Inland logistics

Transpacific shipping pressure is moving from ocean freight rates to inland costs, with attention turning to trucking, rail, ports and terminal handling as the new cost drivers on Asia-US routes. Shippers and logistics providers are watching whether inland bottlenecks and surcharges replace vessel rates as the main factor squeezing supply chain budgets in the coming weeks.

Vessels have started calling at the Port of Savannah's Ocean Terminal in Georgia, marking the launch of operations at the facility. The development is being reported in rail industry news, as the terminal is closely tied to freight rail connections that move cargo inland from the busy Southeast US port.

Maersk has been building out its logistics services in the United States, expanding beyond its core ocean freight business into warehousing, inland transport and integrated supply chain offerings. The move reflects the Danish shipping giant's strategy to become a full end-to-end logistics provider, competing with the likes of DHL and Kuehne+Nagel on land as well as at sea.