Confused By New USTR Port Fees? What Shippers Need to Know

International shipping is, by its very nature, risky business. So many things can disrupt a global supply chain, from sluggish port operations to geopolitical conflict to capacity shortages. Heck, even the weather can set a supply chain off its course, careening toward disaster!

According to Statista, the volume of seaborne trade reached nearly 12.3 billion metric tons in 2024. With so much cargo to move (and so much profit on the line), who do shippers trust to safely shepherd their freight through international waters?
A foreign trade zone (FTZ) allows companies to defer, reduce, or eliminate customs duties on imported goods.
Using an FTZ warehouse or yard can reduce tariff costs by allowing assembly or manufacturing before duties apply.
FTZs provide operational flexibility, especially for complex supply chains importing multi-component goods.
Bonded warehouses offer simpler compliance but fewer manipulation options and limited storage duration.

The fear of cargo being lost, damaged, or otherwise compromised in transit is a common one. For shippers with international supply chains, these anxieties are intensified by unpredictable factors like war and geopolitical tensions, tariffs, piracy, natural disasters, and more.
Transloading vs cross-docking — what's the difference?
While both are commonly-used logistics methods, the difference between transloading and cross-docking is their purposes.
Transloading focuses on transferring goods between different modes of transportation, often with additional handling steps, while cross-docking focuses on quickly moving goods from inbound to outbound trucks with minimal storage time.


The Port of Baltimore channel has fully reopened to all vessel traffic as of June 10, 2024, following 11 weeks of painstaking progress clearing debris from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.


There are 195 countries in the world. The majority of these nations have different governmental structures, values and cultural histories. 194 of these countries are foreign to you.
Posted by Patrick Eversman and Jerry Ramirez on May 19, 2025 3:05:00 PM
Posted by Carl Verdon on Feb 12, 2025 9:00:00 AM
According to Statista, the volume of seaborne trade reached nearly 12.3 billion metric tons in 2024. With so much cargo to move (and so much profit on the line), who do shippers trust to safely shepherd their..
Posted by Brandon Nelson on Oct 23, 2024 9:00:00 AM
A foreign trade zone (FTZ) allows companies to defer, reduce, or eliminate customs duties on imported goods.
Using an FTZ warehouse or yard can reduce tariff costs by allowing..
Posted by Carl Verdon on Sep 25, 2024 3:31:08 PM
The fear of cargo being lost, damaged, or otherwise compromised in transit is a common one. For shippers with international supply chains, these anxieties are intensified by unpredictable factors like war and..
Posted by Carl Verdon on Jun 13, 2024 3:46:40 PM
The Port of Baltimore channel has fully reopened to all vessel traffic as of June 10, 2024, following 11 weeks of painstaking progress clearing debris from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Posted by Carl Verdon on Dec 13, 2021 10:00:00 AM
There are 195 countries in the world. The majority of these nations have different governmental structures, values and cultural histories. 194 of these countries are foreign to you.
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