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Shipping Giants Eye NY/NJ Port Terminal; Maersk Plans Job Cuts; AI Boom Buoys Suppliers By Mark R. Long | WSJ Logistics Report

Some of the world's largest ocean carriers and port operators are circling the biggest container-handling facility at the busiest U.S. East Coast port, the WSJ Logistics Report's Paul Berger writes.

Companies and investors are targeting Maher Terminals, a 450-acre site at the Port of New York and New Jersey , that could command more than $3 billion, according to people familiar with the pending sale process. The current owner, Macquarie Asset Management, hasn't launched an official sale process. Nevertheless, talks with prospective buyers are accelerating after Macquarie recently secured a 33-year lease extension for the terminal, one of the people said.

Maritime companies have anticipated the sale of the Maher Terminals' for years. It can accommodate six or seven of the largest containerships that call at the port, almost double the space of its next largest terminal. Carriers such as Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd have expressed interest in Maher, according to people familiar with the process. So too have port operators such as Singapore's PSA International and Dubai-based DP World.

Panama's president said contracts to operate two ports run for decades by Hong Kong's CK Hutchison would never again be issued to a single company . (Reuters) China is asking state companies to stop discussions about new projects

in Panama in retaliation for the Central American nation's voiding of CK Hutchison's contract. (Bloomberg) Abu Dhabi's AD Ports won a 30-year concession

to operate the Jordanian port of Aqaba. (The National) CONTENT FROM: PENSKE Gain Momentum. Gain Ground With Penske Logistics.

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Number of the Day Ocean Shipping

A.P. Moller-Maersk said its earnings would drop sharply this year and said it would cut 1,000 jobs as part of a plan to save around $180 million a year . The Danish container carrier said it expects industry overcapacity this year as Red Sea transits

gradually resume, which will continue to pressure freight rates, the WSJ's Dominic Chopping writes.

Overcapacity pushed average freight rates 23% lower across all shipping routes in the fourth quarter, driving a $153 million earnings loss at Maersk's main shipping business. Maersk said global container-volume growth is seen at between 2% and 4% this year and it expects to grow in line with the market.

In addition to cutting costs, Maesk plans to reorganize its logistics-and-services business, regrouping it into three subsegments: landside, forwarding and solutions.

Construction

The AI data-center construction boom is sending a wave of money flooding into contractors, cooling firms and electrical-equipment makers. This has led a widening array of companies to change business models, raise cash and tether their fortunes to the AI boom , the WSJ's David Uberti and Nicholas G. Miller write.

JE Dunn Construction, for one, now expects data-center projects to account for upward of 40% of its portfolio, after expecting them to make up no more than 30%. A deal with Meta sent shares of fiber-optic giant Corning surging last month. Electrical supply-chain firm Wesco has ramped up its data-center business through acquisitions, while Carrier Global is offsetting a stagnant housing market with its business cooling the facilities.

One risk is that a comment from a top tech executive can set off a market spiral. HVAC stocks plunged last month after Nvidia's CEO said the company's next-generation chips allow for warm-water cooling, which could curb the need for some chilling products.

Amazon said it expected to make capital expenditures of $200 billion in 2026, as it accelerates spending on AI projects . (WSJ) Quotable In Other News Open jobs in the U.S. economy decreased by nearly one million

last year, totaling just over 6.5 million in December, according to the Labor Department. (WSJ) U.S. jobless claims rose to a higher-than-expected 231,000

in the week through Jan. 31, up from 209,000 a week earlier, the Labor Department said. (WSJ) German manufacturing orders unexpectedly rose 7.8%

in December, the strongest monthly increase in two years, following a 5.7% rise in November. (WSJ) Canada replaced its electric-vehicle sales mandate with stricter tailpipe-emissions standards , aiming for carbon reduction equal to 75% EV sales by 2035. (WSJ) Nvidia warned Trump administration officials that recently released rules governing chip exports

to China are too strict and would destroy demand. (WSJ) Volkswagen and the UAW reached a tentative deal for over 3,000 workers at the automaker's Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, including 20% raises over four years . (WSJ) Rio Tinto ended talks

with Glencore regarding a potential merger. (WSJ) Barrick Mining plans to spin off its North American gold operations

into a new, separately listed company. (WSJ) GXO Logistics and BAE Systems struck a six-year pact to extend their U.K. logistics partnership , which will support the British defense firm's shipbuilding operations. (Logistics Manager) The captain of the container ship that crashed into a tanker off the U.K. coast last year, killing one, was sentenced to six years in prison . $(BBC)$ The federal spending bill signed by President Trump includes $200 million to expand truck parking nationwide . (TruckingDive) Forty percent of large warehouses and distribution centers will use gamification to engage employees

by 2028, according to research from Gartner. (SupplyChain24/7) Sales of used Class 8 heavy-duty trucks rose 8.8% from a year earlier to 23,600 units in December, according to data from ACT Research. (Transport Topics)

On this week's Dow Jones Risk Journal Podcast: The expiration of the last U.S.-Russia nuclear arms-control treaty removes key safeguards, deepening uncertainty for governments and global business. Also, hackers target unhappy company insiders. James Rundle hosts. You can listen to new episodes every Friday on Apple Podcasts , Spotify

and Amazon .

About Us

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at [mark.long@wsj.com]. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long , Liz Young and Paul Berger .

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 06, 2026 07:05 ET (12:05 GMT)

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