Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

The agreement adds Shenzhen and Yantian to the Port of Los Angeles’ growing list of international decarbonisation partnerships. July 14, 2026 ThePort of Los Angeleshas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) withYantianInternational Container Terminals andShenzhenPort Group to advance sustainable trade, maritime innovation and global supply chain development. "This agreement creates new opportunities to share innovation, advance sustainable port operations and build more resilient supply chains,” said Port of Los Angeles executive director, Gene Seroka. “Together, we're helping shape a cleaner, more efficient future for global trade. I would like to thank the executive team at Hutchison Ports, Shenzhen Port Group and Yantian International – especially Eric Ip, Ken Chou, Lawrence Shum and Neville Lam – for their partnership and leadership," he added. The MoU was signed in Shenzhen,China, during the Shenzhen Port Global Supply Chain High-Quality Development Conference. The MoU provides a framework for co-operation in green technologies, clean energy, port operations, maritime innovation, logistics and supply chain development and encourages collaboration through technical exchanges, sharing of best practices, research and demonstration projects, business development, workforce engagement and regular dialogue among the participating organisations. Related:SITC fills Vietnam network gap with new Da Nang depot Leaders from the ports launched the Shenzhen Port International Green Shipping Corridor Cooperation Initiative, a multilateral effort to accelerate maritime decarbonisation through cleaner marine fuels, advanced technologies, operational efficiencies and stronger international collaboration. The initiative seeks to reducegreenhouse gas emissionswhile supporting more sustainable global supply chains. The agreements announced in Shenzhen further expand the Port of Los Angeles' growing network of international partnerships across the Pacific. The Port has established Green Shipping Corridor partnerships withShanghai,Singapore, Guangzhou, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya and partners in Vietnam. 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.

Container freight spot rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades showed moderate gains this week, in the absence of carrier-led price hikes, while demand remained firm. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry saw its Shanghai-Rotterdam leg gain 5% on the previous week, to end a shade under the $5,000 mark, at $4,933 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route was up 2%, to $6,463 per 40ft. Next week is likely to be an acid test of the Asia-Europe peak season and how much longer it will remain – a series of new FAK price hikes are due to implemented to both North Europe and the Mediterranean. At the top end, MSC is aiming for $7,700 per 40ft to both regions; while CMA CGM is targeting $7,000 to North Europe, and $7,900–$8,500 to the Mediterranean. However, with just four Asia-Europe blanked sailings next week, forwarders on the trade remained skeptical that the new price levels will stick – several reporting that carriers have already begun offering discounts and that space on vessels loading in Asia was “readily available”. “Carriers have started to roll-back their rates to North Europe, with spot rates for first-half July sailings failing to breach $6,000 per 40ft,” consultant Linerlytica said this week. “Asia-Europe carriers are still pushing for another rate hike in mid-July, but the ground looks increasingly shaky, with a wide range of rates being offered in the spot market. “The Gemini partners remain at the bottom of the range, with rates as low as $4,800 per 40ft on offer against rivals’ rates of $6,000-$6,500 per 40ft,” it added. On the supply side, an important milestone passed this week when the 18,300 teuMajestic Maersksuccessfully passed through the Bab Al Mandeb straits at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, en route to the Suez Canal. The vessel, deployed on Gemini’s Asia-Med Loop 3, is due to reach the Egyptian waterway on 12 July for a northbound transit – the key aspect here is that the vessel is sailing on the headhaul leg of the rotation and the carriers indicated that it would resume Suez transits on both directions on the service. “This joint decision with Hapag-Lloyd comes following thorough assessments of the security situation in the Red Sea area and marks a step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor,” said Maersk earlier this week. The Asia-Med Loop 3 (Maersk AE15 / Hapag-Lloyd SE3) will have the following port rotation: Qingdao-Kwangyang-Ningbo-Tanjung Pelepas-Port Said-Damietta-Colombo-Singapore, with its shuttles connecting Mediterranean gateway ports with Gemini’s Egyptian transhipment hubs. The move back to Suez is expected free-up at least two vessels from the string to be redeployed elsewhere. In addition, Maersk announced today that its US East Coast-Middle East MECL services – operated by its US subsidiary outside the Gemini Cooperation – would also fully return to Suez transits this month. Meanwhile, on the transpacific trades, WCI’s Shanghai-Los Angeles route edged 2% over the previous week, to end at $6,482 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York leg was flat, at $7,904 per 40ft. Here too, a series of general rate increases (GRIs) and peak season surcharges (PSSs) due to be applied on 15 July will test how much peak season demand remains. US west coast forwarder Freight Right reported that “some carriers are beginning to offer small reductions of around $100–$200 week on week”, which suggested that another round of GRIs and PSSs “could risk stopping demand altogether”. “The near-term outlook points to a market that is likely to hold steady or gradually decline, rather than move higher. The recent peak appears to have been reached, and without a rebound in volume, carriers may have limited room to defend current rate levels for long,” Freight Right noted. “That said, a sharp collapse is not guaranteed,” it added. “Carriers are expected to manage the decline carefully and may avoid aggressive reductions unless booking activity weakens further. “The next one-to-two weeks will be important for determining whether August brings a meaningful peak season or whether the market settles into a softer summer pattern.”

