The South Coast Air Quality Management District governing board has approved an emissions reduction plan that requires the ports to develop and implement charging and fueling infrastructure and invest in zero or near-zero-emission trucks, locomotives and cargo handling equipment.

The United States Trade Representative also confirmed in a statement Sunday that planned 100% tariffs on China-built ship-to-shore cranes and other cargo handling equipment, due to take effect Monday, have also been suspended for a year.

Lured by shorter voyage times and commensurate cost savings, shipping companies have dipped their propellers into the frigid Arctic waters since the northerly routes became commercially viable due to warmer conditions about 15 years ago.

The latest Global Port Tracker report warns of double-digit declines in imports for the rest of the year and no growth in early 2026.

With its unit costs falling in the aftermath of its alliance with Hapag-Lloyd, the carrier is becoming more confident in discussions with customers on charging a premium for services that in Q3 came with schedule reliability of around 90%.

Car carriers and ro/ro operators had been left in limbo since the deal to postpone reciprocal US and Chinese port fees was announced during the meeting of presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea on Oct. 30.

The ability to redeploy ships means that no trade operates in a bubble, but in the short term at least, each trade has its own supply and demand dynamics, notes Jeremy Masters.

Renewed interest in oil and gas-related projects, as well as power generation infrastructure for data centers, will boost breakbulk cargo volumes.

Group CEO Tobias Meyer said DHL’s freight division was affected by a weak global economy as well as a peak season in ocean freight that “failed to materialize.”

Ports that previously had been able to count on more predictable planning and certain cargo types, such as wind project equipment, are finding themselves having to take stock of their capabilities and recalibrate accordingly.

But the revision comes as the carrier saw sharp declines in third-quarter revenues and profit amid the slump in freight rates.

The Jones Act carrier said pricing for expedited ocean freight stayed firm in the quarter despite lower overall volumes from China amid the trade dispute between Washington and Beijing.

Shippers Linde and Air Liquide are leaning on their project backlogs for future cargoes, bucking talk of an “industrial recession.”

With a combined fleet of around 80 ships, the new structure unites SAL’s services under one integrated brand specializing in heavy-lift, ultra heavy-lift, multipurpose, offshore, semi liner shipping and bulk transport.

But the forwarding and logistics company said its ocean freight business dropped amid low demand and high vessel capacity.

An $800 general rate increase implemented over the weekend for West Coast business was already starting to deteriorate by Tuesday after some early — and fleeting — staying power generated by the US-China trade deal.

“Significant uncertainties” due to US tariffs and a capacity oversupply amid ongoing new vessel deliveries prompted the Singapore-based carrier to sharply reset performance expectations for the balance of its fiscal year.

The fresh price increases vary between terminal operators and by export and import cargo, with most ranging between 5% and 15%, though running as high as 47% in one case.

The migration of European carriers away from their traditional foreign "flags of convenience" to India’s emerging market is seen as a major maritime boost for New Delhi as it vigorously seeks private investment to drive economic growth.

Beijing is expected to soon announce the start date of its own 12-month pause on reciprocal port fees on US ships, a deal that was agreed to last week as part of a broad trade framework hammered out by the two superpowers.