<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Reactions by officials at Oregon's four deepwater ports to a consultant's report calling for more st</div>

Reactions by officials at Oregon's four deepwater ports to a consultant's report calling for more st

<div>Reactions by officials at Oregon's four deepwater ports to a consultant's report calling for more state aid were generally favorable.Officials at all three coastal ports - Astoria, Newport and Coos Bay - agreed that the report by Leo Donovan, a vice president of the consulting firm Booz, Allen &amp; Hamilton, points out the need for state help in solving their problems.It's time the state government began to look at the entire state's port system as a viable entity for economic recovery, said Frank Martin, general manager at Coos Bay.He contrasted the little the state pays to support ports with the...

Reactions by officials at Oregon's four deepwater ports to a consultant's report calling for more state aid were generally favorable. Officials at all three coastal ports - Astoria, Newport and Coos Bay - agreed that the report by Leo Donovan, a vice president of the consulting firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton, points out the need for state help in solving their problems.It's time the state government began to look at the entire state's port system as a viable entity for economic recovery, said Frank Martin, general manager at Coos Bay. He contrasted the little the state pays to support ports with the state's huge budget and called the next four years the most critical for the port industry. The report, Mr. Martin summed up, supports the need for a major commitment by the state to help Coos Bay. We can't do the international marketing, provide the infrastructure, run the marina and have a foreign trade zone with our present local financial support and staff, he said. Steve Felkins, director of the port of Astoria, said Mr. Donovan did a good job but did not address other basic port issues. Among them, he said, was the one of longshoremen in the major ports such as Long Beach, Calif., subsidizing dockworkers in Astoria because of their guaranteed annual wage. Without it, there would be a lot of shut-down ports and abandoned public investments. However, it could result in ports operating with non-union labor and being more competitive, Mr. Felkins said. The question to be asked as a result of the study is: Is not the development of Oregon's ports too important to be left to the port of Portland? Denny West, deputy executive director at the port of Portland, said, We don't necessarily agree with everything (in the report), but that's less important than the fundamental issues it raises." John Mohr, the new general manager at the port of Newport, termed the report basically accurate, adding that Oregon will cease to be a maritime state unless drastic measures are taken. He faulted the report for not noting that Newport has had increasing trade volumes in the past three years and that in the first eight months shipped out 167,000 tons of wood products, up from 163,000 in all of 1985.

Maritime

OFFICIALS IN HARMONY

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">While no surge in volume has been reported on the trade lane, capacity deployment data shows ocean carriers are expecting an increase in demand over the coming weeks as shippers use the 90-day tariff pause to advance US orders.</div>

While no surge in volume has been reported on the trade lane, capacity deployment data shows ocean carriers are expecting an increase in demand over the coming weeks as shippers use the 90-day tariff pause to advance US orders.

