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Significant growth in Vietnam’s tech sector is seeing logistics operators boost capacity in the country to take advantage of potentially high yields. Ceva Logistics has launched a three-times-weekly 777F Hanoi-Chicago service, citing growing demand from manufacturers in Vietnam’s technology and industrial sectors for a “dependable long-haul solution into the US”. Ceva provides pickup and cargo consolidation across multiple Vietnamese gateways, including Hanoi (HAN), Danang (DAD), and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), supported by domestic operations teams coordinating multimodal flows, customs brokerage and transhipment activities. Sister airline CMA CGM Air Cargo reportedly recently launched a twice-weekly nonstop widebody freighter route connecting the French and Vietnamese capitals. The moves come amid mounting evidence that Vietnam is evolving into one of the world’s fastest-growing hubs for hi-tech manufacturing – and logistics providers are moving quickly to position themselves for the shift. For years, Vietnam was viewed primarily as a beneficiary of the “China-plus-one” strategy, attracting manufacturers seeking to diversify production from China. But growing investments suggest the country is moving beyond a role as a low-cost assembly base to becoming an increasingly important part of global tech supply chains. Taiwan’s Well Shin said yesterday it was shifting production of AI server power cords to Vietnam after securing cloud-related orders, and China’s Huawei has expanded partnerships in the country, spanning AI, energy and 5G infrastructure. According to Vietnam’s National Statistics Office, the country attracted $24.8bn in foreign investment commitments in the first five months of 2026, up 34.9% year on year, with around 65% of this directed towards manufacturing and processing. Among the largest projects announced this year are Samsung’s second facility in Thai Nguyen province, Posco Future M’s battery materials investment, and automaker BYD’s expansion of its electronics production. Vietnam is also seeing increased investment in digital infrastructure. Industry forecasts point to rapid growth in AI-ready data centres, cloud infrastructure, and edge computing facilities. Hyperscale facilities are expected to account for the largest share of this expansion, driven by cloud growth and AI-related computing demand. And the shift is increasingly visible in freight markets. According to consultancy Aevean, Vietnam’s AI-related air cargo exports increased 110% year on year in the first four months of 2026, while forwarders reported airfreight capacity out of both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City had tightened significantly, with exports to the US facing critical space constraints and elevated rates. According to Rotate, freighter capacity year to date into Vietnam from Europe has gone up 190%, and +50% from North America. Overall freighter capacity growth out of Vietnam has risen 32% over last year. Operators, including Atlas Air, UPS, China Cargo Airlines, Kalitta Air, Turkish Cargo, and AeroLogic have all added capacity– the strongest growth has been recorded on routes linking Vietnam with major manufacturing centres in South Korea, mainland China, and Hong Kong. That pattern suggests Vietnam is becoming more deeply integrated into regional technology production networks rather than simply replacing China as a manufacturing location. Ceva’s latest announcement reflects that. Alongside the Hanoi-Chicago launch, the company also renewed its Wuxi-Chicago freighter operation in China, arguing that both routes support customers seeking resilient transpacific supply chains. It’s not just air cargo: in April, Ceva parent CMA CGM announced the second phase of expansion at the Gemalink terminal in Cai Mep, southern Vietnam. The project will increase annual capacity from 1.7m teu to approximately 3m teu by 2027. The carrier said the terminal, which opened in 2021 and in which it holds a 25% stake alongside Gemadept, is already operating at full capacity. CMA CGM described the expansion as part of its long-term strategy in Vietnam, where it also operates extensive logistics services through Ceva. And Vietnam’s attraction is no longer based solely on labour costs. Increasingly, investment is flowing into electronics, battery materials, telecommunications equipment, digital infrastructure, and other higher-value sectors that generate demand for sophisticated logistics services.

Taiwanese forwarder and ship manager TVL Marine is re-entering container shipping after a seven-year absence, launching a Hong Kong-Taiwan shuttle service this month. The company owns five 1,100 teu-1,800 teu ships, all chartered to South Korean liner operator KMTC Line when it ceased its previous shuttle service, between Taiwan and China’s Xiamen port, in 2019. The TVL group was founded in 1972, when Trans Van Links Express was incorporated in Taiwan, and ventured into ship owning and operations in the 1990s, after acquiring second-hand general cargo ships. But these were sold by the early 2000s and the group moved into air freight. The 1,100 teuTVL Keelung(previously known as theSunny Calla), is expected to be deployed on TVL’s new Hong Kong-Taiwan service. SeaSearcher shows the ship arrived in Hong Kong today, after being redelivered from KMTC. TVL group chairman Lee Chien-fa announced the re-entry into liner shipping during the opening of its Hong Kong office last month, saying the shipping centre and free trade port was ideal for the group to “deepen its Asia-Pacific network and implement sea-air multimodal transport”. The group is also considering joint-ventures with other shipping companies, added Mr Lee. “This is not only an important first step for the TVL group into the container shipping market, but also marks our transition from a traditional shipping agency, freight forwarder, and logistics group to operating its own fleet.” TVL’s team in Hong Kong will work closely with the Taipei HQ and the group’s agency network across more than 100 countries. The surge in container freight rates in recent years, fuelled by the Covid pandemic and then the Red Sea crisis and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has periodically attracted new players to liner shipping, although some ceased operations after sustaining losses. Meanwhile, the intra-Asia trade TVL is entering has seen strong volume growth so far in 2026, with year-to-date shipments of 16.6m teu to the end of April, according to Container Trades Statistics, representing year-on-year growth of 10%, more than double average global container growth rates.

Global air cargo markets are showing increasing signs of stability, with Gulf carriers rapidly rebuilding networks disrupted by the US-Iran conflict and capacity returning across key tradelanes. Yet despite easing geopolitical tensions and falling fuel prices, freight rates remain stubbornly high. The latest figures from WorldACD show worldwide chargeable weight rose 1% week on week between 8 and 14 June, while capacity and average rates remained broadly unchanged. The data suggests the market largely absorbed the fresh flare-up of hostilities in the Middle East, with volumes from the Middle East and South Asia (MESA) region increasing 4% week on week, despite renewed tensions. The resilience contrasts sharply with the disruption seen earlier this year, when conflict in the Gulf triggered widespread schedule changes, capacity shortages, and soaring rates. And the recovery of Gulf aviation networks is becoming increasingly visible. Qatar Airways said it had restored its network to 85% of pre-crisis levels, achieving a target set during the height of the disruption. The carrier’s summer schedule now includes more than 140 daily departures from Doha, serving more than 160 destinations worldwide. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves toldReutersthe Abu Dhabi carrier expected to be flying around 8% more than a year ago by mid-June, and was ordering additional widebody aircraft as it restored services cut during the conflict. “The biggest cost we have is an empty plane,” he said, adding that the airline had no plans to reduce flying. Gulf carriers were among the largest contributors to cargo growth in May, via freighters and widebody aircraft, led by Qatar Airways, which recorded a 28% increase in tonnage, equivalent to an additional 78,200 tonnes. Emirates increased cargo volumes by 17%, while Etihad posted a 6% gain. The reopening of Gulf networks is also evident on individual routes, according to Rotate data. Hong Kong-Doha widebody and freighter volumes increased 62% month on month, while Doha-Hong Kong traffic rose 43%. Other Gulf-related lanes – in particular Sharjah, which has seen a boost from Hong Kong – also recorded strong gains as carriers restored connectivity and repositioned capacity. Source: Rotate Overall, Rotate estimates global air cargo capacity increased 4% month on month in May, reversing a 1% decline in April. Source: Rotate, freighters and widebodies Yet while capacity is returning, rates are proving far slower to respond. According to TAC Index, the global Baltic Air Freight Index gained a further 1.7% in the week to 22 June, leaving it 37.3% higher than a year ago and still above the highest points reached during recent peak seasons. TAC noted that the sharp fall in crude oil and jet fuel prices following the extension of the ceasefire between the US and Iran had yet to feed through to air freight pricing. Freightos added: “Jet fuel prices have eased since the prospects of a reopened Hormuz have increased. So far though, air cargo rates have stayed level, though down from earlier highs on most lanes, including for China, South Asia and Southeast Asia cargo flows to Europe. Prices to North America have nonetheless trended upward, possibly buoyed by last chance Amazon Prime Day demand.” TAC Index said Shanghai outbound rates rose another 3.6% week on week, and remain 43.3% higher than a year ago; Hong Kong outbound rates were little changed, but still stand 41.4% above last year’s level; Frankfurt outbound rates are up 23.8% year on year; while Chicago remains 30.9% higher. Forwarders continue to report challenging conditions, despite the improving operating environment. In its latest market update, India’s Ligi Logistics said airfreight markets across India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Pakistan, and South-east Asia remained under significant pressure, with limited uplift availability, extended booking lead times, and airlines increasingly prioritising contracted and premium cargo. The forwarder described spot space availability as “very limited”, and said rates remained firm-to-increasing across most major export origins. WorldACD’s data paints a similar picture. Although global pricing was flat week on week, at $3.23 per kg, average rates remain 34% higher than a year ago. MESA capacity declined 2% week on week after a strong rebound the previous week, and remains below pre-conflict levels, indicating the regional recovery still has further to run. At the same time, carriers continue to position themselves for future growth. Cathay Group this week announced that Air Hong Kong would add an A330 converted freighter in the fourth quarter under a long-term lease agreement with ATSG. It follows Cathay Cargo’s recent order for two additional A350Fs, and will be deployed primarily on services to mainland China and other regional destinations. Cathay’s director cargo, Dominic Perret, said the additional aircraft would support the carrier’s capacity growth plans, strengthen its regional network, and reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a leading air cargo hub. The result is a market that is becoming increasingly stable, but not yet significantly cheaper. Check out this week’s News in Brief podcast!

