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Container spot freight rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades saw another week of gentle declines amid reduced demand post-peak season, while Asia-Europe carriers and their customers begin annual contract negotiations in earnest. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry saw spot rates on its Shanghai-Rotterdam leg decline 3% week on week, to $3,504 per 40ft, while pricing on the Shanghai-Genoa route remained flat for the third week in a row, at $4,168 per 40ft. A new round of FAK (freight all kinds) levels are set to be applied next week, although they are modest in ambition and generally range from $4,500-$5,000 per 40ft on Asia-North Europe shipments, and between $5,500-$6,600 per 40ft on Asia-Mediterranean. They are largely around the level carriers have been targeting for the past couple of months. However, they are also being accompanied by increased number of blanked sailings – according to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, eight are scheduled for next week, compared with the five this week. The key aspect to this is that carriers and their customers are positioning for next year, with carriers keen to get spot rates up as much as they can to act as a guide for contract rates, and shippers are, understandably, eager for them to be suppressed after enduring a wild ride during much of 2026. “Those conversations are starting more or less as we speak,” Hapag-Lloyd chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen told analysts at the line’s third-quarters earnings call this week. “As is usual at this time of year, not everybody sees the market the same – I think when one looks at contracts that will be closed for 2027, they will be at a higher level than what we have seen in 2026. “Also, when you take out the bunker component, that alone will push rates up, of course. But I think we will also see a fairly significant net increase of freight rates going into 2027,” he added. Much will therefore depend on the stickiness of pre-Chinese New Year peak season surcharges (PSSs) that are on their way for the beginning of December. Maersk has announced a $1,000 per 40ft PSS on Asia-North Europe shipments from 1 December, while CMA CGM is going earlier, with a $1,600 per 40ft PSS for Asia-Mediterranean shipments due on 25 November. While someLoadstarsources expressed surprise at the early timing, given that the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday begins on 6 February, Vespucci Maritime founder Lars Jensen noted it was probably appropriate, given that peak pre-CNY demand will occupy most of January. On the transpacific trades, rates have finally began to properly descend after remaining elevated throughout October. The WCI’s Shanghai-Los Angeles route was down 2% on the previous week, to end at $7,416 per 40ft, while its Shanghai-New York leg declined 3%, to $9,020 per 40ft container, its lowest since August. However, forwarders on the trade said widespread discounts had been available this week, and virtually no cargo had been booked at published rate levels. “Instead, actual moving rates are dictated by carrier promotional discounts and volume-based pricing, as space across Asian origin ports continues to open up,” said US west coast forwarder Freight Right. Carriers have responded to the slowdown in demand with more blanked sailings – eight transpacific voyages will be blanked next week, compared with four this week, according to Drewry – and Freight Right said shippers should be aware that the cheapest spot rates could come with poor reliability for the remainder of the year. “Ocean freight activity is expected to slow further through late November and December, supporting a broadly-stable-to-gradually-softer rate outlook. “Improved space availability should give importers more booking flexibility, although the lowest price may come with greater schedule uncertainty,” it said.

Perishables shippers have limited room to absorb rising airfreight costs, airlines have warned, raising questions over how long some products can remain commercially viable to fly. While booming demand for AI infrastructure supports higher freight spending, flower and fruit exporters face a harder ceiling: what consumers will pay for their products. “Perishables are a very low-margin business, in which there is only so much the consumers will pay,” Fred Ruggiero, Cathay Cargo’s VP cargo for the Americas, toldThe Loadstarat TIACA’s Air Cargo Forum in Miami. Avianca Cargo CEO Diogo Elias highlighted the difference between customers shipping AI servers and “paying whatever”, and flower exporters with much less scope to accommodate higher transport charges. He pointed to WorldACD figures showing Latin American yield increases of around 7% to 8%, against 24% to 25% globally, illustrating the region’s difficulty passing on higher fuel costs. Atlas Air chief commercial officer Martin Drew warned that sustained cost increases could eventually push some commodities out of airfreight. “The longer it continues, what you start to worry about is … price elasticity, where you get to a point where it’s just no longer viable to send by air cargo,” he said, citing some perishable products as potentially vulnerable to modal shift. Yet sea is not always an option. For seasonal produce, a delayed harvest can eliminate the time available for an ocean journey, leaving exporters needing airfreight precisely when their plans have become harder to execute. “As a result of the weather, the harvest may be delayed. That means it’s going to miss the fast boats, so more has to be transported by air,” said Mr Ruggiero. For Cathay, getting South American cherries to Asian consumers involves coordinating capacity across several carriers and gateways. “Transporting cherries from Chile through Miami, Los Angeles, or New York and onward to Asia is a complex journey where speed and temperature control are essential,” he explained. “The product needs to move quickly, remaining at the optimal temperature throughout the journey. Otherwise, you’re left with an awful lot of cherry juice.” Those movements are organised well ahead of the harvest, with interline charter capacity feeding Cathay’s network. “We have charters lined up with interline carriers from Chile to Miami or Chile to Mexico, so we can get them out to Asia,” said Mr Ruggiero. “The problem is, if it’s all planned in advance and everybody is ready to go, what happens if the crop gets delayed? There’s a lot of communication involved amongst ourselves, the forwarders, the growers, and even down to the farmers.” One air cargo executive described the precarious economics of a business in which a year’s work could be threatened by rain at the wrong moment, adding: “I don’t think I’d ever want to be in that business.” Securing lift is another challenge. Cathay reported capacity shortages both from Asia to the US and within Asia. “So we’re trying to secure additional capacity within the region,” said Mr Ruggiero. Once space is booked, the handling requirements leave little room for improvisation. Treating all fresh produce alike can undermine the value of an expensive air journey. “On the handling side, it takes expertise to handle perishables properly, and every type of perishable is handled slightly differently,” he said. “For example: how cold they can be, how much humidity they can withstand, and whether they can be covered or not.” For forwarders, that means managing several moving targets – the harvest, connecting flights, handling conditions, and a freight bill the customer can afford. A delayed crop can require a faster journey, but it does not necessarily give the grower more money to pay for one.

