Trendwatch: Import cargo levels expected to see surge during pause in tariff increases; Negotiable air cargo document draft convention set to be finalized; Congress Passes Maritime Security and Cargo Preference Bills to Bolster U.S. Ports and Fleet

The US and China say they have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes

Senior U.S. and Chinese negotiators have agreed on a framework to get their trade negotiations back on track after a series of disputes that threatened to derail them, both sides have said.

The announcement came at the end of two days of talks in the British capital that wrapped up late Tuesday.

The meetings appeared to focus on finding a way to resolve disputes over mineral and technology exports that had shaken a fragile truce on trade reached in Geneva last month. It’s not clear whether any progress was made on the more fundamental differences over China’s sizeable trade surplus with the United States.

Import cargo levels expected to see surge during pause in tariff increases

Import cargo at the nation’s major container ports is expected to see a surge through this summer as retailers take advantage of a 90-day reduction in tariffs that were recently imposed on China, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“This is the busiest time of the year for retailers as they enter the back-to-school season and prepare for the fall-winter holiday season,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Retailers had paused their purchases and imports previously because of the significantly high tariffs. They are now looking to get those orders and cargo moving in order to bring as much merchandise into the country as they can before the reciprocal tariff and additional China tariff pauses end in July and August.

Congress passes Maritime Security and Cargo Preference bills to bolster U.S. ports and fleet

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a package of nine transportation-related bills, including several aimed at enhancing maritime supply chain security, reinforcing the U.S. flag fleet, and cracking down on foreign adversary involvement at American ports.

Among the most significant measures passed are H.R. 2390, the Maritime Supply Chain Security Act and H.R. 252, the Secure Our Ports Act of 2025—bills introduced by Reps. David Rouzer (R-NC) and Ken Calvert (R-CA), respectively. The two bills are designed to reduce the influence of China and other adversaries on critical U.S. port infrastructure.

China’s May exports slow, deflation deepens as tariffs bite

China's export growth slowed to a three-month low in May as U.S. tariffs slammed shipments, while factory-gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years, heaping pressure on the world's second-largest economy on both the domestic and external fronts.

U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war and the swings in Sino-U.S. trade ties have in the past two months sent Chinese exporters, along with their business partners across the Pacific, on a roller coaster ride and hobbled world growth.

Salvage teams making progress removing boxes and fuel from MSC Baltic III

The Canadian Coast Guard reports the salvage teams working at the site of the grounded containership MSC Baltic III are continuing to make progress. They highlight that it remains an ongoing operation that is expected to take time.

Weather which had been a factor during the winter and early spring has improved giving the teams easier access to the vessel. In addition, one of the local mayors reported a light vehicle road was expected to be completed this week to give access for personnel into the remote area on the western shore of Newfoundland. The road is not for the removal of material from the ship.

IMO Secretary-General calls for ambitious investments in decarbonization

The global shipping industry must invest hundreds of billions of dollars in new technologies and alternative fuels to achieve net-zero emissions, maritime leaders said at an international forum in Monaco last weekend.

Speaking at the Blue Economy Finance Forum on Sunday, IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said that no matter what happens with new global carbon regulations, the sector's decarbonization effort will require stepped-up cooperation between shipping companies, fuel producers and port operators worldwide.

ONE tied to $1.76bn South Korean boxship order

Singapore-based, Japanese-owned carrier Ocean Network Express (ONE) has been tied to a recent order for a new series of large containerships placed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.

On Tuesday, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) announced that an Asia-based client had commissioned eight 15,900 teu vessels in a deal worth around $1.76bn. While the official announcement did not name the buyer, newbuilding sources have since identified the joint venture between NYK, MOL, and K Line as the contracting party.