Trade News

Politics is a tricky subject and one we tend to avoid around here. But regardless of your political beliefs, Donald Trump, the new President of the United States, has taken office and plans to shake things up worldwide for businesses. In fact, he’s already gone to work, levying a 25% tariff on all trade from Mexico and Canada, with a lower 10% tariff on energy resources. This announcement has many businesses worried.

This tariff was initially planned to take effect at the beginning of February but was postponed until March 1st, giving time for more negotiations. With the threat of tariffs looming, businesses in North America are scrambling to determine what this means for their operations’ future.

Today, we’ll go over how tariffs work, who pays tariffs, and what they mean for your business. So, if you’re looking to protect your business from the possibility of tariffs in the future, you’ve come to the right place.

What is a tariff?

A tariff is a …

The U.S. is moving to impose hefty new port fees on Chinese ships and Chinese-built vessels, a move that could reshape global shipping. Under the proposal from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Chinese-owned ships would be charged up to $1 million per port call, while Chinese-built vessels could face fees as high as $1.5 million.

The proposed fees also target companies with Chinese shipbuilding orders. Operators with at least 50% of their new vessel orders in China could be charged an additional $1 million per U.S. port call. The measures are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to curb China’s dominance in the maritime sector, which now accounts for over 50% of global shipbuilding.

Analysts warn that the plan could disrupt supply chains and drive up shipping costs. The U.S. Trade Representative's proposal includes fees of up to $1 million per port call for Chinese-owned vessels and up to $1.5 million for Chinese-built ships. These fees are …

Listen as Andrea Klein, CEO of Rand Technology, and Rosemary Coates, Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, discuss the history of high technology over the past 30 years.

Andrea Klein is the CEO of Rand Technology, a sophisticated, full-service technology hardware distributor/reseller offering a comprehensive suite of products and services to support Fortune 500 customers worldwide.

In this episode, Andrea discusses her long and very successful career in technology and the changes and major shifts in the business environment, that have occurred over the past 30 years that she has been at the helm of Rand Technologies. Rand is laser-focused on customer service and filling the needs of customers in complicated technology supply chains. The company is one of a handful of technology distributors reselling hardware and providing services. Andrea travels the world meeting with suppliers and customers and keeping up with new technology developments.

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President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again threat of major tariffs on the United States’ closest allies, Canada and Mexico, have earned the thumbs down from freight officials and financial interests.

Trump’s directive by tariff – “WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!)” – wore thin on freight and financial experts longing for stability in markets and crucial consistency from an inconsistent lame-duck president.

Even the hard-right conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal – usually a reliable barometer of right-wing world – slammed Trump’s latest tariff threats by entitling an editorial on the subject: “The Dumbest Trade War Fallout Begins.”

Markets yo-yo’d after Trump first announced tariffs between 10 and 25 percent on Mexico and Canada – our Nos. 1 and 3 largest trading partners – before backing down during a 30-day cooling off period. It’s Trump’s second round with tariffs, after trying them on assorted countrie…

A.P. Moller-Maersk has signed an agreement with India’s Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to develop ship repair, maintenance, and shipbuilding operations in India. The deal is a major step toward India’s long-term goal of becoming a leading player in global shipbuilding and repair.

As part of the partnership, Maersk will send its first vessel for repair at Cochin Shipyard in 2025. “The first Maersk vessel repair at CSL, planned already for 2025, will mark the beginning of what we envisage as a long-term collaborative relationship,” said Leonardo Sonzio, Head of Fleet Management & Technology at Maersk.

The partnership comes at a time when ship repair facilities worldwide are under pressure due to high demand. By working together, Maersk and CSL plan to expand India’s role in global shipping while supporting the country’s Vision 2047 plan to boost maritime growth.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in CSL’s journey as the leading ship repaire…

Mexico’s recent tariff policies are targeting “border-skipping,” a strategy where U.S. e-commerce sellers import goods—mainly from China—through Mexico under lower duties before shipping them to the U.S. To close this loophole, Mexico has raised import duties up to 35% on apparel, textiles, and household goods, restricted temporary imports under the IMMEX program, and imposed new tariffs on non-USMCA imports.

These changes are driving up costs, complicating logistics, and forcing businesses to rethink their supply chain strategies. Matt Muenster, Chief Economist at Breakthrough, explains how these policies are reshaping freight flows, influencing spot rates, and what companies can do to stay ahead.

Supply Chain 24/7: How are Mexico’s recent tariff policies, particularly the decree targeting “border-skipping,” impacting U.S.-Mexico trade flows?

Matt Muenster: Mexico’s new decree specifically targets ‘border-skipping,’ where U.S. e-commerce sellers b…

The container shipping industry is navigating a volatile landscape, with major concerns over when the Suez Canal will fully reopen and how new U.S. tariffs will impact global trade. A recent survey from Drewry shows most industry insiders expect Suez transits to resume by the end of 2025, while bracing for additional trade restrictions under Donald Trump’s administration.