With shipping’s peak season now well under way, container freight spot rates resumed their steep upward trajectory this week on the main east-west trades, following a series of carrier price hikes introduced on 1 July. However, compared with the double-digit increases seen a fortnight ago, after the last round of price announcements – which led Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) to record strong double-digit week-on-week spot rate increases on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades – this week’s increases were more moderate. The WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam leg increased 7% week on week, to finish at $4,682 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route was up 10% on the previous week, to $6,360 per 40ft. Source: Drewry Supply Chain Advisors While there is little question that the early peak season caught many Asia-Europe shippers and their forwarders by surprise, several factors suggest the market is nearing the apex of peak season pricing. First, the “Fortnight Brace” principle outlined byLoadstar Premiumthis week appears to be still be at work. 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) – shows spot rates to the Mediterranean up by 1% and flat to North Europe. Secondly, demand now appears to be steady rather than soaring, and one Asia-Europe forwarder toldThe Loadstarthis week that some carriers were beginning to discount on next week’s bookings. “The first half of July is looking like it might be the peak – we’re already seeing reductions come in for 6 July; bookings are steady and at the moment we’re not seeing much in the way of problems with bookings and space for July,” he said. However, he added, it would still take a few weeks for carriers to work through the pools of containers rolled during June. “We know there is still plenty of rolled cargo to move, so we’re not expecting rates to fall off a cliff just yet, but we do expect rates to start to soften through August,” he said. “I think we are reaching the peak level,” another forwarder toldThe Loadstar.“Another clue here is the validity a few of the lines are now offering, no longer weekly, and now to the end of July, which indicates no further increases. I suspect, we may see some slight decreases. “The carriers are still managing allocation agreements closely. However, not as many rollings, which does suggest a sign of the chaos starting to ease going into August,” she said. A third sign is that, as the new mid-July FAK (freight all kinds) levels being announced by carriers are substantially less of an increase than in June – for example, MSC published an FAK rate of $7,700 per 40ft to North Europe for 15 July, compared with $7,500 for 1 July and $6,000 on 15 June. However, it is a different story on the transpacific trades this week, as the peak season appears to have coincided with a short wave of US importers front-loading to avoid some hefty mid-July peak season surcharges – South Korean carrier HMM announced a transpacific PSS of $3,000 per 40ft for 15 July. “Carriers are testing the market’s upper limits by introducing an additional $1,500 GRI for the first half of July,” noted US west coast freight forwarder Freight Right. “This triggered a massive, last-minute rush at the end of June as shippers scrambled to push containers out of China to avoid the premium. “Importers have fundamentally compressed the typical multi-month peak season – fearing prolonged volatility, businesses pulled-forward orders they did not immediately need, clogging current vessel capacity with goods destined for sales cycles months down the line,” added the firm. The WCI’s Shanghai-Los Angeles leg was up 10% week on week, to end at $6,349 per 40ft, while its Shanghai-New York route rose 11%, to $7,902 per 40ft. And today’s SCFI indicates further increases of a similar magnitude can be expected next week, with its Shanghai-US west coast route up 9%, and up 12% to the US east coast. “Ocean container shipping is running hot on the transpacific, with offered capacity from Far East to US west coast hitting an all-time high this week and spot rates showing another double-digit increase, to sit +253% compared with pre-Strait of Hormuz crisis at the end of February,” Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand said. “The combination of record capacity deployment and further rate increases on the transpacific tells us demand is strong and that carriers are scrambling to satisfy it,” he added. According to Xeneta data, “carriers are adding capacity fast”: MSC reinstated its transpacific Pearl service on 13 June, withMSC LYSE Vthe first vessel to call at Long Beach on 30 June; while Yang Ming and ONE are running extra-loaders. “More capacity is welcome and will help shippers to move goods more reliably, but it is not enough to reverse the upward [pricing] trend,” Mr Sand added. This article is © The Loadstar. Reproduction, rewriting, or derivative use requires a license. Contact[email protected]for licensing enquiries.

