. Data cleansing is incredibly beneficial, he said.The spreadsheet technique also made bidding analysis an onerous task. Since Bid$ense automates and streamlines the entire RFP process, intensive examination is now simple. SMC³ knows that each bid has more than one best outcome. With uniform responses from each carrier, shippers can quickly rank results and create an unlimited quantity of what-if scenarios to make the optimal procurement decision.Jesse Burnett of Central Garden &amp; Pet experiences many of the same benefits. Founded in 1980, Central Garden &amp; Pet has spent the last three decades growing from a small garden supply company to a provider of a range of products from dog chews and bird seed to soil supplements and natural insecticides. For much of its life, the company shipped these disparate goods via LTL and truckload carriers to retailers throughout the country, relying on each business unit to negotiate directly with their freight transportation providers. This arrangement worked fairly well for a small company, but as Central Garden &amp; Pet expanded, leadership decided to consolidate decision making.Burnett helped centralize the transportation decision making in 2015 with SMC³’s Bid$ense. Before Bid$ense, every business unit operated independently as far as negotiating with carriers.“There were a lot of different things just floating around,” he said. “We didn’t have master agreements in place; no national pricing at all. The pricing from carriers was just all over the place, depending on where you were.”The transformations he saw with Bid$ense were immediate. Burnett has been using the tool about every other year since its implementation at the company. Central Garden and Pet’s $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. In the end, though, Burnett found that Bid$ense was both widespread and well known, and that his carrier partners already knew how to use the application. Burnett also highlighted the data-cleansing process as a major benefit, saying the rigorous process ensures that carriers always return the best price.“It definitely has helped drive savings,” he said. “Any time you go out there and you drive that competitiveness with the carriers and they know they’re in a bid environment, it seems to sharpen their pencils.”Transportation procurement is an integral part of the modern supply chain. With Bid$ense, shippers can develop a strategic implementation plan that saves them time and money, but also helps them create strong relationships with their carrier partners. These carriers appreciate the solution’s data-cleansing process; when carriers receive a complete shipment history and future volume forecast, they don’t have to guess on pricing. Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$ense has the analytical horsepower to get the job done.SMC³ 2020 Customer Case Study

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Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

If there’s one immutable truth in the world of logistics, it’s this: LTL is an inherently complex form of transportation. Tariffs, rates, DIM weights, transit times — it’s enough to confuse even seasoned logistics professionals. The solution to this knowledge gap has historically been on-the-job training or university supply chain education, but for a variety of reasons there is now a pressing need for third-party, remote LTL training that prepares logistics workers for transportation success. Global Scope Can Overlook Local Intricacies In the past, professionals looking to move into a supply chain career learned about the basics of supply chain from universities. However, many of these college supply chain programs are now global in scope, focusing on worldwide supply chain management instead of the intricacies of specialized domestic transportation. And even these programs, which used to be widespread, are becoming less common. LTL is not an industry of broad-brush strokes; supply chain professionals really need a pointillistic understanding of the logistics of LTL in order to excel in the industry. Accelerating Need for Dedicated LTL Education This lack of specified training put the onus on employers to prepare new hires with the LTL knowledge needed to do their jobs. Dedicated LTL study is a necessity, not a luxury. At the same time, changes in LTL and the broader supply chain world are accelerating. The reliance on e-commerce has ballooned since the start of the pandemic, and last-mile LTL shipments and related e-commerce strains on the supply chain won’t diminish once social distancing abates. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle. So supply chain employers need logistics workers that are fully versed in all aspects of the industry, ready to solve unique shipping and delivery problems based on their extensive supply chain knowledge But why care about LTL? It’s been reported that some shippers in today’s world are no longer concerned with what mode is used to ship their goods. A Multimodal Approach Ensures On-Time Delivery This mode agnosticism means supply chain stakeholders have to be well versed in all modes of transportation. As unforeseen weather events and other disruptions, such as protests, become more common, savvy logistics employees will need to be armed with familiarity of all modes, not just the most popular, to ensure that freight is delivered on time, without damage, and in the most financially expedient way possible. Offerings like SMC³’s LTL online education courses cover a wide range of topics from LTL basics and operations to more advanced concepts like pricing analytics and transportation law. The company also has plans to continually refresh content, adding new expert presenters and taking the feedback of students to make the courses even better as time goes on. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://logisticstrainingcenter.com/smc3-courses/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">SMC³’s LTL Online Education program</a>&nbsp;and view the 2021 hybrid schedule, featuring live industry experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smc3.com/onlinelearning2021/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">here.</a>

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Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

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