<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The one sure thing is that the federal government is publishing final rules for the Transportation W</div>

The one sure thing is that the federal government is publishing final rules for the Transportation W

<div>The one sure thing is that the federal government is publishing final rules for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. Members of the port and maritime community may see the TWIC rules as the end of a prolonged and often aggravating process. Look again - rather than the end, rules may be the first steps in a new and intricate dance of port security.There is a difference. In its first five years, the TWIC had two left feet. The program tripped over numerous false starts, dead ends and setbacks. The TWIC program is far from being a graceful ballerina, but at...

The one sure thing is that the federal government is publishing final rules for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. Members of the port and maritime community may see the TWIC rules as the end of a prolonged and often aggravating process. Look again - rather than the end, rules may be the first steps in a new and intricate dance of port security. There is a difference. In its first five years, the TWIC had two left feet. The program tripped over numerous false starts, dead ends and setbacks. The TWIC program is far from being a graceful ballerina, but at least it appears more poised and sure-footed. The choreography has not been completely charted, but government and industry partners appear more willing to step onto the dance floor with more confidence. "I think everybody is generally optimistic about the way the rule-making went. Everybody I've talked to thinks this is a step in the right direction. The big concern is the schedule, obviously," said Lisa Himber, executive vice president of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay. Himber has been an active industry participant in the TWIC since its early testing phase. The rule requires that longshoremen, truckers and other port workers who need regular access to secure areas of a port have a TWIC in hand by August 2008. To complete the TWIC program map, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard still must answer a host of "Hows" and "Whens." Where, when and how workers will apply for the TWIC will be unknown until the TSA awards a contract to a vendor that will set up and maintain the TWIC computer system and establish enrollment centers. The announcement is still a few weeks away, said Stephen Sadler, the TSA's director of maritime and surface credentialing. The Coast Guard will be responsible for enforcing the rule aboard ships and at shore-side facilities as part of its overall port and maritime security duties, said Cmdr. Pete Gautier, chief of the agency's cargo and facilities division. The agency is preparing a Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular to explain the regulation in greater detail. "This NVIC is designed to fill in the gaps, to help industry understand how we intend for it to comply with the TWIC," Gautier said. "We're looking for feedback on whether we've provided sufficient detail, whether there are still questions or lack of information, or something that's counter to what the industry would like to see. We'd like to have their impressions and provide us feedback." "We view the folks who are going to be receiving the TWIC as the stakeholders, and we want to make sure everybody is treated fairly, and get things done as quickly as possible," Sadler said. Sadler said the TSA intends to phase in the program port-by-port. The SAFE Port Act that Congress passed in October orders the TWIC to be issued in the top 10 U.S. ports by the end of 2007. Some observers believe the TSA will start with smaller ports until it works the kinks out of the process. Philadelphia and terminals along the Delaware River are likely to be among the first TWIC sites, Himber said. "We're already starting. I got a call from one of my members who said, 'We're going to have some challenges. We need to figure out how to suggest solutions.' " The maritime exchange will set up committees to recommend ways to make the TWIC process go more smoothly. "That's the attitude here." Gautier said the final rule would allow some companies to exclude non-transportation workers from getting the TWIC. Refinery workers or workers who work in the generating portion of a power plant should not have to have the credential if the facility identifies its waterfront portions separately as secure areas. "There are a lot of facilities that have substantial portions that might not have anything to do with transportation," Gautier said. Maritime workers will be obligated to get a TWIC, "but we didn't think it was appropriate for the guy on the assembly line, or the janitor, to have to have a TWIC." The final rule will allow companies to put newly hired employees to work before they receive their TWIC. That was another major concern raised by companies when the TSA issued proposed rules. Gautier said that when the company logs a new hire on the Coast Guard's Homeport secure Web site, the TSA would do an initial scan to make sure the employee's name is not on a terrorist watch list. "We wanted to have a provision that gets people to work right away while maintaining an equivalent level of security, until the TWIC vetting process takes place," Gautier said. The rule allows new employees to enter secure areas of a ship or facility if they are escorted by a TWIC holder. An escort gives the Coast Guard a minimal level of security, and a way to monitor the new employee, lest he or she causes an incident. "We have to recognize what's rational, and what's actually achievable," Gautier said. "We want to make sure that if a member doesn't have a TWIC, there is a way to make sure the individual is not in a place where he or she shouldn't be." Escorting TWIC-less employees could become a costly proposition, port officials say. Take a driver who's coming to the port to pick up a container for the first time. Someone will have to pay to have a security guard "baby-sit" him for hours. However, the driver may decide not to enter the port at all, so the container will remain idle in the yard. Either way, TWIC rules would increase supply-chain costs. West Coast port officials apparently will not have their fears of a driver shortage allayed by the final rule. The ranks of port container haulers at the ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach and New York-New Jersey are widely believed to include many Hispanic workers who lack legal immigration status. Sadler said the law requires the TSA to check TWIC applicants against terrorist watch lists, criminal histories for certain disqualifying offenses and immigration status. Illegal immigrants driving drays are no exception. "The statute requires us to do that check, so if there is some issue that's a disqualifier in your past, regardless of what it is, it may preclude you or disqualify you from getting a card," Sadler said. Congress required that the TWIC program be self-sustaining, so the rule says that the TSA will collect a fee of $139 to $159. Sadler said negotiations with the vendor would determine the exact fee. Cynics pointed out that without the infrastructure to read its biometric features, the TWIC is an expensive photo ID. In the short run, the cynics are right. The TSA decided to divide TWIC rule-making into two parts after the industry objected to the technical specifications. Card equipment that had slots for cards and keypads for ID numbers would not stand up to the rigors of the maritime environment. The TSA separated the card-reader requirements from the card, and now the agency and an industry task force are developing specifications for a "contactless" card reader. A pilot program to test the technology will begin in late spring, and the TSA will not issue final rules until the test results are in. The new year may be a new beginning for the TWIC. The program's managers believe that for all the troubles of the past, the TWIC has been worth the effort. "It's a complicated process. There are a lot of moving pieces, and it affects a lot of people and a lot of different industries," Sadler said. "We are here doing the best job that we can. We appreciate people's concerns, and we're always open to comment - always." "The TWIC was intended to be a universal card that could be used for access control anywhere in the U.S.," Gautier said. Some ports may already have their own credentialing system, but the TWIC provides the assurance that the work that goes in to qualifying a cardholder is uniform regardless of location. "Straight out of the blocks, we're intending on having TWIC required nationwide as a uniform credential." On the Web:

