Maersk North America Market Update - April 2024
Ocean and Key Ports Update
Situation in Baltimore
For the most recent updates on the Dali, including available channels and bookings in Baltimore, please visit our advisory page for all updates on this situation.
Situation in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden
At Maersk, we continue our assessment of the Red Sea/ Gulf of Aden situation and still believe that sailing via the Cape of Good Hope and around Africa is currently the most reasonable solution and the one that allows for more supply chain stability. With the Red Sea crisis still ongoing, plans are being made for the current rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope to be extended potentially for the remainder of the year.
The safety of our seafarers, vessels, and our customers’ cargo is our top priority, and as such, we are adjusting our services as needed to ensure as smooth operations as possible.
Visit our Stay Ahead site on the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden situation for our latest advisories.
Market Environment and Container Demand
As reported in our Q1 2024 Interim Report on May 2nd, the global economy continues to demonstrate a certain strength amid increasing confrontational geopolitics and high interest rates. Economic growth is expected to be around 2.5% in 2024, according to Oxford Economics, an upward revision from their forecasts at the beginning of the year. The U.S. consumer remains the bright spot in the global economy. Robust labor market conditions and real wage gains have contributed to a 2% increase in US goods consumption in Q1 y/y. In contrast, the European economy faced stagnation in Q1. Despite a strong labor market and wages growing above inflation, European consumers remain more cautious. Retail sales (excluding food and fuel) in the Euro Area were down 0.6% over the year in January-February, in line with downbeat sentiment. The growth outlook in China has slightly improved, driven by stronger-than-expected industrial production and exports, the latter supported by improved cost competitiveness. However, consumer demand remains subdued as households face the property market deleveraging.
Europe & the Mediterranean
We are facing high demand across trades, with some operational constraints and delays because of adverse weather conditions and terminal congestion. In response, we adjusted our schedules as necessary to address these challenges and our teams are focused on enhancing the performance of our TA3 service to improve schedule reliability.
In our Mediterranean services, we are working to clear backlog on the TA6, while adding focus to pre-carriage constraints from East Mediterranean hubs. As operational constraints may cause potential blankings, we are proactively utilizing an extra loader to prevent gaps in our schedule. We are closely working with our teams to optimize all empty space to connect volume in the Algeciras region.
Our CAE services are expected to be back to schedule within the next couple of weeks after experiencing some disruptions in Rotterdam. In the coming months, we are unwavering in our commitment to improving the reliability of our schedules on all services. This will enable our customers to better plan their supply chains and foster stronger trust and confidence in our operations.
Asia Pacific
Despite abundant risks to supply chains, demand for container trade increased in Q1 2024. Global container demand is estimated to have grown between 7 to 9% YOY with all import regions contributing positively. Import growth was strongest in North America, Latin America and Oceania. The top three fastest verticals in Q1 were retail, tech and lifestyle. Global container demand growth is expected to remain positive in coming quarters but likely at a slower pace.
India, Middle East & Africa
For our India, Middle East, and Africa imports, in our India Sub-Continent/Middle East trade, we continue to observe dynamic market conditions. As always, we are dedicated to delivering exceptional service, exemplified by our MECL and TP11 services sailing via the Cape of Good Hope, ensuring reliability and efficiency.
In the East Africa market, we are witnessing a rise in demand, particularly with the reopening of services to Djibouti. Although regional tensions pose uncertainties, we are monitoring the situation closely and will advise our customers of any changes.
Latin America
In our Latin America market, Maersk is implementing significant service updates to enhance connectivity and efficiency. For the West Coast South America region, our CLX service is set to resume operations in Pisco, Peru – effective April 28th. The change will aim to provide competitive transit times to North American markets and cater to the increased demand for avocados, citrus, and onions. Additionally, effective May 7th, the Atacama service will reintroduce its call in Coquimbo, Chile; this will allow a strategic position to the citrus market, improve inland-side efficiencies, and favorable transit times to key North American markets.
On to the Central America and Caribbean region, the SAE service announced its Northbound Guatemala call will move to Santo Tomas de Castilla. This change enables a double sailing from Guatemala to Port Everglades using both the SAE and BONITA services, enhancing connectivity and flexibility in the region. The revised rotation will be in effect May 11th, 2024.
Lastly, in the East Coast South America segment, Maersk will extend the Salvador, Brazil port omission in the UCLA service until the end of June. We are offering accessibility via the New Brasex service during this period. Customers can leverage new routings available out of the Gulf to Brazil, providing additional shipping options. Notably, the transit time from Houston to Manaus is approximately 47 days, offering reliable connectivity and service options to meet our diverse customer needs.
Panama Canal
As mentioned in our March Market Update, Maersk will reinstate the Panama Canal transit on our OC1 service, effective this month. In response to the present and projected water levels at Gatun Lake, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) continues to increase available transit slots to meet demand. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our services as necessary upon updates from the Panama Canal Authority.
Maersk’s 2025 Ocean Network Resources
Maersk’s preparations are well underway to advance on the design of our best-in-class ocean network that delivers on the needs of our customers through industry-leading reliability, reach, and speed. The network will be ready to implement from February 2025. Between now and then, we will continue to share insights into the network’s design and how it will achieve its goals. Please visit our Network of the Future page for more information. At the bottom of this page, you will find more information by trade, and be able to download One-Pagers and service maps for each trade for a more detailed view. Please note the network representation on these pages is subject to finalization including terminal berth windows.