Reduced staffing, facility closures, and parked freight over this weekend’s Independence Day holiday in the US are expected to create favourable conditions for organised crime gangs to target freight, according to Verisk CargoNet, with today expected to be the peak. The theft prevention specialist analysed 256 cargo thefts recorded between 1 and 7 July in the years between 2021 and 2025, and found activity peaked on 3 July, before falling during the holiday itself. “The 4 July holiday creates a predictable disruption in the supply chain,” warned Keith Lewis, VP operations at Verisk CargoNet. “Cargo thieves understand when freight is likely to be parked, when facilities may be closed, and when normal verification procedures may be under pressure.” The warning comes as the value of stolen freight continues to rise sharply, despite a decline in incident numbers. Verisk CargoNet estimates cargo theft losses exceeded $359m in the first six months of 2026, the average value of stolen cargo reaching around $341,500. The company said organised crime gangs were increasingly targeting high-value commodities, like industrial metals such as copper, molybdenum, antimony, tungsten, and zinc, alongside enterprise IT hardware including RAM modules, fibre-optic transceivers, storage drives, and server blades, with many individual shipments these days worth more than $1m. Geographically, California, Texas, and Illinois remain the main hotspots for theft during the first week of July, with San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, Dallas County, Maricopa County, Shelby County, and Cook County among the most frequently hit areas. CargoNet said these locations also reflected strong secondary markets for stolen goods. Traditional cargo theft methods continue to dominate over holiday periods, with unattended trucks and trailers remaining prime targets. The company said food and beverage shipments, household goods, electronics, vehicle accessories, tyres, appliances, and non-alcoholic and energy drinks among the commodities most frequently stolen. However, CargoNet warned that organised crime groups were increasingly combining physical theft with sophisticated fraud designed to infiltrate transport companies and broker verification systems. According to the report, criminals are increasingly compromising cloud-based business phone systems, allowing them to make and receive calls using legitimate carrier telephone numbers and, in some cases, monitor live conversations. The company has also seen increased attempts to gain access to motor carrier accounts on compliance platforms used by brokers to vet carriers before awarding loads. Techniques include credential theft, remote access software, and social engineering attacks that persuade carriers to see fraudsters as authorised users. “These schemes are becoming more personal, more technical, and more convincing,” Mr Lewis said. “Fraud actors are no longer relying only on spoofed emails or fake documents. They are trying to operate from inside trusted phone systems and compliance workflows that brokers use to validate carriers. “Around a holiday weekend, when teams are short-staffed and decisions are being made quickly, that false appearance of legitimacy becomes especially dangerous.” This article is © The Loadstar. Reproduction, rewriting, or derivative use requires a license. Contact[email protected]for licensing enquiries.

In the absence of carrier-led price hikes, container spot rates largely flattened on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades this week. The one exception was the transpacific Asia-North America west coast trade, which saw a 12% week-on-week increase, according to Drewry’s World Container Index. The WCI’s Shanghai-Los Angeles leg this week finished at $5,750 per 40ft, some 54% higher than the corresponding week in 2025. “Rates remained elevated this week, with standard market levels still pushing above $6,000 per container,” US west coast forwarder Freight Right said. “However, carriers and agents are increasingly making deals or promotional rate structures available, allowing some shipments to move closer to the $5,700–$5,800 range when volume, allocation, or carrier-ratio requirements can be met,” it added. It further explained that “blended deals” – combining lower contracts rates with spot rates in one booking – were being hiked up to the spot market levels by carriers being disciplined over allocations. “To guarantee vessel occupancy while capitalising on high spot rates, carriers are tying low, fixed-contract space of around $3,000 to standard market-rate space. “These ratios have become significantly tougher for forwarders, escalating from a 1:1 requirement to 1:3, 1:4, or even 1:5, effectively dragging the blended deal price closer to the standard spot market,” it said. Meanwhile, there was flatter growth on the WCI’s Shanghai-New York route, which was up 6% week on week, to end at $7,149 per 40ft. According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, only four blanked sailings have been announced on the transpacific for the next week, “reflecting tight capacity” and analysts predicted further rises on both routes next week, due to new general rate increases (GRIs) and new bunker adjustment factors (BAFs) scheduled for 1 July. Today’s Shanghai Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) – which records rates quoted for the forthcoming week and, as such, indicate the behaviour of the following week’s WCI (as it did last week) – shows spot rates to both North America east and west coasts climbing 7%. However, with the peak season clearly settling into a fortnightly pattern of sharp carrier-induced prices rise one week, followed by a plateauing the following week, the 7% increase for next week is far gentler than the double-digit hikes seen in May and June, and suggests the market could be nearing a price peak. It could also reflect more capacity coming into the trades – according to Xeneta, this week saw Asia-US west coast capacity up 10.5% on the previous week, up 12.1% on Asia-US east coast and up 11.9% on Asia-North Europe, the largest weekly increases seen since the Strait of Hormuz closed. “It has been a long time coming, but carriers have finally responded to spiralling spot rates and supply chain disruption on major ocean container shipping trades out of Asia by deploying significantly more capacity this week,” said Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand. “This raises an uncomfortable question from shippers – why has it taken until now for carriers to act when they have endured months of triple-digit freight rate increases and delays in getting containers on board ships?” he added. On the Asia–Europe trades, the WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam leg rose 1%, to $4,392 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa leg was flat, at $5,759 per 40ft. “For shippers, more capacity is always welcome and will help them to get supply chains moving more reliably, but they should not expect this to translate into falling freight rates,” Mr Sand continued. “The only good news for shippers is that the situation is not as bad as it would otherwise have been, with spot rates expected to climb further, heading into July, but with slower growth than recent weeks,” he added. However, sharper increases are expected next week, with today’s SCFI showing a 12% increase on its Shanghai-North Europe base port leg and a 12.5% increase on the corresponding route to the Mediterranean. This would be pushed by new FAK (freight all kinds) levels due for 1 July, in addition to the new BAFs – in one example, CMA CGM new FAK rates of $6,300 per 40ft to North Europe and $7,700–$8,500 to the Mediterranean, as well as a PSS of $1,000 and $1,400 per teu to North Europe and the Mediterranean, respectively.