Transport, Trade and Regulation News

TWIC two-step

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">An oversupply of vessels, carrier rate wars and bleak consumer sentiment are positioned to oppress the container shipping market in 2025, experts told TPM25. </div>

An oversupply of vessels, carrier rate wars and bleak consumer sentiment are positioned to oppress the container shipping market in 2025, experts told TPM25.

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<div class="phx-topic">Long Beach, California — The container shipping market is poised to recede this year, and the downcycle could be more severe than prior bear markets, industry experts at the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference said Monday. A container market downcycle is already “well underway,” said Parash Jain, global head of Transport and Logistics Research at HSBC. “This downturn could be worse than past downturns,” said Jain, speaking during a panel session on the container shipping outlook for 2025. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/5951877_0.1.jpg"></img></div>Jain pointed to several factors that could provide fuel for the downcycle, including uneven demand growth globally, a worsening supply-demand imbalance, a hefty order book that is poised to exacerbate an already significant oversupply issue and increased carrier war chests that could prolong price wars. According to Jain, global nominal fleet growth at 33% far outpaced container trade volume growth of 9% in 2024, although disruptions absorbed much of that extra capacity. If those disruptions recede, oversupply will likely return and drag rates lower, he said. In addition to overcapacity, uneven demand growth globally poses a growing hurdle for the industry. While volumes on the Asia-to-North America trade grew 28% from 2019 to 2024, the North America-Asia lane shrunk 15% and the Europe-Asia trade declined 23% during that same time, Jain said. Unbalanced demand growth worsens the supply-demand imbalance and exacerbates equipment availability hurdles, he said. At the same time, shrinking consumer demand and increasingly aggressive tariffs pose a potential hurdle for the industry this year, according to Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence. “That’s likely to prove inflationary, which could start to hit consumer spending in a way maybe we didn’t see last time around,” Rogers said. S&amp;P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Meanwhile, a US proposal to tax Chinese tonnage and port calls could introduce further uncertainty, said Jain, which is “sufficient enough to create chaos come April.” Still, the proposal’s viability has been met with significant skepticism. The shipping industry is in a “new area of volatility,” said Heather Hwang, head of the sea pricing strategy department at logistics provider LX Pantos. Spot ocean rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific have fallen more than 53% to the US West Coast this year, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Contact Laura Robb at <a href="mailto:Laura.Robb@spglobal.com">laura.robb@spglobal.com</a>.  </div>