Ascolta la versione audio dell'articolo 6' di lettura English Version Translated by AI. For feedback, please contact english@ilsole24ore.com Il panorama della logistica marittima globale ha subito una mutazione strutturale profonda, tracciata analiticamente dai registri internazionali e dai sistemi di monitoraggio della sicurezza europea. Nel corso dell’ultimo biennio, la consistenza numerica della cosiddetta flotta ombra russa ha raggiunto una quota stabile stimata tra le seicento e le mille unità operative globali, di cui una componente permanente compresa tra le sessanta e le ottanta grandi navi cisterna incrocia stabilmente all’interno del bacino del Mediterraneo. Questa massa critica di naviglio movimenta un volume di idrocarburi quantificato in oltre un milione e settecentomila barili di greggio al giorno, a cui si aggiungono consistenti carichi di gas naturale liquefatto. Chiedilo al Sole Le domande sono suggerite automaticamente da 24Ore AI sulla base del contenuto visualizzato. Domande di approfondimento generate da 24Ore AI Il funzionamento di questo network si regge su precisi pilastri operativi e amministrativi. Sotto il profilo della registrazione, le imbarcazioni adottano in modo sistematico bandiere di comodo fornite da registri marittimi storicamente opachi o privi di strutture di vigilanza tecnica, come Gabon, Panama, Liberia, Comore e Camerun. Dal punto di vista legale e societario, la proprietà formale delle navi è frazionata attraverso una fitta rete di compagnie fantasma e società veicolo con sede legale dislocata tra gli Emirati Arabi Uniti, Hong Kong, le Seychelles e la stessa Federazione Russa. Queste entità giuridiche operano come scatole cinesi per isolare gli asset principali dalle sanzioni, mutando denominazione sociale e rappresentanza legale con una frequenza media inferiore ai sei mesi. Sul piano delle rotte, i piani di viaggio dichiarati vengono falsificati all’origine tramite l’emissione di polizze di carico alterate, mentre la navigazione reale prevede deviazioni geometriche sistematiche rispetto alle traiettorie ottimali commerciali, necessarie per confondere la provenienza del carico dai terminali russi del Mar Nero, come Novorossijsk, e del Mar Baltico, come Primorsk e Ust-Luga. Loading... Il network Nel corso del 2025 e nei primi cinque mesi del 2026, il volume complessivo di greggio e gas naturale liquefatto movimentato tramite queste manovre nel Mediterraneo è raddoppiato rispetto ai livelli del biennio precedente, assestandosi su una media mensile che supera i dodici milioni di barili trasferiti. Le dinamiche logistiche prevedono l’impiego di petroliere navetta di classe Aframax che caricano i prodotti nei porti di origine russi e, una volta raggiunte le acque internazionali, si affiancano a grandi superpetroliere di classe Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) attraverso l’uso di parabordi pneumatici ad alta resistenza e manicotti flessibili per il travaso del carico. La logica tecnica di questi trasferimenti risponde a due esigenze: l’ottimizzazione economica e l’occultamento normativo. Sotto il profilo logistico, l’operazione permette di concentrare i carichi su navi di portata maggiore, riducendo i costi di trasporto sulle lunghe distanze verso i mercati asiatici. Sotto il profilo sanzionatorio, il trasbordo in mare aperto spezza la continuità documentale della catena di approvvigionamento, consentendo ai broker di miscelare il greggio di origine russa con partite di idrocarburi provenienti da altre regioni geografiche, ottenendo così certificati di origine apparentemente conformi ai requisiti di importazione internazionali e ai tetti di prezzo fissati dai Paesi occidentali. Il pilastro tecnologico per mantenere l’anonimato durante queste operazioni consiste nella disattivazione deliberata e sistematica dei transponder del sistema di identificazione automatica, uno strumento radio obbligatorio secondo le convenzioni internazionali per la sicurezza della vita in mare. Nel corso del 2025 e nei primi mesi del 2026, i centri di controllo marittimo europei hanno documentato una media costante compresa tra i quaranta e i cinquanta episodi complessivi al mese di spegnimento anomalo del segnale all’interno del Mediterraneo, concentrati prevalentemente nelle acque internazionali del Canale di Sicilia e dello Ionio meridionale. L’analisi di questi eventi evidenzia schemi ricorrenti: le petroliere di classe Aframax e Suezmax disattivano i dispositivi poche ore prima dell’ingresso nelle aree designate per i trasferimenti di carico, mantenendo una finestra di oscurità informativa che varia dalle 36 ore nel Canale di Sicilia fino a un massimo di 120 ore consecutive per le superpetroliere di classe VLCC nel Mar Ionio. Le tecnologie Per contrastare questa cecità informativa, i sistemi di sorveglianza costiera e le agenzie di intelligence marittima hanno integrato il tracciamento radio con il monitoraggio satellitare avanzato in tempo reale. Il rilevamento si affida oggi in modo prioritario ai radar ad apertura sintetica dei programmi satellitari europei, i quali emettono impulsi elettromagnetici in grado di penetrare la copertura nuvolosa e rilevare la presenza fisica, la lunghezza e la sagoma delle imbarcazioni anche in condizioni di totale oscurità. Questi dati vengono poi incrociati con i sensori a radiofrequenza orbitali, capaci di captare le emissioni dei radar di navigazione di bordo delle navi che, pur avendo spento il sistema di tracciamento pubblico, devono mantenere attivi i radar di navigazione interni per evitare collisioni con altre unità o con la costa.

German freight forwarder Rhenus has appointed Scott Dudley (above) as managing director of Air & Ocean operations in the UK. Mr Dudley brings almost 20 years of logistics and supply chain experience to the role. He first joined Rhenus in 2019 and has held several leadership positions across Germany, the US and the UK, including branch manager, air & ocean in Germany and head of ocean freight for North America. Before joining Rhenus, he spent 10 years with DHL Global Forwarding, where he held a variety of operational and commercial roles in Germany, the US and Hong Kong. “Scott brings a wealth of experience from across Rhenus and the wider logistics industry. Throughout his career, he has built strong teams and delivered growth in a range of international markets,” Alberto Martinez, regional director Europe at Rhenus, said. The appointment comes as the company rolls out its wider One Rhenus strategy, with investments in technology, automation and improved shipment visibility, as well as “significant opportunities to strengthen its support for small and medium-sized businesses while continuing to develop its offering for larger international customers”. “The UK is an important market for Rhenus and a key part of our ambitions across Europe. Scott’s focus will be on building the capabilities, structure and customer offering needed to support the next stage of growth for the business,” Mr Martinez added. “The UK is an important market for Rhenus and a key part of our ambitions across Europe. Scott’s focus will be on building the capabilities, structure and customer offering needed to support the next stage of growth for the business.” Mr Dudley added: “We have strong foundations in place, a talented team and the support of a global network. “There is a real opportunity for Rhenus UK to play an even bigger role within the wider Rhenus network, and I’m excited about what we can achieve together.”

