The shipping industry’s push to cut fuel emissions is increasingly powered by gas. Liquefied natural gas and propane are emerging as leading choices to power vessels, the WSJ’s Logistics Report’s Costas Paris writes, as shipowners seek alternative fuels aimed at meeting mandates to slash greenhouse-gas emissions. Clarkson says in a research report that a quarter of all tonnage now on order at shipbuilders is slated for ships running on the two fuels. The numbers remain a small fraction of the larger working fleet, however, highlighting the steep hill shipping companies must climb to reach their carbon-emissions goals. Those targets remain controversial, with critics saying the industry isn’t being ambitious enough. The European Union is moving toward including shipping in its carbon-trading market, an effort that shipping groups and several maritime-focused nations oppose. The move toward alternative fuels may help carriers stave off some new regulatory efforts.

Attention in vaccine supply chains is turning to U.S. state capitols as governments there prepare for the rapid distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. U.S. regulators could grant emergency authorization for a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech as soon as this weekend, the WSJ’s Dan Frosch, Elizabeth Findell and Peter Loftus report, setting in motion a daunting public-health effort that aims to ship millions of doses to every state and the District of Columbia within 24 hours. State vaccination plans including the list of priority vaccine recipients vary widely, and officials face challenges getting the vaccine to dramatically different populations, from crowded cities to rural towns. About 12.5 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine could join the high-stakes supply chain a week later if that product also wins approval. Canada’s rollout is also beginning after authorization there, with the country now facing the challenge of distributing vaccines to a widely scattered population. 

Mexican drug cartels are taking lessons in global trade. Authorities say the organizations have been setting up sophisticated crystal meth labs in the Netherlands, tying their operations into commercial shipping and distribution channels in a troubling move to expand their reach world-wide, the WSJ’s Valentina Pop reports. Their multinational drive is enabled by the advent over recent decades of highly potent synthetic drugs that don’t rely on crops or farmers and can be manufactured in compact facilities almost anywhere. With the U.S. drug market saturated and methamphetamine labs in Mexico already supersize, the cartels are acting “like global corporations,” says one investigator, and see Europe as a new hub. The Netherlands offers Mexican cartels an ideal production base because of its experienced chemists, unrivaled cargo networks and liberal attitude to drugs. Connections to labs in China supply chemicals that are constantly adapted to remain legal.

The number of job openings in the U.S. slipped in the first week of December, a sign of a softening labor market. (WSJ)

The euro is near its highest level against the dollar in more than two years (WSJ)

China’s consumer prices dropped for the first time in over a decade in November, driven in part by an ongoing retreat in pork prices. (WSJ)

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Katherine Tai, a trade expert on Capitol Hill, as U.S. Trade Representative. (WSJ)

DoorDash shares jumped in their public-market debut, opening 78% above the IPO price of $102. (WSJ)

China is exploring ways to combine industrial giants state-owned China National Chemical and Sinochem Group. (WSJ)

Platinum Equity is buying U.S. technology products distributor Ingram Micro from China’s HNA Group in a $7.2 billion transaction. (WSJ)

Campbell Soup offered a downbeat outlook after quarterly sales rose 7%. (WSJ)

Honda Motor temporarily halted production at a U.K. factory because of parts delivery delays and plans to fly in components to avoid port congestion. (Financial Times)

British Brexit supporter Jim Ratcliffe will build a new sport-utility vehicle in France rather than in Wales. (BBC)

Chinese chip maker Tsinghua Unigroup warned it could default on another bond payment. (Nikkei Asian Review)

Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is behind a $1 billion potential order for 10 very large crude carriers that would be powered by liquefied natural gas. (Lloyd’s List)

The chairman of Team Tankers may consider selling the ship operator next year. (TradeWinds)

Uber Technologies launched a package-delivery service called Connect in 2,400 U.S. cities. (Mashable)

Supplier G-III Apparel Group plans to build dropshipping capacity to make its distribution operations more flexible. (Supply Chain Dive)

Amazon is adding another 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center to its sizable presence in the Houston area. (Business Journals)

The U.S. faces a potential cookie shortage due to high demand during the pandemic and “supply constraints.” (Bloomberg)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @jensmithWSJ, @CostasParis. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.