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US retailers are, not surprisingly, importing only what is “absolutely necessary” given the frequent changes in new tariffs and tariff deadlines announced by the Trump administration, writes Lars Jensen.

The agreement clears the way for BNSF to move cargo from Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland to Salt Lake City for ocean carriers CMA CGM and Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC).

The NYK subsidiary has its sights on a booming third-party logistics provider healthcare market in Europe that is expected to grow 8.1% a year until 2030.

Artificial intelligence tools can help shippers automate tasks such as entry filing and classification, but it’s unclear whether most importers want to take on that burden.

Despite significant injections of reefer capacity in early 2025, US cold chain stakeholders say they continue to face equipment scarcity issues.

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.

Some customers and competitors were surprised by the timing of the surcharges, which are typically implemented in August or September, if at all, and only after volume spikes.

With more ships expected to divert to the longer Cape of Good Hope route around southern Africa, shippers could find it more difficult to secure capacity for project cargoes.

The European automotive industry has been hammered by Washington’s import tariffs that are imposing a significant financial burden on the continent’s carmakers.

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.

A strong midterm global outlook for wind farm development could be dampened by a lack of forward ship capacity to service the buildouts.

Container volumes handled by North Europe’s busiest port continue to grow, alongside the now critical need for more landside capacity.

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 surcharges, which took effect Sunday, apply to select customers who exceed their peak-season allotment of containers out of the region.

But the longer voyages are also seeing container shipping companies cutting the average fuel intensity per TEU mile and ensuring vessels are sailing full.

The journey time, about two to three days better than typical industry metrics, comes despite congestion in other parts of partner CPKC’s network.

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.

The decline came despite a 4.4% increase in total container volumes to 2 million TEUs, the carrier said in a quarterly update Friday.

Adoption of digital bills of lading has been stronger in Asia, but US traction is necessary to help container lines meet a 2030 commitment to fully move to electronic documents.

The Marseille-based liner has finalized operational plans to call off its remaining vessel-sharing agreements with the carriers after Gemini Cooperation-linked realignments.

The gathering will be closely watched by ocean carriers, shippers and container terminal operators in the US and Europe for signs that global unions are developing a coordinated cross-border “solidarity strike” strategy.

Trans-Pacific carriers are facing rapidly declining demand and freight rates on the trade lane as the frontloading that occurred during the 90-day pause on new US tariffs — now extended to Aug. 1 — has largely lost steam.

Still, analyst Larry Gross suspects that the early strength seen in the first half of the year is substantially composed of volume that has been “borrowed” from a peak season that will be “late and tepid” as a result.

The tariff framework agreement between Washington and Hanoi, while still short on details, is expected to support Vietnam’s strong air cargo volume growth this year.

The uncertainty centers on what the White House considers transshipment and how US Customs and Border Protection officials would regulate goods moving from China to the US via Vietnam.

With two attacks on commercial vessels in recent days, including one that killed three mariners, any thought that the risk in the Red Sea was easing to the point the Suez route might be restored in the near future has vanished.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. is furthering its lead in vessel tonnage so far this year as it absorbs more than double the amount of new capacity added by No. 2 carrier Maersk.

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 moves by CMA CGM were made to improve westbound transit times that remain a challenge due to ongoing vessel diversions around southern Africa.

In the latest course correction in the US’ busiest trade lane, carriers are set to deploy less tonnage in August as spot rates fall and retail import forecasts weaken.

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.

Beginning in September, the joint service will make added stops at Aarhus in Denmark, Gothenburg in Sweden and Rotterdam in the Netherlands as the last three European calls.

The recent death of FedEx founder Fred Smith presents an opportunity to compare his contributions to global supply chains with another visionary, Malcom McLean, the father of containerization.

Rhenus Logistics will manage the end-to-end supply chain via a 4PL control tower tailored to the circular textile logistics business.

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

A plan to tax vehicle carriers $14 per net ton for each US port call will raise consumer costs and reduce the number of ports served, shipping executives warned Monday.

Instead of its 24,000-TEU ships making direct calls at West African ports, Hapag-Lloyd’s main Mediterranean hub is being used as a key transshipment point for Asia-Africa services.

Carriers are pulling back on their blanking campaigns on the Asia-ECSA lane in July after two months of blanking campaigns largely neutralized capacity additions to the lane.

The long-term effects of US tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption have disrupted established air cargo flows and is clouding the industry outlook for the year.