Very little cargo currently moves on American-flagged ships, partly because of staffing, and shipping companies, which are generally required to hire Americans, say they are starved of crews. Yet, despite high pay and generous perks, maritime jobs go begging, the WSJ’s Daniel Michaels writes.

The U.S. employs an estimated 10,000 commercial sailors, a number that has fallen sharply over recent decades as America outsourced much of its shipping demands to China and other countries. The shortage is getting attention: An executive order from President Trump and proposed bipartisan legislation aim to resurrect America’s maritime industry across shipbuilding, ship ownership and shipboard staffing.

Shipping companies have begun offering fat signing bonuses. To retain hires, they are lifting salaries while improving onboard gyms, connectivity and cuisine. As AI threatens more office jobs, hands-on work like sailing is increasingly appealing, especially to the mechanically inclined, though many young people aren’t aware that the jobs exist.

• Negotiations over CMA CGM’s plans to build ships in the U.S. continue, nine months after the French carrier announced a $20 billion investment pledge. (Shipping Watch)

Nexperia last week urged its China unit to restore the supply of semiconductors key to auto production, warning that customers are facing imminent stoppages. The Journal’s Sherry Qin and Joshua Kirby write that the Dutch chip maker said it hadn’t received a meaningful response from its Chinese unit despite multiple attempts to re-establish dialogue. It urged its Chinese partner to respond and restore predictable and established supply flows.

The Chinese owner of Nexperia, Wingtech Technology, in response called on its Dutch subsidiary to enter talks over the issue of control of the company. The Dutch government’s seizure of control in September “is the direct cause of today’s instability and disorder in the global semiconductor supply chain,” Wingtech said Friday. The auto industry could face disruption to its supply if the dispute is not resolved, Wingtech warned. Nexperia commands an important share of the market for basic chips used in many components of modern auto manufacturing.

Copper thefts are surging, with 9,770 incidents reported from January to June, nearly double the number in the prior six-month period. Federal regulators are calling it a growing epidemic, the WSJ’s Katherine Sayre and Patience Haggin write.

Thieves are targeting copper more as prices for the metal sit near record highs, leaving telecommunications companies, in particular, under siege. Demand for the conducting metal has risen in recent years alongside the boom for wind turbines, electric vehicles and AI data centers.

Criminals pry open manholes, chip away at asphalt and climb trees and poles to cut and steal—and then resell—copper wires from phone and internet lines. Scrapyards then buy and resell it to larger metal recyclers, which process and refine it for recycling into new products. In response, 14 states enacted new laws this year to crack down on copper theft.

• The job market continues to sputter even as cost and price pressures persist, the Federal Reserve’s November “beige book” report found. (WSJ)
• China’s official factory gauge edged up on stronger production and demand in November, but remained in contraction for an eighth straight month. (WSJ)
• Canada’s GDP grew at an annualized rate of 2.6% in the third quarter, exceeding forecasts of 0.5% growth. (WSJ)
• Eurozone business confidence remained stable in November, with the Economic Sentiment Indicator rising to 97.0 from 96.8 in October. (WSJ)
• German consumer prices increased by 2.6% in November, up from 2.3% in October, exceeding economists’ expectations of 2.4%. (WSJ)
• German consumer sentiment is improving, with a consumer-climate index rising to minus 23.2 for December from minus 24.1 in November. (WSJ)
• Seventy-seven percent of customers reported a product or service problem in the past year, a new high compared with 74% in 2023, according to the National Customer Rage Survey. (WSJ)
• Deere expects its tariff costs to double to $1.2 billion when it faces a full fiscal year of higher duties, and said it is facing persistent challenges in its large tractor business.. (WSJ)
• Airbus said a “significant number” of the European plane maker’s jets require fixes before they are able to carry passengers again. (WSJ)
• China bought at least 10 cargoes of U.S. soybeans in contracts signed after President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on the phone last week. (Reuters)
• CMA CGM is targeting a January start to accepting container bookings from India to Russia, via its CNC Line unit. (Journal of Commerce)
• Eight apparel brands joined in a pledge to remove materials from ancient and endangered forests from their packaging and textile supply chains. (SupplyChain247)
• The WTO’s global goods-trade barometer dropped to 101.8 in September from 102.2 for June, as stockpiling ahead of new U.S. tariffs subsided. (Bloomberg)
• The grounding of MD-11 freighter jets following a deadly crash earlier this month is unlikely to end before next year, according to a source. (Reuters)
• The containership that caught fire while docked at the Port of Los Angeles on Nov. 21 returned to its berth late Wednesday for unloading. (gCaptain)
• South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean was raided by around 40 police and investigators following the death of a subcontractor working on the construction of an LNG carrier. (TradeWinds)
• The U.S. Postal Service expects revenue from its package delivery segment to rise 9.4% year-over-year, driving a forecast 2.9% increase in overall fiscal 2026 revenue. (SupplyChainDive)
• Fortress Investment Group’s acquisition of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway and Akron Barberton Cluster Railway was approved by the Surface Transportation Board. (TrainsPRO)
• Global air-cargo demand as measured in cargo tonne kilometers rose 4.1% year-over-year to a new high in October, with capacity rising 5.1%. (Air Cargo News)
• Retail sales of used Class 8 trucks fell 4.9% in October from the previous month, according to ACT Research data. (The Trucker)

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at mark.long@wsj.com. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long, Liz Young and Paul Berger.