Latest news with #oceanfreight
Wall Street Journal
17-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
The Surge in Ocean Shipping Rates Is Peaking
American importers are getting a rare piece of good news amid worries about tariffs and consumer spending as ocean shipping costs start to sink. The average spot rate to ship a 40-foot container from Asia to the U.S. West Coast slipped at the start of this week to $5,840, down from an average of about $6,000 the prior week, according to online booking platform Freightos. A measure of global ocean shipping rates, the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index, on Friday fell 6.8% from a week earlier, dragged down by an almost 27% decline in rates from Shanghai to the U.S. West Coast, according to HSBC Global Research.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Import demand recovers back to even with 2024
Chart of the Week: Inbound Ocean TEU Volume Index – USA SONAR: Import container bookings, as measured by the Import Ocean TEUs Index (IOTI), have rebounded sharply after plunging in response to the historic tariffs imposed on Chinese goods in April. This swift recovery has raised questions about the potential impact on supply chains and surface transportation as a new wave of imports makes its way to U.S. ports. The IOTI, a 14-day moving average of twenty-foot containers departing from global ports to the U.S., dropped from near-pandemic-era highs in early April to holiday-period lows by mid-May. The threat of tariffs prompted companies to preemptively order goods and stockpile inventory to avoid cost-prohibitive levies—tariffs that would have significantly reduced, if not eliminated, demand, particularly for goods from China, their primary target. China accounts for the largest share of U.S.-bound container imports, typically around 40%. Vietnam has been a distant second post-pandemic, representing roughly 8%. Note that these figures reflect container volumes, not trade dollar values. China's share of bookings fell to 30% on May 18, down from 41% on April 1. Increased orders from countries like Vietnam and India helped fill the gap, but only offset about 10% of the lost volume. Now, China's share has rebounded to over 40%, and the IOTI is back to its level from the same period last year. This rebound indicates that import volumes could rise at U.S. ports in the coming weeks. However, the extent of inland freight movement will depend largely on inventory levels, many of which were already elevated in anticipation of the tariffs. So far, only international intermodal rail volumes have shown a significant loss directly tied to imports decline. Volumes of international containers (ORAILINTL) dropped roughly 8% from April to May, while domestic container traffic (ORAILDOML) and truckload tender volumes (OTVI) remained relatively flat. For inland freight demand to surge, inventory levels in interior markets will need to show meaningful reductions. Additionally, seasonal goods that could not be ordered early may contribute to the next wave of freight activity. The current transportation environment remains vulnerable to disruption. While it has generally met demand over recent years, reduced capacity and weakened carrier resilience have left it more exposed. Carriers are now rejecting load requests at their highest rate since 2022. Though rejection rates remain modest, their volatility and upward trend are notable. A surge in demand concentrated on one side of the country could quickly tighten capacity. Global supply chains face renewed risks as conflict escalates in the Middle East. Although the immediate impact appears limited, further volatility in global freight flows could arise. While direct U.S.-bound freight via the Suez Canal is minimal, disruptions in those lanes can still ripple through international capacity and scheduling, indirectly affecting U.S. markets. The FreightWaves Chart of the Week is a chart selection from SONAR that provides an interesting data point to describe the state of the freight markets. A chart is chosen from thousands of potential charts on SONAR to help participants visualize the freight market in real time. Each week a Market Expert will post a chart, along with commentary, live on the front page. After that, the Chart of the Week will be archived on for future reference. SONAR aggregates data from hundreds of sources, presenting the data in charts and maps and providing commentary on what freight market experts want to know about the industry in real time. The FreightWaves data science and product teams are releasing new datasets each week and enhancing the client experience. To request a SONAR demo, click here. The post Import demand recovers back to even with 2024 appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
To Beat Trump Tariffs, Air Cargo Imports At Highest Percentage Ever
In the month of March, the value of air cargo imports exceeded that of ocean cargo for the first ... More time ever, based on a review of 22 years of monthly U.S. Census Bureau data. Air cargo this year is accounting for the largest percentage of U.S. imports it ever has, fueled by uncertainty over President Trump's unsettled trade policy. Since December, the month after President Trump's re-election, air cargo imports have accounted for more than 30% of all U.S. imports five consecutive months, according to my analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. The percentages registered in those five months are among the eight highest over the last 250 months. The other three were during an equally unsettled time: the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. This time around, the apex, at least for now, appears to have been March, as Trump's pending April 2 Liberation Day tariffs, which were ultimately paused for 90 days after bond markets shuddered, approached. The March air cargo percentage – 38.91% of all U.S. air cargo, ocean cargo and land cargo imports – was remarkable for two reasons. First, it was the highest percentage on record for air cargo in a single month, narrowly topping the May 2020 total of 38.58% as the Covid-19 pandemic was sweeping the United States and the world. Second, it is the only month in which the value of air cargo surpassed the value of ocean cargo. Ocean cargo is traditionally the dominant mode of transportation for all trade, including imports, by value. On the import side, the focus of this column, the percentage is generally above 40%. The primary advantage for ocean cargo over air cargo is that it is less expensive. It is also the better solution for heavier cargo. The primary disadvantage? Speed. Although