Transpacific spot rates have soared 325% since the Strait of Hormuz conflict began in February and Xeneta doesn’t rule out breaching record Covid levels September 21, 2026 Sharp increases in freight rate levels on the Pacific trades could be followed by another attempt to raise rates in early October as carriers look to capitalise geopolitical disruption. BothDrewryandXenetaare forecasting higher spot rates on the Pacific, but Drewry believes this is due to efficient capacity management by the carriers. In contrast Xeneta argues that there are a number of drivers, including geopolitical challenges and Dynamar points to congestion caused by climate events. Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand said: “Carriers are seizing the opportunity while the market is hot, adding capacity into US East Coast ahead of what could be a turn in the market within the next two to three weeks. Offered capacity on the Far East to US East Coast trade is 6-7% higher in September than in August.” Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight monitor, however, said that nine sailings have been cancelled for the coming week, an increase from eight cancellations the previous week. Related:CU Lines makes size jump with 14,000 teu container ship order “Drewry expects rates to rise slightly next week [week beginning 21 September] amid impending pre-Golden Week demand and continued capacity management by carriers.” In its latest spot rate report, published 17 September, Drewry said Shanghai to Los Angeles spot rates increased 5% week-on-week to $7,712 per feu. Rates to New York saw a 7% rise to $10,394 per feu. The consultant expects further rate increases in the run up toChina’s1 October Golden Week. Meanwhile, Xeneta reported in its weekly rate newsletter that the spot rates to theUSWest and East coasts were, “Just 18% and 11% [respectively] short of the all-time high set during the Covid-19 disruption.” As bunker prices are driving fuel surcharges to new highs, “Surpassing the pandemic peak cannot be ruled out, which would be an extraordinary market development.” If the record is broken Xeneta believes it will be for charges to the US East Coast, however Sand argues that even if it is not, “the fact we are even discussing the possibility demonstrates how sensitive critical ocean container shipping trades are to geopolitical forces and how a regional conflict in the Middle East can have major implications at a global level.” According to Xeneta attractive Pacific spot rates have seen carriers add capacity, in a bid to increase revenues before the market turns in the next two to three weeks, with offered capacity up 6-7% this month compared to August. “We should expect one more freight rate push at the start of October as shippers rush cargo out of Asia ahead of the Golden Week shutdown, before rates start to soften, or at least the pace of growth will slow,” said Sand. Related:Container peak season still ongoing, port congestion hits new high In addition to the economic fundamentals Dynamar analyst Darron Wadey highlighted the importance of weather-related disruptions that have had a lasting effect on the Pacific trades. A series of typhoons has disrupted operations, that outlasted the immediate impact of the storms. Xeneta analyst Destine Ozuygur reported that there was 1.1 million teu at anchor around three Chinese gateways at the end of August. Average delays are expected to reach in excess of four days during this month; some 3.25 million teu was more than 10 days late with just 6% of Asia to Europe capacity meeting its scheduled arrival time last month. “Each week of disruption often requires 1-3 weeks of recovery depending on port size and carrier strategy,” commented Ozuygur, and with four storms in quick succession there was little time for terminals to recover. Moreover, Dynamar’s Wadey pointed to the increasing effects of El Niño on the draught at thePanama Canal, a critical chokepoint. “The Panama Canal restrictions will also have an influence on the flow of goods,” said Wadey, “Redirecting trade flows to the US West Coast can only be a temporary solution otherwise congestion could appear in those gateways.” Related:Shipping going ‘gangbusters’ but volatility comes at a price Congestion will mean that ships become floating warehouses, as was the case during the pandemic, said Wadey. “As we know, storage costs money and ships are perhaps the most expensive warehouses around,” he added, “This would already result in elevated rates were everything else to remain equal.” Wadey, however, acknowledges that there has been “something of a rush” to beat various US trade measures that are either coming in or expiring in the near future. According to Dynamar any slow down in the rate surge through Golden Week will be a mere “blip” in the broader context as the US looks at transhipment ports in terms of tariff charges. Additionally: “A month after Golden Week ends, the 12-month truce on Chinese-built ships being charged to call US ports, and vice versa, comes to an end,” said Wadey. He added that the disruption in the Middle East is affecting Europe and Africa too: “To borrow [a phrase] from popular culture, we really are seeing everything... everywhere... all at once. That makes any form of prediction or planning nigh-on impossible unless someone, somewhere, takes a lead.” Read more about: Nick Savvides Europe correspondent Experienced journalist working online, in monthly magazines and daily news coverage. Nick Savvides began his journalistic career working as a freelance from his flat in central London, and has since worked in Athens, while also writing for some major publications including The Observer, The European, Daily Express and Thomson Reuters. Most recently Nick joined The Loadstar as the publication’s news editor to develop the profile of the publication, increase its readership and to build a team that will market, sell and report on supply chain issues and container shipping news. This was a similar brief to his time at ci-online, the online publication for Containerisation International and Container News. During his time at ci-online Nich developed a team of freelancers and full-time employees increasing its readership substantially. He then moved to International Freighting Weekly, a sister publication, IFW also focused on container shipping, rail and trucking and ports. Both publications were published by Informa. Following his spell at Informa Nick joined Reed’s chemical reporting team, ICIS, as the chemical tanker reporter. While at ICIS he also reported on the chemical industry and spent some time on the oil & gas desk. Nick has also worked for a time at Lloyd’s Register, which has an energy division, and his role was writing their technical magazine, before again becoming a journalist at The Naval Architect for the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. After eight successful years at RINA, he joined Fairplay, which published a fortnightly magazine and daily news on the website. Nick's time at Fairplay saw him win theSeahorse Club Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year 2018 awards. After Fairplay closed, Nick joined an online US start-up called FreightWaves. Subscribe and get the latest industry news, analysis and more straight to your inbox.

