Beginning October 14, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will implement new fees on vessels linked to China, including those that are Chinese-owned, operated, or built. For Chinese-owned or operated vessels, fees will start at $50 per net ton for any ship calling at a U.S. gateway, rising to $140 per ton by April
Trade tensions, excess vessel capacity, and softening demand are dampening the container shipping marketing outlook for the second half of 2025. Ocean carriers are adjusting their full-year profit forecasts downwards as these challenges weigh on performance and expectations for a strong peak season diminish. Japan’s Ocean Network Express (ONE) revised its full-year net profit projection
U.S. rail operators, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, have agreed to an $85 billion merger that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S., aiming to close the deal by early 2027. The merged company will retain the Union Pacific name and will link Union Pacific’s Western network with Norfolk Southern’s Eastern routes. According
Matson Inc, the U.S. owned carrier operating in the Pacific has suspended all transport of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles across its fleet, citing safety concerns over lithium-ion batteries. The move comes in the wake of several dangerous fires at sea linked to electric vehicles (EVs), including the recent June sinking of the Morning Midas
Yang Ming Marine Transport is expanding its fleet with three new 8,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel-ready containerships. These vessels, to be built by Japan’s Nihon Shipyard, are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030. The deal is valued between $351 million and $394 million, as disclosed in a recent stock exchange filing. Yang Ming is continuing to
The C919 is China’s first domestically developed narrow-body passenger jet, manufactured by the state-run Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). This development marks a significant step toward greater technological independence for China and may influence the global aviation market. According to the American Journal of Transportation, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) pointed out it still
A new study from Sea-Intelligence revealed that the size and connectivity of ports are not correlated to their reliability. Examining over 14 years of vessel call data from 202 major deep-sea ports, the study ranked port performance based on schedule reliability. It placed greater emphasis on data from recent years, as a better indicator of
The World Shipping Council’s (WSC) latest annual report on containers lost at sea reveals that 576 containers were lost in 2024. This figure is more than double the 221 containers lost in 2023, although it remains below the 10-year average of 1,274 containers lost. The increase in losses is primarily attributed to trade rerouting around
The UK government is backing key port expansion efforts to drive job growth and economic gains, supported by strong long-term trade forecasts. New amendments to the National Policy Statement for Ports have been proposed to expedite planning approvals and reduce costs for port operators. These changes are aimed at enabling ports to proceed confidently with
As the July 9 tariff pause approaches in the U.S., demand for airfreight out of Asia is rising sharply, even as ocean freight volumes fall. Freight forwarders have reported a surge in bookings from markets like Taiwan and Southeast Asia, where capacity is tightening. Forwarders are reporting a spike in bookings from these regions, driven