Imports drive a huge leap in volumes at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in the month of May June 24, 2026 The US West Coast gateway port ofLong Beacha 31.7% jump in container volumes in May driven by imports as an early peak season arrived. The figures released by the Port of Long Beach on 23 June follow a 17% jump in container volumes in May reported by the neighbouring Port of Los Angeles last week. During May the Port of Long Beach handled 842,092 teu some 31.7% higher than the container volume it handled in the same month in the previous year. The biggest driver of increased volumes at the US West Coast port was a 40% jump in imports to 418,815 teu in May this year. Imports into the Port of Long Beach outweigh exports by roughly a ratio of 4:1. The port reported a 32.9% increase in exports to 109,168 teu and empty containers handled increased by 21.8% to 314,012 teu. A similar if less pronounced pattern was reported thePort of Los Angeleswhich 840,165 teu in May up 17% on the same month in 2025. As with the Port of Long Beach imports were the primary driver with a 26% increase in loaded imports to 449,370 teu. Related:Cosco’s Peruvian port celebrates first year of operations “These numbers reflect the strength and adaptability of the supply chain,” said Noel Hacegaba, CEO of the Port of Long Beach. He noted rising fuel costs, tariff uncertainty and geopolitical concerns are all contributing to expectations for an earlier peak shipping season. The early peak season has been evidenced by a surge in container freight rates in recent weeks.Drewry’sWorld Container Index (WCI) climbed to an 18-month high in its last weekly report on 18 June. The WCI increased 12% over the previous week to hit $3,969 per feu with the Transpacific and Asia – Europe trade driving increases. Further increases were expected on both trades in coming weeks. TheShanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI)also rose 4.6% week-on-week to 3,122 teu last week its highest since August 2024. HSBC Global Research commented in a report this week: “Liners have outlined more rate increases for early July. We see this as an early peak season – shippers are front-loading to hedge potential disruption from the Middle East and Panama Canal – reinforced by inventory replenishment.” Read more about: Marcus Hand Editor Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia. Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation. In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology. Marcus is the founder of theSeatrade Maritime Podcastthat delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics. Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Wind-Assisted Propulsion: Are we ready? at Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global 2024 IMPA 2024 SingaporeMaritime Procurement and Sustainability Panel, November 2024 Goodbye Globalization? Red Sea Impacts Reviewed,EGN Singapore (Executives' Global Network)webinar, February 2024 Offshore Marine Breakfast Forum atSea Asia 2023 Sustainable Finance, Shipping & Technology at Hong Kong Maritime Week 2022 Building & Operating Dual-Fuel Vessels, February 2022 Shipping’s Decarbonisation Challenge – The Role of Technology and Digitalisation at Hong Kong Maritime Week 2021 The Challenge Faced by Ship Registries in a Digital and Post-Pandemic Era, October 2020 The Future of Transhipment Hubs Post-Pandemic, November 2020 Offshore Marine Breakfast Forum at Sea Asia 2019 Marcus Hand regularly guests on mainstream media talking about maritime and shipping news stories. Below you'll find a list of selected appearances KBS World Radio -Korea24,May 2026 BBC News -Hindi Service,April 2026 RNZ -First Up, April 2026

A series of container freight spot rate hikes and general rate increases implemented on 15 June prompted another week of double-digit price rises on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry saw the spot rate on its Shanghai-Rotterdam leg surge 15% week-on-week to finish at $4,342 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route was up 12% to $5,756 per 40ft. “Strong peak season demand due to frontloading of cargo ahead of the expected 1 July bunker fuel adjustment, enabled carriers to successfully implement surcharges,” Drewry noted. However, the WCI’s current Shanghai-Rotterdam rate is well shy of the $6,000 per 40ft FAK level that MSC introduced on 15 June, although marginally closer on the Shanghai-Genoa, where its new FAK was $6,500 per 40ft. The world’s largest container line has announced a further FAK hike on 1 July of $7,500 per 40ft to both North Europe and Mediterranean ports, which is quite aggressive compared to the $6,300 per 40ft on Asia-North Europe announced by CMA CGM, also for 1 July. The timing of the next round of FAK hikes also suggests that the remaining weeks of this year’s peak season will be characterised by double-digit spot rate rises on a fortnightly basis, with the interim weeks either flat or seeing low single-digit rises. Indeed, today’s Shanghai 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) – recorded a 2% gain on the Shanghai-North Europe leg and 3% on Shanghai-Mediterranean. “We are expecting increases for the first half July and expect the rates to peak in July before they start to soften again – but I don’t expect them to go as high as MSC hopes for,” one European forwarder toldThe Loadstartoday. And while current capacity on both Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean trades is tight – according to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, only three blank sailings have been announced on Asia-Europe next week – there had been fears that the decision pf the Gemini partners to shift capacity from North Europe to the Mediterranean could leave Northern European shippers squeezed. However, the forwarder added that “the shift of some capacity to the Med is welcome, but any effect on the North Europe routes, I think, will be short lived as things start to calm down”. