Shipping routes likely to remain diverted until August
The diversion of container shipping around the Cape of Good Hope is expected to continue well into 2025 as carriers prioritise stability over the potential risks of returning to the Red Sea, despite recent advancements in the Suez Canal’s infrastructure
The reluctance to return to the Red Se...
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Freight market outlook 2025: Navigating uncertainty and change
The freight industry faces a challenging 2025, with ongoing diversions around Africa, potential labour strikes, and looming tariff changes shaping the air and sea freight landscape.
While best and worst-case scenarios could unfold, the most likely outcome lies somewhere in between, creating ...
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Air freight faces prolonged capacity constraints amid rising demand
The tightening capacity situation could continue for several years, with constrained availability of freighter aircraft and high demand driving up rates across key routes.
While air cargo demand has not yet surged during this year’s peak season, rates remain elevated due to the limited capac...
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Labour tensions rise on North America’s East coast
Ongoing labour disputes on the US East Coast and Canada’s Port of Montreal continue to threaten disruptions to North American supply chains.
The agreement between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on the US East coast (USEC) brings temporary relief, securing peace for th...
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Road freight market sees failure and consolidation
The UK road freight market is facing severe pressures from rising operational expenses and ongoing labour shortages, with Q3 rates surging 10% year-on-year, reflecting widespread cost increases.
This tough economic climate has led to the failure of nearly half of all haulage companies launched...
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US East Coast dockworker strike: Temporary resolution but risks remain for January
While a tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) has paused the strike, a final resolution must be reached in January 2025, or further disruption could occur.
The recent US East and Gulf Coast dockworker str...
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Supply chains brace for more disruption as storm season intensifies
From wildfires and floods to scorching heatwaves, the consequences of climate change are becoming more pronounced, and as we enter the peak shipping season, businesses are scrambling to prepare for what is predicted to be one of the most disruptive storm seasons in recent memory.
So far in 202...
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New shipping alliances for 2025
With the dissolution of the 2M partnership between MSC and Maersk in February 2025, new partnerships and slot-sharing agreements are emerging, positioning shipping companies in a transformed global market.
One of the key developments is the formation of the Premier Alliance, which will replace...
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European market review and group developments
The European freight market continues to face a complex landscape, characterised by fluctuating demand and evolving capacity challenges. In this review, we examine the current state of the road freight market and highlight recent group developments, including the acquisition of a Portuguese inter...
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Global IT outage disrupts supply chains
On Friday, a faulty update to Microsoft software by cyber-security firm Crowdstrike, saw global supply chain operations significantly disrupted, with the fallout expected to take weeks to fully resolve.
Thousands of flights were grounded or delayed at major air freight hubs in Europe, Asia, an...
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Peak season impact on container freight rates
The last week of June saw further gains on sea freight spot rates from Asia into Europe and North America, as a series of peak season surcharges (PSS) were imposed and new FAK levels from 1st July creating double-digit increases in spot freight rates.
With spot and FAK rates across all three c...
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New Silk Road will link the Gulf to Europe
Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE are joining with Iraq to develop a new land corridor - Development Road Project - which will connect the Gulf to Europe.
The Development Road Project is a multi-billion dollar land corridor that will stretch 750 miles from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, e...
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