Air freight rates remain stubbornly high, despite a steady recovery in capacity as airlines, forwarders, and shippers adapt to a market reshaped by the Iran conflict, elevated fuel costs, and relentless demand from the AI sector. Data from Rotate shows global freighter capacity rose 4% month on month in May, and a further 2% in early June, with Asia-US networks continuing to rebuild. Cathay Cargo said today its global capacity was now “nearly back to pre-event levels”, although some Middle East disruptions remain and its Dubai and Riyadh services were still suspended. Source: Rotate Yet rates remain far above historical norms, as shown byFreightos Terminal FAX. Source: Freightos Terminal According to TAC Index, the global Baltic Air Freight Index eased just 2.1% over the four weeks to 1 June, leaving it still 32.7% higher than a year ago. The index remained up 33.4% year on year in the first week of June, despite signs of stabilisation. WorldACD data highlights the market imbalance: global tonnage growth slowed to just 3% year on year in May, yet average rates remained 36% above last year’s levels. The disconnect suggests that, while capacity is returning, the market is still operating with significant constraints. “There’s still 30% of those carriers’ capacity not back in the market,” Morrison Express CEO Asok Kumar toldThe Loadstar, referring to Gulf carriers affected by the conflict. “Qatar, Emirates, Etihad – they’re all major cargo carriers, so it still has an impact from a capacity standpoint.” He added that while airlines had restored much of their lift, the market had not fully normalised. “Up to 70% of it has come back,” he said, noting that airlines had also added direct capacity to compensate for reduced Middle East connectivity. The result is a market no longer in crisis mode, but remaining significantly more expensive than before the outbreak of the conflict. Fuel still a key factor TAC noted that jet fuel prices fell nearly 25% between April and May, helping ease some pressure on rates. However, fuel costs remain more than 57% above last year’s average. Hong Kong fuel surcharges tell a similar story. Cathay Cargo has reduced its long-haul fuel surcharge by around 14% for the second half of June, from HK$11.8 (US$1.50) per kg to HK$10.1 per kg. While that is almost 46% below the peak reached in April, it remains more than three times higher than pre-conflict levels. “The big issue remains the price of oil, and jet fuel in particular,” said Cathay Cargo’s head of cargo sales Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area, Frank Yau. And Mr Kumar said the volatility was creating challenges for shippers. “Customers are not able to properly forecast their costs because of this,” he said. “It brings a lot of uncertainty.” While the Iran conflict continues to shape market conditions, demand remains remarkably resilient, particularly in technology supply chains. WorldACD said Asia Pacific chargeable weight was up 8% year to date, while rates to Europe and the US remained 39% and 36% higher year on year, respectively. Behind much of that demand is the continued build-out of AI infrastructure. Taiwan-based Mr Kumar said semiconductor manufacturers, memory producers, and equipment makers continued to report full orderbooks stretching years into the future. “Some are talking about being booked out until end of next year, some even until end of 2028,” he said. “Many are saying this will continue till 2030.The one vertical market that’s just showing exceptional growth is AI.” The boom is supporting strong intra-Asia and transpacific flows.The strength of AI-related cargo is also helping explain why rates have remained elevated even as overall volume growth has moderated. TAC’s Index showed Asia-origin pricing continuing to outperform in May, particularly on transpacific lanes, supported by semiconductor and technology shipments. Nevertheless, there are growing signs that the frantic repricing seen in March and April has ended. WorldACD reported global chargeable weight fell 9% week on week at the end of May, largely due to holiday effects, including Memorial Day, Pentecost, and Eid al-Adha. Yet average rates still rose 2%, underlining the market’s continuing sensitivity to capacity constraints. For now, most industry participants appear to agree that the market has stabilised at a higher level rather than returned to normal. Cathay said capacity was recovering and rates had begun to soften, while TAC described May as a period in which airlines and shippers stopped repricing risk every week and, instead, learned to operate within a new set of constraints. Mr Kumar believes that, eventually, market fundamentals will prevail. “If things just revert to where they were before the war started, the market dynamics will correct themselves,” he said. “The rates cannot stay at elevated levels.” For now, however, a combination of incomplete capacity recovery, elevated fuel costs, and insatiable demand for AI-related cargo appears sufficient to keep air freight pricing well above historical norms.

Containership newbuilding orders this week have been dominated by 6,000 teu-plus ships, but interest in feeder vessels remained strong. French line CMA CGM added to its orderbook of 6,000 teu ships, after contracting eight at Hengli Heavy Industries for delivery in 2028. Alphaliner notes CMA CGM already operates six ships of this type, two owned and four chartered from Belgian tonnage provider CMB.Tech. Eastern Pacific Shipping has ordered a 6,000 teu pair, also from Hengli, reportedly for charter to CMA CGM, adding to four ordered earlier, also to be fixed to the French line. Global Ship Lease has confirmed orders for ten 6,200 teu ships at Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering for delivery between 2028 and 2030. It is likely that GSL has a charter lined up, although details have not been released. The price of a 6,000 teu ship is around $90m, while feeder vessels in the 1,100 teu to 1,900 teu bracket cost between $28m and $35m. Constantine Baack, boss of non-operating shipowner MPC Container Ships, which specialises in smaller vessels, said during the recent Q1 earnings call that high oil prices and a relatively low orderbook were encouraging investment in new ships. The orderbook-to-fleet ratio of feeder vessels is just 18% of the active fleet, and Linerlytica has reported a number of new feeder vessel orders. Hong Kong-registered Synelysia ordered four 1,900 teu ships at Zhejiang Xinle Shipbuilding, reportedly for delivery in 2028; Greek owner Euroseas has exercised options for two more 1,781 teu ships at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific; and two 1,100 teu ships were ordered by an unknown company at Yangzi Hongyuan Shipbuilding. “While overall contracting activity remains moderate, we continue to see firm projects in both the mid-size and larger segments, with a number of orders expected to firm up before the summer holidays,” reported MB Shipbrokers.

The recovery of air cargo operations in the Gulf has been thrown into fresh uncertainty as the US and Iran exchanged a new wave of strikes this week, prompting another temporary closure of Kuwait airspace and fears of renewed disruption across the region. Kuwait briefly suspended air traffic last week after its airport was hit, but has now resumed normal flight operations, highlighting the continuing fragility of the operating environment for airlines and logistics providers. The latest escalation comes as carriers and freight operators had begun restoring services across the region, following a period of relative stability after a ceasefire was agreed in April. DHL said its regional air operations had recovered significantly in recent weeks, with transit times and service performance nearing pre-conflict levels. “Transit times, which had extended to five-to-seven days during the disruption, have largely returned to near pre-conflict levels of 24 to 48 hours. Service performance is now close to normal in many markets, with key hubs, including Bahrain, restored. “Of course, some constraints in airfreight remain, including limited capacity in certain countries, occasional schedule disruptions, and rising operational costs,” a spokesperson toldThe Loadstar. Contingency planning has been at the heart of DHL’s response to the crisis. During the height of the disruption, the company established backup hubs in Riyadh and Muscat to maintain connectivity across the region. In April, it launched a thrice-weekly 747 freighter service between Liège and Jeddah, dedicated to pharma and life science shipments, with onward distribution across the GCC by road. Following the reopening of regional airspace, the Gulf destination has since switched from Jeddah to Dubai World Central. Asked how dependent DHL was on the bellyhold capacity provided by European passenger airlines that have yet to fully return to the Gulf, the spokesperson said the company’s network was largely insulated from those constraints. “DHL’s regional network is built for resilience and relies primarily on its own dedicated freighter fleet, limiting dependence on belly cargo capacity from passenger airlines. While belly capacity provides a complementary buffer under normal conditions, it represents only a small share of total capacity.” Indeed, while Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have largely restored operations, many European and international airlines remain reluctant to return. British Airways has pushed back resumption of Dubai passenger services until 25 October, extending a suspension originally expected to end on 1 July. Under the revised schedule, flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain, and Amman will remain suspended, while frequencies to Doha and Riyadh are being reduced. The decision suggests that security concerns remain elevated despite the partial recovery in regional operations. Passenger demand has also yet to fully recover from the prolonged period of instability. On the cargo side, Lufthansa Cargo confirmed toThe Loadstarthat it had postponed Frankfurt-Tel Aviv freighter operations again, with no flights to Tel Aviv,freighter or passenger, until at least 15 June due to the security situation. Air France resumed passenger services to Riyadh last week, but a spokesperson confirmed that other destinations in the Gulf and wider Middle East remained suspended. Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo continues to avoid Dubai on freighter services to and from Hong Kong. For the cargo sector, the latest flare-up serves as a reminder that, despite the impressive resilience shown by airlines and logistics operators in recent months, the region remains vulnerable to sudden operational shocks. Airspace closures have become shorter and less disruptive than during the initial weeks of the conflict, but the renewed exchange of hostilities between Washington and Tehran is unlikely to encourage European carriers to accelerate their return to the region. Instead, airlines appear content to wait for a new sustained period of stability before restoring networks that can be withdrawn at a moment’s notice by geopolitical events.