Suez Canal Disruptions Continue

More than half (54%) of respondents in the Drewry survey believe full-scale Suez Canal transits will resume before the end of 2025, while 29% think it could take until 2026. The blockade, caused by ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has forced container ships to reroute around Africa, cutting global shipping capacity by about 9%. Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, is optimistic about a recovery by mid-year—if the Gaza ceasefire holds.

However, that outlook is becoming more uncertain. After the survey closed, Trump urged Israel to abandon the ce…

China’s latest round of retaliatory tariffs took effect Monday, hitting roughly $14 billion worth of U.S. goods and raising concerns about disruptions in critical supply chains. The new measures, which impose 10% to 15% taxes, target American liquefied natural gas (LNG), coal, crude oil, farm equipment, and select automotive goods.

The move comes in response to the U.S. government’s recent 10% tariff on Chinese imports, which President Donald Trump has called an “opening salvo” in a renewed trade offensive against China. While Beijing’s tariffs are more targeted than the broad U.S. levies, analysts say they could significantly impact industries that rely on Chinese trade.

Energy Supply Chains at Risk

One of the most immediate effects of China’s tariffs will be on the energy sector, where U.S. exports of LNG, coal, and crude oil will now face new cost barriers. China is one of the fastest-growing LNG markets, and U.S. producers could see reduced demand as Chines…

With new tariffs taking effect, fashion brands face fresh supply chain challenges. Beyond the immediate cost impact, companies must rethink sourcing, strengthen vendor relationships, and embrace digital tools to stay competitive. We spoke with Paul Magel, President of the Supply Chain Technology for the Fashion Industry at Computer Generated Solutions, about practical strategies to help brands navigate these changes and build more resilient operations.

Supply Chain 24/7: What are the biggest challenges fashion and apparel brands face as the new tariffs rollout?

Paul Magel: Tariffs are just another disruption in a long list of supply chain challenges from the past few years: a global pandemic, port strikes, geopolitical instability, and inflation. 

The biggest challenge for fashion and apparel brands isn’t just the immediate cost impact from tariffs but rather how they structure their supply chain to remain agile in the face of uncertainty. Many bran…

As President Donald Trump threatens tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China, and others, it has left supply chain professionals in a state of confusion about how they should react. Where should they go? What do they tell the CEO?

A recent post on LinkedIn suggested the best approach was to wait for the tariff and then raise your prices. The theory, the author explained, was that we couldn’t know which country might be next on the list of potential tariffs, so making a decision on where to move supply chains or switch suppliers would prove to be difficult.

Carla DeSantis, operations transformation partner at PwC, tends to agree to a point—it will be difficult to know where to go to avoid tariffs. So, she told Supply Chain Management Review that taking a holistic approach to supply chain management is the best path forward. Successful businesses, she argued, should not make critical supply chain or value chain decisions based solely on the impact of tariffs. Read more

Container ports play a crucial role in global trade, handling millions of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually. In 2024, the Port of Los Angeles retained its position as North America's busiest container port, with over 9.3 million TEUs, while the Port of Long Beach followed closely with 8.7 million TEUs. The rankings, published on AJOT.com, highlight shifting trade flows, the resilience of major gateways, and the impact of major disruptions, such as the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

Rank Port State 2024 TEUS Data/Date 1 Port of Los Angeles CA 9,375,735 2024 2 Port of Long Beach CA 8,788,718 Jan-Nov 3 Port of New York/New Jersey NY/NJ 7,290,743 Jan-Oct 4 Port of Savannah (GA ports) GA 5,103,417 Jan-Nov 5 Port of Houston TX 3,799,573 Jan-Nov 6 Port of Virginia VA 3,499,639 FY 2024 7 Port of Vancouver BC-CA 3,200,415 Jan-Nov 8 Port of Seattle-Tacoma (NWSA) WA 3,035,986 Jan-Nov 9 Port of Charleston SC 2,299,125 Jan-Nov 10 Por…

With the recent ILA-USMX labor negotiations behind us, the focus now shifts to their impact on supply chains and port operations. Brian Lynch, Transportation Sector Leader at EY Americas, discusses the effectiveness of pre-strike mitigation efforts, the long-term competitiveness of U.S. ports, and the role of automation in the industry.

Supply Chain 24/7: Looking back, how effective were the pre-strike mitigation efforts in minimizing disruptions to supply chains?

Brian Lynch: Leading companies put mitigation actions in place well in advance of the pending ILA strike date. Supply chain variability stemming from the global pandemic forced companies to become more agile and, in some cases, more risk-averse.

Companies have been able to dust off playbooks from the pandemic, from the 2023 ILWU (West Coast) labor actions and the October 2024 ILA labor action to minimize disruption.

SC247: Do you think the resolution can allow people to go back to b…