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also been a key factor, data from ocean and air freight intelligence platform Xeneta shows: Source: Xeneta In the past week alone, rates on its XSI platform jumped up by 29% on Far East to US west coast and 25% to the US east coast. The WCI moved in the same direction, although more moderately – its Shanghai-Los Angeles was up 10% week-on-week to $5,142 per 40ft, and Shanghai-New York rose 15% to $6,769 per 40ft. “Shippers are frontloading imports ahead of bunker fuel surcharge increases in July and fears over available capacity, with many being told ships are full on trades out of Asia for weeks in advance,” Xeneta chief analysts Peter Sand said. “Shippers who manage to get their boxes on board are paying a premium to do so,” he added. However, one interesting dynamic is that next week will see six blank sailings the transpacific, according to Drewry, “reflecting capacity management by carriers”, and could suggest lines see some demand weakness on the long-term horizon and are already acting to maintain rate levels. “Shippers should abandon expectations for a quick rate correction – carriers have just successfully pushed rates into the $6,000–$7,000-plus range and will be highly resistant to lowering them, likely citing ongoing market uncertainty to justify keeping current fuel surcharges and base rates intact,” US west coast freight forwarder Freight Right said. “Furthermore, because booking backlogs are already stretching lead times out significantly, with some agents quoting the beginning of July as the earliest available space, shippers must plan and book several weeks in advance to secure equipment and vessel space,” it added.

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved a $3.4 billion annual budget for fiscal 2026-2027 for the Port of Los Angeles. The increase comes as the port, which along with neighboring Long Beach comprises the busiest U.S. container gateway, is forecasting a 7% decline in box volumes, to 9.3 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) in fiscal 2026-2027. The San Pedro Bay complex has keenly felt the effects of the Trump administration’s trade war with China, with ongoing tariffs and other measures pushing importers to increasingly seek alternative maritime routes into North America through Mexico and Canada. China has also sought out new trade agreements in Africa and boosted business with Europe, as it makes plans to sustain its massive export economy, the world’s largest. China’s share of all containerized imports through Los Angeles has fallen to about 40% in 2026, down from 53.4% in 2025 and 61% in 2020. Port management cited continued volatility in global trade and uncertainty about trade policy as contributing factors to a more cautious cargo volume outlook. The hub is owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles through its Harbor Department. Increased investments in operational and community public-access infrastructure are covered in the budget, as well as support for sustainability and technology programs. “The passage of this budget reflects the strength and forward-looking vision of the Port of Los Angeles. We’re enhancing our infrastructure, advancing our sustainability initiatives, and ensuring we keep the port competitive in the global economy,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in a statement. Bass, who has championed environmental investments that help the port meet water and air quality requirements, and advocated for the port’s economic role, thanked Executive Director Gene Seroka and Commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard for their leadership. The budget increase totals $665 million over FY2025-2026, mostly on a 31% expansion for capital improvements. But it also includes higher subsidies for the Port’s Clean Truck Fund Rate and cost-of-living increases for staff salary and benefits as the port accounts for outside inflationary pressures. Projected operating revenues of $826 million represent a 26% increase y/y, with shipping services accounting for 65% of that. Operating expenses are projected to rise by 6% to $452 million. Capital improvement spending will set a 10-year mark, and center on container terminal modernization and transportation improvements in and out of the port. Construction has started on the $74 million rail expansion at Berths 302-305 and $130 million SR 47/Vincent Thomas Bridge interchange reconfiguration. A request for proposals for Pier 500 at Terminal Island, the first new container terminal in decades, was issued in late 2025. The 200-acre terminal will feature two new berths and 3,000 linear feet of new wharf designed for larger next-generation container ships in natural deep water. Expansions are planned at cargo terminals operated by Fenix Marine Services and LATiL, a unit of Mediterranean Shipping Co., and a new cruise facility to replace and expand existing operations was announced earlier this year. Read more articles by Stuart Chirlshere. Related coverage: Long Beach awards $54M in small business contracts Conservative network has law protecting U.S.-flag shipping in its sights For 1st time, U.S. approves controversial LNG production ship Port Houston’s hurricane playbook: Safety first, cargo moving fast Supply Chain AI Symposium Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain. F3: Future of Freight Festival Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals. Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain. Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

