Maersk’s APM Terminals has reached an agreement with unions to allow investments in automation of Pier 400 at Los Angeles. That’s an important step in development that few other ports have achieved so far, though it has come as volumes handled may have declined. Maersk’s seaborne shipments into LA – a proxy for Pier 400 activity – fell 13.8% year over year in 2Q. While it is tempting to blame the trade war, shipments from China only fell 8.9%, while rest-of-world shipments dropped 24.3%. A more aggressive approach to market share may be needed to take cu...