|
|
The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
Friday, October 2 |
5 stories |
|
|
|
|
|
Port Houston is investing in infrastructure like expanding the Houston Ship Channel to support larger ships and more efficient flow of cargo.
|
|
|
|
|
Ocean
BY STUART CHIRLS · AMERICAN SHIPPER · OCTOBER 1, 2026
China’s Liner Shipping Connectivity Index more than doubled the scores of second-place South Korea and Singapore in new UN data, extending an advantage that’s held since 2023.
| THE TAKE — A connectivity score more than double your nearest competitor isn’t a close race — it’s a structural gap built on years of port infrastructure and shipping-line investment that’s hard for any single country to close quickly. The real story underneath the headline is the Persian Gulf volatility: Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq all posted double-digit declines, almost certainly tied to regional tensions, while China’s position just kept strengthening through the noise. That combination of Chinese dominance at the top and Gulf instability lower down the rankings is worth watching for how it reshapes which trade lanes carriers prioritize. |
|
Ocean
Oakland’s loaded cargo volumes fell 9% year-over-year in August even as full exports ticked up 2.9% from July, with vessel calls also declining from the prior year.
| THE TAKE — The 9% year-over-year drop in loaded cargo is a bigger story than the modest month-over-month export bump, especially with vessel calls falling from 90 to 82 — that’s fewer ships choosing to call Oakland at all, not just lighter loads on the ones that do. The port’s own framing, that export traffic is ‘running slightly ahead of 2025 pace,’ is true but undersells the broader erosion as carriers consolidate at LA-Long Beach and shift some routings to Canada. Oakland’s path forward looks increasingly tied to defending its export niche rather than competing on overall volume. |
|
Air Cargo
Alaska Airlines plans to lease four more converted 737-800 freighters, with two dedicated to intra-island Hawaii service, as it targets $750 million in cargo revenue by 2030.
| THE TAKE — Jumping from 6% to a targeted 50% share of intra-island Hawaii cargo is an aggressive goal, but Alaska’s broader numbers back up the ambition — cargo revenue already grew from $549 million in 2025 to a $316 million H1 2026 pace, and the Hawaiian Airlines acquisition expanded cargo operations by 57% in one move. The more interesting long-term bet might be the international expansion to 15 destinations by 2030, since VP Ian Morgan’s point about cargo contributing up to 20% of transpacific flight revenue suggests Alaska sees cargo as a margin lever on routes it’s already flying, not just a standalone business line. |
|
.jpg?timestamp=1785513479111) |
Rail & Infrastructure
A newly signed California law requiring environmental review for large coal export projects adds a fresh regulatory hurdle to the federally backed West Gateway Terminal planned for Oakland’s former Army Base.
| THE TAKE — The gap between the Energy Department’s $231 million cost estimate and the Utah counties’ own feasibility report at $430-625 million is the kind of discrepancy that tends to derail projects on its own, before California’s new environmental review requirement even gets involved. That the July report also disclosed open-air coal storage — a departure from earlier assurances of full enclosure — gives environmental advocates concrete ammunition rather than speculative concerns. With a 53-month construction timeline already pushing past the original 2028 target, AB 40’s review requirement makes an on-time opening look increasingly unlikely. |
|
Air Cargo
Ethiopian Airlines ordered eight 777-8 freighters and two current-model 777 cargo jets, becoming the first African carrier to commit to Boeing’s next-generation freighter.
| THE TAKE — Ethiopian becoming the launch African customer for the 777-8 freighter, right on the heels of Airbus’s first A350 freighter test flight, shows how directly Boeing and Airbus are now competing for the same widebody freighter customers in emerging markets. Boeing’s 89 firm 777-8 orders versus Airbus’s 115 A350 orders puts Airbus modestly ahead on paper, but Ethiopian’s existing 18-aircraft Boeing cargo fleet and 70-plus market network make this look more like fleet continuity than a competitive win up for grabs. The real uncertainty is timing: with 777-8 certification delays already possible, Ethiopian may be waiting past 2029 to actually take delivery. |
|
|
| |
OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL, CHATTANOOGA, TN
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
|
|
American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
|
|
|
.png?timestamp=1785513457419)
