Businesses are navigating mixed signals: Golden Week slowdowns in Asia, uneven flows amid ongoing tariff reviews, and service adjustments across key trades, alongside resilient demand on non-U.S.-China corridors. Notably, Far East Asia-U.S. container volumes are up, underscoring continued U.S.-bound flows from Southeast Asia. Inland networks remain sensitive to capacity and regulatory changes. This month’s update gives clear actions on ocean, LCL options, customs readiness, inland planning, warehousing strategy, and ground freight capacity so clients can protect Q4 arrivals and prepare for holiday demand, Maersk said.
Ocean Update includes several services: Europe to North America; Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa to North America Asia-Pacific to North America. Itss East-West (Gemini) network continues to deliver strong reliability with Maersk Transpacific Eastbound services.
“Effective October 14, 2025, the U.S. will begin phasing in new service fees for maritime transport services of Chinese-owned and Chinese-built vessels calling U.S. ports, introduced gradually over a three-year period. We do not plan to apply any surcharge in connection with this rule, and we do not anticipate changes to our U.S. port rotations or your existing service plans. We will continue to monitor the rollout and keep you informed so you can plan with confidence”
The United States has implemented new tariffs ranging from 10% to 50% on a broad range of imports, with a notable impact on copper, auto parts, and goods originating from India and Brazil. These measures are already influencing supply chains, and you should anticipate higher landed costs, potential delivery delays, and increased pressure to adjust sourcing and inventory strategies accordingly.
Maersk says it has launched the Trade & Tariff Studio, an AI-powered platform that gives clients product-level insights to identify tariff exposure, uncover compliance risks, and find duty-saving opportunities. “We proactively screen transactional and master data to flag risks early, before they lead to delays, audits, or penalties. Pre Screening reviews upstream data such as purchase orders for potential forced labor, sanctions, or denied party risks. Tariff Management analyzes your master data for tariff rates, regulatory requirements, sourcing options, and classification accuracy. Our customs advisors can also help you restructure import flows and adapt logistics models to minimize duty exposure. Request a demo with our experts,” Maersk said.