Long Beach, California — The container shipping market is poised to recede this year, and the downcycle could be more severe than prior bear markets, industry experts at the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference said Monday. A container market downcycle is already “well underway,” said Parash Jain, global head of Transport and Logistics Research at HSBC. “This downturn could be worse than past downturns,” said Jain, speaking during a panel session on the container shipping outlook for 2025. Jain pointed to several factors that could provide fuel for the downcycle, including uneven demand growth globally, a worsening supply-demand imbalance, a hefty order book that is poised to exacerbate an already significant oversupply issue and increased carrier war chests that could prolong price wars. According to Jain, global nominal fleet growth at 33% far outpaced container trade volume growth of 9% in 2024, although disruptions absorbed much of that extra capacity. If those disruptions recede, oversupply will likely return and drag rates lower, he said. In addition to overcapacity, uneven demand growth globally poses a growing hurdle for the industry. While volumes on the Asia-to-North America trade grew 28% from 2019 to 2024, the North America-Asia lane shrunk 15% and the Europe-Asia trade declined 23% during that same time, Jain said. Unbalanced demand growth worsens the supply-demand imbalance and exacerbates equipment availability hurdles, he said. At the same time, shrinking consumer demand and increasingly aggressive tariffs pose a potential hurdle for the industry this year, according to Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Market Intelligence. “That’s likely to prove inflationary, which could start to hit consumer spending in a way maybe we didn’t see last time around,” Rogers said. S&P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce. Meanwhile, a US proposal to tax Chinese tonnage and port calls could introduce further uncertainty, said Jain, which is “sufficient enough to create chaos come April.” Still, the proposal’s viability has been met with significant skepticism. The shipping industry is in a “new area of volatility,” said Heather Hwang, head of the sea pricing strategy department at logistics provider LX Pantos. Spot ocean rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific have fallen more than 53% to the US West Coast this year, according to Platts, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Contact Laura Robb at laura.robb@spglobal.com . 

Supply chain

Container Shipping News

Maritime

TPM25: Container market downturn creating ‘new era of volatility’

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Truckload spot shipments and pricing in trade corridors such as Toronto-to-Chicago have soared since the US election, but the increases flow in both directions. </div>

Truckload spot shipments and pricing in trade corridors such as Toronto-to-Chicago have soared since the US election, but the increases flow in both directions.