Feature image

<div class="phx-topic">The 90-day pause in US tariffs on its non-China trading partners is not yet causing a significant increase in frontloading on the trans-Atlantic, but there are signs of rising demand on the westbound trade lane. For a start, there have been limited blank sailings announced on the trans-Atlantic in the coming weeks, with just 7,124 TEUs to be withdrawn from North Europe to the US East and Gulf coasts in May, according to ocean visibility provider eeSea. ”It seems as if carriers are pushing up capacity to cater for whatever frontloading may be needed by European exporters,” Peter Sand, chief analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, told the Journal of Commerce. “By reducing the number of blank sailings, the offered capacity is close to an all-time-high, which is indicative of fairly strong demand right now as spot rates go up,” Sand added. “The 90-day pause in tariffs-on/tariffs-off is seen by some shippers as an opportunity to fill inventories while hoping for a more permanent situation without flip-flopping political proposals.” Data from eeSea shows capacity of 340,616 TEUs will be deployed in May on the westbound trans-Atlantic, a 1.4% increase compared to April. But the blanked capacity in May is significantly less than the 17,256 TEUs withdrawn in April <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="dfd67cef-2540-4a5a-8d1a-6185d4324049"></dynamic-object></div>Another potential sign of shippers advancing orders is an increase in rates. After months of decline, the spot market on the North Europe-US East Coast trade is up almost 4% since late March, reversing the downward trend following <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/ila-usmx-agree-on-new-wage-offer-and-contract-extension-that-reopens-ports-5741882">the brief strike at ports along the East and Gulf coasts</a> last October. Spot rates are currently at $2,162 per FEU, according to Xeneta. The third sign of an expected surge in trans-Atlantic demand are the peak season surcharges (PSS) being levied by some carriers. Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), one of the most active carriers on the trade lane, has announced a $1,000 per FEU PSS to take effect on May 13 from North Europe to the US, Canada and Mexico. Peak season surcharges are also planned for the Mediterranean to North America trade lane from May 3. Hapag-Lloyd will add $750/FEU while MSC and CMA CGM will implement a $1,000/FEU PSS. <h3>European ports monitoring for volume shifts </h3>On March 12, the US applied a 25% tariff to iron, steel, aluminum and derived products from around the world. On April 3, that was extended to include cars and car parts, also at 25%, with an additional 20% increase on goods originating from the European Union. Then on April 9, the Trump administration announced a 90-day temporary pause for countries open to negotiations, leaving the 10% across-the-board baseline tariff on Europe in place during the negotiating period. The European Union has also suspended its reciprocal tariffs on US exports such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, bourbon whiskey and boats. A second phase of tariffs due to take effect April 15 has also been suspended for the 90-day period. Those target industrial and agricultural products from the US, including steel and aluminum, textiles, leather goods, household appliances, tools, plastics, wood products, and foodstuffs such as poultry, beef, seafood, nuts, dairy, sugar and vegetables. With the 90-day window open to shippers, Europe’s port of Antwerp-Bruges is watching closely for changes in trade flows with the US, the Belgian hub’s second-largest trading partner. In 2024, exports to the US totaled 613,437 TEUs, consisting mainly of auto and machinery parts from Germany, chemicals, vehicles, food, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Imports from the US included plastics, polymers, chemicals, rubber, vehicles, food and pharmaceuticals. “So far, there have been no significant traffic shifts directly linked to the recent measures,” the port of Antwerp-Bruges said in a statement Wednesday. “While some companies are acting in anticipation, a marked increase in exports to the US has not materialized.” While the direct impact of US tariffs was limited “for now,” Antwerp-Bruges warned that could change quickly amid geopolitical tensions and further development in trade tariffs. Meanwhile, Maersk has issued a customer advisory warning of increasing congestion levels and operational disruptions at several ports across Northern Europe, specifically Antwerp and Bremerhaven, adding delays to ships on both Asia-Europe and trans-Atlantic trades. “This is a result of multiple factors affecting the ports, such as strike actions, phase-in and phase-out plans of ocean networks across the industry, low water levels on continental hinterland arteries and the lower than usual labor availability ahead of the Easter holidays,” the carrier advised. “The combination of these factors is leading to additional yard density and increased container dwelling above the ports’ operational capacity,” Maersk added. