Trendwatch: Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd resume four routes through Suez Canal; US oil export ban unlikely to lower energy prices, Interior secretary says; EU chief wants Canada to become an ‘associate member’. What does that mean?

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd resume four routes through Suez Canal 

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's are resuming sailings through the Suez Canal for four joint container routes, as the carriers look to bring more shipping options online through the long-contested waterway. 

According to a September 14 release, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are restarting Suez transits for their AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 Gemini network services through the Suez Canal. That will be in addition to AE15 and AE19 services that already operate through the canal. The AE5 route connects Asia and Northern Europe, AE11 and AE12 both connect Asia to the Mediterranean, and ME2 links India and Europe. 

The companies' Gemini network was launched in February 2025 as a means to coordinate ships, schedules and cargo capacity across a shared network of container routes. The network includes 29 mainline services, with 11 of those routes connecting Europe with Asia and the Middle East. Six of those 11 routes have now resumed transits through the Suez Canal, following several months where vessels were forced to reroute around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. 

EPA to end rules on power plant emissions 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will scrap some rules that limit pollution from coal and gas power plants. The government agency added that it is seeking to get rid of all greenhouse gas rules for the power sector, and will take steps to prevent future administrations from regulating power plant emissions. 

BBC News reports the EPA claims that getting rid of a majority of the climate rules introduced during the presidency of Joe Biden would save $310 billion and reduce energy prices. 

The EPA said in a statement that it had determined the Biden-era rules on power plant emissions had "exceeded the agency's authority,” and that the regulations required "control technologies that are not adequately demonstrated, effectively forcing plants to retire rather than setting standards they could actually meet." 

US oil export ban unlikely to lower energy prices, Interior secretary says 

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Monday that a ban on U.S. oil or fuel exports would be unlikely to help lower energy prices for consumers amidst the Iran war.  

"We would consider an export ban if we thought that actually might lower prices, but that's not the case," Burgum told reporters at a G20 meeting on energy in Houston. 

Burgum, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said that bans on oil, gasoline or diesel exports could lead to retaliatory actions from other countries, which could hurt consumers in states like California, which depends partially on energy imports. 

"We stop exporting product, and then somebody says, 'We're not going to export to California,'" Burgum said.  

EU chief wants Canada to become an ‘associate member’. What does that mean? 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the European Union's first "associate member". 

Earlier this week, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney — who was in Strasbourg to listen to von der Leyen's annual State of the Union address — said Canada was seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU but not membership. 

There is currently no such status as "associate member" set out in the European Union's treaties — though various versions of an associate-type of membership have been floated in the bloc over the years.

Foreign-Trade Zones can mitigate high US tariffs & create new economic development 

The advent of higher tariffs under the Trump administration is prompting US importers and manufacturers to mitigate higher costs through Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs), according to Trey Boring, President of IMS Worldwide. 

Boring spoke at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Expo 2026 in Long Beach, California, on September 15. 

Boring explained the concept: “And recently, with the advent of a lot of the newer duty rates, what we do have now is a broader spectrum of companies needing foreign-trade zones. So, those of us in the service-provider realm—if you’re a freight forwarder, if you’re somebody that moves containers for people—this has become a bigger deal because more and more companies are now pushing FTZs into their supply chain … What an FTZ … basically allows us to establish is an area like a bonded warehouse, except one that is a little more free and open to run like a business.”