8 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com Delivering what your customers need. Whether it’s steel coil, grain, lumber, or oversized heavy-lift cargo for the energy and industrial sectors, you can count on Port Houston to deliver what you need at our multi-purpose facilities. Flexibility and connectivity set us apart, and a skilled and dedicated labor force gives you reliability. Get your cargo to your customers faster by choosing Port Houston. www.porthouston.com Port Houston City Docks an Odesa office scaled back, though not closed, since the war with Russia began. The direct busi- ness impact has been limited, Stolyarov said, since the Black Sea was never a defining market for VAR- AMAR globally — and he remains hopeful postwar reconstruction will generate new project work. The broader lesson, drawn from his own ear- lier career at Maersk, was about the pace of change: 15 years ago, he recalled, Russia and Ukraine were both emerging markets on Maersk’s growth agenda; today, Maersk has exited Russia entirely. “We can be absolutely certain that we don’t know what’s going to happen in five years,” he said, citing the on-again, off-again status of Suez, the Strait of Hormuz and the Panama Canal as reasons to favor tonnage that can shift between deep-sea and short-sea trades as routes open and close. Asked to close with a simple question — should the industry order more ships? — the panel answered almost in unison, with the details doing the real talking. Kuźmicki said Chipolbrok will take delivery of ten vessels across this year and next, growing its owned fleet from 32 to 42 ships against a target of around 50, while continuing to charter in additional tonnage — 16 vessels at present. Capt. Yang confirmed Baosheng has roughly ten more 14,000-dwt vessels on order, plus around ten more in its newer MPV class, split between owned and joint investment. Bunk was more equivocal, describing “two hearts beating in dif- ferent directions”: tight tonnage supports strong charter rates, but the market will still need modern replacement ships as older vessels retire. His con- clusion was that there remains room for more newbuildings — just not, for Auerbach, above the 20,000-dwt mark. Editor’s note: Luke King attended the Xinde Marine Forum in Hamburg on September 1, 2026. He is the founder of the Project Cargo Professionals podcast and a contributor to AJOT. Flatbed spot rates stay strong as demand exceeds capacity Construction work in the US, on projects like data centers, has risen boosting demand for flatbeds. (STRONG – continued on page 20) By Debra Phillips, AJOT Flatbed spot rates are climbing as demand increases and capacity tightens. Although spring and summer are typically peak seasons for com- modities moving on flatbed trailers, 2026 rates have risen as much as 41% year over year, according to ACT Research. DAT Freight Research reports that, in some weeks, flatbed spot rates have reached their highest levels in more than a decade. Flatbed con- tract rates have also increased. According to ACT, rates, excluding fuel, increased in July to a record $3.09 per mile and were 20% higher year-over-year. These rate increases do not reflect a broad recovery from the “freight recession,” but can be attributed to an increased demand for construction projects, manufacturing returning to the US, and limited capacity due to many carriers and owner-op- erators that have left the trucking industry. Construction Demand is Strong in Certain Market Sectors Construction industry growth is not being driven by a broad housing boom, as housing has remained relatively stable. Instead, tech companies are investing billions of dollars this year in proj- ects supporting AI-driven data centers. The US data center construction market is valued at more than $83 billion and is projected to exceed $154 billion by 2031. These projects require steel beams, HVAC systems, generators, electrical equipment, and other heavy, oversized materials that move exclusively on flatbed and open-deck trailers. Nearshoring is Resulting in Fewer Imports and More Domestic Shipments The demand for domestic flatbed trucking capacity is also reflective of a significant change in the way many U. S. corporations approach supply chain strategy. The practice of nearshoring, placing manufacturing facilities closer to the end consumer, Delivery of a second Tunnel Boring Machine for the Hudson Tunnel Project at the Port of Baltimore. (CASE – continued from page 6)
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