Container spot freight rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades rose for the sixth consecutive week, although the sharp increases seen last week have tapered a little. As has become the norm since the Red Sea crisis led to the effective closure of the Suez Canal for most Asia-Europe and several Asia-North America east coast strings, the summer peak season has fully arrived a good month early. “The reality is that we are seeing shippers and importers booking large volumes of containers due to the ‘long way around’ the Cape, adding to transit times versus Suez, still nonexistent in reality. So there is a peak in demand against this global backdrop that has changed shippers’ strategies, with critical paths adjusted to accommodate longer transits,” one large European freight forwarder toldThe Loadstar. “Peak season has shifted and the just-in-case concept is back in favour over just-in-time. Retailers want stock in to flog it while avoiding the air freight mode and its higher costs,” he added. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry Freight saw the rate on its Shanghai-Rotterdam leg rise 5%, to $3,768 per 40ft, while its Shanghai-Genoa route was up just 1%, to $5,139 per 40ft. Source: Drewry World Container Index With Asia-Europe sailings for the remainder of June already heavily booked, carriers are pressing ahead with another spot rate hike next week, with MSC’s new FAK (freight all kinds), for implementation on 15 June, of $6,000 per 40ft to North Europe and $6,500 per 40ft to West Mediterranean ports. These hikes would appear to have a good chance of sticking, as today’s Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) – which records rates quoted for the forthcoming week and, as such, can indicate the direction of the following week’s WCI (as it did last week) – recorded a 15.5% % gain on the Shanghai-North Europe leg and 11.5% on Shanghai-Mediterranean. The spot rate rises are being accompanied by a variety of peak season surcharges (PSSs) on shipments under long-term contracts – CMA CGM and ONE are two carriers that have announced PSSs of $1,000–$1,200 per 40ft – also effective on 15 June. Another European forwarder toldThe Loadstar: “I can’t help thinking that some of the hype around moving into a peak season is a little manufactured by the carriers – I do think we’ve entered a peak season, just not one necessarily as strong as the carriers are making out. “We are seeing a rise in demand, and we are seeing an increase in bookings, which was expected at some point with shippers delaying for a period to see how the Middle East situation would evolve. But whether the demand is enough to justify the introduction of the high PSS levels on contracts, I’m not sure. “Carriers are blanking sailings and omitting ports in Asia, and being more controlling with allocation agreements, with some rollings,” she added. Forwarders also report some carriers reverting to the familiar tactic of “reducing allocations and then advising if overbooked that the FAK or higher tariffs will apply”. With June largely booked, the focus for carriers and customers is turning to July’s demand-supply ratio, with MSC this week unveiling a new FAK rate for 1 July of $7,500 per 40ft to North Europe and the Mediterranean. “Carriers are saying they are full for the whole of June, and some are saying they’re fully committed for July also – but then again, they would do, in the current market, to keep the pressure on rates. “This is on all key routes and lanes: TP, westbound Asia and everything in between,” a forwarder toldThe Loadstar. While pricing on the transpacific trades behaved in a similar fashion to Asia-Europe – the WCI’s Shanghai-New York rate was up 7% week on week, to $5,870 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Los Angeles leg was up 3%, to finish at $4,683 per 40ft – new carrier rate increases announced this week for July look very hefty. The standout was a “shock-and awe” PSS announcement from CMA CGM of a $4,000 per 40ft surcharge on all Asia-US shipments from 10 July, indicating that transpacific freight costs could soar next month. US west coast forwarder Freight Right noted that US shippers were “grappling with immense confusion and marketing anxiety regarding impending July tariff change”, and explained: “The current market strain represents an early, highly compressed peak season, rather than the traditional timeline typically seen later in the year. “This elevated rate environment is expected to persist through the remainder of June and throughout July, as ocean carriers are highly unlikely to voluntarily relinquish their pricing leverage,” it said.