Container spot freight rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe continued on their completely divergent directions for the seventh straight week, with Asia-US east coast rates now hitting levels not seen since July 2022. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) by Drewry saw its Shanghai-New York breach the $10,000 per 40ft level, the first time it has done so since during the latter days of Covid, after rising 7% this week to end at $10,394 per 40ft. US freight forwarder Freight Right said the carriers’ pricing power from Asia into the US east coast remained stronger than to the west coast and some shippers desperate to secure space were booking at rates almost $1,000 higher than current index levels. “East Coast pricing remains significantly higher, with rates now above $10,000 and reaching approximately $11,000 per container in some cases. “Like the West Coast, the lane is experiencing constrained capacity and increasingly unstable vessel schedules,” it said. The WCI’s Shanghai-Los Angeles leg increased 5% week-on-week to end at $7,712 per 40ft amid similar trade dynamics, and Freight Right warned that more concerning for shippers was thediminishing schedule reliabilitylevels caused by a confluence of Asian port congestion and increasing numbers of blank sailings, leading to higher cases of rollovers at loading ports. “The bigger operational concern is no longer price,” Freight Right added. “Vessel schedules have become increasingly unreliable. A shipment can secure space and still see its scheduled departure pushed back several days. “When a booking rollover is combined with a delayed vessel departure, total delays can approach two weeks,” it said. And with nine transpacific blank sailings announced for next week compared to eight this week, according to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, the tight capacity outlook is set to continue and Drewry said it “expects rates to rise slightly next week amid impending pre-Golden Week demand and continued capacity management by carriers”. Source: Drewry Meanwhile, the recent declines seen on the Asia–Europe trades accelerated this week, with its Shanghai-Rotterdam route down 9% on the previous week to $3,626 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa leg declined 5% to $4,016 per 40ft. Comparing to the same period in 2022 – when Asia-US east coast were last at the same level as today – Asia-North Europe stood at around $9,000 per 40ft and Asia0-Mediterranean was at $11,000 per 40ft. Despite the pricing weakness in comparison to the transpacific, analysts at Linerlytica noted that today’s Asia-Europe spot rates are still around double this time last year, and described current pricing as resilient, despite the drops. “The freight rate resilience has been supported by stronger than expected demand even after the cargo demand peaked in May, and the severe port congestion in China in the last two months. “Although congestion in Chinese ports is starting to clear from the peaks in early September, the congestion has shifted to Southeast Asia ports. “Waiting times in Singapore have risen to over four days due to vessel bunching,” Linerlytica said earlier this week. Meanwhile, Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight records four Asia-Europe blank sailings scheduled for next week, up from one this week, “indicating tighter capacity”. “With tight capacity and continued congestion in Asia, Drewry expects Asia-Europe rates to decline slightly next week, as demand remains weak,” it said. A further factor is the increasing number of carriers returning to Red Sea routings, which has the effect of injecting capacity simply through the shorter sailing distances.

Container spot freight rates on the main east-west trades continued in much the same vein as they have since the beginning of August – slight declines on Asia-Europe trades offset by slight increases on the transpacific. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) by Drewry showed rates remaining elevated on the transpacific, with its Shanghai-Los Angeles leg up 2% week on week, to $7,352 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York route climbed just 1%, to $9,726 per 40ft. Drewry said it expected transpacific freight rates to remain stable next week, with eight blanked sailings due, compared with seven this week, expected to mitigate the easing demand. However, with China’s Golden Week holiday due in less than three weeks, the “stable” rates are also expected to remain elevated, according to US west coast forwarder Freight Right. “Overall, demand remains strong and carriers have been able to maintain September pricing without significant movement. “The current market increasingly looks like an extended peak season that began earlier than usual this year and could leave ocean rates elevated through the end of September,” it said. Another factor is the growing backlog of export cargo in China, a result of four separate typhoons in the space of just seven weeks – Linerlytica reported this week ships were now waiting up to 12 days for a berth in Shanghai and Ningbo, and would likely mean two things: shipping operations during Golden Week will be crucial to clearing some of this backlog; and consignees in Europe and North America can expect to see a prolonged period of “bunched” vessel arrivals through October. There could even by a sharper increase in transpacific spot rates if other carriers follow the lead of CMA CGM, which this week announced a 1 October introduction of peak season surcharges (PSSs) of $4,000 per 40ft from both the Far East and Indian subcontinent to the US west coast, and $10,000 per 40ft from the Indian subcontinent to the US east coast. On the Asia-Europe trades, prices continued their downward trajectory: the WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam leg fell 2%, to $3,997 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route was down 3%, to $4,216 per 40ft. According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, three blanked sailings are set for next week, up from one this week, but the tighter capacity is unlikely to reverse the rate trend, European forwarders toldThe Loadstar. “The peak is pretty much behind us,” one said. “One useful indicator is when you see carriers place a time limit on the validity of their FAK pricing, as is the case now, because in my experience they don’t normally increase prices before that period expires, which means that’s pretty much it in terms of price rises until after Golden Week – for the Asia-Europe trades, at least,” she added. However, European shippers on the transatlantic continue to face pricing pressure: the WCI’s Rotterdam-New York leg was up 3% week on week, to finish at $3,126 per 40ft, and is now 100% higher than it was at the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict.

July saw a new record for container shipments in a calendar month, according to the latest data from Container Trades Statistics (CTS), which recorded 17.3m teu shipped, around 25,000 teu above the record set in May. “July was not only a standout month in isolation. Year-to-date, global volumes are 5.1% higher than in the same period in 2025, while July 2026 itself was 4.5% higher, year on year,” CTS said. “With volumes continuing to reach unprecedented levels despite considerable market disruption, the underlying strength of global container trade remains clear,” it added. Sub-Saharan Africa was yet again the standout performer in terms of percentage growth, with year-to-date imports up 14%, while Europe was up 6.1% for the same period. However, one of the more perplexing trends in recent weeks has been the way transpacific spot freight rates have shown continued strength, despite a relatively weak demand picture – North American imports from the Far East in July stood at 2.23m teu, 4.2% up on the same month in 2025, which followed a very flat June in which 2026 volumes were just 0.7% higher than June 2025. Source: Container Trades Statistics However, July’s price index on the Far East-North America corridor jumped 46.5%, compared with July 2025. Source: Container Trades Statistics There were several factors at play during what transpired to be an extended peak season that had showed its first signs of life in early April, but the reality for US importers shippers today is that some – particularly on the east coast and continuing to use all-water services – is that spot rates are once more approaching all-time highs. “Average spot rates from the Far East to the US east coast continue their ascent following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in February, climbing a further 25% since early July,” said Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand. “Spot rates are now just 14% shy of the Covid peak on 1 January 2022. It is unlikely we will see the market exceed that record-breaking level but it cannot be ruled out, and the fact it is even a topic for discussion shows how extraordinary the situation is,” he said. Xeneta’s short-term rate XSI index last week recorded a spot rate of $10,910 per 40ft from the Far East to the US east coast. “Average spot rates into the US east coast have already sailed past the Red Sea crisis peak by around $1,000 per 40ft. The growth in spot rates into US east coast has eased, but with Golden Week on the horizon [early October], further upward pressure should be expected,” Mr Sand added. Analysts at Sea-Intelligence Consulting this week argued that the recent transpacific spot pricing strength was largely the result of judicious capacity management by carriers. “If we look at the transpacific trade in its totality, by adding the east and west coast, we find capacity has grown a total of 2.5% from 2024 to 2026, when we look at July + August. This equals an annual average growth rate of just 1.2%. “Using the WCI spot rate index, we can also calculate the average spot rate for July + August and compare 2024 with 2026. “Here we find the rate in 2026 is 8% lower in 2026 than in 2024 for the west coast. For the east coast, the rate is 9% lower. “These data do therefore not imply a structurally strong container demand development on the transpacific in 2026,” Sea-Intelligence added. A reverse look at how Drewry’s World Container index for July this year appears to support this analysis. After carriers imposed a general rate increase (GRI) on the trade at the beginning of July, until the end of the month the WCI spot rate on both Shanghai-Los Angeles and Shanghai-New York corridors was essentially flat, and even declined softly over the course of July. However, it rose again at the beginning of August, after the partial success of another GRI, while a 5% increase to the US west coast and 3% to the east coast, recorded on the WCI last week, was spurred by a 1 September GRI.

