The change to a more freight-all-kinds strategy comes as ongoing contracts for the 2024-25 service year bundled with penalty clauses have proved to be problematic for keeping customer relationships intact.
The terminal operator says buying the railroad that connects ports on the canal’s Pacific and Atlantic sides fits into its overall strategy of offering more service to shippers.
Price and volume increases are being seen across trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic trade lanes, but there is little clarity on whether underlying demand is enough to prop up spot rates once the tariffs have been implemented.