Drewry’s World Container Index jumps 23% in one week driven by Transpacific and Asia – Europe June 5, 2026 Container shipping rates are surging as lines roll out a flurry of peak season surcharges (PSS). TheDrewryWorld Container Index (WCI) was up 23% at $3,433 per feu on 4 June compared to $2,800 per feu a week earlier driven by increases on the Asia – Europe and Transpacific trades. “Drewry has received confirmation from multiple sources that this year's peak season began earlier than usual, which is supporting stronger demand and higher freight prices,” the analyst said in its weekly assessment. On the Transpacific trade the Shanghai – Los Angeles route reported a 31% increase week-on-week to $4,565 per feu. On the Asia – Europe trade Shanghai to Rotterdam saw a 25% jump in freight rates week-on-week to $3,579 per feu. The sharp upturn in freight rates could already be seen happening a week earlier with theShanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI)up 16% at 2571.73 points on 29 May. Fluctuations in rates on the SCFI and WCI often track around a week apart and we will update the SCFI index for 5 June when it is announced later in the day. Related:MSC confirms strike on MSC Sariska V, condemns unprovoked attacks On the Transpacific Drewry commented, “Carriers successfully implemented PSS on Transpacific eastbound trade route starting this month. With peak season now underway and seasonal demand strengthening through June.” On Asia – Europe lines have announced a slew of peak season surcharges (PSS) in recent weeks withCMA CGMrolling a $500 per teu on Asia – North Europe from 1 June, andMSCannounced a new base rate for Asia – North Europe of $3,900 per teu and $6,000 per feu from 15 June until further notice but not beyond 30 June. MeanwhileHapag-LloydandMaerskhave announced further PSS on the Asia–Europe trade route, effective 8 June and 10 June, ranging from $300–$500 per 20ft container and $600–$1,000 per 40ft container. Drewry said it expects further freight rate rises in coming weeks on both Asia – Europe and the Transpacific. In a report on AP Moller – Maersk issued on 4 June HSBC Global Investment Research commented, “Container shipping markets have entered an early peak season with momentum that looks set to persist through the peak season, as front loadings, port congestion, and liners capacity management tighten available capacity. The SCFI has surged for five consecutive weeks to its highest point since Sept 2024, as carriers successfully implemented 1 June GRI/FAK hikes and PSS.” The demand and supply balance is in carriers favour with very limited spare capacity in the market. In its 26 May weekly reportAlphalinersaid the idle fleet had stood at “historically low levels” over the previous two weeks. The idle fleet stood at just 0.6% of global fleet capacity of 31.4 million teu with just 59 ships idle with a combined capacity of 189,285 teu. Over the previous two weeks to the 26 May report lines brought 21 ships back into service with a capacity of 46,542 teu. Related:Inchcape Shipping Services makes US NVOCC leap Looking ahead Drewry said: “East–West container freight markets are strengthening as the peak season arrives earlier than usual this year. Continued Red Sea diversions are extending transit times and encouraging importers to place orders earlier to ensure cargo arrives ahead of the traditional peak season.” The increases in freight rates will be welcome news for lines such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, andZimwhose container shipping businesses slipped into the red in Q1 2026. Read more about: Marcus Hand Editor Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia. Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation. In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology. Marcus is the founder of theSeatrade Maritime Podcastthat delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics. Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Wind-Assisted Propulsion: Are we ready? at Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global 2024 IMPA 2024 SingaporeMaritime Procurement and Sustainability Panel, November 2024 Goodbye Globalization? Red Sea Impacts Reviewed,EGN Singapore (Executives' Global Network)webinar, February 2024 Offshore Marine Breakfast Forum atSea Asia 2023 Sustainable Finance, Shipping & Technology at Hong Kong Maritime Week 2022 Building & Operating Dual-Fuel Vessels, February 2022 Shipping’s Decarbonisation Challenge – The Role of Technology and Digitalisation at Hong Kong Maritime Week 2021 The Challenge Faced by Ship Registries in a Digital and Post-Pandemic Era, October 2020 The Future of Transhipment Hubs Post-Pandemic, November 2020 Offshore Marine Breakfast Forum at Sea Asia 2019 Marcus Hand regularly guests on mainstream media talking about maritime and shipping news stories. Below you'll find a list of selected appearances KBS World Radio -Korea24,May 2026 BBC News -Hindi Service,April 2026 RNZ -First Up, April 2026

Forwarders are warning that the recent recovery in spot rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades could see prices rise even more sharply over the next few weeks. High demand combined with tight capacity is now also allowing carriers to push through peak season surcharges on shipments under long-term contracts, and forwarders said shippers had little option but to pay up if they want freight loaded. “’Pay to play’ is back – the carriers smell blood and are lapping it up like a ravenous Count Dracula at the abattoir on slaughter day,” one forwarder toldThe Loadstar. While this week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry showed relatively modest gains over the previous week, forwarders believe significant further increases are on the way. The WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam route rose 3% week on week, to $2,861 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa increased 4% to $4,253 