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The 90-day pause in US tariffs on its non-China trading partners is not yet causing a significant increase in frontloading on the trans-Atlantic, but there are signs of rising demand on the westbound trade lane. For a start, there have been limited blank sailings announced on the trans-Atlantic in the coming weeks, with just 7,124 TEUs to be withdrawn from North Europe to the US East and Gulf coasts in May, according to ocean visibility provider eeSea. ”It seems as if carriers are pushing up capacity to cater for whatever frontloading may be needed by European exporters,” Peter Sand, chief analyst at rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, told the Journal of Commerce. “By reducing the number of blank sailings, the offered capacity is close to an all-time-high, which is indicative of fairly strong demand right now as spot rates go up,” Sand added. “The 90-day pause in tariffs-on/tariffs-off is seen by some shippers as an opportunity to fill inventories while hoping for a more permanent situation without flip-flopping political proposals.” Data from eeSea shows capacity of 340,616 TEUs will be deployed in May on the westbound trans-Atlantic, a 1.4% increase compared to April. But the blanked capacity in May is significantly less than the 17,256 TEUs withdrawn in April Another potential sign of shippers advancing orders is an increase in rates. After months of decline, the spot market on the North Europe-US East Coast trade is up almost 4% since late March, reversing the downward trend following the brief strike at ports along the East and Gulf coasts last October. Spot rates are currently at $2,162 per FEU, according to Xeneta. The third sign of an expected surge in trans-Atlantic demand are the peak season surcharges (PSS) being levied by some carriers. Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), one of the most active carriers on the trade lane, has announced a $1,000 per FEU PSS to take effect on May 13 from North Europe to the US, Canada and Mexico. Peak season surcharges are also planned for the Mediterranean to North America trade lane from May 3. Hapag-Lloyd will add $750/FEU while MSC and CMA CGM will implement a $1,000/FEU PSS. European ports monitoring for volume shifts On March 12, the US applied a 25% tariff to iron, steel, aluminum and derived products from around the world. On April 3, that was extended to include cars and car parts, also at 25%, with an additional 20% increase on goods originating from the European Union. Then on April 9, the Trump administration announced a 90-day temporary pause for countries open to negotiations, leaving the 10% across-the-board baseline tariff on Europe in place during the negotiating period. The European Union has also suspended its reciprocal tariffs on US exports such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, bourbon whiskey and boats. A second phase of tariffs due to take effect April 15 has also been suspended for the 90-day period. Those target industrial and agricultural products from the US, including steel and aluminum, textiles, leather goods, household appliances, tools, plastics, wood products, and foodstuffs such as poultry, beef, seafood, nuts, dairy, sugar and vegetables. With the 90-day window open to shippers, Europe’s port of Antwerp-Bruges is watching closely for changes in trade flows with the US, the Belgian hub’s second-largest trading partner. In 2024, exports to the US totaled 613,437 TEUs, consisting mainly of auto and machinery parts from Germany, chemicals, vehicles, food, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Imports from the US included plastics, polymers, chemicals, rubber, vehicles, food and pharmaceuticals. “So far, there have been no significant traffic shifts directly linked to the recent measures,” the port of Antwerp-Bruges said in a statement Wednesday. “While some companies are acting in anticipation, a marked increase in exports to the US has not materialized.” While the direct impact of US tariffs was limited “for now,” Antwerp-Bruges warned that could change quickly amid geopolitical tensions and further development in trade tariffs. Meanwhile, Maersk has issued a customer advisory warning of increasing congestion levels and operational disruptions at several ports across Northern Europe, specifically Antwerp and Bremerhaven, adding delays to ships on both Asia-Europe and trans-Atlantic trades. “This is a result of multiple factors affecting the ports, such as strike actions, phase-in and phase-out plans of ocean networks across the industry, low water levels on continental hinterland arteries and the lower than usual labor availability ahead of the Easter holidays,” the carrier advised. “The combination of these factors is leading to additional yard density and increased container dwelling above the ports’ operational capacity,” Maersk added. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Container Shipping News

