The canal is critical to the U.S. economy and trade. The U.S. is the largest user of the Panama Canal, with total U.S. commodity export and import containers representing about 73% of Panama Canal traffic, and 40% of all U.S. container traffic traveling through the Panama Canal every year. In all, roughly $270 billion in cargo is handled annually.

Take the Red Sea. It’s one of the most important arteries of global trade, linking Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal. But since late 2023, escalating conflict around the region has made it too risky for many vessels to pass through. By May 2025, traffic through the Suez Canal had dropped almost 70% from 2023 levels. Instead, ships began

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Often seen as a “bridge fuel” in the energy transition, LNG has become central to global energy security. In 2024, LNG trade volumes rose 1.1%, but ton-miles surged a massive 12.2%. That means much longer voyages, from Africa and the U.S. to Asia and Europe, as new export terminals came online in both regions.

UNCTAD expects this momentum to

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