Trendwatch: EU to suspend US tariff countermeasures for 6 months; US Customs gears up to enforce new port fees on China linked vessels; Port of NY & NJ is the second-busiest U.S. port for loaded containers in the first half of 2025

EU to suspend US tariff countermeasures for 6 months

The European Union will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs for six months following a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, a Commission spokesperson said on Monday.

The EU-U.S. agreement leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits, and Trump's executive order last week setting tariffs on most EU goods at 15% did not include carve-outs such as for cars and car parts.

US Customs gears up to enforce new port fees on China‑linked vessels

US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has been designated to collect a new fee regime targeting China-linked vessels, as authorised by a US Trade Representative ruling. The rules are structured for rollout starting October 14, 2025, and will apply to both Chinese-owned/operators and Chinese-built ships, with non-payment potentially blocking cargo operations and port clearance via imminent operational bans.

Port of NY & NJ is the second-busiest U.S. port for loaded containers in the first half of 2025

The Port of New York and New Jersey continued to see strong growth over the first half of the year despite broad global uncertainty across the supply chain. The port handled 4,417,282 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) during the first six months of the year. The total was a 4.9 percent increase over the same period of 2024 and a jump of 20.9 percent over pre-pandemic 2019. The port finished both the month of June and the full first half of the year as the second-busiest in the country for loaded containers, handling 467,335 loaded TEUs in June and 2,945,962 loaded TEUs for the first half of the year.

ANA finally completes Nippon Cargo Airlines takeover

ANA Holdings has finally completed the takeover of freighter operator Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) from NYK after the time taken to gain regulatory approval delayed the deal by more than 20 months.

According to ANA Holdings, the move creates Japan’s largest combination carrier, boasting a fleet including ANA’s six Boeing 767 freighters and two Boeing 777 freighters and NCA’s eight Boeing 747-8 freighters.

Swissport launches first perishable cargo centre at Liege Airport

Swissport has opened a dedicated perishable handling centre at Liege Airport, marking a major step in strengthening its global cool chain operations. Fully operational from 1 August, the temperature-controlled facility can handle 40 Unit Load Devices (ULDs), equivalent to a full freighter load and supports climate-sensitive shipments with a constant temperature range of 2°C to 8°C.

Evergreen Ship Loses Boxes Closing Callao Port for Hours

The Port Authority in Callao, Peru, confirmed that port operations resumed Friday afternoon, August 1, several hours after they were forced to suspend all operations after an Evergreen ship lost boxes overboard while in the bay. The port was closed as a precaution due to heavy fog, which was limiting the ability to see the containers.

Last Remnants of Baltimore’s Key Bridge Brought Down in Demolition

The final pieces of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge were demolished this week, wrapping up the cleanup effort more than a year after the deadly collapse that shut down one of the East Coast’s busiest ports.

Crews used controlled explosives to bring down the last steel sections, which had remained partially submerged since a cargo ship struck the bridge on March 26, 2024. The impact killed six construction workers, halted vessel traffic into the Port of Baltimore for nearly three months, and forced logistics providers to reroute thousands of shipments to other ports.

Air France KLM reports a "robust" Q2 for cargo

The Air France KLM Group saw its cargo revenues and traffic improve slightly in the second quarter of the year, despite one of its freighters being in maintenance for longer than expected.

The Franco-Dutch airline group saw second-quarter cargo revenues increase by 3.6% year on year to €565m, while cargo traffic was up 1.1% to 1.6bn revenue tonnne kms and capacity increased 1.4% to 3.6bn available tonne km (ATK).