On February 10th local time, US President Trump signed an executive order, announcing that a 25% tariff would be imposed on all imported steel and aluminum to the United States, and the relevant requirements "have no exceptions or exemptions".

Facing the tariff policy implemented by Trump, Maersk's CEO, Christian Klevare, believes that although the threat of tariffs has brought uncertainty to the freight market and international trade, punitive tariffs themselves will not directly slow down trade. What really affects trade is the purchasing power of consumers. If high tariffs lead to inflation and cause commodity prices to rise, thereby reducing consumers' purchasing power, then container liner companies may be affected by a decrease in freight volume.