Supplying shore-side electricity to ships at berth – or ” cold ironing” – is cost effective for certain types of vessels that call regularly in Long Beach, that use a lot of power, and that spend a lot of time in port, according to a study commissioned by the port. Substituting shore-side electricity for the ship’s diesel power would significantly reduce air emissions from berthed vessels, which are among the region’s major air polluters. Berthed vessels typically shut off their main engines but use auxiliary diesel generators to power refrigeration, lights, pumps, etc. The Cold Ironing Cost Effectiveness Study conducted by Environ found that 1,143 vessels made 2,913 calls at the port in a one-year period from 20022003. The consultants concluded that shore-side electrification would be cost effective for five of 12 vessels studied. The vessels comprised a cruise ship, a reefer vessel, a containerreefer ship, a pure container vessel and a tanker. “Cold ironing those five vessels would eliminate about 90% of the emissions generated by the 12 study vessels, ” says the report. The Long Beach Board of Harbour Commissioners has asked port staff to draft a plan that outlines the next steps. Cavotec is one company that has taken the initiative with its alternative maritime power supply. Speaking to PS at the recent ro-ro expo in Gothenburg, Cavotec’s md, Sofus Gedde-Dahl, explained that 10 ships in a port such as Genoa can cause the same amount of air pollution as the city’s entire car population of 44,000. Ships calling at Los Angeles port alone produce 31.4 tons of nitrous oxide daily which contrasts with the 0.5 tons produced daily by 500,000 cars. Apparently other US West Coast state governors are now following the Long Beach and Los Angeles examples and Cavotec believes other countries will soon follow the Californian lead. The company already has over 17 years experience in the field of providing shore to ship power. The main technical challenge they say is that 95% of the merchant fleet uses low voltage 220-680 volt power with the remaining 5% using 6,600 volts. Power demand is variable from 0.3 MW for a small tanker to 8 MW for a large container vessel but shore power supply is 6,600 volts. In March last year Los Angeles port decided to invest in the first installation for the supply of electricity via Cavotec connectors to a container ship. The shore-based power supply is connected to the ship by means of either a mobile cable management with caddie, a fixed cable management with reel or a barge cable management with reels. CMSA can now handle deeper-draft ultra large container vessels, strengthening Manzanillo’s capacity and supporting further terminal expansion 2nd September 2026 The Port of Oakland is moving ahead with a major project to widen its harbour turning basins, as larger containerships place increasing pressure on existing navigation infrastructure. 27th August 2026 SSA Marine and the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport have commissioned a new hybrid mobile harbour crane and secured state funding to electrify equipment, strengthening cargo handling capacity while supporting the… 31st July 2026

Supply chain disruptions are playing an increasing role in global port congestion, absorbing both terminal and vessel capacity as a result August 28, 2026 DrewryShipping consultants reject an assertion made byMaerskassertion that under-investment in terminals is the cause of port delays and congestion. Earlier this month Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc claimed that port capacity was insufficient causing a number of regions, including Europe, South America’s east coast, West Africa and the Middle East, to suffer congestion as Asian export growth increased. “This growth and increasing trade imbalances comes on the heels of about 15 years since the financial crisis, where investment into terminal capacity has lagged,” Clerc reportedly said. Drewry’s Market Signals risk summary, however, revealed a deterioration of average waiting times and schedule reliability. “The risk of port congestion and associated delays is affecting all shipping lines and shippers. In week 32 (early August), typhoons in China resulted in ships waiting on average 3.6 days for a berth,” according to Drewry’s Ports and Terminals Insight. Related:ONE’s Yusen Terminals 30-year lease extension in Port of LA Typhoons are an increasing challenge in the origin ports in Asia, particularly this year with theInsurance Journalreporting that this year’s El Niño is, “shaping up to be one of the most intense on record”. Tropical storm Saudel is projected to hit the region fromNingboto Fuzhou with wind speeds of up to 95mph on Saturday, withShanghaiat the outer edge of the storm expected to experience disruption too. Drewry’s, however, acknowledges the weather constraints applied to ports in certain regions, but adds this is not the only reason behind terminal congestion, citing tariff disruption, geopolitical issues, and port strikes have all played a role in the increase in congestion since the pandemic. The consultant points put that larger vessels increase volume peaks and that terminal operators no longer have spare capacity to aid recovery from disruptions. A terminal at 90% utilisation takes around a week to recover from a day’s disruption, whereas at 75% utilisation the recovery time is reduced to two days. “The difference between those two operating points, in normal years, could be the difference between a competitive and an uncompetitive return on capital,” said Drewry. Recent projections from the lines show that full year income projections have been raised as a result of capacity cancellations, blanked sailings, and port congestion with some major regions seeing large increases in vessel delays. West Africa has seen an increase from 50 hours average delays in 2025 to over 70 hours is the most severe, whereas South Asia is approaching 60 hours in average delays for ships, rising steadily from a low of about 35 hours in 2023. Related:USTR and China port fees could return in just 10 weeks Meanwhile China has seen delays increase from under 30 hours to the current global average of about 35 hours, with the global and Chinese trends following similar trajectories. Middle East disruption and poor weather is noted as the cause of the increase in Drewry’s Intra Asia index from under $1,000 per feu at the start of this month to $1,200 per feu in its latest record. With major spot rate increases out of Shanghai to Singapore and India. With demand on both the European and US markets on the wane, following what appears to be an early peak, spot rates on Drewry’s World Container Index have also gone off the boil, falling 1%. European spot rates fell fastest, 3%, while Shanghai to New York rates were down 2%, and to Los Angeles rates were flat. Read more about: Nick Savvides Europe correspondent Experienced journalist working online, in monthly magazines and daily news coverage. Nick Savvides began his journalistic career working as a freelance from his flat in central London, and has since worked in Athens, while also writing for some major publications including The Observer, The European, Daily Express and Thomson Reuters. Most recently Nick joined The Loadstar as the publication’s news editor to develop the profile of the publication, increase its readership and to build a team that will market, sell and report on supply chain issues and container shipping news. This was a similar brief to his time at ci-online, the online publication for Containerisation International and Container News. During his time at ci-online Nich developed a team of freelancers and full-time employees increasing its readership substantially. He then moved to International Freighting Weekly, a sister publication, IFW also focused on container shipping, rail and trucking and ports. Both publications were published by Informa. Following his spell at Informa Nick joined Reed’s chemical reporting team, ICIS, as the chemical tanker reporter. While at ICIS he also reported on the chemical industry and spent some time on the oil & gas desk. Nick has also worked for a time at Lloyd’s Register, which has an energy division, and his role was writing their technical magazine, before again becoming a journalist at The Naval Architect for the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. After eight successful years at RINA, he joined Fairplay, which published a fortnightly magazine and daily news on the website. Nick's time at Fairplay saw him win theSeahorse Club Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year 2018 awards. After Fairplay closed, Nick joined an online US start-up called FreightWaves. Subscribe and get the latest industry news, analysis and more straight to your inbox.

