Interview with
Ms. Susan Zheng
General Manager
Can you tell our readers about your career in shipping and logistics leading up to opening your own company?
In 2009, I joined the Martin Bencher Group and worked together with Mr. Bo H. Drewsen in Beijing. I started my career in the project handling area.
That was a fantastic experience—to learn and become familiar with the operating procedures and requirements of various ports. I used to live and work in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Qingdao and Guangzhou, covering North China, South China and mid of China.
During that time, I learned how to do business with local people, terminals, customers and carriers in different areas; what the terminal requirements were; and spent a fulfilling and pleasant time as an on-board surveyor for oversized and overweight cargoes, including shore crane, oil & gas, paper & pulp, electric power plants, wind power plants, marine machinery, basic construction, etc.
I spent a really nice time together with Martin Bencher until the company was acquired by Maersk Group, and joined another Danish freight forwarding company in 2020. During that time, I opened and ran the Qingdao branch office for 5 years to do project cargoes as well, starting from a single person to a solid business with outstanding performance.
Through years of hands-on experience and industry immersion, we identified a critical market shift: a growing demand for personally customized service that stands in stark contrast to the impersonal, mechanical operations that have become the norm. We understood that every client and every shipment is unique, and each deserves to be treated with meticulous care, expert attention, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
This insight was the catalyst for Trans Ocean Projects and Logistics (P&L). We are more than a freight forwarder; we are your dedicated logistics architect. Built on a client-centric philosophy, we are committed to delivering foresight, flexibility, and flawless execution. We provide tailored transportation solutions designed to not only meet your needs but to redefine your expectations of what a logistics partner can be.
So Trans Ocean P&L was founded on a fundamental belief: logistics should be a bespoke partnership, not a commoditized transaction.
When did you open Trans Ocean, and what is your main logistics focus? There are so many freight forwarders in China offering services, how do you plan to be competitive?
I established Trans Ocean P&L on 2024.11.11 (November 11, 2024)
We focus on providing tailored and transparent services to our clients and partners, ensuring that you can get excellent results, service and price.
We aim to be a reliable extension for our partners overseas.
Our Core Competencies & Differentiators:
- Unparalleled Expertise in Specialized Cargo: We possess deep operational knowledge of what it takes to move complex shipments—including oversized, heavy-lift, high-value, and sensitive equipment. We proactively identify and mitigate risks to ensure the safe and secure passage of your goods from origin to destination.
- Direct Carrier Relationships & Guaranteed Capacity: Our strong, direct partnerships with the world’s leading ocean carriers—including COSCO, EMC, OOCL, Maersk, CMA, MSC, ONE, HPL, YML, Sinotrans, SITC, and TS Line—provide our clients with two key advantages: highly competitive pricing and guaranteed vessel space, ensuring your supply chain remains on schedule.
- Comprehensive End-to-End Services: We offer true door-to-door service management, eliminating the hassle of dealing with multiple parties. As your single point of contact, we provide accountability and transparency throughout the entire journey.
- Core Services: Ocean Freight (FCL & LCL), Air Freight, Railway, Truck and Barge, etc.
- Integrated Value-Added Services: Inland transportation, professional crating & packaging, warehousing & storage, on-site loading supervision, and customs clearance.
- Strategic Partnerships: We maintain strategic alliances with specialized platforms CLC Projects and Cross Ocean.
- A Client-Centric Promise: Single Point of Contact, Zero Hassle. Our “One Ticket to Destination” philosophy means we assume full responsibility for your shipment. We refuse to pass you around between departments. We are committed to elevating your experience through customized, flexible, and simple service solutions.
Could you provide our readers with a few examples of projects you have handled already?
Please see some pictures for your reference, including RORO vessel, break bulk vessel and FRs by container vessels
Commodities include boilers, wind power plants, machinery, TBMs.
Directions are to the Mediterranean, Europe, India, and South America
Our service scope is door to door, including making transportation plans, collecting rates, communication with each party, picking up loose cargoes from door to port, port handling, container loading/lashing/stuffing, export customs clearance in China, booking vessels, DAP to door, etc.
Qingdao is a major seaport in China. Can you also arrange transhipment to Western China and Central Asia if needed?
To Western China, the import shipments usually arrive at either Qingdao or Tianjin. We then store them in our warehouse at the port and unstuff the containers, doing the import customs clearance, and delivering the loose cargoes after customs release.
We have all kinds of trucks to do this business, either LTL or FTL or special trailers for oversized/over weight cargoes. For example from Qingdao or Tianjin to Western China such as Xin Jiang, Xi’an etc. or North China such as Harbin, Inner Mongolia. Or from Shanghai to Si Chuan, Chongqing, Hubei Province, etc.
Also, we do regular railway/truck shipments from China to Europe, Central Asia and Russia every week. Below are two route maps for your reference.
To Central Asia:
To Europe and Russia:
Some shipping lines now try to act as freight forwarders and effectively approach your customer behind your back. Is that also the situation in China?
Yes, I think this is happening all over the world, and it’s very common in China.
