Global News Second Trump term fears blow through breakbulk sector

If President-elect Donald Trump delivers his agenda as promised, the breakbulk and project cargo sector could experience dramatic shifts related to offshore energy — from a push to ramp up oil and gas production to an all-out halt to offshore wind development — along with uncertainties surrounding import tariffs and shipbuilding efforts.

But those working within the sector are tempering expectations for what a second Trump term might mean.

At the Port of Beaumont in Texas, LNG plant construction on the US Gulf Coast has kept breakbulk and project cargo near capacity, and that’s likely to remain the same under Trump, Ernest Bezdek, senior director of trade development for the Port of Beaumont, told the Journal of Commerce.

“We do not believe the change in administration will affect our business, as we have been busy now for several years,” Bezdek said.

Bezdek said there could be opportunities for increased volumes of crude oil moving through terminals and refineries in and around Beaumont, along with more construction of new heavy industry in southeast Texas.

“If the new administration makes positive changes with regards to the oil industry, then that is always good for Texas ports, and we will benefit,” Bezdek said.

Trump’s pledge to tighten rules on goods imported from all countries presents a potential challenge for cargo moving across US docks, Bezdek said. “But those effects may not be felt for years. And we have experienced that when that happens, other opportunities arise,” he said.

Bezdek also cited the federal Port Infrastructure Development Program for providing grant money to US ports to fund infrastructure improvement projects. “We are hopeful the new administration will see value in programs such as this,” he said.

Charlie Papavizas, head of the maritime practice in the Washington, DC, office of Winston & Strawn, told the Journal of Commerce that a new administration could mean uncertainty for efforts to advance US shipbuilding. He cited the bipartisan “Ships for America Act,” sponsored by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), that aims to rebuild and expand the US-flag fleet engaged in foreign commerce.

“Will the Trump administration look kindly on this effort? That’s a big question, but it’s a question that would have faced anyone who’s the president because our industry, our shipyards, our maritime academies have atrophied to the point that some attention needs to be paid to this as a national security imperative,” Papavizas said. Offshore wind in crosshairs One looming question for the sector is the future of the fledgling US offshore wind industry, a key source of breakbulk and project cargo. In May, Trump pledged to write an executive order to end offshore wind projects “on day one” of his return to the White House.

“It’s hard to imagine that it’s a positive,” Papavizas said. “And, therefore, we have to wait and see how much of a negative it will be.”

Jeremy Slayton, a spokesman for Dominion Energy, noted that the developer’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project has “overwhelmingly” won bipartisan backing under multiple past state and federal administrations. The project, which is nearly halfway complete, is fully permitted at the federal level and is within budget and on schedule for completion in 2026, he said.

“President Trump, Gov. Youngkin and leaders from both parties agree on the importance of American energy dominance, maintaining our technological superiority and creating good-paying jobs for Americans,” Slayton told the Journal of Commerce. “We’re confident Virginia’s clean energy transition will continue with bipartisan support for many years to come.”

Following his election to a second term, US offshore wind groups pledged to work with Trump while highlighting the industry’s progress and voicing hope for continued development.

“With President Trump in office, we have the opportunity to harness even more investment and measurable economic benefits for communities across the country,” Oceantic Network President and CEO Liz Burdock said in a Nov. 6 statement.

Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association (ACP), noted that offshore wind installations grew by double-digit percentages in each year of Trump’s first administration.

“ACP looks forward to working with the Trump-Vance administration to unleash American-made energy, deliver reliable power to the grid, grow the economy and enhance our national security,” Grumet said in a statement Nov. 6.