Ground handlers have warned that airport community systems risk adding complexity, rather than removing it. Airport community systems can play a critical role in improving efficiency across the air cargo supply chain, but only if they are designed to remove bureaucracy rather than simply digitise it, delegates at TIACA’s Executive Summit in Warsaw heard this week. During a panel discussion on “reinventing the playbook for a fragmented industry”, ground handling executives largely agreed that greater connectivity and data-sharing across stakeholders was essential. However, speakers voiced concerns that some community platforms were failing to address the underlying causes of inefficiency. Kai Domscheit, MD of Frankfurt-based handler CHI Cargo Group, said he was a “strong supporter of a good cargo community system”, but warned the industry needed to be cautious about how such platforms were implemented. “The cargo community system should not digitise bureaucracy, it should remove it,” he told delegates. Mr Domscheit argued that some systems, particularly those handling truck slot management, risked masking operational shortcomings rather than solving them. He claimed most handlers “misuse the slot management system to get away from liability that they have a labour scarcity issue”. Using the example of warehouses with more truck docks than they have staff available to operate them, he suggested some systems failed to provide customers with a transparent view of the actual capacity, making it difficult to assess performance accurately. He went further, criticising industry practices that could reward inefficiency. “There’s a storage fee, so I’m actually making more money by not performing and delivering to my customer, and charging the freight forwarder,” he said.“And that’s why I’m speaking about this, because I really think it’s stupid, and they are committing fraud. “Sorry to say that, but it’s not okay, not by my book.” Swissport SVP cargo Steven Polmans offered a more positive assessment of community systems, but acknowledged that implementation remained a challenge. “It does not come as a surprise that I’m a big fan of cargo community systems, but that does come with a few ‘buts’. “If a few people are driving too fast on the highway, you do not abandon the rules. You try to change the behaviour. So, I don’t think the risk of people abusing a landslide management system should stop us from implementing it. If people abuse it, that’s a different discussion, and we should be dealing with it… I believe in a community system,” he said. Mr Polmans argued that community systems added value when they provided a layer of connectivity between multiple stakeholders and systems that would otherwise remain disconnected. “The community system should put an extra layer to bridge where there is a lack of collaboration, or where there are pain points that no single company can overcome,” he said. However, he warned against airports creating standalone platforms that simply duplicate existing handling systems, and he questioned the motivation behind some airport-led initiatives. “For me, a community system is part of basic infrastructure and should not be seen as a money-maker, be seen as dominating, or be collecting data for their own benefit. It should be for the community.” Joanna Li, executive director of Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals (Hactl), highlighted the benefits of community platforms in reducing paperwork and enabling digital communication between stakeholders, although she noted that integrating different systems could prove challenging. The debate reflected a broader theme running throughout the summit: that fragmentation remains one of air cargo’s biggest challenges. While technology is often presented as the answer, panellists repeatedly stressed that true progress would depend on greater collaboration, transparency, and standardisation across the supply chain. As Mr Domscheit put it: “Fragmentation, unfortunately, is the hidden tax of air cargo.”

Air cargo rates climbed 36% year on year in May as conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt global supply chains, according to data provider WorldACD. Presenting at TIACA’s Executive Summit in Warsaw today (2 June), WorldACD CEO Ken De Witt Hamer said the market had experienced a sharp shift since early March, when geopolitical tensions escalated across the Gulf region. While air cargo demand has remained resilient, the disruption has pushed rates higher, as airlines reroute aircraft, redistribute capacity and force supply chains to adjust to changing network conditions. WorldACD data shows worldwide rates were down 2% year on year in January before rising 5% in February. Following the outbreak of conflict, in March rates increased 12%, accelerating to 30% in April and 36% in May. The company estimated that global air cargo revenues had increased 16% year to date, combining a 12% rise in rates with 4% growth in volumes. And, despite the disruption, cargo volumes have proved remarkably resilient. WorldACD reported that inbound cargo volumes to the Gulf, which fell by around 60% immediately after the conflict escalated, had returned to year-earlier levels during May. In May, the level had been the same as May 2025, Mr De Witt Hamer told delegates. The effect on pricing has been particularly pronounced on certain tradelanes. WorldACD highlighted Amsterdam-Dubai, Hong Kong-Riyadh and Mumbai-London as examples of where rates have risen dramatically since the start of the year. On some routes, rates have nearly doubled, while Amsterdam-Dubai recorded increases approaching 200%. “To put that rate into perspective, the average rate in May this year was $3.23. The peak in our historic data back to 2008 was during Covid in December 2021, where the average global rates were at $4.43, so we are now around 30% below the peak we have seen in the past, and who knows what the rest of the year will bring,” said Mr De Witt Hamer. He also warned that “volatility” was becoming as significant a challenge as rising prices. Data presented in Warsaw showed that the spread between low and high market rates had widened substantially on several routes, making it increasingly difficult for airlines, forwarders, and shippers to assess prevailing market conditions. Despite the market turbulence, WorldACD’s latest forecast points to continued growth for the sector. The company expects global air cargo demand to increase 2.3% this year, although it acknowledged that the continuing geopolitical uncertainty could alter the outlook. “Whether we like it or not, our world, as we all know, has really changed in a few weeks and months,” Mr De Witt Hamer told delegates. “So many different factors at play, the geopolitical situation is very demanding, of course, which, of course, has an impact on the whole air cargo industry.”

DHL, FedEx, and UPS have written to European Union finance ministers calling for a phased approach to the 27-member bloc’s new customs rules for low-value parcels to be introduced this summer. They focus on the abolition of thede minimisrule, the customs exemption currently applied to parcels worth less than €150, which will be replaced by a flat-rate tax of €3 per item from non-EU countries, effective on 1 July. Secondly, a processing fee of €2 is set to be added later in the year, probably in November. The aim of the customs reform is to discourage impulse purchases of very cheap products, notably marketed on Chinese online marketplaces such as Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, particularly in fast-fashion. In the letter, the three integrators – members of industry body the European Express Association (EEA) – say the EU should proceed with the tax, but recommend a deferral of the “more complex and unresolved elements until they are legally certain and operationally viable”. These include new data requirements, among other aspects of the new rules, which according to the express delivery giants, constitute a level of complexity that cannot be feasibly implemented by 1 July. In the letter, Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Europe, Wouter Roels, president of FedEx Europe, and Daniel Carrera, president of UPS EMEA, said that “without a stable and workable legal framework”, they anticipated a “real risk” of shipments being held up at EU borders. “Such disruption could affect medical supply availability, delay industrial production, and create bottlenecks across European supply chains – all risks that are particularly significant in the current geopolitical context,” it added. The European Union has yet to respond, at least publicly, to the integrators’ request. When the US suspended itsde minimisexemption for goods under $800 in August 2025, it led to an immediate and significant decline in cross-border ecommerce volumes, while also triggering a shift in freighter capacity from the transpacific to the China-Europe tradelane, as Chinese online marketplaces saw an increase in business from European consumers. For example, according to Rotate, this year to date, freighter traffic from Asia to Europe is 28% higher than a year ago, while transpacific is up just 1%, and global capacity up 4%. Is the China-Europe online trade in for a similar fate? One could perhaps look for clues in France where the authorities brought the introduction of the €2 parcel tax forward to 1 March. By 3 March, customs declarations for small parcels at Paris CDG Airport had fallen 92% as goods were shifted to foreign rivals in Liège, Schiphol, and Frankfurt, parcels for France forwarded by truck. CDG was estimated to have lost about 50 freighter flights in the first week after the tax. Italy, which also brought in the tax early, suffered similar consequences and decided on a temporary postponement of the levy. France’s director-general of Customs, Florian Colas, told the National Assembly’s Economic Affairs Committee this month: “We have gone from approximately 500,000 [small parcel] declarations a day to around 50,000 today.” At a webinar in the spring, Henk Venema, DHL GF’s EVP global airfreight, said: “We are waiting to see what the response is going to be from the market to these new European regulations, because cross-border ecommerce from China and Hong Kong is taking up a large amount of freighter capacity at the moment. “Should it lead to a massive decline in ecommerce volumes going to Europe, a good deal of this freighter capacity would be freed up. But jet fuel prices being what they are today, a lot of the freighters carrying ecommerce goods from China to Europe could well be taken out of the market, because it would not be economical to fly them, especially the older B747-400F models.” However, Mr Venema speculated that these freighters could also end up having a role to play in supporting what he described as “probably the biggest growth engine of air freight overall in 2026 and beyond” – the shipment of “hyperscale AI”. Separately, DHL eCommerce has announced a new exclusive multi-year contract with the United States Postal Service (USPS), with an expected value of well over $10bn, for last-mile parcel delivery services in the US. And FedEx said this week it was investing €46m to expand its Duiven road hub in the Netherlands, boosting palletised freight capacity by more than 50%, as it prepares for continued growth in European parcel and freight volumes. The move underscores expectations that cross-border trade demand will remain strong even as Europe tightens the rules on low-value ecommerce imports.

