What Shippers Should Prepare for in 2026
The outlook for US ocean freight in 2026 is being shaped by two powerful and unpredictable forces: a potential wave of inventory replenishment and the gradual return of container vessels…
Archive: Sea Freight
Port Strikes Underline Supply Chain Fragility
Labour disputes at two of Northern Europe’s busiest container gateways - Rotterdam and Antwerp - severely disrupted cargo flows earlier this month, with ripple effects reaching transatlantic supply chains. Although…
Container Shipping in 2026: Why Resilience Will Prevail
Predictions of a container shipping downturn in 2026 are growing louder, but the industry’s fundamentals suggest otherwise. While global trade growth will slow, the structural strengths of the sector, from…
Carriers Step Up Golden Week Blank Sailings
Container shipping lines are accelerating capacity cuts in a bid to stabilise freight markets, as Golden Week factory closures in China approach and spot rates continue to slide across major…
Transpacific rates slip as GRIs fizzle
Sea freight spot rates on the transpacific trade remain under pressure, as carriers attempt to arrest steep falls by combining general rate increases (GRIs) and blank sailings appears to be…
Golden Week Brings Carrier Capacity Strategy into Focus
Each October, China’s export volumes traditionally dip sharply around the Golden Week holiday, with container shipping lines typically blanking sailings to align supply with the reduced demand. And while this…
Transpacific Freight Balances Between Volatility and Stabilisation
Transpacific container shipping is showing signs of stabilisation after months of volatility, but the market remains unsettled by tariff pressures, shifting trade flows and persistent oversupply. Spot rates on Asia–US…
Container Shipping Faces A Decade of Oversupply
Global container shipping lines are bracing for a decade of structural oversupply, with new vessel deliveries far outpacing demand growth and additional capacity being released when traffic eventually returns to…
Trans-Pacific Shipping Slows as Tariff Deadlines Reshape Summer Demand
Ocean carriers are pulling back sharply on trans-Pacific services as US tariff deadlines loom, leaving the market facing a quieter-than-expected second half of the year. With most pre-tariff shipments from…
Asia-Europe Shipping Improves as Trans-Pacific Trade Slows
The outlook for container shipping between Asia and Europe has been looking more positive, with demand increasing and rates rising by almost 50% since the end of May. In contrast,…
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