<div class="phx-topic">Truckload volumes and spot rates for freight moving between Canada and the US are surging in advance of US tariffs scheduled to be implemented Tuesday. Dry-van spot-market volumes from Toronto to Chicago rose 57% in the week ending Feb. 28, while rates in the cross-border lane rose 7%, according to DAT Freight &amp; Analytics. US President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon announced that 25% US tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico will indeed take effect March 4 as scheduled. The impact of those potential tariffs — and the possibility of reciprocal tariffs — is already affecting freight and pricing on both sides of the US-Canadian border. Spot rates from the US to Canada on average have climbed 18% since the US election and 6% in the last two weeks to their highest level in two years, DAT said. In Canada, spot rates for US-bound loads are up 7% on average since the election and 5% in the last two weeks, the load-board operator and spot market data provider said. Cross-border freight accounted for an atypical 72% of posted loads in January at Canadian load-board operator Loadlink, a sister company of DAT within Roper Industries. Businesses on both sides of the border are trying to get ahold of critical goods ahead of the Trump administration tariffs, which were postponed last month until March 4. “Many businesses are accelerating their shipments to avoid future cost hikes associated with tariffs,” Loadlink said in its most recent freight report. <h3>Preparing for ‘future complications’ </h3>Loadlink’s Canadian spot market freight index, a measure of volume, jumped 40% in January from December and was up 13% year over year. At the same time, available Canadian spot truck capacity fell 29% year over year in January, despite a 2% increase from December. “The increase in shipping loads, especially across the border, indicates Canadian and American companies are getting ready for any future complications,” Loadlink said. Rate increases for freight headed from the US-Mexican border to US markets have been much more muted than on the US-Canada border, according to DAT. The average rate from Laredo, Texas, the largest US truck border crossing, to Detroit was up only 3 cents per mile over the seven days ending March 3, according to DAT. Laredo-to-Chicago rates rose just 2 cents per mile in the same period, while rates in the shorter haul lane linking Laredo and Dallas rose 4 cents per mile. That reflects the differences in cross-border trucking between the US and Mexico and Canada and the US, with the latter being much more open and fluid. Contact William B. Cassidy at <a href="mailto:bill.cassidy@spglobal.com">bill.cassidy@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Truckload volumes and spot rates for freight moving between Canada and the US are surging in advance of US tariffs scheduled to be implemented Tuesday. Dry-van spot-market volumes from Toronto to Chicago rose 57% in the week ending Feb. 28, while rates in the cross-border lane rose 7%, according to DAT Freight & Analytics. US President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon announced that 25% US tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico will indeed take effect March 4 as scheduled. The impact of those potential tariffs — and the possibility of reciprocal tariffs — is already affecting freight and pricing on both sides of the US-Canadian border. Spot rates from the US to Canada on average have climbed 18% since the US election and 6% in the last two weeks to their highest level in two years, DAT said. In Canada, spot rates for US-bound loads are up 7% on average since the election and 5% in the last two weeks, the load-board operator and spot market data provider said. Cross-border freight accounted for an atypical 72% of posted loads in January at Canadian load-board operator Loadlink, a sister company of DAT within Roper Industries. Businesses on both sides of the border are trying to get ahold of critical goods ahead of the Trump administration tariffs, which were postponed last month until March 4. “Many businesses are accelerating their shipments to avoid future cost hikes associated with tariffs,” Loadlink said in its most recent freight report. Preparing for ‘future complications’ Loadlink’s Canadian spot market freight index, a measure of volume, jumped 40% in January from December and was up 13% year over year. At the same time, available Canadian spot truck capacity fell 29% year over year in January, despite a 2% increase from December. “The increase in shipping loads, especially across the border, indicates Canadian and American companies are getting ready for any future complications,” Loadlink said. Rate increases for freight headed from the US-Mexican border to US markets have been much more muted than on the US-Canada border, according to DAT. The average rate from Laredo, Texas, the largest US truck border crossing, to Detroit was up only 3 cents per mile over the seven days ending March 3, according to DAT. Laredo-to-Chicago rates rose just 2 cents per mile in the same period, while rates in the shorter haul lane linking Laredo and Dallas rose 4 cents per mile. That reflects the differences in cross-border trucking between the US and Mexico and Canada and the US, with the latter being much more open and fluid. Contact William B. Cassidy at bill.cassidy@spglobal.com .

Trucking News

Truckload

Surface

Potential US tariffs ignite US-Canada cross-border spot truck rates, volumes

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Should the Trump administration’s proposal be implemented, capacity will have to be withdrawn from the US and redeployed to where it makes more economical sense, the CEO of the world’s largest ocean carrier said.</div>

Should the Trump administration’s proposal be implemented, capacity will have to be withdrawn from the US and redeployed to where it makes more economical sense, the CEO of the world’s largest ocean carrier said.

