May 5, 2025 | Page 9

Spotlight
Jonas Weinitschke / Shutterstock. com Robert V Schwemmer / Shutterstock. com and standalone Mediterranean Shipping Co.( MSC), analysts say. While ocean visibility provider eeSea and Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis both emphasized that a full evaluation of schedule reliability will not be possible until July, once a full rotation of deep-sea services has been completed, data for February and March has Gemini firmly in front. According to eeSea CEO Simon Sundboell, Gemini has cautioned that several months will pass before the network is fully in place, but they’ re off to a good start with 86 % on-time performance in the first quarter. However, this is expected given that the network starts off with a blank slate and all vessel positions at zero as they start out on their respective new loops, Sundboell clarified. Gemini’ s network is structured around a huband-spoke approach, as opposed to the direct port-to-port services that MSC and the other alliances offer. When fully rolled out, Gemini will operate 28 shuttle services, a factor that has raised concerns among shippers that have a historic dislike of transshipment. Still, the initial results are encouraging.
Congress takes aim at cargo theft
A bipartisan coalition of federal lawmakers has introduced legislation to combat theft from truck trailers and shipping containers as it has become more frequent and sophisticated in the last three years. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025( CORCA) seeks to strengthen laws and enhance coordination between law enforcement, shippers and carriers through an“ Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center” within the Department of Homeland Security to share intelligence and coordinate federal investigations. The legislation would broaden federal statutes to treat cargo theft as an interstate commerce crime, allowing prosecutors to aggregate losses from multiple thefts totaling at least $ 5,000 within a 12-month period into a felony charge. The measures address complaints from BNSF Railway and CSX Transportation that crimes are prosecuted on a“ per container basis.” The bill would also treat organized cargo theft as an underlying federal offense and allow law enforcement to seize vehicles, warehouses and financial proceeds connected to theft operations, while carrying a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. This is the third attempt to pass CORCA after prior versions failed in 2022 and 2023, but it’ s the first version to address cargo theft in trucking and rail.

Start the conversation

11447
Deliver your brand messaging to our audience across platforms
— Magazine— Events— Online— Multimedia— Lead Generation— Custom Content— Webcasts www. joc. com May 5, 2025 | Journal of Commerce 9