May 5, 2025 | Page 65

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRADE AND LOGISTICS

“ Right now, we find ourselves in an interesting geopolitical climate with tariffs at the forefront,” Krawczyk said.

“ As the reciprocal tariffs were announced, carriers and NVOs [ nonvessel-operating common carriers ] alike witnessed importers and exporters hitting the pause button, or cancelling bookings, to try and get a feel for how this situation was going to shake out.”

He noted that only time will tell, but he remains positive the Pacific Northwest is well-positioned for success, despite how tariffs may impact global trade.

“ We’ re continuing to invest in the Pacific Northwest because we know the region’ s strategic importance is only increasing— especially if we see a surge in volume following potential tariff relief later this year,” Krawczyk said.“ We’ ve expanded our warehousing footprint, increased chassis availability and added more transload flexibility to support that growth.”

Tahoma Global Logistics( TGL) is also feeling the effects, reporting elevated equipment dwell times and increased storage volumes for container and chassis depots. On the transloading side, TGL CEO Pat Roche anticipates a short-term slowdown in activity based on reduced carrier booking volumes across key ocean trade lanes.

“ Ongoing disruptions have extended the typical post-Lunar New Year slack period for container owners, ocean carriers and chassis providers, largely due to uncertainty surrounding tariff changes,” Roche said.“ The full impact remains to be seen, but we are staying agile and continuously assessing strategies to mitigate these risks.”

Mitigating the fallout Although it is impossible to predict the impact of tariffs, the logistics service companies serving the Pacific Northwest are prepared to solve their customers’ supply chain needs.

“ We have many experts and integrated supply chain solutions that we can leverage to help customers make strategic supply chain decisions,” said Justin Ernest, vice president of regional sales at Lineage Logistics.

For example, Ernest pointed to Lineage’ s bonded warehouse space at select sites, which can help importers with cash flows. When using bonded warehousing space, duties or tariffs are not paid until the goods leave the bonded warehouse for domestic consumption. It could also be used to maintain a strategic supply of product to be released to the US market, as needed.

At Sun Chief, Krawczyk noted the business is focused on creating an environment where simplicity equals reliability.

“ Whether it’ s a softer market with widespread blank sailings, or a demanddriven market like we saw in 2024, neither scenario plays out favorably for importers— and I’ m not sure there will ever be a‘ vanilla’ year in this trade lane,” he said.