b'16American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comTariffs add toOCEAN CARRIER market uncertainty REVIEW 2025TheTrumpAdministrationsglobaltariff attack muddies the outlook of ocean carriers in 2025and maybe beyond.By Stuart Todd, AJOTPeter Sand is chief analystlikely to continue the down-at Xeneta, the ocean and airward trajectory.freightratebenchmarkingSand warned that carriers andmarketintelligenceare likely to tap into the fear platform, whose portfolio ofcaused by the tariffs to arrest shippercustomersincludesthis decline just as they had some of the worlds leadingon 1 April when spot rates to multi-nationals. the U.S. East and West Coast In an interview with AJOT,increasedby8%and14% Sandconsideredthecurrentrespectively.Thisincrease stateofcontainershippingwillnotlast,soshippers and the market outlook, whilemust trust the data, shut out sharing his views on a varietythe noise, and target the right of issues facing the differentlevel (of rates).players in the sector, including(TARIFFScontinued on US tariff policy, the prospectpage 18) The ONE Eagle lands at the Port of New York and New Jersey.of a return to safe navigation in the Red Sea and commer-cial relations between the box linesandtheirshippercus-tomers.Healsocommented on the latest developments in the lines alliances.t Axes Andt AriFFsHe began with the shock-wavessentthroughglobal supplychainsasaresultof theLiberationDaytariffs on U.S. imports on 2 April. It is impossible to downplay the significance of the tariffs imposed by President Trump becausetheyareonascale neverseenbefore,bothin terms of geography and finan-cial severity. The tariffs will shift global trade on its axis andtheimpactwillbepro-foundandlasting. Although atthiswriting,Trumphas pausedthetariffsonsemi-conductors,andelectronics deviceslikesmartphones and tablets the damage to the globaleconomyisalready evident. And the Administra-tionhasalsopausedtariffs for90-daysforothercoun-tries and the EU has similarly pausedtheirretaliatorytar-iffstoallowtimefornego-tiations. What remains is the otherUStariffsonChinese goods and the retaliatory tar-iffs China has placed. At this stageverylittleismoving betweentheUSandChina, whichrankoneandtwoas global economies.Sandhighlightedthat a10%hikeindutieson Chinese-origin,effective1 February,hadalreadycon-tributedtoafall-offinbox volumes in the first quarter of the year. This was borne out bydatafromXenetawhich showedthataveragespot ratesontheFarEastfront-haulsintotheUSEastand West Coast have fallen 43% and 50% respectively since 1 January, he said.And with the front-load-ingseenearlierintheyear noweasing,spotratesare'