Tight capacity and soaring rates in the truckload sector have prompted US shippers to turn increasingly to intermodal transport. But although enthusiasm for the alternative appears to be waning, it remains more fluid than trucking, despite predictions of rising volumes in September and October. The honeymoon seems to be drawing to a close amid shipper complaints of slower train speeds and less-reliable pick-up and delivery schedules. The pricing advantage has also been dented, Union Pacific’s announcement mid-month of a peak season surcharge for freight from California and higher spot rates for shippers that tender less than ten loads a week, just one example. Still, intermodal traffic continues to grow. Numbers published by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) show that through the first half of the year, it grew 2.5% year on year, propelled by a 7.4% increase in domestic containers, whereas international containers sank 1.9%. But the slump in international volumes reversed last month, driven by a 4.5% increase in containerised imports. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach both reported strong import growth for July. The latest numbers from the Association of American Railroads show a 3.5% rise in US intermodal volume for the week ending 23 July, while overall rail traffic grew 2.5% The rise in traffic, combined with the expectation of peak season volumes building, has raised concerns of congestion at ports and railheads, but so far this has not affected flows significantly. “We are not currently seeing widespread port or rail congestion, but we are monitoring several localised pressure points heading into September,” reported Joel Henry, CEO of drayage and landside logistics provider IMC Logistics, which has stations at all major US intermodal points. “Newark Terminals continues to have congestion issues, which are causing gate moves to average from one to 2.5 hours. New Orleans and Mobile continue to experience terminal throughput and appointment availability challenges. Oakland is struggling with gate moves up to 2.5 hours, even though volumes are flat,” he explained. “Despite steady throughput in Los Angeles and Long Beach, we are seeing delays in obtaining appointments at most terminals and a tightening chassis supply. We have also seen gate times increase via the North/South & West Coast Railroad Chicago rail ramps,” he added. Dutch Fry, VP intermodal business development at Echo Global Logistics, said the network remained fluid and had capacity to absorb more traffic, thanks to investments by the rail carriers. He regards the rise in domestic intermodal traffic as a return to an historic norm, noting that shippers lost faith in the product during the pandemic, which saw the rail carriers struggle. The shrinkage of trucking capacity that sent trucking rates and tender rejection soaring and blew out shipping managers’ budgets had been the trigger for a re-appraisal of intermodal, he said. His conversations with rail carriers indicated that their networks had absorbed recent growth without problems. Issues arose chiefly at the interfaces with trucking, at railheads, they told him. This aligns with recent comments by Maersk CEO Vincent Clerk during the earnings call on the company’s second-quarter results. He described congestion as a “deeply entrenched” in supply chains in the wake of a structural shift in market dynamics. The problem is not confined to US maritime gateways, he added: “From ports to inland transportation, we are seeing increased congestion and disruption across multiple geographies.” In terms of choosing between intermodal and truck options, the former offers more reliable, stable pricing than the trucking spot market, Mr Fry noted. Moreover, the trucking market is widely expected to see further reduction in capacity as the US government continues its campaign to eliminate non-domiciled drivers and those with insufficient English language proficiency from the industry, which augurs heightened tender rejection rates and continuing upward pressure on pricing. To some extent, the latter aspect will echo in intermodal rates. Mr Dutch noted that pricing was based less on the rail volume than on trucking rates. Meanwhile, IANA predicts intermodal demand will build momentum in September with the traditional peak season. But Mr Henry expressed concern about the cumulative effect of recent constraints if activity remained elevated. He added that Panama Canal draught restrictions could also affect vessel capacity and cargo routing, which could prompt some shifts of Asia-origin cargo from east to west coast ports, while some Europe-origin cargo destined for the west coast could be routed through east coast gateways. “At this point, we do not believe shippers should expect a widespread congestion event, but it’s key they remain flexible and build additional time into their supply chains in markets where carriers are contending with limited terminal appointments, increased gate throughput, and/or stressed chassis supply,” he advised. Noting that the past four weeks had seen a strong rise in intermodal volumes, Mr Fry said a continuation of this trend over the next four weeks would add up to a considerable increase in traffic that would require monitoring. But he does not expect to see a lasting impact, as the strong increase is unlikely to last beyond mid-October.

