Container shipping is once again under pressure from widespread port congestion, but headline delay figures are only telling part of the story. Across major global hubs, vessel queues are building, schedules are slipping, and reliability is deteriorating. Yet at the…

Peak season arrived earlier than expected this year, but it shows little sign of easing. Ocean freight rates from Asia to Europe continue to climb as strong demand, disciplined capacity management and lingering geopolitical uncertainty combine to keep pressure on…

Heavy monsoon conditions and a fatal terminal accident are causing major delays to vessel and road operations at the Indian port of Nhava Sheva. Raigad/JNPT/INNSA is currently under Red Alert due to continuous heavy rainfall and high wind speeds of…

Ocean freight from India has entered a period of intense demand, with tightening vessel space, rising freight rates and increasing competition for capacity across both European and North American trade lanes. For businesses diversifying manufacturing away from China or expanding…

What began as a wave of tariff-driven front-loading has evolved into a broader restocking cycle, keeping container demand elevated, supporting transpacific freight rates and placing increasing pressure on inland transport networks. While additional vessel capacity is now arriving on some…

The latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, alongside the broader US/Iran framework aimed at ending months of regional conflict, has improved sentiment across energy and freight markets.  Oil prices have retreated, financial markets have stabilised and hopes are growing…

Peak season has arrived earlier than expected and it is already putting global container supply chains under strain, with tightening capacity, rising rates, and growing competition for space across both Asia–US and Asia–Europe trades. What is typically a late summer…

Metro’s LCL Optimised Solution lets shippers move smaller, more frequent orders without paying for empty container space, freeing up working capital and easing the current squeeze on capacity. As peak season tightens capacity across the major east-west container trades, many…

The ongoing conflict across the Middle East continues to exert major pressure on global supply chains, with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz creating sustained disruption across ocean freight, air cargo, energy markets and regional transport networks. Conditions…

Port congestion in North Europe and East Asia is increasingly a two-ended problem: weather and capacity issues at origin delay departures, and when those same vessels finally reach port in Europe, they miss their planned berths and are forced to…

Asia–Europe and transpacific market conditions have shifted sharply in recent weeks, as strong demand tightens available space and enables carriers to push through higher spot rates and surcharges, even on shipments moving under long-term contracts. Recent index data shows steady…

Diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled, constraining one of the world’s most important energy corridors and prolonging the biggest disruption to global oil supply in decades.  Public statements from Tehran suggest Hormuz will only fully reopen…

Container shipping normally follows a traditional demand curve, with rates climbing into Chinese New Year, softening through spring, and then building towards a Q3 peak. But not this year. The crisis around the Strait of Hormuz is introducing an extra…

Heading into the second half of 2026 shippers face, a politically charged USMCA review, an early tightening on the trans‑Pacific, and war‑driven fuel costs pushing up inland transport prices across North America.  Together, they are rewriting the assumptions many companies…

China is rewiring the legal framework around its ports and supply chains and that matters for every UK shipper moving goods to, from or via China.  Two new sets of rules in 2026 change who controls disputes, how far you…

Although some shipping lines have begun selectively routing vessels back through the Suez Canal to reduce transit times and improve vessel utilisation, the industry remains far from a full-scale return to pre-crisis operating patterns. Diversions around the Cape of Good…

Container shipping markets appear to be entering an earlier and increasingly fragmented peak season, as geopolitical disruption, rising fuel costs and tighter carrier capacity management reshape freight demand across major trade lanes. Bookings on several east-west corridors strengthened earlier than…

The extension of the US–Iran ceasefire has done little to stabilise operating conditions in the region, with last week’s seizure of two MSC-managed container vessels by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz.  The incident highlight the…

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, crude oil can still exist within the region, but refined products, which includes marine fuel, jet fuel and diesel, can no longer move freely to key consumption markets, which has triggered a sharp…

A significant shift in the legal framework governing global shipping comes into force on 1 May 2026, as China implements revisions to its Maritime Code.  While the changes are designed to align with international standards, their practical effect is to…

Global supply chains are operating in a more stable position than at the peak of the Iran war, but conditions remain far from normal.  President Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire, tied to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, has…