<div class="phx-topic">Long Beach, California — Mediterranean Shipping Co. will need to withdraw tonnage and drastically revise its US coverage if the Trump administration’s proposal to tax Chinese-built and -operated ships calling US ports is implemented, CEO Soren Toft told the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference Monday. The head of the world’s largest ocean carrier said the significant costs that would be imposed on carriers — in excess of $1 million per US port rotation — would make some routes unviable. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/5951877_0.1.jpg"></img></div>“The trans-Atlantic will be uneconomical if we can’t pass on the costs, so we would have to withdraw that capacity and deploy it where it makes more sense,” Toft warned, adding that the “marginal ports” in US strings would have to be looked at. “In California today we typically call at Long Beach then proceed to Oakland,” he said. “But we can’t proceed to Oakland if that costs us another $1 million. A lot of the marginal ports, the peripheral ports, will be at risk and we will have to adapt our services.” Following the conclusion of an investigation into anti-competitive practices of China’s shipbuilding industry that was initiated during the Biden administration, the US Trade Representative (USTR) last month <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/us-port-fees-could-hit-chinese-ships-under-trump-trade-proposal-5949409">released its suggested remedies</a>, including fees up to $1 million for Chinese-operated ships calling US ports. Toft provided an example of the costs that would need to be passed on to cargo owners. “If we look at a service going from Asia to the US East Coast, most of the carriers deploy 8,000-TEU to 15,000-TEU tonnage calling at probably four ports,” he said. “With this new regulation that imposes a cost of $1 million per port call, that’s $4 million. If you move an average volume of 10,000 TEUs, it is $800 per 40-foot container.” At current US East Coast rates, Toft said that would be close to a 25% increase. But he said the impact on the trans-Atlantic would be even more severe. “If we go to the trans-Atlantic, it gets even worse,” he said. “We are moving 4,000 to 5,000 TEUs and we also call four ports, so that cost will be $1,000 per FEU, which more or less eliminates the freight rate.” <h3>Port congestion would result </h3>The deadline to submit industry comments on the USTR proposal is at the end of March. The World Shipping Council — of which Toft is the chairman — labeled the move as “draconian,” while Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy, called for the industry to stand up and “make its voice heard.” Toft said if the costs of the USTR proposal could not be passed on to customers, the modifications to carrier networks could lead to fast-growing bottlenecks as volume was rerouted. “If we continue to serve trades with fewer ports ... we could very quickly enter a situation where there will be port congestion,” he said. “We won’t need much more than a 5% to 10% increase in volume for things to change.” Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="mailto:greg.knowler@spglobal.com">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Long Beach, California — Mediterranean Shipping Co. will need to withdraw tonnage and drastically revise its US coverage if the Trump administration’s proposal to tax Chinese-built and -operated ships calling US ports is implemented, CEO Soren Toft told the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference Monday. The head of the world’s largest ocean carrier said the significant costs that would be imposed on carriers — in excess of $1 million per US port rotation — would make some routes unviable. “The trans-Atlantic will be uneconomical if we can’t pass on the costs, so we would have to withdraw that capacity and deploy it where it makes more sense,” Toft warned, adding that the “marginal ports” in US strings would have to be looked at. “In California today we typically call at Long Beach then proceed to Oakland,” he said. “But we can’t proceed to Oakland if that costs us another $1 million. A lot of the marginal ports, the peripheral ports, will be at risk and we will have to adapt our services.” Following the conclusion of an investigation into anti-competitive practices of China’s shipbuilding industry that was initiated during the Biden administration, the US Trade Representative (USTR) last month released its suggested remedies , including fees up to $1 million for Chinese-operated ships calling US ports. Toft provided an example of the costs that would need to be passed on to cargo owners. “If we look at a service going from Asia to the US East Coast, most of the carriers deploy 8,000-TEU to 15,000-TEU tonnage calling at probably four ports,” he said. “With this new regulation that imposes a cost of $1 million per port call, that’s $4 million. If you move an average volume of 10,000 TEUs, it is $800 per 40-foot container.” At current US East Coast rates, Toft said that would be close to a 25% increase. But he said the impact on the trans-Atlantic would be even more severe. “If we go to the trans-Atlantic, it gets even worse,” he said. “We are moving 4,000 to 5,000 TEUs and we also call four ports, so that cost will be $1,000 per FEU, which more or less eliminates the freight rate.” Port congestion would result The deadline to submit industry comments on the USTR proposal is at the end of March. The World Shipping Council — of which Toft is the chairman — labeled the move as “draconian,” while Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy, called for the industry to stand up and “make its voice heard.” Toft said if the costs of the USTR proposal could not be passed on to customers, the modifications to carrier networks could lead to fast-growing bottlenecks as volume was rerouted. “If we continue to serve trades with fewer ports ... we could very quickly enter a situation where there will be port congestion,” he said. “We won’t need much more than a 5% to 10% increase in volume for things to change.” Contact Greg Knowler at greg.knowler@spglobal.com .

Port News

Container lines

North American ports

TPM25: Port tax on Chinese ships will make some routes unviable: MSC’s Toft

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump’s national security advisor from 2018–19, said China is gauging its next global moves through how the US responds to the war in the Ukraine.</div>

John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump’s national security advisor from 2018–19, said China is gauging its next global moves through how the US responds to the war in the Ukraine.

