Category: Sea

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 This year’s seasonal peak has arrived earlier than normal, with demand pulled forward and capacity actively withdrawn to prote... Read more

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, shipment activity has moved fo... Read more

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 planning assumption, but performance under pressure is. ... Read more

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 managed and disruption ris... Read more

If 2025 was expected to mark a return to supply-chain stability, it didn’t arrive in a neat, predictable way. But for many shippers, the year still delivered something valuable: a clearer view of what “good” looks like in modern supply chains — not perfection, but performance under pressu... Read more

High-impact storms, floods and late-season tropical systems across Asia, Europe and the Americas are no longer isolated shocks: climate-linked weather volatility is increasing in frequency, severity and geographic spread, and is now considered a structural threat to logistics reliability. Stor... Read more

Container spot rates are edging higher on the main deep-sea trades as carriers push through GRIs and FAK hikes into December. With blank sailings, worsening weather disruption and the risk of renewed port congestion, the run-up to Chinese New Year 2026 could be particularly challenging. On Asi... Read more

The cost of complying with Europe’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is rising sharply for container shipping lines, with ETS-linked surcharges set to rise again from 1 January 2026, when the scheme reaches full emissions coverage. The EU ETS covers CO₂ emissions from large vessels callin... Read more

Asia–Europe ocean freight markets have tightened significantly through Q4, with carriers implementing repeated rate increases and withdrawing substantial capacity from key services. Since early October, freight-all-kinds (FAK) levels have been raised at roughly fortnightly intervals, pushing... Read more

A three-day national stoppage across Belgium’s rail, transport and public sectors this week is set to disrupt freight flows through Antwerp and the wider Benelux logistics corridor, adding fresh strain to a European port network already battling congestion and capacity limitations. With rail... Read more

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 17 October, after ... Read more

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 week thanks to blank... Read more