# Next disruption? Bring it on! > Source: > Published: 2026-09-25 16:57:12+00:00 Don’t Miss Your Daily Briefing for the Maritime Industry Join the leading maritime news network — trusted by our 107,343 members FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a cargo ship at Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in Hong Kong, China, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo By Lori-Ann LaRocco – The world of trade is led by optimists, and the data shows the resilience of the strategies these stewards of trade have developed and deployed. Over a dozen major disruptions have occurred since 2000, yet global trade has not only continued to move; it has grown exponentially. Latest Descartes data shows August U.S. container imports grew to its third-highest monthly total on record: 2.60 million TEUs. No matter the disruption, trade will always find the path of least resistance to moving forward. It’s a combination of lessons learned from previous disruptions and intelligence gathered from copious volumes of data. Agentic tools and analytics turn these “beyond human” volumes of data into consumable intelligence for desks that already have too much information. Mountains of data can create raw noise and slow down decision-making. This is why intelligence and data are not one and the same. Jackson Wood, vice president of trade regulations at Descartes, which recently rolled out Descartes Datamyne™ AI Agent, explained that analyzing data, coupled with the lessons and muscle built navigating disruptions like COVID, has positioned U.S. Importers and Exporters to handle anything. “It’s a whole-of-organization approach today,” said Wood. “Historically, if there were supply chain disruptions, it was considered to be a supply chain problem, or procurement’s problem; if it was on the regulatory side, it was a compliance problem, and risk would figure it out. Today it’s not niche. It’s a team.” Wood says the scope and impact of this volatility have forced organizations to change how they find solutions. “Companies have had to adjust their commercial expectations, service abilities, and how they partner with suppliers and distributors,” said Woods. “It has become a true team effort within organizations of all sizes. Everyone has each other’s back.” In Descartes’ analysis of the Liberation Day Tariffs, data shows trade kept moving, even as tariffs changed where goods came from. In the year following Liberation Day, U.S. containerized imports fell 4.3%, while shipments from Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia expanded despite an 18% decline from China. Supply chains proved resilient in adapting, though that adjustment did not fully offset the overall decline. Wood said the economic impact of Liberation Day tariffs was disruptive but not catastrophic, despite the initial comparisons with COVID-19. “An underappreciated mitigating factor here is the IEEPA refunds,” said Wood. “A better part of $100 billion over the last several months has been returned to U.S. importers. You got a very small number of those companies who have said they were going to pass these refunds back to consumers. Most of them viewed the refunds as retroactively helping them with the margin erosion they saw because of these tariffs and kept the money for the next big disruption.” That money is now being used for the latest disruptions- new Trump tariffs, the impact of the Iran War, and the expected impact of El Niño on the Panama Canal. “Carriers have their work cut out for them,” said Wood. “As a service provider, workarounds that they had developed to mitigate the risk go back to the lessons learned and the muscles they built. For importers in the U.S. in particular, this is just another thing that they have to deal with, and they will. If you look at corporate earnings and the growth of even traditionally very sensitive retail, the economy is incredibly resilient.” In my Substack, I have highlighted how the best operators, manufacturers, and retailers in the world have contingency plans for all kinds of circumstances. They all know looking for options is key to resiliency. These options hinge on decisions about sourcing, manufacturing, negotiations, and moving goods efficiently at the best price. “Retailers already placed their bets,” said Brian Kobza, chief commercial officer at IMC Logistics. “They imported early, and now we want to really make sure we’re relatively ready for what this fourth quarter is going to look like.” Building and maintaining supply chains is influencing logistics. As manufacturing pivots, integrated logistics providers are looking at where to build infrastructure for trade’s new tomorrow. This is why you see massive investment in Africa and India. “When I speak with our customers and even prospective customers, there really is a sense of bring it on with the next disruption,” said Wood. “Perhaps I’m being too optimistic, but COVID smacked us in the mouth, and we got back up and dealt with it. Liberation Day smacked us in the mouth, and we got back up, and we dealt with it. We are moving trade with disruption in the Middle East. This shows you how resilient the global economy has proven to be in light of all of this volatility.” Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hailed “significant progress” on implementing the two countries’ long-stalled investment deal, with lawmakers in Seoul saying the first project would be a $22.3 billion gas-fired power development in Texas. September 23, 2026 Total Views: 683 Get The Industry’s Go-To News Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news — just like 107,343 professionals Secure Your Spot on the gCaptain Crew Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox — trusted by our 107,343 members Your Gateway to the Maritime World! Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.