Container lines

Trans-Atlantic

Early signs of rising tariff-driven demand emerge on the trans-Atlantic

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">A lawsuit filed this month by the port authority claims the council’s recent rezoning of industrial land could eventually lead to the development of residential units and an increase in vehicular traffic in the harbor area.</div>

A lawsuit filed this month by the port authority claims the council’s recent rezoning of industrial land could eventually lead to the development of residential units and an increase in vehicular traffic in the harbor area.

<div class="phx-topic">The Port of Seattle is suing the Seattle City Council in a bid to halt a possible major housing development that port stakeholders say would interfere with truck traffic in the harbor area. A lawsuit the port authority filed on April 7 in King County Superior Court claims that the council’s recent rezoning of a “small, three-block area of industrial land” could eventually lead to the development of 990 residential units and an increase in vehicular traffic near the port, close to where two sports stadiums are already located. The city council in March approved the rezoning ordinance for property the city had previously protected from “inconsistent and incompatible uses in the port’s vicinity,” according to the lawsuit. In a statement last month, the port said the rezoning effort was supported by an “out-of-state billionaire developer” who owns the property. The developer has been identified in Seattle media as Chris Hansen, a Seattle native and hedge fund manager. The port wants implementation of the ordinance to be blocked and to be found in violation of state land use policies. “The port feels we must take these actions to defend industrially zoned lands critical to our economic development and job creation mission,” Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck said in a statement. “The harmful impact to maritime and industrial operations caused by the spot rezone were not dutifully considered and there are many inconsistencies with state, county and local land use regulations.” Port stakeholders, including the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), which represents shipping lines and terminal operators on the West Coast, have publicly opposed the rezoning and potential development project. “PMSA is very involved, along with the ILWU,” Jordan Royer, PMSA’s vice president for external affairs, told the Journal of Commerce. Royer said port-adjacent land on the West Coast has long been a magnet for developers interested in building non-industrial projects such as sports stadiums and housing close to the waterfront. Port of Oakland stakeholders, including PMSA, fought for more than five years to block plans by a developer to build a professional baseball stadium, 3,000 residential units, shops and a hotel on the defunct Howard Terminal. <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/oaklands-howard-terminal-eyes-redevelopment-after-ballpark-proposal-strikes-out-5234580">The developer pulled out in 2023</a> and announced he would build the stadium in Las Vegas instead. Sara Nelson, the city council president who has pushed for the rezoning and housing development, was not immediately available for comment. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The Port of Seattle is suing the Seattle City Council in a bid to halt a possible major housing development that port stakeholders say would interfere with truck traffic in the harbor area. A lawsuit the port authority filed on April 7 in King County Superior Court claims that the council’s recent rezoning of a “small, three-block area of industrial land” could eventually lead to the development of 990 residential units and an increase in vehicular traffic near the port, close to where two sports stadiums are already located. The city council in March approved the rezoning ordinance for property the city had previously protected from “inconsistent and incompatible uses in the port’s vicinity,” according to the lawsuit. In a statement last month, the port said the rezoning effort was supported by an “out-of-state billionaire developer” who owns the property. The developer has been identified in Seattle media as Chris Hansen, a Seattle native and hedge fund manager. The port wants implementation of the ordinance to be blocked and to be found in violation of state land use policies. “The port feels we must take these actions to defend industrially zoned lands critical to our economic development and job creation mission,” Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck said in a statement. “The harmful impact to maritime and industrial operations caused by the spot rezone were not dutifully considered and there are many inconsistencies with state, county and local land use regulations.” Port stakeholders, including the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), which represents shipping lines and terminal operators on the West Coast, have publicly opposed the rezoning and potential development project. “PMSA is very involved, along with the ILWU,” Jordan Royer, PMSA’s vice president for external affairs, told the Journal of Commerce. Royer said port-adjacent land on the West Coast has long been a magnet for developers interested in building non-industrial projects such as sports stadiums and housing close to the waterfront. Port of Oakland stakeholders, including PMSA, fought for more than five years to block plans by a developer to build a professional baseball stadium, 3,000 residential units, shops and a hotel on the defunct Howard Terminal. The developer pulled out in 2023 and announced he would build the stadium in Las Vegas instead. Sara Nelson, the city council president who has pushed for the rezoning and housing development, was not immediately available for comment. Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .

