TRADLINX

The D.C. Circuit upheld the FMC’s rule defining when carriers unlawfully refuse to negotiate vessel space, rejecting a challenge from the World Shipping Council. The FMC can now treat extreme pricing as evidence of bad faith, require annual documented export policies, and evaluate complaints without deferring to vague “business decision” defenses. This post explains what the ruling means for shippers and carriers in a market already under surcharge and capacity pressure.

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire was supposed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It hasn’t. Fewer than 10 vessels per day are transiting, no major carrier has resumed Gulf services, and war risk insurance remains unavailable at commercial rates. Here’s the carrier-by-carrier status, the three barriers that haven’t moved, and what to verify before changing any routing decisions.

MSC updated emergency fuel surcharge rates on three trade lane groups since April 7. Maersk, ONE, and CMA CGM all activate new or revised surcharges on April 18. Here’s the updated carrier-by-carrier status for ocean and inland EFS across MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, and OOCL — plus what the bunker correction tells you about May.

USTR launched two Section 301 investigations in March 2026 targeting 60+ economies, covering structural excess manufacturing capacity and forced labor enforcement. These are explicitly designed to replace the IEEPA tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, with a target timeline before the Section 122 authority expires on July 24. This post covers what each investigation targets, which sectors and countries are at risk, and what importers should be doing before the May hearings.