TS Lines founding chairman and CEO Chen Te-sheng will retire on 1 June and hand over the reins to his son, Chen Shao-hsiang (pictured). The regional carrier said yesterday that this was part of a pre-established succession plan, and 74-year-old Mr Chen will take on a senior advisory role, indicating that he will retain a certain degree of decision-making influence. The Chens are related to Taiwan operator Wan Hai Lines’ founding family. for which the senior Mr Chen worked for 20 years, leaving in 1999 to join a Malaysian shipping line. In 2001, he founded TS Lines. Under Mr Chen, the carrier has grown from an asset-light operation that only operated intra-Asia services with chartered feeder vessels. The Covid-fuelled container shipping boom transformed TS Lines, as sky-high charter rates convinced Mr Chen to expand the owned fleet, commissioning newbuildings and buying second-hand ships. In November 2024, TS Lines was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after an IPO that raised $127.7m. Today, TS Lines is the 20thlargest shipping line and owns 34 of its 42 operated ships, with a total capacity of 108,463 teu. Another 18 vessels, totalling 107,216 teu, are under construction and will be delivered over the next three years. Chen Shao-hsiang had been groomed to take over the family business, and was appointed vice-chairman in March 2025 after working for TS Lines for three years. A graduate of the London School of Economics, he has more than 17 years’ experience in the shipping industry. At TS Lines’annual banquetin February, he said the world had changed since his father founded the company, with geopolitical tensions altering tradelanes and the uncertain environment necessitating more self-sufficiency. Since then, TS Lines has diversified beyond its intra-Asia focus to South America and the Middle East, and continues to expand its fleet and order more containers. Since 2024, it has ordered nearly 50,000 new box, raising the carrier’s owned container ratio close to 50%. Listen now for a data-rich deep dive into the volatility redefining global shipping in 2026

The air freight market appears to be moving out of its acute crisis phase, with capacity recovering and fears of a near-term jet fuel shortage receding, although rates remain far above pre-conflict levels and tradelanes continue to shift. After weeks of steep increases following the escalation of the Middle East conflict in late February, the latest TAC Index data suggests the market has started to cool. The global Baltic Air Freight Index fell 4.9% in the week to 18 May, although it remained 30.4% higher year on year. TAC said the fall followed a short-term drop in jet fuel prices, by about 10% in early May, though prices remain roughly 80% higher than a year ago. Source: IATA Jet Fuel Monitor Freightos data points to the same trend: the panic phase has passed, but pricing has not normalised. Its global air index has continued to trend well above pre-crisis levels, while the Southern Asia-Europe lane, which was around $2.40/kg before the conflict, surged above $5/kg in April and has since eased only partially, settling around the low-to-mid $4/kg range by 20 May. Freightos Terminal Source: Freightos Terminal Public fuel surcharge data from Hong Kong also indicates the market is beginning to cool. Cathay Cargo’s long-haul fuel surcharge fell from HK$16.9/kg for the first half of May to HK$13.5/kg for the second half of the month, a reduction of about 20% in two weeks. DHL’s Hong Kong cargo fuel surcharge mechanism has shown a similar trend, with rates easing steadily from April peaks. However, both remain dramatically above pre-crisis levels seen earlier this year. The result is a market that is no longer spiralling upward, but has clearly found a new, elevated pricing floor. Capacity data from Rotate supports that picture. Freighter capacity grew 3% month on month in April versus March, reversing the previous month’s 2% decline. Week on week, however, growth slowed to 2%, down from 8% the previous week, suggesting airlines are restoring lift cautiously rather than flooding the market with capacity. Source: Rotate But the recovery is uneven and increasingly shaped by changing tradelanes. Rotate’s data showed particularly strong month-on-month growth onAsia-Middle East, up 25%, and Europe-Middle East, up 16%, as the Gulf carriers get back to work. Source: Rotate Many other carriers are still avoiding the Middle East however. Cargolux CEO Richard Forson said the carrier had not changed its overall network strategy, but had removed most Middle East stops because of airspace and security concerns, retaining only Muscat. But he also said global trade patterns were continuing to shift, with more production moving into South-east Asia and India. “Tradelanes are shifting,” he said, adding that Asia-Europe, Asia-Middle East and Europe-North America remained among the strongest corridors. The shift is being reinforced by the nature of cargo demand. Mr Forson said electronics, AI-related server infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and ecommerce were all supporting the market. “There’s a lot of electronics being flown… with the data centres being set up to facilitate AI development,” he said. That demand has helped prevent a collapse in rates even as operational conditions improved. Seasonal Mother’s Day flower shipments from Latin America also helped absorb freighter capacity this month, particularly on Europe and North America lanes. The latest TAC figures suggest some emergency pressure is now easing. Rates out of Hong Kong, India, and Korea all declined week on week, while Europe-US and Europe-Gulf markets also softened. However, pricing remains historically high, with Heathrow outbound rates, for example, still more than 40% above last year. The market is, therefore, not returning to normal so much as adapting to a new environment. Refineries in Europe, the US, and West Africa have shifted output towards aviation fuel, while airlines have rerouted networks, cut weaker services and concentrated capacity on higher-yield corridors. At the same time, carriers appear unusually disciplined on capacity deployment, helping prevent a rapid collapse in pricing. While Mr Forson had warned that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could still create fuel shortages and wider economic damage, he added that the immediate cargo market remained resilient, with “fairly healthy” demand and “fairly robust” yields. In short, any feared further collapse in air freight availability has not materialised. But neither has the market returned to pre-crisis conditions. Instead, the industry appears to have repriced geopolitical risk permanently into the system. Listen to our recent podcast with Container Trades Statistics to hear a deep dive into the Q1 ocean freight dynamics!

Cargolux chief executive Richard Forson has warned that prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger fuel shortages, inflation, and a wider global economic downturn, as the air cargo carrier continues to reroute flights from much of the Middle East. He toldThe Loadstarthe consequences of the Iran conflict could extend far beyond aviation, and warned that jet fuel shortages would be “the least of our worries” if the crisis continued for several months. “It all depends how long the conflict actually lasts,” he explained. “As long as there is continued uncertainty as to when the war or impasse is going to end, prices will remain elevated.” His warning comes amid mounting concern across the aviation and energy sectors over the impact of the continuing disruption around Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies normally transit. Mr Forson said Cargolux had already removed all Middle East stops from its network, except Muscat in Oman, and otherwise“we continue to fly the network we had previously”. The carrier suspended services to Amman, Riyadh, Dammam, Bahrain, and the UAE, and rerouted flights “almost overnight” after the conflict escalated. Cargolux also evacuated staff and pilots from Dubai as the security situation there deteriorated. While the airline has not yet experienced fuel shortages, Mr Forson said the risk would increase significantly if the crisis persisted medium-term. “For me, if the situation in the Middle East continues… I think at some point, there will be a shortage,” he said.“Governments around the world do have emergency stocks on hand, but those are not meant to cover month after month after month of shortages.” But he added: “The shortage of jet fuel will be the least of our worries, because the global economy is going to go through an extremely difficult time.” Rising energy costs would feed directly into inflation through higher logistics costs and reduced consumer spending, he said. “One thing that is built into every single product that we consume is logistics,” he added. “With the price of the energy needed for logistics increasing significantly, this is obviously going to be passed on to the consumer.” And he warned the impact would spread well beyond aviation fuel, potentially affecting diesel, petrol, fertiliser production, and industrial gases such as helium, which is used in cooling data centres – now a major vertical for air cargo. The disruption is already having a knock-on effect across wider air cargo markets. At a Coface event in Australia, ICAL International Customs and Logistics director Mark Coleman said cargo capacity had tightened significantly as passengers avoided Middle Eastern transit hubs and airlines reduced frequencies because of fuel costs. “People who would normally go via the Middle East started looking for flights via the US and Asia,” he said. “But from a cargo point of view, that caused huge restrictions. Passenger luggage will always get priority and, as a result, getting space on these flights became a bit of an issue; they were leaving cargo behind,” he continued, noting that 90% of Australian air cargo moves in bellies. Airlines are also beginning to move into defensive financial positions. Cebu Pacific, for example, has suspended dividend payments and shifted into ‘cash-preservation mode’ because of the fuel volatility linked to the Middle East conflict.Chair Lance Gokongwei said the carrier’s priority was now “to maintain a strong and resilient cash position”. And Air India is reportedly considering staff furloughs, executive pay cuts, and capacity reductions as longer routings, fuel costs, and weaker demand put pressure on profitability. Cargolux currently relies primarily on fuel surcharges rather than large-scale hedging to offset rising fuel costs. “We do hedge… but not high volumes,” Mr Forson explained. “Our first line would be our fuel surcharge mechanism, followed by hedging.” Hong Kong fuel surcharge disclosures show Cargolux has levied a long-haul surcharge of US$1.10/kg since late March, although the carrier’s detailed surcharge tables are not now publicly accessible. Despite sharply higher fuel prices, Mr Forson said cargo demand and yields had so far remained resilient. “Demand remains fairly healthy,” he said. “Rates and yields remain fairly robust, which has helped us offset the additional costs.” However, he acknowledged the fuel crisis would likely weigh on Cargolux’s profitability next year. The carrier announced revenues of $3.4bn for 2025, resulting in profit after tax of $465m at the end of April, marking 13 consecutive years in profit. “Based on what I’m seeing now, and what we’re having to pay for jet fuel, I think it is not going to be at the same level [next year]. It will be lower.” The executive also questioned whether the current global environment of repeated geopolitical shocks had become the ‘new normal’ for the cargo sector. “I hope within the next three to five years things start normalising,” he said. “If we can’t get to that stage, then we’re going to be in a perpetual state of having to react to crises as they develop.”