less pronounced, air has the same advantages over land-based cargo. This chart looks at the percentage for the three primary modes of transportation for U.S. import ... More trade, with a fourth, the subcategory for container shipping via ocean. The asterisk for the 2019-2024 period is because 2020, the year of the global pandemic, is excluded and treated separately. Ocean and land cargo tend to be a greater percentage of U.S. imports; this year air cargo is almost equal to ocean cargo by value. Through the first four months of the year, air cargo is accounting for a greater percentage of U.S. imports by value than land-based cargo, which comes from Mexico and Canada, the United States' two largest trade partners for total trade and imports. It is neck and neck with the percentage being shipped by ocean, with 37.88% ocean cargo and 35.61% air cargo. Land-based cargo, which includes truck, rail and pipeline, is accounting for 26.51%, slightly below the 2020 total. Here, I am intentionally using value rather than tonnage, a measure generally used within both the air and ocean industries since their revenue rates are set by weight. I do so for two reasons. First, planes, whether all-cargo 'freighters' or passenger planes carrying 'belly cargo' underneath, can't transport anything approaching the weight of today's post-Panamax ships. Second, the U.S. Census Bureau does not release complete or reliable statistics on land-based tonnage for our two largest trade partners, Mexico and Canada, whether by truck, train or pipeline. What guidance can I offer about what it means? While the extra demand on air cargo might have strained supply chains, it will not necessarily directly contribute to any inflation that might result or have resulted from the global tariffs Trump announced on April 2, paused until July 8 as of this writing, or other tariffs threatened or imposed. That's because the increased percentage appears to largely be driven by additional cargo already relying on air. Air is generally used by lightweight and expensive cargo, things like pharmaceuticals, cell phones, gold and computer chips. While it might not add inflationary pressure directly, it might add pressure indirectly since those imports that were 'front-loaded' to beat tariffs that were ultimately paused, in so many cases, will need to be stored in warehouses, in some cases climate-controlled warehouses and might have incurred additional shipping costs once landed. The maxim for so long in international trade has been to remove all sand from the gears. Certainly the tariffs and threats of tariffs led to the spike in the import percentage in recent months. But air cargo's percentage has been creeping up slowly for years, given the cross-border trade in expensive medicines and medical devices that solve previously unsolvable ailments and illnesses; computer chips that power an increasing array of our life's work and play; and gold which is increasingly of interest not just to Americans and Europeans but Middle Easterners and Asians as well. That's a tough one. We are more than 60 days into the 90-day pause of the April 2 tariffs on the world. That includes a baseline 10% tariffs on the world's nations, most of which we actually have a trade surplus with, as well as higher tariffs on some countries. Despite Trump's optimism that the United States could strike deals with the rest of the world during the 90-day pause, not one deal has been completed yet. Then there's the courts. They are reviewing Trump's power to issue these tariffs as he did, a fight destined to find its way to the Supreme Court. And then there's the bond market, which reacted so strongly to the April 2 announcement that Trump paused the tariffs within 24 hours. But keep in mind that Trump, like Houdini, is good at boxing himself in and escaping. Yes. Trump is unpredictable. The boom in March trade led to a significant drop in April, particularly in imports. Air cargo still accounted for more than 30% of all U.S. imports but dropped to 31.47% from the record 38.91% referenced above. My guess is that the May data, when released in a few weeks, will show some additional slowing in the percentage of U.S. air cargo imports, more toward historical norms, and an overall slowing of U.S. trade, which is running at record levels across the board. What are manufacturers and importers thinking now, with less than a month until the end of the pause? We won't know for certain until the June data is released, until early August. And lacking a Trump announcement of a global extension in the pause in the next week or so, who can claim to know? Do you bet the bond market will keep Trump in check? Bottom line: Uncertainty extends beyond Trump's tariffs into the supply chain itself, into when and what cargo is shipped how, forcing the logistics industry to fall back on lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic in Trump's first term.
Associated Press
07-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Tianci International, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results
HONG KONG, HK / ACCESS Newswire / June 7, 2025 / Tianci International, Inc. (the 'Company' or 'Tianci'), a global logistics service provider specializing in ocean freight forwarding, announced its financial results for the three and nine months ended April 30, 2025. Third Quarter 2025 Highlights: About Tianci International, Inc. Tianci International Inc., through its subsidiary Roshing, provides global logistics services specializing in ocean freight forwarding, including container and bulk goods shipping. Operating under an asset-light model, Roshing's logistics solutions are tailored to meet the diverse needs of its customers across the Asia-Pacific, including Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. Beyond logistics, the company generates revenue from the sale of electronic parts and business consulting services. The company's mission is to provide customers with efficient, reliable, and safe shipping services that create value. For more information, please visit the Company's website: Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as 'approximates,' 'believes,' 'hopes,' 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'estimates,' 'projects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'will,' 'would,' 'should,' 'could,' 'may' or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. The Company encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results that are discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact Information Michael Yip [email protected] SOURCE: Tianci International Inc. press release