<div class="phx-topic">Long Beach, California — The Trump administration’s moves to withdraw the US from long-standing alliances and security guarantees puts global supply chains more at risk, former national security advisor and UN ambassador John Bolton said Monday. US naval power, which guarantees freedom of navigation for commercial shipping, is also currently inadequate to counter global threats, Bolton told the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference here. <div class="wrapper-narrow float-right-element"><img src="/images/phoenix/5951877_0.1.jpg"></img></div>Bolton said Russia, China and Iran face their own weaknesses in the long term that could stem their hegemonic ambitions across the world. But the US is not currently able to capitalize on those weaknesses due to Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from NATO and his wavering of US support for Taiwan. “I don’t think it’s inevitable that we will retreat further,” Bolton said. “I think the answer to that question is obvious: A weaker America leads to a more unstable world, a more chaotic world, or a world where our adversaries step into the vacuum.” Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security advisor from 2018–19, said China is gauging its next global moves through how the US responds to the war in the Ukraine. The Trump administration’s signaling of support for Russia and threats to withdraw military aid for Ukraine prod China to further its global aims, he said. Along with China’s goal to reunite Taiwan with the mainland, Bolton said China is also threatening Japan and South Korea’s commercial shipping lanes through building military bases and asserting territorial claims in the eastern Pacific. Yet the Trump administration appears non-committal on supporting its Indo-Pacific allies against China, he said. Bolton said Trump resents Taiwan’s leading market share in the semiconductor industry and publicly questioned the value of defending Taiwan, given its small size relative to China. Trump also expressed ignorance about the 2021 agreement between the US, United Kingdom and Australia to defend freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. “That has an enormous potential impact on ships that are sailing through those waters carrying commerce to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,” Bolton said. A direct attack on Taiwan by China is not likely as a war would destroy much of the island’s factories and other productive capacity that China ultimately wants, Bolton said. It’s more likely China would use a pretext for launching a naval blockade of the island, waiting to see if the US will respond. <h3>‘American weakness is provocative’ </h3>Other non-US moves also put commercial shipping lanes at risk, Bolton said. The UK is ceding control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to the local population, which could jeopardize the future of a US military base on Diego Garcia. Bolton said ceding control of the Chagos Islands could allow the Chinese to assert more power in the Indian Ocean. However, many of the world’s aggressors face their own problems. Bolton said Russia and Iran’s regimes have weak governance structures that could mean power vacuums once their current leaders are gone. China, too, faces a population decline and the resulting economic problems that could hinder its global ambitions. Bolton said there’s an opportunity for Israel to launch attacks on Iran’s nuclear capability now. That would undermine Iran’s ability to support Yemen’s Houthi rebels, potentially reducing the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The US, though, is not well placed currently to assert freedom-of-navigation for commercial shipping, Bolton said, citing a nearly 100-ship deficit in the US Navy’s fleet. Reversing that decline and reasserting global alliances requires serious thought about America’s role in the world, he said. “American strength is not provocative,” Bolton said. “American weakness is provocative and we’re showing a lot of provocation these days.” Contact Michael Angell at <a href="mailto:michael.angell@spglobal.com">michael.angell@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

Long Beach, California — The Trump administration’s moves to withdraw the US from long-standing alliances and security guarantees puts global supply chains more at risk, former national security advisor and UN ambassador John Bolton said Monday. US naval power, which guarantees freedom of navigation for commercial shipping, is also currently inadequate to counter global threats, Bolton told the Journal of Commerce’s TPM25 conference here. Bolton said Russia, China and Iran face their own weaknesses in the long term that could stem their hegemonic ambitions across the world. But the US is not currently able to capitalize on those weaknesses due to Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from NATO and his wavering of US support for Taiwan. “I don’t think it’s inevitable that we will retreat further,” Bolton said. “I think the answer to that question is obvious: A weaker America leads to a more unstable world, a more chaotic world, or a world where our adversaries step into the vacuum.” Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security advisor from 2018–19, said China is gauging its next global moves through how the US responds to the war in the Ukraine. The Trump administration’s signaling of support for Russia and threats to withdraw military aid for Ukraine prod China to further its global aims, he said. Along with China’s goal to reunite Taiwan with the mainland, Bolton said China is also threatening Japan and South Korea’s commercial shipping lanes through building military bases and asserting territorial claims in the eastern Pacific. Yet the Trump administration appears non-committal on supporting its Indo-Pacific allies against China, he said. Bolton said Trump resents Taiwan’s leading market share in the semiconductor industry and publicly questioned the value of defending Taiwan, given its small size relative to China. Trump also expressed ignorance about the 2021 agreement between the US, United Kingdom and Australia to defend freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. “That has an enormous potential impact on ships that are sailing through those waters carrying commerce to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,” Bolton said. A direct attack on Taiwan by China is not likely as a war would destroy much of the island’s factories and other productive capacity that China ultimately wants, Bolton said. It’s more likely China would use a pretext for launching a naval blockade of the island, waiting to see if the US will respond. ‘American weakness is provocative’ Other non-US moves also put commercial shipping lanes at risk, Bolton said. The UK is ceding control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to the local population, which could jeopardize the future of a US military base on Diego Garcia. Bolton said ceding control of the Chagos Islands could allow the Chinese to assert more power in the Indian Ocean. However, many of the world’s aggressors face their own problems. Bolton said Russia and Iran’s regimes have weak governance structures that could mean power vacuums once their current leaders are gone. China, too, faces a population decline and the resulting economic problems that could hinder its global ambitions. Bolton said there’s an opportunity for Israel to launch attacks on Iran’s nuclear capability now. That would undermine Iran’s ability to support Yemen’s Houthi rebels, potentially reducing the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The US, though, is not well placed currently to assert freedom-of-navigation for commercial shipping, Bolton said, citing a nearly 100-ship deficit in the US Navy’s fleet. Reversing that decline and reasserting global alliances requires serious thought about America’s role in the world, he said. “American strength is not provocative,” Bolton said. “American weakness is provocative and we’re showing a lot of provocation these days.” Contact Michael Angell at michael.angell@spglobal.com .

