Topic: Ocean Freight

In a world of fleeting trends and short attention spans, tradition and market commitment still reign supreme. Logistics Management (LM) has invested in research and authoritative content for over six decades, providing actionable insights to the logistics industry. This column introduces the 36th Annual State of Logistics (SoL) Report, which highlights current challenges, including tariff disputes, regional conflicts, labor shortages, and rising costs. The report stresses the need for logistics providers to embrace technology—AI, automation, and integrated systems—to...

The legislation, entitled the “Federal Maritime Commission Act of 2025” was introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and co-sponsored by Mike Ezell (R-MS), John Garamendi (D-CA), and Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA).

As tariffs have continued to dominate many logistics themes over the last several months, it comes as no surprise that that they continue to play a major role at the mid-point of 2025, a time of year, when industry stakeholders are fully immersed in Peak Season activity.

As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve said yesterday that it will not make any changes to its federal funds rate, which comes from the Federal Reserve Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), announcing that it again decided to leave the target range for the federal funds rate at 4.25%-to-4.5%.

Total May volume, at 639,160 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 8.2% annually, reported POLB. Imports, at 299,116, fell 13.4% annually, and exports, at 82,149 TEU, were off 18.6%. Empty containers saw a 3.2% annual increase, to 257,895 TEU.

A combination of factors is having what could be viewed as a negative impact, when it comes to transportation and logistics (T&L) mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity. That was the primary thesis of a new report issued today by business consultancy PwC, entitled “Transportation & Logistics: US Deals 2025 Midyear Outlook.”

The firm reported that May imports, at 2.71 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 5.7% annually

Total volume, at 716,619 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) saw a 5% annual decline, with the port noting that the lower tally reflects the impact of tariffs on imports and exports.

The company explained that this investment comprises its major divisions—DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Supply Chain, and DHL eCommerce, in various ways, including enhancing infrastructure, expanding networks and capacity, and elevating service capabilities.

The Economic Outlook issued earlier this month by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) stated that “global economic prospects are weakening with substantial barriers to trade, tighter financial conditions, diminishing confidence, and heightened policy uncertainty projected to have adverse impacts with growth.

The U.S. will levy a cumulative 55% tariffs on Chinese goods, comprised of 25% on the majority of products announced by the White House during Trump’s first term in office, as well the 20% tariffs related to stopping the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and the 10% universal tariffs, and China would apply a 10% tariff on U.S. goods;

This ruling allows the tariffs to remain intact amid the ongoing appeals process.

What will be the final outcome on industrial transportation from the White House’s ever-changing position on freight tariffs? And how does your company make decisions with so much uncertainty about tariffs?

May U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,177,453 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was off 9.7% compared to April and down 7.2% annually.

The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently announced a public comment period on the Section 301 Investigation of China’s Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance on June 6, with a July 7 deadline for comments.

The May LMI reading, at 59.4, marked a 0.6% increase over April’s 55.8, while posting a 5.8% annual gain, as well as a 12.3% increase over May 2023’s 47.3. The impact of the aforementioned increased costs was evident in the report, as its authors explained inventory movements “slowed significantly compared to observations from earlier in the year.

Paced by the current reduction in tariffs on United States-bound goods from China, which is set to expire in mid-August, the new edition of the Global Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates, said U.S.-bound imports are expected to “see a surge through this summer.”

Red Sea attacks, global conflicts, and new U.S. tariffs are upending container shipping networks and driving up costs. With carriers rerouting around Africa and instability set to persist into 2026, ocean freight faces sustained pressure despite softening rates from Asia. Experts warn the storm is far from over.

Ongoing U.S. trade policy shifts—including new de minimis rules for Chinese shipments—are reshaping global logistics. With rising tariffs and reduced exemptions impacting cross-border e-commerce, Armstrong & Associates projects 2025 third-party logistics (3PL) revenue to hit $316.2 billion, up 4.5%, fueled by early-year growth despite increased uncertainty.

Logistics industry braces for prolonged legal battle over IEEPA, as tariff status whiplash complicates supply chain strategy and capital planning.