North American ports

The nearly two-year project to complete Bayport’s Wharf 7 will allow the terminal to handle more ships as work on widening the Houston Ship Channel continues.

Import volumes for September through December are expected to come in each month about 20% under the comparable 2024 levels, according to the latest Global Port Tracker, with tariff-linked frontloading one of the primary reasons.

The new rule, a second attempt at requiring the so-called ABC test for workers in the state, has drawn opposition from multiple groups, with port trucking among the affected industries.

Ports say they stand to lose about $1 billion in funding for maintenance work because the US Army Corps of Engineers’ budget is not treating so-called donor ports equally.

Marine terminal operators may be forced to resell or even abandon cranes if the tariffs take effect, which would further erode US port productivity.

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

Canada’s port stakeholders are hopeful the new prime minister and world-renowned economist will fast-track major projects and modernize labor negotiations.

A bill reintroduced in the House of Representatives would require customs fees to be directed to covering building and other capital costs related to inspections.

The National Association of Waterfront Employers has sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for continued support of the $3 billion Clean Ports Program.

The infrastructure fund that owns the Port of New York and New Jersey’s largest marine terminal is not looking to divest as it seeks to extend the term of its lease, according to people familiar with the talks.

The investigation centers on terminal service agreements that may have required container lines to commit to route a share of their cargo through Port Houston.

The project, due to begin Monday, will also improve truck access by upgrading the gate infrastructure and boost efficiency through the replacement of an outdated terminal operating system.

But the mini rush will be short-lived, with imports falling month to month between August and November, the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said in their latest Global Port Tracker.

The routing impasse between the railroads threatens supply chain disruptions for ocean carrier CMA CGM, which has cargo booked on the service that is due to begin later this week.

The just-concluded legislative session also puts aside emergency funding for the Port of Portland that is generated via lottery sales.

The fresh capacity carriers rushed into the US’ busiest trade lane in April and May is no longer needed, sending rates on a downward spiral and forcing carriers to shelve proposed price hikes.

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

The fees come as dwell times for refrigerated containers in Houston exceed a week and reefer volumes topped 10,000 TEUs for the first time in three years.

Internal and external forces in the first half of 2025 mitigated container vessel overcapacity, but steep challenges lie ahead, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

With little relief forthcoming, cargo owners need to build delays into their shipping plans as port and ship capacity remain tight, speakers at the Agriculture Transportation Coalition’s annual meeting said.

But sources do not think carriers will have an opportunity to net full recovery of the proposed amounts in the current market environment unless strategic capacity cuts occur.

A more than 30% one-week drop in rates from Asia to the US West Coast is showing that the import rush sparked by the temporary pause in higher US tariffs will apparently be short-lived.

Despite ongoing efforts to clear out logjams triggered by the brief work stoppage, berth waiting times for vessels arriving at the country’s busiest port have risen to their highest this year.

The China-based liners carried a combined 1.09 million TEUs in imports to the US through April, up 23% over the same period in 2024, according to Journal of Commerce rankings.

A wide-ranging report commissioned by Canada’s Labor Ministry says British Columbia’s ports are vulnerable to strikes in part because of disparate longshore unions involved in contract talks.

A widening spread between the West and East coasts comes as carriers have added fresh capacity, especially to Southern California, to take advantage of what had been a sharp jump in demand and rates following the US pause on higher tariffs against China.

A trio of bills would change US shipping law to reflect the current wariness surrounding China’s maritime industry and promote cargo preference for US fleets.

TRAC Intermodal, DCLI and FlexiVan Leasing began unstacking chassis shortly after the Trump administration last month announced a 90-day pause on the 145% tariffs on Chinese imports.

Because the West Coast’s share is higher for China-originating freight than any other region, any move away from China by importers can be expected to negatively affect the USWC’s share of inbound cargo, writes Larry Gross.

Maritime employers along Canada’s West Coast have a new agreement that will avert the type of labor actions seen late last year.

The terminal operator said it has reduced the inventory of rail-bound containers at its Elizabeth facility to about 1,600, down from about 4,000 in early May.

While terminal operators had hoped that problems stemming from the mid-May work stoppage would be mostly over, forwarders are still reporting cargo delays.

That the port is the largest transshipment hub makes it convenient for carriers to transship cargo as they redeploy vessels from European and other long-haul trades to US-focused services.

Within a span of roughly 24 hours, one court decision blocked the US tariffs and a separate ruling restored the tariffs through June 9, if not longer.

The industry says consistency and communication are the key to minimizing disruption to port traffic during the project to repair the deck of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

A portion of the money will be used for Project 11, which will ultimately allow an additional 1,400 vessels of all types to call the port each year by deepening portions of the channel to accommodate larger ships. 

The US Court of International Trade on Wednesday stated that President Donald Trump’s tariffs exceed his authority.

The Cedar Port industrial park and barge port says the construction of a new ship channel could pave the way for potential development of a container terminal at the site.

Carriers may find it difficult to bring trans-Pacific capacity back quickly because they repositioned ships into other trades outside of the region amid the tariff-linked demand drop in April and early May.

Matt Schrap, who has headed the HTA for the past four years, told the Journal of Commerce he is transitioning to another job but will remain with the group through late August.