What a wider Panama Canal means for American commerce

We are all very interested to see what the exact impact of an expanded Panama Canal will have on trade flows, particularly those into and out of the US, and what role its sometimes-troubled west coast ports will play in the country’s container supply chains of the future. Predictions have varied and several factors remain unknown: the response of the Suez Canal, which currently handles most Asia-US east coast services; the response of west coast ports themselves, which are increasing productivity levels and gaining valuable experience of handling ULCVs. However, US freight forwarder Flexport has penned this interesting blog on some expected ramifications, which include the forecast that west coast ports could see their share of the US market decline from 65% to 55%.