Asia-US west coast rates are surging at an even faster pace this week ahead of concerns around the impact of vessel reductions through the Panama Canal. However, it seems the speed of decline of Asia-North Europe rates has been arrested. According to Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI), Shanghai-Los Angeles and Shanghai-New York spots climbed 9% week on week, to $6,802 and $9,507 per 40ft comparing favourably with the 6% growth rate recorded by LA last week and only a percentage point down on New York’s. Drewry noted: “Transpacific trade remains resilient, while carriers continue to manage supply through blanked sailings and capacity reductions. According to Drewry’sContainer Capacity Insight, seven blanked sailings have been announced for the next week. “Additionally, capacity in August declined 9% month of month on Asia-US east coast and fell 0.4% month on month on Asia-US west coast, further tightening space availability.” It added: “Drewry expects freight rates to remain stable next week, due to tightened capacity.” Freightos’ Baltic Index confirmed a similar growth rate for the Asia-USWC trades, with a 9% week-on-week uptick to $7,422 per 40ft, but contended that the pace of growth on Asia-USEC trades had slowed to just 3%, at $9,422 per 40ft. According to Linerlytica, the picture was somewhat different, as it predicted the decision of the Panama Canal authority (ACP) to impose further restrictions on vessel transits could take Asia-USEC spots close to $11,000 per 40ft. ACP said that, from 3 September, the number of daily slots at its Neopanamax locks would be adjusted to nine, and at the Panamax locks slots, reduced to 25, with a further reduction, to 23, on 15 September. This is from a normal daily average of 34. It said: “Despite the arrival of the rainy season in Panama and the water-saving measures implemented by the Panama Canal to mitigate the adverse effects of the El Niño event, current watershed conditions require additional action to support the long-term sustainability of transit operations.” ACP is also rejigging its daily auction system by splitting vessels into four commodity groups, to “promote a more equitable allocation process that better reflects market composition”. They are: LNG and LPG vessels; dry bulk and general cargo vessels; containerships, vehicle carriers, ro-ro and refrigerated vessels; and chemical, crude and product tankers. This week,The Loadstarreportedthat the situation at the mouth of the canal had got to such a point that one carrier had paid $4.6m to land an auction slot, way up on the daily post-Iran war average of $385,000 and out of sight of the pre-war $140,000 average. One source toldThe Loadstarcongestion was building to the point where delays of “up to 10 days” could be expected on eastbound transits, with “at least” 112 vessels waiting to enter the canal, and the situation for transits to the US west coast transits set to worsen in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, on European trades, the rate situation is notably less rosy, the WCI recording a 1% week-on-week drop for its Shanghai-Rotterdam leg, now at $4,401 per 40ft, and a downturn of 2% for Shanghai-Genoa, which is now trading at $4,955 per 40ft. Linerlytica noted this was the sixth consecutive weekly fall for European trades, with Vespucci Maritime CEO Lars Jensen pointing out: “Asia-North Europe has dropped $522 per 40ft since the peak six weeks ago, and Asia-Mediterranean is also down, $1,508”.

From one week to the next, it has been more of the same: transpacific rates on the climb; but with the cost of shipping into Europe showing an even more precipitous drop than last week, there are major question marks over the latest carrier plans to induce price hikes this week. Beginning with the good news for the shipping lines, the amount they can charge from Asia into both US coasts jumped markedly over the past seven days, according to the Drewry World Container Index (WCI), with Asia-Los Angeles rates up 6%, to $6,244 per 40ft. Forwarders toldThe Loadstarthe spot market was continuing to be affected by the disruption from the conflict in the Middle East, a view echoed by the chief analyst at Xeneta, Peter Sand, who said it was now feeding into long-term rates, too. “The knock-on effect of almost half a year of disruption caused by war in the Middle East is spreading to the long-term contract market. Average long-term rates Asia-US west coast and east coast are up 41% and 40% respectively since the end of February,” he said. “This is the fire spreading from the short-term market, where we have seen massive, triple-digit rate increases. The disruption caused by war in the Midde East is becoming a deepset and structural problem that will not go away any time soon,” he added. Mr Sand described carriers as now sitting in “an extremely powerful position to call the shots across both long-term and short-term markets”, with the WCI noting a more potent spot rate surge of 10% week on week, to $8,706 per 40ft for Asia-New York sailings. But beyond war, spot rates on transpacific trades have been supported by not only that strong demand into the US east coast has allowed rate hikes introduced at the start of August to hold, but the impact of bad weather in East Asia. Linerlytica said: “Vessel schedule disruptions are set to continue on both Central and Southern China transpacific services, as vessels are severely delayed by the third typhoon to hit China in the past two months, affecting both US west coast and east coast capacity. “The outlook remains positive, with rates to the USWC still holding above $7,000 per 40ft while rates to the east coast have risen further, to over $10,000 per 40ft.” And, with some 2.4m teu of capacity stranded by Typhoon Dolphin, carriers may be licking their lips. However that sense of rising fortunes cannot be applied to trades serving Europe, and while Shanghai-Rotterdam rates held steady last week, this week they joined the drop, down 5% week on week, to $4,425 per 40ft, according to the WCI. Following its 2% week-on-week drop seven days ago, the WCI’s Shanghai-Genoa trade saw an 8% decline in rates, hitting $5,080 per 40ft, their lowest since the start of June and the boom brought about by the extended mini-peak. This left Drewry scratching its head over the intention of some carriers to bring in new freight all kinds (FAK) rates, ranging from $6,700 to $7,100 per 40ft from tomorrow on Asia–Mediterranean services. The index said “weakening demand raises questions over the sustainability of these prices”, particularly poignant given the softening cargo demand noted by a number of commentators, including Linerlytica and several otherLoadstarsources.