Air Freight Update
Maersk announced this week that it has expanded its air freight operations footprint with the activation of a full-service, in-transit gateway solution in Miami.
Modeled after Maersk’s facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the gateway will focus on transshipping European and Asian cargo via Miami to Latin America with competitive connectivity on freighter and passenger capacity.
The new gateway is fully staffed by in-house Maersk Air Freight forwarding professionals. At 90,000 square feet, the facility is expected to have significant southward flows and offers key certifications, including:
- U.S. Customs bonded Container Freight Station (CFS)
- Certified Cargo Screening Facility (CCSF)
Maersk’s air freight cargo coverage extends to 70,000 airport pairings across more than 90 countries around the world. Maersk Air Freight solutions can be booked on Maersk.com with instant pricing and an option to combine them with value-added services. For more information on our air freight solutions and services to and from North America, please contact our team.
Product Spotlight:
Maersk ECO Delivery
Shipping your cargo via ocean is already the most energy efficient mode of transportation. Due to the sheer volume of cargo moved by sea, ocean transport is responsible for 3% of annual world emissions, which is roughly the size of Germany’s total footprint. For many of our customers, the total share of transport-related emissions is as high as 13% of their total footprint. The good thing is that solutions exist today to dramatically reduce emissions on ocean transport.
ECO Delivery gives customers the choice to ship their ocean cargo using low/very low emissions fuels since 2019 on every lane Maersk operates, globally.
Customers can choose ECO Delivery in ways that suit their business needs: by product or brand, by region (for example, Europe to avoid emissions surcharges), or by CO2e or monetary budget. In fact, a growing number of customers are electing ECO Delivery on 100% of their ocean cargo!
To provide more choice, from the beginning of 2024 Maersk offers ECO Delivery Ocean with 50% of the fuel being green fuel* to offer a lower cost option to reduce emissions. This product utilizes 50% low/very low emissions fuels and 50% VLSFO. It is 50% of the emissions savings as traditional ECO Delivery, but with a more affordable price tag.
Customers can choose ECO Delivery in ways that suit their business needs: by product or brand, by region (for example, Europe to avoid emissions surcharges), or by CO2e or monetary budget. In fact, a growing number of customers are electing ECO Delivery on 100% of their ocean cargo!
To provide more choice, from the beginning of 2024 Maersk offers ECO Delivery Ocean with 50% of the fuel being green fuel* to offer a lower cost option to reduce emissions. This product utilizes 50% low/very low emissions fuels and 50% VLSFO. It is 50% of the emissions savings as traditional ECO Delivery, but with a more affordable price tag.
The benefits of choosing Maersk ECO Delivery Ocean:
- Immediately reduce emissions by up to 82% Well-to-Wake as compared to VLSFO to help you meet your goals
- Shipments are exempt from applicable emissions surcharges when possible
- Every step of the process from fuel selection and purchase, to accounting emissions, to issuing certificates is done in conjunction with third parties providing credibility
- Flexible options that adapt to fit your every business need
*Maersk defines green fuels as fuels with at least 65% reductions in GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis compared to fossil reference
Visit Maersk ECO Delivery | Low-emissions Shipping | Maersk to learn more or reach out to your Maersk contact.
Topics, Trends, and Insights
Maersk’s Regional President for North America, Charles van der Steene, shares his thoughts on cross-border trade between Mexico and the U.S.
Cross-border trade between Mexico and the U.S. is growing above trend. In fact, it grew 10% in 2023, and U.S. land imports from Mexico are expected to remain strong as we look ahead.
Some might attribute this prediction to it being an important election year in the U.S. with potential trade policy implications, but we believe it’s in large part driven by the simple fact that shippers want to mitigate the supply chain risk that comes with anything that’s further away. Along with growth and reducing costs, mitigating risk and variability is a fundamental piece of any successful business.
We’re always looking around the corner at what’s next; we owe that to our customers. So, we anticipated this nearshoring effect in Mexico and turned our attention to building out integrated capabilities to help them tap into this opportunity. By leveraging our Lazaro Cardenas terminal, our connection with rails, and our growing network of warehouses and distribution centers, we can give them a chance to serve their North American market through Mexico as an entry point. It’s yet another example of how optionality and agility are quickly becoming imperative to a resilient supply chain. We cover this trend and more insights from 450 supply chain decision makers from North America and Europe in an impact report from The Economist which you can download here.
More News from Maersk from around the world
- The Economist launches an impact report for retailers including insights from more than 450 supply chain decisions makers across the North America and European regions.
- Four key levers shaping intermodal services in North America – Expert Opinion
- Dispelling small parcel shipping myths with Maersk’s last-mile solutions – Expert Opinion
- Maersk Q1 results in line with expectations amid ongoing Red Sea disruptions
- Maersk enhances ME2 service between India and North Europe ensuring shorter transit times
- Astrid Mærsk arrives in Shanghai for first green methanol bunkering in China, in partnership with SIPG
- Maersk employees innovate a system to deliver fresh water from Maersk’s vessels to ports
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You can also learn what’s happening in our regions by reading our Maersk Europe and Latin America updates in April.
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