Week 14 brings growing port congestion in Latin America, aggressive carrier cutbacks across the transpacific, and a new round of service suspensions—all while global freight networks adjust to shifting demand and trade policy changes.
WEEK 14: NEW U.S. TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT
Two new U.S. tariffs take effect this week that are in addition to the recent Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum and the IEEPA tariffs affecting goods from China, the EU, Mexico, and Canada.
April 2, 2025 – a 25% “secondary tariff” kicks in for goods coming from countries that purchase Venezuelan oil.
April 3, 2025 – a 25% tariff on imported passenger vehicles goes live under Section 232, with an additional 25% duty on auto parts expected by early May.
BIGGER SHIPS CREATES LONGER WAITS AT MEXICO PORTSÂ
Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo are seeing delays of up to five days as 12,000 to 16,000 TEU vessels call terminals built for much smaller ships. Carriers have added more tonnage to keep up with Latin America’s growing role in global manufacturing, but port infrastructure hasn’t caught up.
Analysts report vessel utilization on the Asia–Mexico lane averages around 50% due to seasonal demand patterns and tariff uncertainty. Some expect volumes to pick up in April and May, though concerns remain around additional services launching into already strained corridors.
ASIA-LATIN AMERICA: BLANK SAILINGS EASE, BUT CAPACITY CONCERNS REMAIN
The number of blank sailings between Asia and Latin America is decreasing, but capacity remains a focus. There are no blank sailings scheduled for April on the Asia–West Coast South America (WCSA) route, down from 12 in March. On the Asia–Mexico lane, March saw five blank sailings across four carriers; this will fall to three in April, all from Cosco. While some carriers are signaling confidence in demand recovery, analysts caution that uneven origin conditions and continued vessel injections may challenge the balance on the lane.
CARRIERS CUT CAPACITY AND SHIFT STRATEGIES
After several weeks of minimal response to softening post-Lunar New Year demand, carriers are taking more assertive actions. MSC has announced 12 blank sailings between Weeks 14 and 19—two each on the Pacific Southwest (PSW) and Pacific Northwest (PNW), and eight on the U.S. East Coast. Space availability varies significantly by origin and week. Some Southeast Asia and China ports are experiencing tight space conditions, while others report looser availability. As a result, planning cycles are becoming more fluid.
NEW SERVICE SUSPENSIONS HIT TRANSPACIFIC TRADE LADES
Several transpacific services have been suspended or scaled back in recent weeks as carriers continue to align service offerings with network priorities.
CMA has paused its CBX service until June 2025, with the final sailing—CMA CGM LA TRAVIATA 065E—departing Port Kelang on March 24. The multi-carrier loop included key Southeast and East Asia ports, plus U.S. East Coast gateways such as Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, and Miami.
MSC suspended its Mustang–PNW service in Week 10 and has not yet announced a restart. MSC now offers a single PNW service—Chinook—which is space-shared with ZIM.
TSL will suspend its AWC2 Pacific Southwest service starting in April. Launched in January 2025 with three vessels (1,800 to 2,950 TEUs), the service called Xiamen, Nansha, Shekou, Yantian, and Los Angeles.
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