Uncertainty is dominating the global maritime industry as the trade war between the U.S. and China unfolds. With tariffs shifting weekly, logistics leaders are struggling to plan beyond the short term. Lauritzen Bulkers’ interim CEO, Jacob Winthereik, said that with new tariffs being announced or changed almost weekly, there’s no sign of stability ahead. Lars
Global container demand is expected to shrink primarily due to market uncertainty and trade tensions. Analyst Linerlytica has downgraded its global container demand growth projections to -1.1% for 2025. The Asian market is already facing challenges following the announcement of import tariff measures by the U.S. with reports of significant ocean cargo booking cancellations in
Most of the world’s top 30 ports saw strong cargo growth in 2024, rising by 7% overall, according to Alphaliner. The most significant volume growth came from Los Angeles/Long Beach at 19.8%, Tanger Med at 18.8%, and Tanjung Pelepas at 16.9%. Alphaliner attributes the significant increase in Los Angeles/Long Beach volumes to concerns about U.S. tariffs
Over the past 25 years, the capacity operated by carriers in the container shipping industry has grown immensely. In 2000, the 50 largest carriers moved a combined 2.5 million TEU. These carriers now operate 26.7 million TEU, increasing their collective capacity by 983%. This equates to an average annual growth rate of 10% over the
The EU’s advanced cargo information system, Import Control System 2 (ICS2), aims to improve security in the international transportation of goods and the supply chain. However, the system is posing “significant challenges” for freight forwarders as the EU bloc enforces stricter customs regulations, according to Nicolette van der Jagt, director general of CLECAT, the European
The U.S. government is imposing a 25% tariff on all foreign-built cars, light-duty trucks and certain auto parts. This is a significant increase from the current rate of 2.5%. The tariff will take effect starting April 3, 2025, for vehicles, while auto parts will be taxed by May 3. The new policy applies to finished
In February 2025, global schedule reliability rose to 54.9%, up 3.6 percentage points month-over-month and 1.8 points year-over-year. Maersk led the top 13 carriers with a reliability rate of 60.2%, followed by MSC at 57.4%, and Hapag-Lloyd at 57.3%. Two new carrier alliances, Gemini Cooperation and Premier Alliance, were launched in February, while the 2M
According to TMC Marine, a subsidiary of Bureau Veritas and international marine consultancy, avoiding the Red Sea has led to a significant rise in container losses. TMC’s Group CEO, Simon Burthem, reported that three major incidents off South Africa between July and August 2024 resulted in 200 containers being lost overboard. Extreme weather has been
During a seminar held in Singapore hosted by the Association of Maritime International Commercial Interests & Expertise (AMICIE), panelists discussed the challenges of navigating geopolitical risks in international trade and shipping. SeaLead Singapore’s Chief Operations Officer, Chow Kitwei, was asked about the potential impact of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) proposal to levy tariffs
[Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago] – Shipco Transport, one of the world’s leading neutral NVOCCs, is celebrating five years of operations in Trinidad and Tobago. The branch office has established a strong local presence through delivering customer-centric freight solutions, leveraging the organization’s robust global network, and applying deep industry expertise alongside comprehensive local market knowledge.