Almost all major container shipping lines are actively pursuing this strategy in China. They no longer see freight forwarders solely as customers (who buy space from them) but also as competitors and partners—a complex “coopetition” relationship.
For example: Maersk, CMA CGM, etc.
To survive, we freight forwarders must know how to do and what to do in the future:
- Specialization and Customization: Offering expertise and refinement that carriers cannot provide.
- Network and Localized Service: While carriers excel at line-haul transport, forwarders have advantages in last-mile delivery, local communication, and flexible problem-solving. Strengthening overseas agent networks to provide truly seamless global services is key.
- Become “Solution Integrators”: Even if purchasing space from carriers, forwarders can integrate resources from multiple carriers, airlines, trucking companies, and warehouses to design optimal, neutral solutions for clients, rather than just selling a single product.
How do you view the rest of this year and the market in general?
Normally, a peak in shipping exports will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2025 in China due to the two main factors below:
1. Demand Side: Western countries stock up for Christmas, Black Friday, and other year-end shopping holidays.
2. Supply Side: China’s National Day Golden Week holiday leads to factory closures and port slowdowns. This causes a surge in shipments before the holiday and a backlog of cargo to be shipped after, creating short-term tightness.
These factors will still play a role in Q4 2025, potentially causing a brief spike in shipments and a short-term, supportive bump in rates from late September to mid-October.
However, several more powerful forces are suppressing the traditional peak season effect this year:
1. High Inventories & Weak Consumption: Overall inventory levels for Western retailers remain high. Meanwhile, consumer purchasing power and confidence are subdued due to inflation and economic uncertainty. This means their restocking momentum is weak; procurement strategies will be more cautious, unlike the “buying spree” of previous years.
2. “Front-loading” of Shipments: Many shippers may move their shipping plans forward to Q3 to avoid potential U.S. “berthing fees” in October and November’s Sino-US tariff uncertainty. This could actually divert volume away from the traditional Q4 peak.
3. A large number of new vessels delivered globally in 2025 has created historically high shipping capacity. Even with some capacity absorbed by Red Sea diversions, the fundamental market structure of “too many ships, not enough cargo” remains. Any minor demand increase can be easily absorbed by this massive available capacity, making sustained rate hikes difficult.
4. U.S. “Berthing Fee” Policy (Potential Oct. enforcement): This is the biggest black swan event this year. If implemented, it would significantly increase operating costs for relevant Chinese vessels, potentially causing chaos in the Trans-Pacific market: short-term extreme rate volatility, route adjustments, and shippers urgently switching carriers. This kind of policy disruption far outweighs the impact of seasonal demand.
5. Expiration of U.S.-China Tariff Truce (November): The outcome after the “tariff truce” expires in November creates massive uncertainty for the year-end market, likely causing both buyers and sellers to adopt a wait-and-see approach, suppressing trade activity.
So, for Q4 2025, we are more likely to see a market characterized by “volatility” rather than “growth.”
Most Likely Scenario: Rates will generally be under pressure. However, a temporary, technical increase is expected around late September and early October due to the holiday and some Christmas cargo. Afterwards, due weak fundamentals and major policy uncertainty, rates are likely to fall back into a downward trend or remain volatile.
Upside Risk: If the Red Sea crisis escalates again or lasts much longer than expected absorbing more capacity, AND if demand from the West is surprisingly strong, the peak season effect could be more pronounced.
Downside Risk: If the U.S. “berthing fee” policy is strictly enforced and U.S.-China trade tensions intensify, it could completely erase the peak season effect, causing the market to enter an off-season early.
Are you currently a member of any freight forwarding networks? If so, is it helpful to be part of such networks?
We are a member of CLC Projects and Cross Ocean networks.
I’ve found membership in both of these to be incredibly unique and valuable platforms for my professional growth.
It’s refreshing to be in a community where everyone is a serious, dedicated professional. I can easily find the right partners and projects because the platforms are focused and not flooded with unqualified leads. It saves me time and energy.
The weekly reports are actually interesting and useful—they keep me in the loop of what’s happening.
The Zoom meetings are frequent and well-organized, making remote collaboration seamless. And the in-person events are where I’ve forged partnerships and found collaboration opportunities.
The platforms don’t just throw leads at you. The sales lead recommendations are highly targeted and relevant to my skills, which has directly helped me win new business. It feels like the system is designed for me.
The core values of integration, open communication, and fairness are felt everywhere. This creates a trusting environment where opportunities are plentiful.
For me, CLC Projects and the Cross Ocean Network are a powerful business development engine where I consistently find new projects, and vibrant knowledge-sharing platforms where I can learn from and connect with like-minded professionals. It’s an indispensable part of my professional network.
How would it be best for our readers to get in touch with you?
Please kindly find below contacts for myself and our team:
Trans Ocean Projects & Logistics
Ms. Susan Zheng, General Manager
Direct.: +86 0532 89815808
Mob.: +86 158 2002 6509 (wechat, whatsapp)
Email: suz@transocean-pl.com
Ms. Jeanie Yan, Operation Manager
Direct.: +86 0532 89815887
Mob.: +86 135 5300 9338 (wechat)
Email: Jey@transocean-pl.com
