Top Trans-Pacific Carriers and Ports

Special Report

‘ The frontloading is real’

Import volumes this spring have exceeded many projections, given macroeconomic factors such as US GDP growth below expectations in the first quarter, said Michael Britton, head of North America ocean products at Maersk. However, customer forecasts indicated there was strength in the trans-Pacific market.

“ We do a lot of work with a lot of different customers. And when we look at some of their forecasts, they were already indicating May and June were going to be higher than April,” Britton said.

Since demand will likely remain strong into July, customers could expect at least one more GRI on July 1 and another PSS during the month as well, said Christian Sur, executive director of global sales at forwarder Glovis America.

“ Carriers are certainly trying to take advantage of the situation,” Sur said.“ Timing is everything.”

A second carrier executive said they expect frontloading of fall and holiday merchandise to continue in July and possibly through August.

“ The frontloading is real,” the source said.

“ There are no ships that are all of a sudden going to quickly move to the trans-Pacific.”

June 21 was the earliest UP has imposed a peak season surcharge since 2021. Brandon Bell / Getty Images

UP imposes peak season surcharge on low-volume shippers

By Ari Ashe

The National Retail Federation( NRF) has upgraded its forecast for imports in June, confirming that the peak shipping season has come early this year, as it did in 2025, 2024 and 2022. But the NRF said the spike will be short-lived, lowering its prior forecast for imports through the rest of the summer and into early fall.

An index produced by maritime intelligence provider Vizion showed booking demand for Chinese imports increasing. The index hit its 2026 high of 117 for the week ended May 11, the most recent data available.

Last summer, US imports from Asia climbed rapidly in June, peaked in July and then fell just as quickly as they rose, but the current environment does not compare to last summer, said Jason Cook, CEO of Ardent Global Logistics.

Growth last summer was confined to the US, and carriers were able to redeploy vessels from other trades, so the price spike lasted only two months. This year, demand is also strong and rates are moving higher in the Asia-Europe, Asia-Mediterranean and South American trades, limiting the capacity and equipment that can be deployed on trans-Pacific routes, Cook said.

“ This time around, it’ s different. There are no ships that are all of a sudden going to quickly move to the trans-Pacific,” he said.“ That might mean you’ re going to get [ rates ] higher for longer.”

email bill. mongelluzzo @ spglobal. com email: mark. szakonyi @ spglobal. com

Union Pacific Railroad’ s( UP) $ 500 peak-season surcharge on low-volume shippers is the latest sign that rising truckload rates and fuel surcharges are pushing more freight onto the rails.

The surcharge, in effect since June 21, applies to shippers moving fewer than five loads per week using UP-owned EMP and UMAX containers originating in Southern California. In a June 11 customer advisory, UP also declared Chicago, Laredo and all of California as“ constrained,” meaning intermodal providers are held to a strict“ weekly capacity commitment” on how many rail boxes can be used.

“ Union Pacific is experiencing an increase in the demand for EMP and UMAX domestic containers across our network, which we really appreciate,” the railroad said in the advisory.“ In order to reflect the current value of our capacity and reliable service, we’ re inserting a surcharge... to ensure adequate capacity for our yearround customers.”

While that threshold exempts larger shippers moving dozens or hundreds of loads per week, the surcharge nonetheless reflects how quickly rail-owned domestic container capacity has tightened in some markets. It is the earliest UP has imposed a peak season surcharge since 2021.

Domestic container moves grew a combined 8.8 % year over year in March, April and May, according to the Intermodal Association of North America( IANA).

16 Journal of Commerce | July 6, 2026 www. joc. com