Trendwatch: Broad industry coalition urges permanent suspension of costly U.S. port fees on China-linked ships; US to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free trade access; Panama Canal restores previous booking criteria

Broad industry coalition urges permanent suspension of costly U.S. port fees on China-linked ships

A broad coalition of maritime, agricultural, manufacturing, retail and logistics organizations is urging the Trump administration to permanently suspend U.S. port fees targeting China-linked vessels, warning that reinstating the charges would raise costs for American businesses, hurt exporters and disrupt global supply chains.

In an October 30 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the coalition welcomed the proposed two-month extension of the Section 301 vessel fee suspension through January 9, 2027, but called on Washington to go further and eliminate the charges permanently.

US to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free trade access

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Monday that Washington intends to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

AGOA gives eligible African countries duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products. South Africa has been the largest beneficiary of the program, exporting about $1.7 billion worth of goods to the US under AGOA in 2025.

Alternative-Fuel Ship Orders Outpace Port Bunkering Infrastructure, Lloyd’s Register Warns

The global shipping industry is ordering alternative-fuel vessels faster than ports can develop the infrastructure needed to fuel them, according to a new report from Lloyd’s Register (LR), highlighting a growing challenge for shipowners investing in cleaner propulsion technologies.

LR’s new Fuel for Thought: Ports report, released Monday, found that 1,942 alternative-fuel-capable vessels were on order as of January 2026, representing 47% of the global orderbook by tonnage, according to Clarksons Research.

Thailand Eyes Expanding its Largest Port to Meet Trade Boom

Thailand’s Port Authority is exploring a further expansion of Laem Chabang port, the nation’s biggest deep-sea gateway, to handle increasing trade of products from automobiles to electronics and petrochemicals.

“We’re already handling cargo volumes that exceed the port’s capacity, and we’ve received complaints about congestion and delays in moving goods,” Decha Peukpattanaruk, chairman of Port Authority of Thailand, said in an interview. “We need to plan for further expansion as we expect cargo volumes to increase significantly in the coming years.”

PortXchange says measuring emissions isn’t enough

Ports have spent years improving how they calculate and report emissions. But knowing how much a port emitted last year does little to guide tomorrow's investment decisions.

That frustration has emerged repeatedly in PortXchange's conversations with ports seeking better ways to manage their environmental impact. They want to understand emissions across their operations, anticipate future changes and assess the consequences of major investments.

Almost half of all truck-driven containers are empty

Almost half of all container trucks in Sweden are being driven without a load. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, have developed calculation models that give a detailed picture of the journeys – and therefore provide guidance for more efficient container transport, with lower costs and reduced emissions.

In 2019, the global transport sector accounted for around 15 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and road traffic was the largest source of emissions in the sector*. An important part of reducing emissions is to make freight transport more efficient. Containers play a central role in world trade, as they can be moved between ships, trains and trucks. However, after unloading, there is not always new cargo nearby, which means that the container must be moved before it can be used again.