Port News

North American ports

Port of Seattle sues city council to halt possible development project

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The export decline is already showing up in some data, with bookings for US exports to China for the week of April 8–15 down 5.4% from the prior week.</div>

The export decline is already showing up in some data, with bookings for US exports to China for the week of April 8–15 down 5.4% from the prior week.

<div class="phx-topic">Chinese buyers have begun to cancel orders of goods and commodities from US exporters amid the escalating trade conflict between the two nations, and stakeholders expect the cancellations to continue until the battle over tariffs is resolved.Exporters also expect they will need redirect their cargo to other Asian countries to make up for the diminished Chinese market. M. Can Fidan, vice president of business development at New York-based MTS Logistics, told the Journal of Commerce he’s already seen the cancellation of 250 polymers containers and another customer’s entire fertilizer order. “If these tariffs stay, there is no way China will keep buying these products from us,” said Fidan.The export decline is already showing up in data. Bookings for US exports to China for the week of April 8–15 were down 5.4% from the prior week at 17,220 TEUs, according to maritime visibility provider Vizion and data and analytics company Dun &amp; Bradstreet. Two exporters, five forwarders and the head of a shipping group who spoke to the Journal of Commerce said a further drop in China-bound volumes is inevitable if tariffs on China persist, mirroring <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trans-pacific-blank-sailings-set-to-rise-after-china-bookings-drop-sharply-5984166">the market shift already observed with imports</a>.“If they had contracts to [export containers to China], my assumption would be that a lot of them would likely be canceled,” one exporter said.Another non-vessel-operating common carrier source said they are seeing cancellations on many China-bound exports, especially goods with lower margins where the buyers cannot afford the additional cost. At the same time, the source is seeing sellers of more valuable commodities attempt to pass down the cost to their customers.Meanwhile, several forwarders said demand is strong from other countries that have had their reciprocal US import tariffs paused for 90 days. Shippers and forwarders are forecasting a pickup in export cargo volumes bound for other Southeast Asia countries.“In [the] short term, I think we’re going to see a lot of agriculture sourcing shift [from China] to other countries,” said Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC). Friedmann said he is also seeing canceled China-bound shipments in the agriculture sector. Shippers agreed that US exporters — and farmers in particular — are especially vulnerable to the new tariffs and reciprocal responses from China, adding that the impacts from tariffs implemented during President Donald Trump’s first term can still be felt in many markets. “We’re obviously really concerned,” said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soybean Transportation Coalition. “People have been debating about the impact of these tariffs, [and] some people will say [that we’re speculating] ... It’s not speculation. It’s recollection. When we look at what happened in 2018 and 2019, we still haven’t recovered.”<h3>Cold chain stability, for now</h3>Despite the tariff-related hurdles for many US exporters, there are still calm spots, for now. A forwarding source in refrigerated exports said the cold chain market has been largely stable thus far.“We haven’t really seen such a change when it comes to the tariffs because these are planned so far ahead, and production is scheduled around them,” said the forwarder, who added that impacts to even their China-bound shipments were minimal.Friedmann agreed that many time-sensitive agriculture exports are less flexible, so many shipments are still moving forward. But they are being met with the potential for schedule reliability hurdles. “A lot of the steamship lines are canceling, blanking, delaying, [and] changing routes,” he said. “So, we are not going to have the same ocean transportation options we’re used to. Even if [customers] want to buy it, we’re still going to have increased difficulty delivering it.”Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:Laura.Robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Chinese buyers have begun to cancel orders of goods and commodities from US exporters amid the escalating trade conflict between the two nations, and stakeholders expect the cancellations to continue until the battle over tariffs is resolved. Exporters also expect they will need redirect their cargo to other Asian countries to make up for the diminished Chinese market. M. Can Fidan, vice president of business development at New York-based MTS Logistics, told the Journal of Commerce he’s already seen the cancellation of 250 polymers containers and another customer’s entire fertilizer order. “If these tariffs stay, there is no way China will keep buying these products from us,” said Fidan. The export decline is already showing up in data. Bookings for US exports to China for the week of April 8–15 were down 5.4% from the prior week at 17,220 TEUs, according to maritime visibility provider Vizion and data and analytics company Dun & Bradstreet. Two exporters, five forwarders and the head of a shipping group who spoke to the Journal of Commerce said a further drop in China-bound volumes is inevitable if tariffs on China persist, mirroring the market shift already observed with imports . “If they had contracts to [export containers to China], my assumption would be that a lot of them would likely be canceled,” one exporter said. Another non-vessel-operating common carrier source said they are seeing cancellations on many China-bound exports, especially goods with lower margins where the buyers cannot afford the additional cost. At the same time, the source is seeing sellers of more valuable commodities attempt to pass down the cost to their customers. Meanwhile, several forwarders said demand is strong from other countries that have had their reciprocal US import tariffs paused for 90 days. Shippers and forwarders are forecasting a pickup in export cargo volumes bound for other Southeast Asia countries. “In [the] short term, I think we’re going to see a lot of agriculture sourcing shift [from China] to other countries,” said Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC). Friedmann said he is also seeing canceled China-bound shipments in the agriculture sector. Shippers agreed that US exporters — and farmers in particular — are especially vulnerable to the new tariffs and reciprocal responses from China, adding that the impacts from tariffs implemented during President Donald Trump’s first term can still be felt in many markets. “We’re obviously really concerned,” said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soybean Transportation Coalition. “People have been debating about the impact of these tariffs, [and] some people will say [that we’re speculating] ... It’s not speculation. It’s recollection. When we look at what happened in 2018 and 2019, we still haven’t recovered.” Cold chain stability, for now Despite the tariff-related hurdles for many US exporters, there are still calm spots, for now. A forwarding source in refrigerated exports said the cold chain market has been largely stable thus far. “We haven’t really seen such a change when it comes to the tariffs because these are planned so far ahead, and production is scheduled around them,” said the forwarder, who added that impacts to even their China-bound shipments were minimal. Friedmann agreed that many time-sensitive agriculture exports are less flexible, so many shipments are still moving forward. But they are being met with the potential for schedule reliability hurdles. “A lot of the steamship lines are canceling, blanking, delaying, [and] changing routes,” he said. “So, we are not going to have the same ocean transportation options we’re used to. Even if [customers] want to buy it, we’re still going to have increased difficulty delivering it.” Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com .

