UK importers face an unusually volatile October as falling Asia–Europe freight rates collide with excess scheduled capacity, returning Suez services, short-notice blank sailings and continuing disruption across Asian ports. Ocean carriers are attempting to halt a 12-week decline in Asia–Europe…

Global air cargo demand and rates are strengthening ahead of the traditional peak season, with rising volumes, firm pricing and higher fuel costs creating a more robust market as October begins. The latest TAC Index and WorldACD data point to…

Severe congestion across Asian container ports is tying up millions of TEU of capacity, driving schedule reliability to a four-year low and raising the prospect of disruption continuing well into 2027. Repeated typhoons, strong Asian export demand and congestion spreading…

Container lines are restoring services through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, promising shorter Asia–Europe transits and more effective capacity. But the security picture around the Middle East’s critical shipping chokepoints is becoming more complicated, not less. More Asia–Europe services…

Air cargo’s traditional summer slowdown has failed to significantly loosen the market, with resilient demand, constrained capacity and renewed growth on key ex-Asia lanes keeping pressure on space and pricing as autumn begins. Global air cargo volumes were 6% higher…

UK haulage is entering a period in which access to the right vehicle, route and transport option could become increasingly important. For shippers, that makes planning and flexibility just as important as the rate agreed for an individual movement. More…

Air freight enters the traditional peak-season build-up with a finely balanced market, as capacity reductions and resilient pricing create the potential for rapid tightening when Asian export demand accelerates. The usual late-September surge may still be several weeks away, but…

UK businesses sourcing from India face rising logistics costs before and after production, as more expensive Asian imports combine with tight westbound capacity and strong India–Europe demand. India continues to strengthen its position as a manufacturing and sourcing alternative for…

The global airfreight market is becoming increasingly difficult to predict through headline averages. While worldwide volumes remain above last year’s levels, conditions are diverging sharply between individual origins and trade lanes as de-minimis regulation, technology demand, weather disruption and capacity…

US importers face another period of significant trade policy change as the Trump administration expands its use of tariffs across countries, commodities and industries. The immediate challenge is understanding which measures apply and how they interact. The wider issue is…

Container shipping markets in India and China are experiencing significant operational disruption, resulting in longer transit times, reduced schedule reliability, constrained equipment availability and rising freight costs. Metro is working closely with shipping lines, terminals and inland partners to minimise…

Metro’s Q3/26 Peak Season Survey suggests businesses are entering the second half of the year with growing confidence, despite ongoing uncertainty across global supply chains. While current shipping volumes remain mixed, the outlook for the next three months is positive….

For years, weather disruption was largely viewed as an operational inconvenience. A storm might delay a vessel, flooding could close a road for a day or two, or high winds might temporarily suspend port operations. That is no longer the…

The pound has been strengthening against the US dollar, improving sterling buying power for many UK businesses purchasing goods and services priced in dollars. For importers, that’s welcome news. A stronger pound can reduce the sterling cost of overseas purchases,…

Commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea is facing renewed disruption with 14 Iranian attacks on vessels since June 25th, the breakdown of the US-Iran ceasefire and a Houthi threat to target Saudi-linked shipping in the Bab…

Typhoon Bavi, an exceptionally powerful and large tropical cyclone that tore through the Western Pacific last week may have passed, but its impact on global supply chains will linger for at least another week.  After forcing the temporary closure of…

Global air freight markets continue to outperform expectations, but the balance between supply and demand remains fragile.  What began as a short-term disruption following renewed conflict in the Middle East has evolved into a more structural capacity challenge, keeping rates…

For much of the recent past, freight markets have lurched from one disruption to another. Pandemic recovery, conflict in the Red Sea, tariff uncertainty and conflict in the Middle East have each triggered periods of higher freight rates before conditions…

On 1 July, the revised International Air Transport Association (IATA) Direct Air Waybill (DAWB) framework came into force, fundamentally changing the contractual relationship between airlines and freight forwarders.  IATA’s revised DAWB framework has prompted an unusually strong reaction from freight…

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…

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…