Supply Chain Research

The container-lines operating U.S.-inbound services had a tough 3Q, with volumes up by just 1.2% year over year. That followed a lackluster 1.7% rise in 2Q. The U.S.-China trade war is mostly to blame. Maersk was one of the worst performers with a 5.2% slide in U.S.-inbound shipments from all origins in 3Q, reversing a 7.0% improvement in 2Q. It may have lost out to Evergreen Marine and Hapag-Lloyd which experienced growth of 5.1% and 4.7% respectively in 3Q, though in both cases that was a slower rate than in 2Q. Maersk’s downturn may be due to a desire to maintain profit margins over m...