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

Forwarding

Trans-Pacific

US exporters see rise in canceled orders from Chinese buyers amid trade war

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">But the largest US intermodal provider said customers have not yet meaningfully adjusted their freight forecasts, and shippers continue to tender the quantity of loads outlined in their contracts.</div>

But the largest US intermodal provider said customers have not yet meaningfully adjusted their freight forecasts, and shippers continue to tender the quantity of loads outlined in their contracts.

<div class="phx-topic">J.B. Hunt Transport Services, the largest US intermodal provider, says uncertainty around US tariffs and trade policy is the primary concern of its shippers at the outset of the second quarter. “Most of them are waiting for the dust to settle to determine how tariffs might influence and change their short- and long-term business strategies,” Spencer Frazier, J.B. Hunt’s executive vice president of sales, said late Tuesday on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “We believe [the tariffs] have the potential to impact both supply and demand, but the magnitude and timing is difficult to predict.” Despite the concerns, J.B. Hunt said customers have not meaningfully adjusted their freight forecasts, and shippers continue to tender the quantity of loads outlined in their contracts. J.B. Hunt executives were asked on the call what the company’s exposure is to China as the number of <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trans-pacific-blank-sailings-set-to-rise-after-china-bookings-drop-sharply-5984166">blank sailings</a> and booking cancellations begin to rise in response to the tariffs. Darren Field, president of J.B. Hunt’s intermodal segment, said between 20% and 30% of intermodal volume originates on the West Coast. “Now what percentage of that originates in China? I don’t know that we’ve ever done that study,” he said. “We’re just going to keep in close contact with our customers, our rail partners, and try to understand what’s headed at the West Coast and make plans accordingly.” <h3>Current market a ‘difficult environment’ </h3>Meanwhile, J.B. Hunt said it hauled more intermodal freight during the first quarter than in any first quarter in the company’s history, but tempered that by noting current market dynamics make it difficult to raise contract rates on shippers across most lanes. “I can’t think of a single cost item that’s actually down through this freight recession, so that’s unlike anything we’ve ever experienced,” CEO Shelley Simpson said on the earnings call. “I think everyone is holding on. If that’s a thinner margin or no margin, that’s the ‘hold on’ position. It’s a very difficult environment that we’re operating in, and I think everyone’s trying to accept it.” The company’s first-quarter intermodal volumes were up 8% from a year ago, including a 4% increase on West Coast transcontinental business and a 13% gain on the East Coast. J.B. Hunt moved 521,821 loads during the quarter. Intermodal revenue increased 5% to $1.47 billion, but revenue per load was down 2%, with more growth coming from shorter-haul business in the eastern US. Field, meanwhile, said he was “mildly pleased” with early bid season activity, noting some rate increases have been secured in major headhaul markets but other customers left for competitors who offered lower prices. While he didn’t elaborate, Field was likely referencing business out of Los Angeles-Long Beach and Oakland-Stockton, where the Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index shows slight rate increases in 2025 contracts. “We have achieved some rate increases, but we’ve also lost some business due to the disciplined price approach where we asked for a price increase and the customer wasn’t willing to give it to us,” Field said. “[Some] customers felt the prices that they saw from competitors would give them the service and the quality of capacity that they needed.” J.B. Hunt reported progress in reducing the costly repositioning of empty containers, a key operational focus this bid season. Volumes in its Mexico intermodal business were another bright spot in the first quarter, and Field said there are “significant opportunities” in cross-border freight. Contact Ari Ashe at <a href="mailto:ari.ashe@spglobal.com">ari.ashe@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, the largest US intermodal provider, says uncertainty around US tariffs and trade policy is the primary concern of its shippers at the outset of the second quarter. “Most of them are waiting for the dust to settle to determine how tariffs might influence and change their short- and long-term business strategies,” Spencer Frazier, J.B. Hunt’s executive vice president of sales, said late Tuesday on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “We believe [the tariffs] have the potential to impact both supply and demand, but the magnitude and timing is difficult to predict.” Despite the concerns, J.B. Hunt said customers have not meaningfully adjusted their freight forecasts, and shippers continue to tender the quantity of loads outlined in their contracts. J.B. Hunt executives were asked on the call what the company’s exposure is to China as the number of blank sailings and booking cancellations begin to rise in response to the tariffs. Darren Field, president of J.B. Hunt’s intermodal segment, said between 20% and 30% of intermodal volume originates on the West Coast. “Now what percentage of that originates in China? I don’t know that we’ve ever done that study,” he said. “We’re just going to keep in close contact with our customers, our rail partners, and try to understand what’s headed at the West Coast and make plans accordingly.” Current market a ‘difficult environment’ Meanwhile, J.B. Hunt said it hauled more intermodal freight during the first quarter than in any first quarter in the company’s history, but tempered that by noting current market dynamics make it difficult to raise contract rates on shippers across most lanes. “I can’t think of a single cost item that’s actually down through this freight recession, so that’s unlike anything we’ve ever experienced,” CEO Shelley Simpson said on the earnings call. “I think everyone is holding on. If that’s a thinner margin or no margin, that’s the ‘hold on’ position. It’s a very difficult environment that we’re operating in, and I think everyone’s trying to accept it.” The company’s first-quarter intermodal volumes were up 8% from a year ago, including a 4% increase on West Coast transcontinental business and a 13% gain on the East Coast. J.B. Hunt moved 521,821 loads during the quarter. Intermodal revenue increased 5% to $1.47 billion, but revenue per load was down 2%, with more growth coming from shorter-haul business in the eastern US. Field, meanwhile, said he was “mildly pleased” with early bid season activity, noting some rate increases have been secured in major headhaul markets but other customers left for competitors who offered lower prices. While he didn’t elaborate, Field was likely referencing business out of Los Angeles-Long Beach and Oakland-Stockton, where the Journal of Commerce Intermodal Savings Index shows slight rate increases in 2025 contracts. “We have achieved some rate increases, but we’ve also lost some business due to the disciplined price approach where we asked for a price increase and the customer wasn’t willing to give it to us,” Field said. “[Some] customers felt the prices that they saw from competitors would give them the service and the quality of capacity that they needed.” J.B. Hunt reported progress in reducing the costly repositioning of empty containers, a key operational focus this bid season. Volumes in its Mexico intermodal business were another bright spot in the first quarter, and Field said there are “significant opportunities” in cross-border freight. Contact Ari Ashe at ari.ashe@spglobal.com .

Intermodal providers

J.B. Hunt customers waiting for ‘dust to settle’ on tariffs

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">With the door to US trade effectively slammed shut by tariffs, Chinese manufacturers are urgently looking for alternative markets in which to offload their surplus inventory.</div>

With the door to US trade effectively slammed shut by tariffs, Chinese manufacturers are urgently looking for alternative markets in which to offload their surplus inventory.