Container spot freight rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades saw another week of single-digit declines, in the absence of carrier-led price hikes. But, on the contrary, it appears that despite relatively tight capacity, carrier discounting on Asia-Europe and transpacific tradelanes was largely the cause of this week’s weakness. Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI), saw the spot rate on its Shanghai-Rotterdam leg decline 3% week on week, to finish at $4,677 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route was weaker, with a 6% drop to end the week at $5,630 per 40ft, and analysts at Linerlytica reported “carriers offering rates below $5,000 per 40ft, as support for the 1 August rate hike is quickly waning”. Source: Drewry Meanwhile, today’s Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) – which records rates quoted for the forthcoming week and, as such, can indicate the behaviour of the following week’s WCI (as it did last week) – suggests further gentle declines next week, again in the absence of FAK hikes, with spot rates to North Europe and the Mediterranean both down 4% against last week. Drewry noted that with “demand continuing to ease, carriers are focusing on capacity management through blank sailings to prevent further rate erosion”, and reports that “three blank sailings are scheduled on the Asia–Europe trade next week, compared with four this week”. This will be likely supported by another attempt to hike rates through new FAK level in mid-August – MSC announced today that it intends to implement a new FAK level on 15 August, of $7,800 per 40ft, on Asia-North Europe shipments, and $6,700 per 40ft on Asia-Mediterranean. Meanwhile, on the transpacific, carriers are expected to try and increase prices over the coming week, after the WCI this week saw its Shanghai-Los Angeles route fall 2%, to $5,739 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York spot rate was flat, at $7,578 per 40ft. US west coast forwarder Freight Right said the transpacific drop came about after “ocean carriers allowed rates to fall to stimulate market demand and bring pricing back to temporary market equilibrium”. Tomorrow – 1 August – will see the latest round of GRIs applied on transpacific shipments, the hikes ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 per 40ft, depending on carrier. Today’s SCFI appears to reflect optimism among carriers (which make up around half of the index’s respondent set), with rates from Shanghai to both east and west coasts jumping 12.5% week on week. “Whether those increases hold will largely depend on sustained cargo volumes,” Freight Right said. “If demand remains steady, as importers continue shipping under the now-clearer tariff environment, carriers may be able to maintain rates near current levels, or modestly higher. However, if demand fails to strengthen, the market could quickly settle back toward today’s pricing after a brief August spike,” it explained. Drewry added that carriers were hoping to support the GRIs through increased use of blanked sailings, “following softening demand and the slowdown in front-loading activity”. According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, eight blanked sailings are scheduled for next week, compared with seven this week. In addition, this week also saw Chinese carrier BAL Container Lines cancel a plan to offer a one-off 14,000 teu extra loader to the US west coast, with the vessel instead being chartered to Maersk to be deployed on the Asia-Europe trades.

Air freight rates are continuing to edge lower, despite renewed conflict in the Middle East, leaving the market caught between weakening demand on some trades, rising fuel costs, and a stream of carrier network changes. The latest Freightos Air Index shows global rates easing to around $2.82 per kg, down from May’s peak of around $3.35/kg, but still well above levels seen at the start of the year. At the same time, airlines continue to announce new routes, additional frequencies and freighter investments. DHL Express this week expanded its commitment for Mammoth Freighters-converted 777-200LRFs from nine to 13 aircraft, while Qatar Airways Cargo added seasonal London freighter services alongside extra capacity to Dallas, Brussels, Tokyo, Dhaka, and Entebbe. Saudia Cargo launched a new Melbourne freighter route and signed an interline agreement with Riyadh Cargo, while Royal Air Maroc unveiled four new European destinations, adding further bellyhold capacity into its Casablanca hub. Rotate’s data shows that while freighter capacity has stayed flat week on week to 30 July, it is increasingly moving towards stronger-performing tradelanes. Routes such as Leipzig-Dubai, Hong Kong-Dubai, and Muscat-Dubai all recorded significant gains week on week, while Pacific lanes including Shanghai-Los Angeles and Los Angeles-Incheon also strengthened. Conversely, several Europe-linked and traditional ecommerce corridors weakened following the introduction of the EU parcel fee. That picture broadly matches WorldACD’s latest weekly analysis, which showed Hong Kong-Europe volumes down 24% year on year, while China-Europe traffic fell 10%. In contrast, China-US volumes were up 19% year on year and Asia Pacific-US spot rates remained 36% higher than a year earlier. David Kerr, founder of JTD Advisory, argues that the market is sending conflicting signals. “The rate indices and the physical market are pointing in different directions,” he wrote in his latest market note, highlighting that jet fuel costs were running almost 66% above year-ago levels, while the Baltic Air Freight Index had declined for four consecutive weeks. He argued the increase in fuel costs had “not yet fed through” to freight rates, partly because of pricing lags, and partly because weaker Asia-Europe ecommerce demand was masking tighter underlying supply. His view also reflects a broader structural shift under way in Europe. Drawing on Aevean capacity data, Mr Kerr noted APAC and Middle East freighter capacity into Europe fell 14% this month compared with June, equivalent to 18 fewer daily widebody freighter flights, while airports heavily exposed to ecommerce traffic, such as Budapest, Madrid, and Luxembourg, suffered the sharpest reductions. He argued operators were not abandoning aircraft, but redeploying them towards markets offering stronger economics. There are also early indications that fuel costs may again begin influencing pricing. Cathay Cargo, which reviews its Hong Kong export fuel surcharge every fortnight, has reversed several months of reductions by increasing surcharges for the first half of August, following the latest rise in jet fuel prices. The move comes as several container shipping lines, including CMA CGM, MSC, Maersk, and ONE, also announced fresh emergency fuel surcharges linked to renewed Middle East hostilities. However, the market remains surprisingly resilient. Rates have softened from their May highs, but have not collapsed, with freighter capacity falling 1% from June to July, while Europe saw weaker inbound ecommerce demand.