The air freight market in the Middle East is stabilising, according to DHL Global Forwarding. “All airspaces across the region are open, albeit some with varying levels of restrictions, such as fixed corridors or pre-approvals being required. “Overall, we have noticed a further increase in air freight capacity being available and a first softening of rate levels, but they are still at significantly elevated levels versus pre-crisis,” commented Tobias Maier, DGF’s CEO for the Middle East and Africa, in a webinar. “We are also seeing the first sign of airline fuel surcharges starting to come down, with reports emerging that airlines are prioritising international flights over domestic ones.” Among the significant developments is the return of DHL’s intercontinental flights into Bahrain and Dubai from Germany and from Hong Kong, Paul Dowling, DHL Express customer operations manager, MENA, explained. “Most importantly this week, we have brought Qatar and Kuwait back into the air network, as well as establishing collections from Italy to the Middle East, and connecting the Middle East with Africa through Nairobi. So, once again we are linking Europe, Asia, and Africa to the Middle East. “The plan is to continue to operate our back-up air hubs in Riyadh and Muscat while the situation in the region continues to stabilise.” He said this week’s drone attacks on Dubai had not led to DHL cancelling any flights. “Over the next couple of weeks, we plan to re-introduce fights beyond the GCC, into Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon, followed by flights from the US into Bahrain.” Ben Lambert, DGF’s VP, regional head of airfreight, Middle East & Africa, highlighted data showing a continued recovery in the schedules of Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, while the volume of cargo handled at the region’s airports was on the rise – but remaining well below pre-crisis levels. He said the “big movers” in terms of tonnage recovery were Dubai airports DXB and DWC, along with Doha. As to the prospect of European carriers returning to the Middle East, Mr Lambert said: “In mid-May, there will be another review of the situation by the European Aviation Security Council, so we’ll see what recommendations come out of that. Currently, there is a very limited amount of capacity on Europe-Middle East routes.” Meanwhile, another major air cargo player, Cathay Pacific, has pointed to a market which continued to be very volatile, with capacity pressure from the situation in the Middle East and the high price of jet fuel. The Hong Kong-based carrier has pushed back the resumption of its passenger flights to Riyadh and Dubai until the end of June, and freighter services to those destinations remain suspended. “Our now fortnightly cadence to our fuel surcharge mechanism means we more closely track the price of jet fuel. As a result, in mid-April, while still extremely high, the price of SINJET fuel – which itself is significantly higher than the price of crude, due to increased refinery costs – saw a slight drop in comparison with what we saw in late-March,” explained Toby Griffiths, Cathay’s head of cargo global sales & customer solutions. “This has been reflected in our most recent fuel surcharge announcement, showing a slight decrease for the first period of May.” While fuel surcharges are beginning to soften, the market remains under pressure from elevated refinery and jet fuel costs, all linked to the disruption across the Gulf region. Mr Griffiths noted that demand remained robust and load factors on Cathay’s transpacific and European lanes had held up well, although there was some softening owing to Golden Week in early May. Cathay Cargo has also been able to arrange some alternative mid-points in India, in place of Dubai, for its European freighters, which has helped recover capacity on the Asia-Europe lane. Additionally, to support growth in South-east Asia, Cathay has added a freighter to Bangkok, tagged with Ho Chi Minh City, which will free up another 40 tonnes of capacity from Vietnam capital Hanoi. “If peace and stability were to return to the Middle East, as we hope, we believe the air cargo market and jet fuel prices will remain volatile for a while longer,” summed up Mr Griffiths. “Our fuel surcharge cadence will remain fortnightly for the foreseeable future, to reflect this uncertainty. As ever, we will monitor the situation and do all we can to protect our network, capacity and, of course, our Hong Kong hub.”

Air cargo markets are showing early signs of stabilisation after the sharp rate surge, while forwarders and airlines are continuing to secure capacity amid ongoing disruption and uneven demand. Speaking during last week’s Q1 earnings call, DSV chief executive Jens Lund described conditions as “challenging”, amid geopolitical uncertainty, but said the company had “managed to limit the impact of the situation in the Middle East to something moderate in our numbers”, and reported solid air freight profitability. That resilience is being matched by forwarder action on the ground: DHL Global Forwarding is expanding its controlled airfreight capacity with a new thrice-weekly 777 freighter service linking South-east Asia and the US, alongside additional Asia-Europe routes, underlining continued demand on key east-west lanes. Kuehne+Nagel, meanwhile, struck a cautious tone in its latest results, highlighting a volatile environment and fragile demand backdrop, but it also pointed to stable air volumes and a continued focus on yield over volume. Airlines are also adjusting networks as conditions in the Middle East begin to normalise, although capacity remains structurally constrained. Qatar Airways Cargo has resumed freighter and bellyhold services to Iraq, restoring more than 115 tonnes of weekly capacity on the Doha–Baghdad route, while Etihad Cargo received a boost via a long-term agreement with UAE-based EDGE Group to handle its global airfreight requirements. DHL CEO Tobias Meyer highlighted the scale of disruption during the conflict, noting that the company had been forced to relocate its Middle East hub operations from Bahrain to Muscat and Riyadh following airspace closures. “I’m very proud how colleagues in the Middle East handled the situation,” he said, adding that the company was able to redeploy aircraft and use its road feeder network to maintain service levels across the region. However, he warned that reduced Middle Eastern capacity continued to affect global flows, particularly on Asia-Europe lanes. “There is a broader impact on the air freight market for Asia-Europe, where we continue to see elevated rates,” he said. “As the Middle Eastern capacity is not available, the hub carriers in the Middle East do not provide the same capacity we are used to.” Meanwhile, jet fuel prices are also easing – although they remain more than 100% above the same time last year, according toIATA’s jet fuel price monitor. Out of Hong Kong, where cargo fuel surcharges are made public, major operators including Cathay Cargo and other international carriers, raised surcharges sharply during the initial fuel spike. While increases have slowed in line with stabilising fuel prices, surcharge levels remain elevated, although varying significantly between airlines. Xeneta cautioned that fuel alone did not explain rate movements. Chief airfreight officer Niall van de Wouw said: “We need to bust the myth that if jet fuel goes up, airfreight prices go up… the all-in cost a freight forwarder pays an airline is more driven by demand and supply than it is by fuel costs.” Market data suggests the air cargo sector is now transitioning out of its most acute disruption phase. According to WorldACD, global air cargo spot rates rose around 2% week on week in late April, with full-market prices, which include contract rates, up about 1%. On a year-on-year basis, spot rates remain around 45% higher, and full-market rates up about 30%. However, the pace of increase has slowed. More recent TAC Index data show a more mixed picture in early May, with China-US rates continuing to edge upwards, while some Europe-bound lanes have softened. Forwarders reported demand for capacity from China to the US had been strong in recent weeks, driven by AI server shipments, ecommerce flows, ocean-to-air conversions and general cargo, maintaining pressure on available capacity and keeping rates elevated. Demand to Europe, by contrast, has been stabilising, with rates expected to follow. While the pressure on capacity was expected to ease slightly for China’s Labour Day holiday, forwarders say demand across most Asia Pacific markets remains high, with tight capacity, elevated pricing, and extended lead times likely to persist. At the same time, broader demand signals are becoming more fragmented. Data from Aevean shows China-origin ecommerce volumes fell 6% year on year in March – the first decline since mid-2023 – driven by sharp drops to the US (-24%) and Middle East (-45%). While Europe (+27%) and Latin America (+31%) recorded strong growth, this was not enough to offset declines elsewhere. With disruption to key trade routes continuing, fuel costs remaining volatile, and no clear resolution to the Iran crisis in sight, air freight rates are likely to stay high in the near term – with further upside risk linked to fuel availability and capacity constraints. But, as Xeneta notes in its latest market update, “the worst may be behind us”. Check out our latest News in Brief podcast, with exclusive insights from Xeneta’s Peter Sand.