<div class="phx-topic">The European Commission is closely monitoring containerized imports from China amid growing fears that the high US tariffs will force a redirection of trans-Pacific trade flows and flood Europe with Chinese goods. While there is no evidence yet of increasing volume from China above seasonal norms, the commission is taking no chances and has deployed an “Import Surveillance Task Force” to track any irregular changes in trade. “The commission is monitoring imports closely to ensure that it detects in good time any potential increase in imports due to trade diversion,” Olof Gill, spokesperson for trade at the European Commission, told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. The US’ 145% tariffs on Chinese imports came into effect April 9, leading to significant frontloading ahead of that date and a <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/trans-pacific-blank-sailings-set-to-rise-after-china-bookings-drop-sharply-5984166">large-scale cancellation of cargo bookings</a> thereafter. Some shippers are requesting containers already in-gated at Chinese origins not be loaded on ships, while others have asked that containers be pulled completely from port, according to a trans-Pacific carrier executive. Ships leaving China for the US in the coming weeks are expected to be half-full as the cancellations continue, with significant blank sailings likely on the trans-Pacific and carriers seeking out other markets to utilize their capacity. Southeast Asian origins, for instance, are seeing a surge in ship utilization as shippers frontload exports from those nations to the US to take advantage of a 90-day reprieve on reciprocal tariffs. With the door to US trade effectively slammed shut, Chinese manufacturers are urgently looking for alternative markets in which to offload their surplus inventory. Europe’s huge consumer base is an attractive target, and the European Commission is shoring up its defenses against any incoming wave of cheap Chinese products that could displace European-made goods. Gill said if the new monitoring mechanism detected an increase in Chinese imports that could harm European Union industry, the EU “will be ready to respond appropriately.” “In such a case, the commission could deploy ... its trade defense instruments, including a safeguard investigation that could be initiated in case an import surge causes, or threatens to cause, serious injury to EU industry,” the spokesman added. Such is the concern in Europe that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week to urge Beijing to address possible trade diversions due to US tariffs. <h3>Record capacity deployed on Asia-Europe trade </h3>The concerns of the European Commission might be valid. According to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis, carriers have announced an all-time high in capacity sailing out of Asia toward North Europe this week at 411,600 TEUs, beating the record set in early March of 2021, with very limited capacity blanked. “Surely not a coincidence, and even though some of it should have sailed last week, it’s not canceled but set to sail this week,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst for rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. The average transit time from China to North Europe is 54 days, meaning the first shipments from any diverted trade will begin to arrive in early June. Casper Ellerbaek, global head of ocean freight at DHL Global Forwarding, said strong bookings from Asia to Europe have been sustained through recent weeks, but that was aligned with DHL’s usual book of business. “There is indeed speculation within the market that, as US demand decreases due to the Trump tariffs, China may seek alternative markets to offload its goods at competitive prices,” Ellerbaek told the Journal of Commerce, adding, however, that it was too early to definitively identify that trend. “Currently, many Chinese factories have likely manufactured products based on existing orders from US importers,” he said. “These finished goods or in-progress orders may not be easily cancellable, and some are already awaiting shipment to the US. As such, we have not yet seen a significant increase in Chinese containers destined for European ports.” Also not yet seeing a significant rise in China volume was Marc Meier, global head of ocean freight at Toll Group. But he warned that could change. “One thing we can say is that all signs point towards China and others having to play more in other markets, so Asia to Europe will surely receive more focus,” Meier told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. Carriers shifting capacity around to mitigate the impact of US tariffs is bringing a familiar disruptive factor back into the mix — equipment imbalances. “If we do begin to see trade flow impacts from the tariffs, it is likely that shipping lines will adjust their sailing schedules, potentially omitting some or all Chinese ports on certain voyages to accommodate increased demand from other regions,” Ellerbaek said. “This adjustment will lead to an equipment imbalance, as seen in previous disruptions like the Red Sea crisis and during the pandemic, where repositioning equipment to align with new trade flows takes time,” he added. <h3>China surge would worsen persistent port congestion </h3>Another potential issue is that any surge in Chinese imports will quickly exacerbate the severe port congestion that is still causing delays across the major North Europe and Mediterranean gateways. A host of factors are responsible for the bottlenecks, including full container yards at most terminals, crane maintenance in some ports, berth congestion, rail disruption from line closures in northern Germany and low water levels on the Rhine River impacting inland connections. HMM is reporting berth waiting times of 18 days in London Gateway and 4.5 days at the Greek hub of Piraeus, where 12 feeder vessels are currently waiting to be handled. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="0e7c6c96-deff-4701-bb62-76f7f3ffef74"></dynamic-object></div>While Europe prepares for a possible wave of Chinese imports, the spot market has finally arrested its steady slide that began in late December. Xeneta data shows that China to North Europe rates are up 7% since April 1 at $2,514 per FEU. But while an increase in Chinese imports may help rising rates, it won’t last, according to Rico Luman, senior economist at global Bank ING. “It will be the first reaction because of this disruption but afterwards the massive overcapacity in container shipping will weigh on rates once again, because that is the backdrop to all of this,” Luman told the Journal of Commerce. “This tariff discussion is not good news for global trade, and I expect rates to drop again over the course of this year,” he added. Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

