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The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
WED · SEP 16 · 2026 |
4 stories |
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Avoid congestion and costly delays. Seattle-Tacoma’s fluid terminal operations, on-dock rail and 2-3 day rail dwell will speed your cargo to its final destination.
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OCEAN · CONTAINER SHIPPING
BY STUART CHIRLS · AMERICAN SHIPPER · SEP 15, 2026
U.S. box imports hit 2,603,709 TEUs in August, up 3.8% from July and the third-highest monthly total on record, as East and Gulf Coast ports grew their share of volume to 40.7% while the West Coast slipped to 43.9%; China-origin cargo rose to 884,318 TEUs even as transit delays lengthened at Houston and Seattle.
| THE TAKE — THE TAKE — Volume climbing at Gulf and East Coast gateways while transit times stretch out at Houston and Seattle suggests shippers are diversifying routings faster than terminals can absorb the shift — anyone still concentrated on the West Coast should watch whether this rebalancing accelerates once peak-season volumes land. |
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OCEAN · CARRIER STRATEGY
Hapag-Lloyd’s Rolf Habben Jansen said container demand has held up better than expected despite tariffs, but warned that Strait of Hormuz risk, suspended transits and elevated bunker and insurance costs — which hit $50-60 million a week in June — are clouding the outlook even as the carrier normalizes more Suez routings with Gemini partner Maersk and pursues its $4.2 billion Zim acquisition.
| THE TAKE — THE TAKE — Resuming Suez routings while still avoiding the Strait of Hormuz shows carriers are treating these as two separate risk calculations, not one broad Middle East pullback — shippers negotiating fourth-quarter contracts should ask carriers directly which chokepoints their specific strings still avoid. |
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OCEAN · RED SEA
Carriers are restoring an estimated 25% of Asia-Europe Red Sea capacity in September even as Houthi forces seize a strategic port and island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with Asia-Mediterranean routes recovering fastest while Asia-North Europe capacity remains largely rerouted around Africa; spot rates have already eased 3-12% on the affected lanes.
| THE TAKE — THE TAKE — Rates falling before the security picture has actually improved signals carriers are pricing in a return to the Red Sea that hasn’t happened yet — shippers locking in the lower spot rates now should keep a contingency routing ready in case the Houthis’ territorial gains translate into renewed attacks. |
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AIR CARGO · SAFETY
Amazon paused operations with 21 Air after a Sept. 6 crash in which one of the carrier’s Boeing 767-300 freighters overran the runway at Miami International, struck two vehicles and killed five people; Amazon plans to shift the seven aircraft’s routes to ABX Air and Air Transport International while investigators and the company review 21 Air’s safety practices.
| THE TAKE — THE TAKE — Leaning on ABX Air and ATI to absorb the routes works for now, but transferring aircraft between operators typically takes about a year — shippers dependent on Amazon Air capacity should expect tighter conditions heading into peak season if the 21 Air pause outlasts a quick fix. |
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| Get a behind-the-scenes look at one of North America’s leading trade gateways. This short video shows how the Northwest Seaport Alliance is creating opportunities, moving cargo, and keeping supply chains connected: Watch the video. |
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OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL, CHATTANOOGA · 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.
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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