Carmen Gerace

The trans-Atlantic may not be the dominant container market, but it remains dependable for hungry ocean consolidators and forwarders.

With airfreight capacity squeezed and rates high between China and the U.S., ocean freight consolidators offer the option of fast, cheaper less-than-container load, trans-Pacific services.

Shippers and forwarders will be cautious with how much cargo they commit to the ocean container carriers this contract season, industry experts say.