The European Commission is closely monitoring containerized imports from China amid growing fears that the high US tariffs will force a redirection of trans-Pacific trade flows and flood Europe with Chinese goods. While there is no evidence yet of increasing volume from China above seasonal norms, the commission is taking no chances and has deployed an “Import Surveillance Task Force” to track any irregular changes in trade. “The commission is monitoring imports closely to ensure that it detects in good time any potential increase in imports due to trade diversion,” Olof Gill, spokesperson for trade at the European Commission, told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. The US’ 145% tariffs on Chinese imports came into effect April 9, leading to significant frontloading ahead of that date and a large-scale cancellation of cargo bookings thereafter. Some shippers are requesting containers already in-gated at Chinese origins not be loaded on ships, while others have asked that containers be pulled completely from port, according to a trans-Pacific carrier executive. Ships leaving China for the US in the coming weeks are expected to be half-full as the cancellations continue, with significant blank sailings likely on the trans-Pacific and carriers seeking out other markets to utilize their capacity. Southeast Asian origins, for instance, are seeing a surge in ship utilization as shippers frontload exports from those nations to the US to take advantage of a 90-day reprieve on reciprocal tariffs. With the door to US trade effectively slammed shut, Chinese manufacturers are urgently looking for alternative markets in which to offload their surplus inventory. Europe’s huge consumer base is an attractive target, and the European Commission is shoring up its defenses against any incoming wave of cheap Chinese products that could displace European-made goods. Gill said if the new monitoring mechanism detected an increase in Chinese imports that could harm European Union industry, the EU “will be ready to respond appropriately.” “In such a case, the commission could deploy ... its trade defense instruments, including a safeguard investigation that could be initiated in case an import surge causes, or threatens to cause, serious injury to EU industry,” the spokesman added. Such is the concern in Europe that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week to urge Beijing to address possible trade diversions due to US tariffs. Record capacity deployed on Asia-Europe trade The concerns of the European Commission might be valid. According to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis, carriers have announced an all-time high in capacity sailing out of Asia toward North Europe this week at 411,600 TEUs, beating the record set in early March of 2021, with very limited capacity blanked. “Surely not a coincidence, and even though some of it should have sailed last week, it’s not canceled but set to sail this week,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst for rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. The average transit time from China to North Europe is 54 days, meaning the first shipments from any diverted trade will begin to arrive in early June. Casper Ellerbaek, global head of ocean freight at DHL Global Forwarding, said strong bookings from Asia to Europe have been sustained through recent weeks, but that was aligned with DHL’s usual book of business. “There is indeed speculation within the market that, as US demand decreases due to the Trump tariffs, China may seek alternative markets to offload its goods at competitive prices,” Ellerbaek told the Journal of Commerce, adding, however, that it was too early to definitively identify that trend. “Currently, many Chinese factories have likely manufactured products based on existing orders from US importers,” he said. “These finished goods or in-progress orders may not be easily cancellable, and some are already awaiting shipment to the US. As such, we have not yet seen a significant increase in Chinese containers destined for European ports.” Also not yet seeing a significant rise in China volume was Marc Meier, global head of ocean freight at Toll Group. But he warned that could change. “One thing we can say is that all signs point towards China and others having to play more in other markets, so Asia to Europe will surely receive more focus,” Meier told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday. Carriers shifting capacity around to mitigate the impact of US tariffs is bringing a familiar disruptive factor back into the mix — equipment imbalances. “If we do begin to see trade flow impacts from the tariffs, it is likely that shipping lines will adjust their sailing schedules, potentially omitting some or all Chinese ports on certain voyages to accommodate increased demand from other regions,” Ellerbaek said. “This adjustment will lead to an equipment imbalance, as seen in previous disruptions like the Red Sea crisis and during the pandemic, where repositioning equipment to align with new trade flows takes time,” he added. China surge would worsen persistent port congestion Another potential issue is that any surge in Chinese imports will quickly exacerbate the severe port congestion that is still causing delays across the major North Europe and Mediterranean gateways. A host of factors are responsible for the bottlenecks, including full container yards at most terminals, crane maintenance in some ports, berth congestion, rail disruption from line closures in northern Germany and low water levels on the Rhine River impacting inland connections. HMM is reporting berth waiting times of 18 days in London Gateway and 4.5 days at the Greek hub of Piraeus, where 12 feeder vessels are currently waiting to be handled. While Europe prepares for a possible wave of Chinese imports, the spot market has finally arrested its steady slide that began in late December. Xeneta data shows that China to North Europe rates are up 7% since April 1 at $2,514 per FEU. But while an increase in Chinese imports may help rising rates, it won’t last, according to Rico Luman, senior economist at global Bank ING. “It will be the first reaction because of this disruption but afterwards the massive overcapacity in container shipping will weigh on rates once again, because that is the backdrop to all of this,” Luman told the Journal of Commerce. “This tariff discussion is not good news for global trade, and I expect rates to drop again over the course of this year,” he added. Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

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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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