Container spot freight rates on the main east-west trades all declined over the past week, the surest sign yet that this year’s peak season is past its apex – at least in terms of pricing. Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) recorded spot rate declines in the headhaul directions across all three of its main east-west trades. Source: Drewry The WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam leg dropped 1% week on week, to finish at $4,824 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa leg saw spot rates decline 5% over the previous week, to end at $5,988 per 40ft. Forwarders on the trades expect further falls over the coming weeks, with carriers already beginning to offer discounts on spot shipments out of Asia for the remainder of July and into August. However, this is largely with the caveat that the declines are likely to be gentle, rather than a precipitous price crash. “While there are rate reductions, they’re still at a steady pace, with carriers continuing to control allocation agreements – albeit with some flexibility,” one forwarder toldThe Loadstartoday. Today’s Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) – which records rates quoted for the forthcoming week and, as such, can indicate the behaviour of the following week’s WCI (as it did last week) – supports this view, showing spot rates to North Europe and the Mediterranean down 3%. One factor that may have prolonged this year’s peak was the “roll pools” that built up in the China when demand peaked around a month ago, but they appear to have been cleared quicker than many forwarders feared, although loading operations in some Chinese ports were recently affected by Typhoon Bavi. “There are still a few issues in China main ports which vessels are omitting, although I am hearing carriers’ roll pools are reducing and nearly cleared,” the forwarder added. Meanwhile, Drewry said carriers had already begun to respond to rate declines with new capacity management. According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, four blanked sailings are scheduled on the Asia–Europe trade route next week, two more than last week, reflecting an increase in capacity available in the market. With easing demand and increased capacity, Drewry expects rates to decrease slightly next week. It was a similar picture on the transpacific, where the Shanghai-Los Angeles leg decreased 6%, to $5,878 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York route was registered is first decline since the end of April and dropped 4% week on week, to $7,598 per 40ft. Meanwhile, today’s SCFI shows its Shanghai-US west coast base port route down 3%, and down 2% to the US east coast, indicating further falls could be on their way next week. Linerlytica said earlier this week: “Transpacific spot rates to the US west coast are easing as additional extra loader capacity has been added, but rates to the east coast are holding up better, with limited new capacity additions.” US west coast forwarder Freight Right noted that some carriers had offered discounts this week, at around $5,000 per 40ft into the west coast, although “these represent specific carrier promotions rather than a market-wide standard”. “Carriers recognised that peak-level rates, such as $8,000 per 40ft, were unsustainable long-term, and proactively lowered prices to stimulate volume and maintain vessel utilisation,” it added. “Urgent demand has cooled significantly as shippers that needed to move peak-season goods ahead of deadlines have already done so, leading to lower overall volume.” The one question remaining is what impact the new tariff levels announced by the White House last night will have on demand. “Clarity on impending US tariff policy will be the primary driver over the next one-to-two weeks – a stringent tariff rollout could induce a secondary rush of bookings, whereas mild or delayed updates may prolong the current lull in volume,” Freight Right said. This could also hit the transatlantic trade, which this week also saw another week of gentle declines, with the WCI’s Rotterdam-New York leg registering in its third week of falls, ending at $2,635 per 40ft, 1% down on the week before.

A declining sales-to-inventory ratio in the US has been one of the key reasons behind the recent volume surge and accompanying spot rate rally on the transpacific trades. However, while new data from the US Census Bureau for May shows the gap continued to widen that month, analysts at Sea-Intelligence warned that while the ratio was decreasing, inventories are on the rise, and any drop-off in US consumer spending would reverse the situation, resulting in an inventory overhang. Source: Sea-Intelligence Consulting “This is not necessarily a stable situation. It is solely the relative inventories which are declining. The absolute size keeps growing,” Sea-Intelligence said. Source: Sea-Intelligence Consulting “This means it is the sales data which are important. The resilience of the US consumer is what is lowering the relative inventory sizes,” it added. Surging sales in May, as well as the impending end of the universal 10% tariffs, clearly prompted US importers to ship more goods the following month, and the port of Los Angeles – often a bellwether for the country’s container supply chains – reported its busiest-ever June, handling 1.002m teu, only the third time it had handled more than a million teu in a single month. “June cargo was 12% higher than a year ago, driven by strong import demand as retailers and manufacturers continued advancing shipments while navigating evolving trade policy, rising fuel costs, and global supply chain uncertainty,” the port authority said. However, US forwarders are well aware that much of the recent transpacific demand has been influenced by President Trump’s tariff policies – and the huge cloud of uncertainty that looms over them – and is clearly correlated with the inventory-to-sales ratios. “The next two weeks are likely to determine the direction of the transpacific market,” US west coast forwarder Freight Right said last week. “If tariff uncertainty is resolved with lower or eliminated duties, import demand could quickly rebound, potentially creating an extended peak season through August and September, and pushing ocean rates higher again. However, if tariffs remain, or increase, market participants expect booking volumes to weaken further, putting additional downward pressure on freight rates.” The forwarder added: “With many importers already front-loading inventory earlier, the industry may ultimately experience another year without a traditional peak season, instead seeing demand shift around trade policy developments rather than seasonal retail cycles.” And if US consumers decide to stop spending it would put another dent in transpacific demand, colliding with a more benign tariff environment, Sea-Intelligence noted. “Should sales begin to decline, the relative inventories will increase instantly, leading from low inventories to excess inventories. If this happens in the coming months, the swing will occur just as we see record amounts of containerised cargo delivered into the US. “Should such a scenario unfold, this also means we will see the demand surge and associated full vessels and high freight rates rapidly replaced by overcapacity and dropping freight rates,” it added. Worried about how El Nino will impact transpacific shipping? Watch our interview with a leading meteorologist:

Boluda Towage and Boluda Shipping have established a new head office in Rotterdam, strengthening the group's position across 21 ports and a fleet of 138 vessels in Northern Europe. July 16, 2026 Spain-headquartered Boluda Corporación Marítima has inaugurated its Netherlands head office inRotterdam, through its subsidiaries Boluda Towage and Boluda Shipping, as the centre of its operations in Northern Europe. Boluda Towage started its activities in the region in Germany in 2017, and later in the Netherlands, Belgium, theUnited Kingdom, Finland andNorway, with Rotterdam becoming one of its main operational hubs. Boluda Towage operates in more than 21 ports across the region, with a fleet of 138 vessels and experienced local crews. "These new headquarters reflect our long-term commitment to Northern Europe and our ambition to continue growing alongside our customers and partners in this strategic region,” said Vicente Boluda Ceballos, executive chairman of Boluda Towage. Northwest Europe represents a strategic region for Boluda, bringing together some of the continent’s most important logistics, industrial and maritime hubs. Over the past decade, the company has established a leading position across the region, providing essential maritime services in some of Europe's busiest ports and logistics corridors. Related:Los Angeles and Shenzhen ports deepen clean shipping ties Boluda Shipping further strengthened its presence in the region in 2023, launching regular short-sea shipping services connecting the Iberian Peninsula with the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland, reinforcing Rotterdam's role as a strategic logistics hub within its European network. Read more about: Michele Labrut Americas Correspondent Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America. Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s. Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks. Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama. In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

The rebound offset a sluggish first quarter for Evergreen Marine, Yang Ming and Wan Hai, with a Yang Ming executive saying he expects the buoyant rate outlook to continue into the third quarter. Los Angeles and its terminal operator tenants are offering up to $300,000 per truck for drayage operators purchasing at least 10 battery-electric vehicles. The revision follows a similar move by Gemini Cooperation partner Maersk as frontloading on the trans-Pacific and Asia–Europe trades fills ships and drives up rates.