Nell’anno in cui sono state ridefinite le alleanze container globali, il mercato dei trasporti via mare di box da e per l’Italia è tornato a muoversi. Nessuna rivoluzione, ma secondo l’ultima ‘Indagine sui trasporti internazionali di merci’ di Banca d’Italia, pubblicata nei giorni scorsi, nel 2025 le quote dei vettori attivi nei traffici con la Penisola sono nuovamente cambiate, andando peraltro nella direzione di una ulteriore concentrazione. Il primo posto, incontrastato, è ancora di Msc, che arriva ora a controllare oltre un terzo delle importazioni ed esportazioni dal paese (il 34,1%) guadagnando dal 2024 oltre 5 punti percentuali (dal 29,8%). Da ricordare, prima di entrare nel vivo dell’analisi, che nel suo report lo studio fa riferimento alla nazionalità dei vettori e non attribuisce quote alle singole shipping company, ma le equazioni (ad esempio Svizzera = Msc) sono solitamente piuttosto immediate, anche perché spesso in ogni paese analizzato è presente un solo operatore (o comunque ve ne è uno largamente dominante). Un altro nota bene riguarda il metodo calcolo delle stesse quote, per le quali l’istituto utilizza rilevazioni quantitative Istat (in tonnellate) relative ai singoli porti, combinandole con informazioni fornite dal database Sea-Web di Fairplay. Fatte queste premesse, un dato evidente è il ritorno al secondo posto di Maersk, che nel 2025 risulta essere salita a una quota del 15,8% (con un balzo quindi ancora maggiore, + 7,4 punti percentuali). La risalita del vettore danese si accompagna però a una perdita di peso del partner tedesco Hapag Lloyd, che si ferma al 7,8% (dal 15%, – 7,2 punti percentuali). Cosicché, tra 2024 e 2025 la fetta che fa capo alle due shipping company, ora partner in Gemini, risulta praticamente immutata (dal 23,4% al 23,6%). Dopo i due ex soci Msc e Maersk, il terzo posto è quindi della Francia (Cma Cgm), che rinforza leggermente la sua posizione portandosi all’11,2% (dal 10,5%). Interessante notare che i primi tre vettori della lista 2025 arrivino quindi a controllare una quota di mercato del 61,3% (contro il 53,2% del 2024, in quel caso somma delle quote di Msc, Hapag Lloyd e Cma Cgm). Fetta che arriva a sfiorare il 70% (precisamente il 69,1%) considerando anche i traffici di quest’ultima, in quanto alleata dei danesi di Maersk. Una certa fluidità si ritrova però tra i vettori minori, pure nel complesso in contrazione (nessuno arriva ora a superare una quota del 5%). Si ferma ad esempio al 4,5% la fetta di import ed export di container in mano alle compagnie italiane (Italia Marittima, Grendi,…), riducendosi quindi rispetto al 5,4% raggiunto nel 2024. Un nuovo calo si osserva anche tra i vettori cinesi (Cosco), che scendono al 3,8% (dal 5%), mentre ancora più ampia è il calo delle shipping company giapponesi, riunite in One, che passano dal 6,2% al 3,7%. Significativa anche la flessione di traffici da e per l’Italia dei vettori di Hong Kong (quali Oocl), che dal 5% calano al 2%, mentre recuperano leggermente quota quelli taiwanesi (Evergreen e Yang Ming), che dal 2,4% salgono al 3%. In flessione poi i vettori sudcoreani come Hmm (dal 3,3% al 2%), mentre guadagna leggermente quota la compagine delle compagnie turche (Arkas, Turkon, Medkon), che dall’1,4% si porta all’1,6%. Piccola ma significativa infine anche la risalita della israeliana Zim, che tra 2024 e 2025, dall’1,2% è arrivata a gestire il 2% dei traffici container da e per l’Italia. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Por Redação PortalPortuário @PortalPortuário A Portos do Paraná alcançou 47,3% de participação nas exportações brasileiras de carne de frango nestes primeiros meses de 2026. O percentual foi obtido após o embarque recorde de 1,04 milhão de toneladas de aves congeladas para o mercado internacional entre janeiro e maio. Somente em maio, foram exportadas mais de 208 mil toneladas do produto. O volume consolida o Porto de Paranaguá como líder nacional e uma das principais referências mundiais na movimentação da proteína. Na comparação com o mesmo período de 2025, quando as exportações somaram 921,9 mil toneladas, o crescimento foi de 13,1%. O recorde anterior havia sido registrado em 2023, com 945,9 mil toneladas embarcadas. Os dados são do Comex Stat, sistema do Governo Federal que reúne informações sobre o comércio exterior brasileiro. Para o diretor-presidente da Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia, o resultado é reflexo dos investimentos realizados nos últimos anos. “Os investimentos realizados em infraestrutura, tecnologia e qualificação operacional são fundamentais para garantir a competitividade dos portos paranaenses e ampliar a qualidade dos serviços prestados aos nossos clientes”, afirma. Em valores FOB (valor da mercadoria no momento do embarque), a Portos do Paraná foi responsável pela maior fatia da receita nacional, somando USD 1,88 bilhão de um total de USD 4,08 bilhões. O principal destino da carne de frango exportada pelos portos paranaenses foi a China, que recebeu 114,2 mil toneladas, o equivalente a 11% do total embarcado em Paranaguá. Entre os principais mercados também estão África do Sul, Emirados Árabes Unidos, Japão e Arábia Saudita. Ao todo, mais de 120 países receberam o produto. O diretor de operações da Portos do Paraná, Gabriel Vieira, reforça que a estrutura do Porto de Paranaguá é um dos diferenciais para esse protagonismo nacional. “O grande destaque é a capacidade que o terminal possui para receber contêineres refrigerados (reefers). Paranaguá conta, de longe, com o maior número de tomadas refrigeradas do país, ultrapassando 5,2 mil plugs disponíveis”, explica. Outro fator importante é o desempenho do Paraná na produção avícola nacional. O Estado responde por aproximadamente 35% da produção brasileira de aves para abate e boa parte desse volume segue para exportação pelos portos paranaenses. A Portos do Paraná também ampliou a liderança nacional nas exportações de proteínas animais. Considerando carnes de frango, bovina, suína, caprina e pescados, mais de 1,4 milhão de toneladas foram embarcadas entre janeiro e maio de 2026, volume equivalente a 37% das exportações brasileiras do segmento. O crescimento do grupo das carnes nos cinco primeiros meses do ano foi de 9,9% em relação ao mesmo período de 2025. Nas exportações de carne bovina, o Porto de Paranaguá embarcou 277,5 mil toneladas entre janeiro e maio. O volume representa a segunda maior movimentação do país, com participação de 24,7% nas exportações nacionais. China, Estados Unidos e Rússia foram os principais destinos do produto. Já as exportações de carne suína pelos portos paranaenses alcançaram 84,8 mil toneladas no acumulado do ano. Em 2025, o volume registrado no mesmo período foi de 79,6 mil toneladas, o que representa crescimento de 6,5%. Mais de 50 países importaram carne suína pelos portos do Paraná, com destaque para Filipinas, Hong Kong e Singapura.

