MARITIME consultancy Drewry said it expects global container port volume to fall 1 percent as a direct result of US trade policies, reports Reuters.
That would be the third drop in global container shipping demand since London-based Drewry began collecting that data in 1979 Container volume fell 8.4 percent during the global financial crisis in 2009 and 0.9 percent in 2020 when the Covid pandemic was declared.
The Trump administration’s current policy includes blanket tariffs of 10 percent on goods from most countries and 145 percent import duties products from China.
China and other countries have hit back with tariffs on US goods.
“Assuming that 2/3 of current tariffs remain in place, US imports from China could fall by 40 percent,” the consultancy said in a slide presentation.
China dominates US imports of consumer goods, industrial products and furniture.
Relocation of Chinese production countries facing much lower tariffs could offset some of the decline in shipping demand To that end, US imports from other countries could increase as much as 15 percent, Drewry said.
When the US escalated tariffs on China earlier this month, Berkshire Hathaway-owned RC Willey Home Furnishings hit pause on all orders from factories there, including some that were ready to be loaded on an outbound ship, said Jeff Child, president of the retailer that has stores in Utah, Nevada, Idaho and California.
While the tariff turmoil is headache for retailers, it also is souring shopper sentiment, Mr. Child said:
“The biggest killer of consumer confidence is uncertainty and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Economists warn that President Donald Trump’s trade policies raise the risk for a recession in the United States, the world’s largest economy.
A US downturn could quickly spread to other nations around the world.
CMA CGM takes delivery of 24,000 - TEU LNG dual-fuel box ship in China
A SUBSIDIARY of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC) has delivered an ultra-large 24,000-TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel container ship to France’s CMA CGM Group.
Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co, Ltd delivered the vessel, CMA CGM SEINE in Shanghai recently, marking the completion of the CSSC’s break through construction of the world’s first ultra-large dual-fuel container ship.
The dual-fuel power system allows the shipping company to use LNG or oil to power the ship, reports Xinhua.
The vessel, which is 399 meters long and 61.3 meters wide, can carry 220,000 tonnes of goods.
It can accommodate a total of 23,876 TEU containers, including up to 2,200 standard refrigerated containers. It is the first of four such vessels ordered by the French container shipping giant.
With an 18,600-cubic-meter fuel bunker fully loaded with LNG, the ship can sail nearly 20,000 nautical miles. The vessel was launched on a Far East-Europe route on April 18
Port Houston enjoys record March box volumes as trade war clouds loom
PORT Houston achieved record-breaking container volumes in March, handling 386,864 TEU, marking a 7 percent increase from last year.
However, the momentum faces significant headwinds as new forecasts predict a sharp downturn in US imports amid the Trump Administration’s escalating global trade war, reports Ventura, California’s gcaptain.
“While March was a solid will month for us, we’re watching closely for shifts in the global market and how that could impact cargo in our region in the coming months,” said port’s CEO, Charlie Jenkins.
March’s success was primarily driven by strong export performance, with loaded exports m surging 14 percent year over year to 152,857 TEU.
Import activity showed modest growth, increasing by 2 percent.
The port’s year-to-date container volumes have surpassed 1 million TEU through the first quarter of 2025, reaching 1,068,695, maintaining stable levels compared to the previous year.
However, the National Retail Federation’s latest Global Port Tracker report paints a concerning picture for US containerized imports.
The report projects May 2025 will mark the end of 19 consecuchingtive months of inbound growth, with import volumes expected to plummet to 1.66 million TEU, representing a potentially significant 20.5 percent decline.
Previous, forecasts had anticipated April handling 2.13 million TEU and May reaching 2.14 million TEU.
The updated outlook now predicts the first half of 2025 will see volumes of 11.73 million TEU, marking a 2.9 percent year-over-year decrease instead of the previously expected 5.7 percent growth.
Industry forecasts suggest the impact of the trade war could be severe, with import cargo volumes potentially decreasing by 20 percent in the second half of 2025, leading to a projected 15 percent decline in total annual cargo volume.
Hutchison on par with PSA on revenues
THERE might be a 12.8 million TEU gap between them in groupwide annual throughput, but old rivals Hutchison Ports and PSA International are neck and neck when it comes to revenues these days, helping explain what a canny potential deal BlackRock and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) have carved out for themselves.
The latest data from Alpha liner covering the world’s largest global terminal operators shows Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports’ revenue leapt 11 percent last year to draw level with Singapore’s PSA International, despite moving far fewer boxes, reports Singapore’s Splash 247.
