U.S. industrial supply chains are getting stuck in the water. Efforts to modernize the waterways navigation system that carries iron ore, grain, limestone and other staples across the Great Lakes and Canada into the Midwest and beyond are running into budget constraints. The WSJ’s Ken Thomas reports big concerns are focused on the Soo Locks that allow large commodities-hauling vessels to bypass rapids below Lake Superior and connect industrial suppliers to American factories. The largest lock, built in the 1960s and called the Poe Lock, has been shut down for repairs 20 times in the last 10 years. Nine outages came in the last four years. Washington has dedicated $1.6 billion to the project. But that is still roughly half of what is needed. That means a fractured Congress will need to allocate more spending at a time when the benefits of government spending remain politically contentious.

The U.S. is starting to put serious money toward building a hydrogen-power supply chain. The White House is injecting $7 billion into efforts to boost hydrogen production, an undeveloped sector that the Biden administration is betting will play a pivotal role in the country’s shift away from fossil fuels. The WSJ’s Scott Patterson and Amrith Ramkumar report the grants will be divided among seven regional hubs to produce clean hydrogen, a potential substitute for oil and gas in shipping, steelmaking and chemical production. The freight sector, including maritime transport and trucking, is still settling on fuels, but some executives see hydrogen as a potential long-term solution to decarbonize supply chains. The new grants are going to regional hubs, which include hydrogen suppliers and industrial buyers. Companies and partners including ExxonMobil, Chevron, DuPont, Air Liquide and Plug Power are expected to invest more than $40 billion across the hubs.

• California officials say $1.2 billion in federal grant money will help efforts to decarbonize operations at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. (Los Angeles Times)
• Ports and energy companies formed a coalition aimed at creating a hydrogen trade corridor between the U.S. Gulf Coast and Northern Europe. (ShippingWatch)

Trans-Atlantic tensions over metals tariffs are proving resistant to a resolution. The White House and the European Union are seeking to negotiate a new deal to replace the hefty tariffs that the Trump administration slapped on most U.S. steel and aluminum imports. The WSJ’s Kim Mackrael and Laurence Norman report that reaching an agreement is proving troublesome, however, and that the two sides may decide to simply extend a tariff truce rather than settling the dispute definitively. The impasse could weaken efforts in both Washington and Brussels to showcase a harmonious trans-Atlantic relationship. Officials are hoping a deal would tackle concerns about an oversupply of steel. President Biden has allowed European steel and aluminum imports to enter the U.S. tariff-free as long as volumes remained below historical levels. The EU also suspended its retaliatory tariffs, which had targeted U.S. products ranging from Harley-Davidson motorcycles to bourbon whiskey.

China’s outbound goods shipments fell 6.2% in September while imports also declined 6.2%. (WSJ)

U.S. import prices edged up 0.1% in September. (MarketWatch)

A measure of U.S. consumer sentiment fell this month to its lowest reading since May. (MarketWatch)

Retailer Party City completed its restructuring and emerged from bankruptcy protection. (WSJ)

Texas extended to Laredo the truck inspections that are causing delays at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Journal of Commerce)

China’s imports of semiconductors fell 14.6% in the first nine months of the year from last year. (South China Morning Post)

U.S. chipmaker Western Digital plans to integrate its semiconductor business with Japan's Kioxia Holdings. (Nikkei Asia)

Amazon says customers ordered more than 150 million items from third-party sellers during the recent Prime Day sales event, up from about 100 million items last year. (CNBC)

Documents show Mediterranean Shipping earned a net profit of about $38 billion across all operations last year on revenue of about $91 billion. (Splash 247)

Freight forwarder Flexport is laying off 20% of its workforce. (Supply Chain Dive)

Ceva Logistics plans to use a robotic arm to unpack sea containers at a transload facility in Southern California. (Maritime Executive)

Industrial materials supplier Solvay and Vancouver Bulk Terminal will jointly build a soda ash shipping center at the Port of Vancouver, Wash. (Progressive Railroading)

Western Bulk Chartering will log “weak” results for the third quarter after missing out on the bulker rebound. (TradeWinds)

Wendy’s is trying to shift more of its U.S. lettuce supply to greenhouses amid climate change and bad weather. (Bloomberg)

Indian food-delivery app Zomato is starting a parcel logistics service. (Hindustan Times)

A survey showed nearly half of Gen Z consumers plan to buy holiday gifts this year on social media. (Retail Dive)

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

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.