TPM25: Growing US isolationism threatens global supply chains: Bolton

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The carrier’s new investment push seems to be an attempt to catch up with its peers, particularly MSC, which has dedicated terminals at Mundra and Ennore/Chennai through joint venture arrangements with Adani.</div>

The carrier’s new investment push seems to be an attempt to catch up with its peers, particularly MSC, which has dedicated terminals at Mundra and Ennore/Chennai through joint venture arrangements with Adani.

<div class="phx-topic">Maersk is <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joc.com%2Farticle%2Fmaersk-joins-indian-shipbuilding-race-amid-government-incentives-china-pivot-5946747&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckevin.saville2%40spglobal.com%7Cbf795d5cb03144ea34aa08dd5a480169%7C8f3e36ea80394b4081a77dc0599e8645%7C1%7C0%7C638765987479319448%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2Fn%2BHDOUKGomlVGJNspO46t3aciIhCJsbhyq9imu8ZpU%3D&amp;reserved=0">amplifying its Indian playbook</a> amid strong trade growth expectations propelled by diversifying Asian supply chains and new industry competition as ocean network dynamics resettle. The Danish carrier has committed a further $5 billion investment in the development of ports and other inland infrastructure projects in India, company officials told the Journal of Commerce Friday at the naming ceremony for the dual-fuel Albert Maersk in Nhava Sheva Port (Mumbai). “India is among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, with a thriving manufacturing sector, a booming e-commerce industry and expanding exports,” said Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc. “Shipping and logistics are high on India’s priorities, and Maersk looks forward to partnering with India on various aspects.” In the first phase, the group plans to enhance cargo infrastructure at APM Terminals Pipavav, adding berths and deepening the channel beyond its current 48 feet at an estimated cost of $2 billion. This push comes as APM’s concession rights at Pipavav are due to end in 2028, thus potentially creating a case for renewal. Equipped with multipurpose facilities that include a 1.35-million-TEU container terminal, Pipavav is facing fierce regional competitive challenges for box trade growth, especially from Adani Ports’ Mundra Port. Maersk/APM operations in India include Gateway Terminals India at Nhava Sheva and 26 warehousing depots with the combined space totaling 350,000 square meters. “We believe we can play a role in reducing the cost of logistics by ensuring that our customers access all their supply chain needs in one place — from all modes of transportation to port handling to warehousing and distribution,” APM CEO Keith Svendsen told the Journal of Commerce. “We are ready to invest more in developing ports with low emissions and great efficiency that will help businesses grow and connect India with the global markets.” Officials also indicated Maersk’s interest in the <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joc.com%2Farticle%2Findia-greenlights-9-billion-deep-sea-port-off-jnpt-to-attract-larger-calls-5243629&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckevin.saville2%40spglobal.com%7Cbf795d5cb03144ea34aa08dd5a480169%7C8f3e36ea80394b4081a77dc0599e8645%7C1%7C0%7C638765987479338303%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HhX4jSwuknvMDjVQouHcebsFmIKvin7Mfp3Rx3%2FQVX8%3D&amp;reserved=0">Vadhavan Port project</a> near Nhava Sheva, and in extending its reach to the country’s East Coast, potentially in a minor port in Andhra Pradesh. The Albert Maersk is the 11th 16,592-TEU vessel in the carrier’s 18-ship order of dual-fuel methanol vessels scheduled for delivery through 2025 and joins the Angelica Maersk as part of the ME11 (India/Europe) service fleet. “Although vessel capacities have by now already reached optimal levels, new generation vessels with alternate fuels are the need of the hour,” Sunil Vaswani, executive director of the Container Shipping Lines Association (India), told the Journal of Commerce. <h3>Keeping up with competitors </h3>On a broader view, Maersk’s new investment push seems to be an attempt to catch up with its peers, particularly Mediterranean Shipping Co. MSC has dedicated terminals at Mundra and Ennore/Chennai through joint venture arrangements with Adani, as well as at Tuticorin via the Bollore Africa acquisition. CMA CGM also has a joint venture with Adani at Mundra and runs a terminal at Nhava Sheva in partnership with Mumbai-based JM Baxi Group, while Maersk’s Gemini partner Hapag-Lloyd owns 40% of JM Ports &amp; Logistics, which holds terminal concessions at multiple locations in India. Contact Bency Mathew at <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/bencyvmathew@gmail.com">bencyvmathew@gmail.com</a>.</div>