Hong Kong-headquartered Venture Energy, focused on the procurement and trading of clean fuels, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CSSC Science & Technology (CSST) and China Shipbuilding Trading Co. (CSTC) that establishes a long-term offtake framework for green methanol supply. Under the agreement, the parties will expand their scope of cooperation in line with market demand, focusing on the development of green methanol production initiatives and integrated collaboration across production, procurement, technical development and investment. Representatives from the three companies attended the signing ceremony last month in Beijing, including Zheng Song, General Manager of CSST, Di Weibing, Assistant General Manager of CSTC, and Greg McMillan, Executive Director of Venture Energy. According to Venture Energy, the partnership aims to strengthen extensive engagement and technical dialogue, covering areas such as optimizing green methanol technology pathways, ISCC EU certification and full-chain delivery solutions, to secure future fuel supply. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Imagen de presentación de la feria Navalia El naval gallego y especialmente el de la ría de Vigo y Pontevedra navega a full speed por todo el mundo gracias a su know how y la innovación. Ha crecido el empleo un 15 % en el último año y los pedidos están asegurados hasta el 2028, según ha puesto de manifiesto Almudena López del Pozo la consejera delegada de Pymar, la asociación de pequeños y medianos astilleros en la presentación de la feria Navalia. Ha asistido al comité ejecutivo previo a la celebración de la décima edición de la feria bianual, que tendrá lugar del 19 al 21 de mayo en el Instituto Ferial de Vigo (Ifevi). La efemérides volverá a situar a Vigo como epicentro de la industria naval internacional. El director de Navalia, Javier Arnau, ha destacado el momento positivo que atraviesa tanto la feria como el sector, subrayando el crecimiento registrado en esta edición. Navalia contará en 2026 con 602 expositores, frente a los 533 de la edición anterior, lo que supone un incremento cercano al 13%, ocupando la totalidad del espacio expositivo disponible en los cuatro pabellones del recinto. Otra parte del Ifevi está ocupada por los catres para militares por el día de las Fuerzas Armadas. Este crecimiento se refleja también en la dimensión tecnológica y comercial que pasará de algo más de 1.000 marcas representadas en 2024 a 1.200 en esta edición, consolidando su capacidad para generar oportunidades de negocio y atraer innovación. Arnau ha puesto además el acento en el carácter global de la feria, con un aumento significativo de la presencia internacional, especialmente de Asia, y la incorporación de nuevos países como Bulgaria, Chile, Egipto, Hong Kong o Irlanda. Durante su intervención, Arnau ha señalado que «no se trata solo de un crecimiento en cifras, sino de posicionamiento», destacando que la feria se ha consolidado como una herramienta al servicio del sector, capaz de atraer inversión, abrir mercados y marcar tendencias y ya es la primer feria del naval de España. El director de la feria confía en que se resuelva la huelga del metal y no afecte a Navalia. El presidente del evento, José García Costas, ha subrayado que Navalia es «el resultado de dos décadas de trabajo colectivo y continuado al servicio de la industria naval». García Costas ha incidido en que el crecimiento de la feria ha sido «sostenido, equilibrado y alineado con la realidad industrial», lo que ha permitido consolidar su posición como una de las ferias navales más relevantes de Europa. Asimismo, ha apuntado a la necesidad de seguir avanzando en ámbitos estratégicos como la transición energética, la digitalización o la defensa, «en un contexto que exige una mayor colaboración público-privada y apoyo a la industria». Superyates Entre las novedades de esta edición, está un nuevo espacio dedicado al segmento de la náutica, liderado por el Clúster Náutico Rías Baixas. Este espacio contará con más de 450 metros cuadrados de exposición, donde se presentarán soluciones de equipamiento específico y varias embarcaciones recreativas, ampliando así el alcance de la feria hacia un sector con creciente peso económico e industrial. «Está dirigido a los nuevos grandes yates que se están construyendo». También destaca la ampliación de la Zona de Innovación impulsada por el Consorcio de la Zona Franca de Vigo. Este espacio duplicará su superficie con respecto a 2024 hasta alcanzar los 400 metros cuadrados, reforzando su apuesta por el talento, el emprendimiento, las startups y las nuevas tecnologías. Por otro lado, Navalia volverá a apostar por el conocimiento con un programa de más de 30 jornadas técnicas, en las que se abordarán los principales retos del sector. Entre ellos destacan la defensa, la descarbonización del transporte marítimo, la transición energética, la digitalización mediante inteligencia artificial, así como el desarrollo de soluciones en seguridad, eficiencia energética y sostenibilidad. En el comité, Almudena López del Pozo, consejera delegada de Pymar, constituida por los pequeños y medianos astilleros privados, que da impulso y financiación al sector naval, ha reflexionado sobre las claves de la transformación que ha experimentado el sector naval español en los últimos años, entre las que ha destacado: la apuesta por la innovación de los astilleros privados españoles, la gestión eficiente de los instrumentos de financiación y el esfuerzo concertado entre agentes públicos y privados, aspectos que explican el magnífico momento que está viviendo la construcción naval española. «Bruselas ha cambiado y apoya los instrumentos de ayuda la naval como el tax lease». La consejera delegada ha incidido en la importancia del reconocimiento estratégico a nivel europeo de las industrias naval y marítima que se ha materializado en la aprobación por parte de la Comisión Europea de la Estrategia Marítima Europea. Considera que España está en condiciones de consolidar y reforzar su liderazgo europeo en las tipologías de buques más relevantes para la autonomía estratégica y subraya que «los astilleros españoles estamos preparados para afrontar estos retos». «Tenemos las capacidades, la experiencia y el talento humano. Tenemos un modelo de colaboración público-privada que funciona. Y tenemos un sector que ha demostrado, una y otra vez, su capacidad de adaptación y de superación». Pymar ha respaldo con garantías de 4.900 millones la construcción de 832 buques que valen 14.832 millones de euros Refiriéndose a la capacidad exportadora del sector, López del Pozo ha finalizado su intervención con las siguientes palabras: «Estoy convencida de que la décima edición de Navalia será el reflejo de cómo, desde las gradas de Galicia y desde España, estamos construyendo para Europa y para el mundo».

Imagen de presentación de la feria Navalia El naval gallego y especialmente el de la ría de Vigo y Pontevedra navega a full speed por todo el mundo gracias a su know how y la innovación. Ha crecido el empleo un 15 % en el último año y los pedidos están asegurados hasta el 2028, según ha puesto de manifiesto Almudena López del Pozo la consejera delegada de Pymar, la asociación de pequeños y medianos astilleros en la presentación de la feria Navalia. Ha asistido al comité ejecutivo previo a la celebración de la décima edición de la feria bianual, que tendrá lugar del 19 al 21 de mayo en el Instituto Ferial de Vigo (Ifevi). La efemérides volverá a situar a Vigo como epicentro de la industria naval internacional. El director de Navalia, Javier Arnau, ha destacado el momento positivo que atraviesa tanto la feria como el sector, subrayando el crecimiento registrado en esta edición. Navalia contará en 2026 con 602 expositores, frente a los 533 de la edición anterior, lo que supone un incremento cercano al 13%, ocupando la totalidad del espacio expositivo disponible en los cuatro pabellones del recinto. Otra parte del Ifevi está ocupada por los catres para militares por el día de las Fuerzas Armadas. Este crecimiento se refleja también en la dimensión tecnológica y comercial que pasará de algo más de 1.000 marcas representadas en 2024 a 1.200 en esta edición, consolidando su capacidad para generar oportunidades de negocio y atraer innovación. Arnau ha puesto además el acento en el carácter global de la feria, con un aumento significativo de la presencia internacional, especialmente de Asia, y la incorporación de nuevos países como Bulgaria, Chile, Egipto, Hong Kong o Irlanda. Durante su intervención, Arnau ha señalado que «no se trata solo de un crecimiento en cifras, sino de posicionamiento», destacando que la feria se ha consolidado como una herramienta al servicio del sector, capaz de atraer inversión, abrir mercados y marcar tendencias y ya es la primer feria del naval de España. El director de la feria confía en que se resuelva la huelga del metal y no afecte a Navalia. El presidente del evento, José García Costas, ha subrayado que Navalia es «el resultado de dos décadas de trabajo colectivo y continuado al servicio de la industria naval». García Costas ha incidido en que el crecimiento de la feria ha sido «sostenido, equilibrado y alineado con la realidad industrial», lo que ha permitido consolidar su posición como una de las ferias navales más relevantes de Europa. Asimismo, ha apuntado a la necesidad de seguir avanzando en ámbitos estratégicos como la transición energética, la digitalización o la defensa, «en un contexto que exige una mayor colaboración público-privada y apoyo a la industria». Superyates Entre las novedades de esta edición, está un nuevo espacio dedicado al segmento de la náutica, liderado por el Clúster Náutico Rías Baixas. Este espacio contará con más de 450 metros cuadrados de exposición, donde se presentarán soluciones de equipamiento específico y varias embarcaciones recreativas, ampliando así el alcance de la feria hacia un sector con creciente peso económico e industrial. «Está dirigido a los nuevos grandes yates que se están construyendo». También destaca la ampliación de la Zona de Innovación impulsada por el Consorcio de la Zona Franca de Vigo. Este espacio duplicará su superficie con respecto a 2024 hasta alcanzar los 400 metros cuadrados, reforzando su apuesta por el talento, el emprendimiento, las startups y las nuevas tecnologías. Por otro lado, Navalia volverá a apostar por el conocimiento con un programa de más de 30 jornadas técnicas, en las que se abordarán los principales retos del sector. Entre ellos destacan la defensa, la descarbonización del transporte marítimo, la transición energética, la digitalización mediante inteligencia artificial, así como el desarrollo de soluciones en seguridad, eficiencia energética y sostenibilidad. En el comité, Almudena López del Pozo, consejera delegada de Pymar, constituida por los pequeños y medianos astilleros privados, que da impulso y financiación al sector naval, ha reflexionado sobre las claves de la transformación que ha experimentado el sector naval español en los últimos años, entre las que ha destacado: la apuesta por la innovación de los astilleros privados españoles, la gestión eficiente de los instrumentos de financiación y el esfuerzo concertado entre agentes públicos y privados, aspectos que explican el magnífico momento que está viviendo la construcción naval española. «Bruselas ha cambiado y apoya los instrumentos de ayuda la naval como el tax lease». La consejera delegada ha incidido en la importancia del reconocimiento estratégico a nivel europeo de las industrias naval y marítima que se ha materializado en la aprobación por parte de la Comisión Europea de la Estrategia Marítima Europea. Considera que España está en condiciones de consolidar y reforzar su liderazgo europeo en las tipologías de buques más relevantes para la autonomía estratégica y subraya que «los astilleros españoles estamos preparados para afrontar estos retos». «Tenemos las capacidades, la experiencia y el talento humano. Tenemos un modelo de colaboración público-privada que funciona. Y tenemos un sector que ha demostrado, una y otra vez, su capacidad de adaptación y de superación». Pymar ha respaldo con garantías de 4.900 millones la construcción de 832 buques que valen 14.832 millones de euros Refiriéndose a la capacidad exportadora del sector, López del Pozo ha finalizado su intervención con las siguientes palabras: «Estoy convencida de que la décima edición de Navalia será el reflejo de cómo, desde las gradas de Galicia y desde España, estamos construyendo para Europa y para el mundo».