BlackRock and MSC have made a US$22.8 billion bid to take over all of Hutchison Ports’ non- Chinese assets, the largest port deal in history, one which has yet to go through with fierce opposition coming from China.
Alpha liner suggested in its latest weekly report that port in- frastructure has become the “next battlefield in the fight for dominance” in the container industry as the world containership fleet was growing very rapidly, while there were only a finite number of terminals available.
After booming consumer demand in 2024, six out of eight leading global port groups increased their revenue by double-digit figures in 2024.
Only COSCO and China Merchants saw gains in the single digits.
The two Chinese groups continue to top the list of its port groups by throughput.
Hanwha Ocean to expand yard
South Korean shipbuilding major Hanwha Ocean, formerly known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), is to expand its shipyard on the back of bumper profits and a lengthy orderbook stretching deep into the end of the decade.
Hanwha Ocean delivered a 388% surge in first-quarter operating profit, while announcing yesterday plans to spend KRW600bn to boost production capacity, including a new floating drydock and crane, joining other Korean major yards in expanding output.
In related news, state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) announced it will be selling part of its stake in Hanwha Ocean.
The sale also marks 25 years since it first acquired shares in the shipbuilder’s predecessor, Daewoo Heavy Industries, through a debt-to-equity swap in 2000.
The KDB said the aim will be to eventually dispose of its remaining shares entirely.
Mixed Q1 at Rotterdam port with bulk down and boxes up
THE Port of Rotterdam saw a throughput decline of 5.8 per cent in Q1 2025, falling to 103.7 million tonnes from 110.1 million tonnes in the same period last year.
The drop was driven by reduced volumes of crude oil, oil products, iron ore, and coal, while agribulk, other dry bulk, and container throughput saw gains.
US import duties on European exports had not yet impacted first-quarter figures, according to London’s Port Technology International.
Container throughput at the Port of Rotterdam rose 2.2 per cent in Q1 2025 to 3.3 million TEU.
However, total container tonnage declined by 1.1 percent year over year (YoY), driven by an 8.1 percent drop in full export containers, which are typically heavier.
Transatlantic container traffic fell 23.1 percent due to the relocation of two services to other ports amid capacity constraints.
Meanwhile, Asian trade rose 8.4 percent on higher consumer goods imports.
Breakbulk through- put edged up 0.6 percent to 7.8 million tonnes.
General breakbulk jumped 11.2 percent to 1.6 million tonnes, supported by tubular pile shipments for the Porthos project.
Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of Port of Rotterdam, said: “The first three months of this year were characterized by a high degree of volatility in world trade as a result of threatened importdutie US and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“This volatility has led to uncertainty among companies in the areas of trade and investment.
In these uncertain times, it remains as important as ever that, together with national and European governments, the Port of Rotterdam continues to work towards a competitive European investment climate.
Recently, the Port of Rotterdam completed its first ship- to-ship ammonia bunkering pilot, marking a key step in preparing for ammonia fuelled vessels expected from 2026 or 2027.
EU that aims to leverage 300 billons EUR of investment until 2027, the forum will facilitate Business 2 Financial Institutions matchmaking and unveil new tiative aimed at bringing together nities The business forum will see policymakers such as Prime Min- participation from high-level ister Shahbaz Sharif and the ministers of finance and commerce as well as EU and Pakistani business leaders and investors, who will get a “common space to exchange on opportunities and challenges of doing business in Pakistan, including in the sectors of textiles and apparel, agriculture and agribusiness, pharmaceuticals and health care equipment, and renewable energy/connectivity.”
CMA CGM strengthens position in Turkey with $440m logistics acquisition
CEVA Logistics, a subsidiary of French liner CMA CGM, is buying Borusan Tedarik Zinciri Çözümleri ve Teknoloji Anonim Sirketi, a Turkish outfit, for $440,
The deal, which includes Borusan Tedarik subsidiaries in Germany, Bulgaria, Hong Kong and China, remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Mathieu Friedberg, the CEO of CEVA Logistics, said: “As a top five global logistics player, we have identified Turkey as one of our strategic geographies where we expect to grow significantly.
Complementing our existing presence in Turkey with the reputable experts and operations of Borusan Tedarik would put us in a position to offer even greater value to our combined customers and, as a result, grow faster than the market organically.
CEVA is becoming bigger, stronger and smarter, so that we can then grow faster.”
CEVA, bought by CMA CGM in 2019, has integrated large logistics players in recent years, including Ingram Micro’s CLS division, GEFCO, and most recently, Bollore Logistics.