Maersk is amplifying its Indian playbook amid strong trade growth expectations propelled by diversifying Asian supply chains and new industry competition as ocean network dynamics resettle. The Danish carrier has committed a further $5 billion investment in the development of ports and other inland infrastructure projects in India, company officials told the Journal of Commerce Friday at the naming ceremony for the dual-fuel Albert Maersk in Nhava Sheva Port (Mumbai). “India is among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, with a thriving manufacturing sector, a booming e-commerce industry and expanding exports,” said Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc. “Shipping and logistics are high on India’s priorities, and Maersk looks forward to partnering with India on various aspects.” In the first phase, the group plans to enhance cargo infrastructure at APM Terminals Pipavav, adding berths and deepening the channel beyond its current 48 feet at an estimated cost of $2 billion. This push comes as APM’s concession rights at Pipavav are due to end in 2028, thus potentially creating a case for renewal. Equipped with multipurpose facilities that include a 1.35-million-TEU container terminal, Pipavav is facing fierce regional competitive challenges for box trade growth, especially from Adani Ports’ Mundra Port. Maersk/APM operations in India include Gateway Terminals India at Nhava Sheva and 26 warehousing depots with the combined space totaling 350,000 square meters. “We believe we can play a role in reducing the cost of logistics by ensuring that our customers access all their supply chain needs in one place — from all modes of transportation to port handling to warehousing and distribution,” APM CEO Keith Svendsen told the Journal of Commerce. “We are ready to invest more in developing ports with low emissions and great efficiency that will help businesses grow and connect India with the global markets.” Officials also indicated Maersk’s interest in the Vadhavan Port project near Nhava Sheva, and in extending its reach to the country’s East Coast, potentially in a minor port in Andhra Pradesh. The Albert Maersk is the 11th 16,592-TEU vessel in the carrier’s 18-ship order of dual-fuel methanol vessels scheduled for delivery through 2025 and joins the Angelica Maersk as part of the ME11 (India/Europe) service fleet. “Although vessel capacities have by now already reached optimal levels, new generation vessels with alternate fuels are the need of the hour,” Sunil Vaswani, executive director of the Container Shipping Lines Association (India), told the Journal of Commerce. Keeping up with competitors On a broader view, Maersk’s new investment push seems to be an attempt to catch up with its peers, particularly Mediterranean Shipping Co. MSC has dedicated terminals at Mundra and Ennore/Chennai through joint venture arrangements with Adani, as well as at Tuticorin via the Bollore Africa acquisition. CMA CGM also has a joint venture with Adani at Mundra and runs a terminal at Nhava Sheva in partnership with Mumbai-based JM Baxi Group, while Maersk’s Gemini partner Hapag-Lloyd owns 40% of JM Ports & Logistics, which holds terminal concessions at multiple locations in India. Contact Bency Mathew at bencyvmathew@gmail.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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