Container shipping capacity remains under pressure as carriers increase blanked sailings, schedule reliability weakens and port congestion ties up vessels across key gateways. According to maritime researchers Drewry, 136 sailings were cancelled in February across the transpacific, Asia–Europe and transatlantic…

Severe winter weather across the United States has triggered the sharpest short-term trucking spot rate spike in more than three years, with disruption now filtering upstream into inland rail and intermodal hubs. Snow and ice blanketing large parts of the…

Chinese New Year 2026 falls on Tuesday, 17 February, marking the start of the Year of the Fire Horse. While the official public holiday in China runs from 17–23 February, the operational impact on global supply chains is far longer….

Hopes of a return to Red Sea and Suez Canal transits are fading again as renewed security threats from the potential resumption of Houthi attacks inject fresh uncertainty into global container shipping.  While some carriers had begun cautiously testing the…

While headline capacity and rate volatility have eased, equipment positioning, schedule reliability and geopolitical uncertainty continue to shape outcomes for temperature-controlled chemical cargo. Reefer demand remains structurally resilient. Unlike typical consumer goods, temperature-sensitive chemicals, additives and intermediates move within mission-critical…

The trans-Pacific sea freight market is entering 2026 with pre-Chinese New Year volumes rising earlier than usual, spot rates climbing sharply and carriers leaning on capacity discipline to manage risk. Despite Chinese New Year falling later than usual this year,…

As Chinese New Year approaches, sea freight markets from Asia to Europe and the United States are being shaped less by price competition and more by carrier control. This year’s seasonal peak has arrived earlier than normal, with demand pulled…

As the Asia–Europe trade moves deeper into peak season, Chinese New Year (CNY) is already reshaping pricing, capacity and execution risk. What was once a predictable seasonal slowdown has become a compressed, high-impact period where demand surges, capacity is tightly…

Supply chains are no longer judged on efficiency alone, in 2026 they will be expected to anticipate disruption and adapt at speed to actively support growth. The experience of the past year confirmed that stability is no longer a realistic…

North European ports are recovering from a turbulent October marked by strikes, slowdowns, and strategic capacity withdrawals that continue to test vessel schedule reliability across major trade lanes. In Rotterdam, port operations normalised following the end of a strike on…

After months of volatility and gradual rate decline, airfreight rates on key Asia–Europe and trans-Pacific lanes are climbing as capacity tightens ahead of a softer-than-usual peak season, while ocean carriers are seeing container spot rates rebound for a second consecutive…

The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) newly imposed port fee regime is massively impacting container and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) operators, inflating operating costs, tightening vessel capacity, and prompting warnings of severe disruption to U.S. logistics. UPDATE 30 OCTOBER – Donald Trump and…

With hopes rising of stabilising conflict in the Red Sea region, analysts are increasingly considering what it would mean if shipping lines resume full use of the Suez Canal route, and it’s not all good news.  While the shorter route…

In U.S. trade compliance, even a one-minute delay can be costly. Recent cases show importers and logistics partners facing thousands of dollars in penalties simply because mandatory filings were completed moments after official cut-off times. U.S. Customs and Border Protection…

Container lines are tightening capacity to defend freight rates just as new U.S. port fees on China vessels start on 14 October—costs that carriers say will be passed through to shippers. In the run-up to contracting season, the shipping alliances…

Europe’s container ports may see a short reprieve following a court-mediated agreement to pause a major strike at the Port of Rotterdam, but broader port disruption continues to threaten sea  freight flows across the continent. Hundreds of lashers at Europe’s…

The North Europe to US, transatlantic trade-lane, is settling into a more predictable rhythm, after a trade deal and took much of the guesswork out of export planning, while carriers have lifted reliability and held blank sailings to minimal levels. …

Shippers moving goods out of Asia are bracing for the tightest space and schedule disruptions as the major container shipping lines accelerate blank sailings in the lead-up to China’s extended Golden Week holidays. Following weeks of tentative planning, lines have…

The global car carrier sector is showing renewed stability as strong vehicle exports from Asia offset earlier trade uncertainty.  Recent tariff adjustments in the US and falling charter rates have created favourable conditions for major roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) operators, sustaining volumes…

Transpacific carriers have achieved notable success this September in upholding spot freight rates despite softer volumes and ongoing market pressures. Through a mix of strategic blank sailings and well-timed general rate increases (GRIs), the main carriers have sustained a robust…

Air and sea freight in the Asia Pacific region is at the centre of global freight realignments, as eCommerce and feeder shipping operations are reshaped by recent policy changes in the US.  Adjustments to tariff rules and the elimination of…