per 40ft. A key factor behind the recent strong demand is understood to be larger shippers under long-term contracts which saw them protected from the swathe of emergency fuel surcharges introduced after the closure of Hormuz. That protection is set to expire on 1 July, when carriers will set new BAFs for the next quarter – expected to be far higher than current levels. As a result, shippers have tried to pull-forward as many shipments in advance of that as possible, leading to a demand spike in June. “The main reason volumes are increasing massively in June, with a lot of customers trying to pull orders forward, is because the big BCOs, that have long-term deals, won’t have been paying EBS during the last couple of months. But from 1 July, the bunker factor in their contracts is going to go through the roof,” another forwarder said. Today’s Shanghai Containerised Freight Index, which shows rates quoted for the forthcoming week, reflects this, with the Shanghai-North Europe base port leg up 30% over last week, to $2,475 per teu, and up 17% to the Mediterranean. Effectively, forwarders said, the Asia-North Europe market is expected to begin June at around the $4,000 per 40ft (high-cubed) mark, and every indication is that it will continue to rise over the course of the month, given current levels of demand. While several carriers have announced new 1 June FAK rates nearing $5,000 per 40ft on Asia-North Europe, MSC yesterday announced an FAK price of $6,000 per 40ft to North Europe and $6,500 to the West Mediterranean from 15 June. After weeks of questioning whether demand and capacity matched, to support the FAK attempts, forwarders now believe the increases coming down the line could very well stick. “We’re expecting the spot market out of Asia to Europe in the second half of June, even into July, could reach $6,000 or $7,000 [per 40ft]. The signs are that the 15 June FAK will stick – because you cannot get space in the second half of June in the market,” one forwarder toldThe Loadstar. And this will also hit contract shippers that were warned they could face continuing peak season surcharge revisions. On 1 June, CMA CGM will implement a $500 per teu PSS, and on 8 June Hapag-Lloyd will follow suit. “The carriers have also said they will not cap the 1 June PSS, and it will be reviewed every two weeks. I suspect it could go up in mid-June, it could go up again in July… it’s going to go in that direction,” the forwarder added. It is a similar situation on the transpacific, where the recent decision of CMA CGM to pull its Columbus JAX service from South-east Asia to the US east coast means capacity has been cut by over 10,000 teu a week according to Linerlytica, appears to have prompted carriers to take a far more aggressive approach to rate negotiations. Although this week’s WCI saw single-digit gains – its Shanghai-New York leg was up 6%, to $4,597 per 40ft, while Shanghai-Los Angeles increased 3%, to $3,473 per 40ft – US west coast forwarder FreightRight described the last week of May as “as the calm before an impending storm”. “Multiple major carriers have issued aggressive general rate increase (GRI) indications for June – the structural setup for June points toward a brutal, highly compressed freight environment. “Shippers should expect volume numbers to slide as non-essential importers choose to pause and wait out the market spikes until July, or later,” it added. Transpacific trade sources also toldThe Loadstarthat carrier contract offers that had been on the table two weeks ago had largely been withdrawn before forwarders had a chance to file them with the FMC, with new offers tabled that would force them into loss-making territory – although at the moment they see little prospect of rates receding. “Some of the carriers are expecting this issue to continue for the whole of June, the whole of July, and possibly into the end of August,” one said.

Container spot rate pricing momentum was firmly behind Asia-Europe carriers this week, with double-digit increases seen on the routes into North Europe and the Mediterranean. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry showed how the 15 May FAK (freight all kinds) rate levels implemented by carriers continued to stick this week; the WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam leg was up 15% week on week, to end at $2,773 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route increased 10%, to finish at $4,082 per 40ft. The price increases were also supported by strong demand, as the trade appears poised to replicate last year’s early peak season. “According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, only three blanked sailings have been announced on the Asia to Europe trade route for next week, indicating higher capacity deployment to accommodate peak season cargo. “As the early peak season looms, with carriers continuing to raise FAK levels, Drewry expects rates to increase further in the coming weeks,” it said. Source: Drewry This week also saw carriers announce new FAK rates levels for 1 June implementation, with CMA CGM following MSC’s announcement last week of $4,700 per 40ft to North Europe, and Mediterranean shipments in the range of $5,500–$5,700 per 40ft; while Hapag-Lloyd is going for $4,300 to North Europe and $5,500 to the west Mediterranean. On top of that, CMA CGM has also unveiled a $500 per teu peak season surcharge on the Asia-North Europe trade, from 1 June. “Overall shipping demand increased this week – liner companies subsequently announced freight rate hikes for early June, further boosting market shipping sentiment,” a port source in Ningbo toldThe Loadstar. At this week’s TOC Europe event in Hamburg, DHL Global Forwarding’s senior VP of global ocean freight LCL, Markus Panhauser, predicted spot rates would rise further over coming weeks. “The strong demand is driving that,” he said, adding: “Look at the short-term rates, the SCFI last Friday jumped, we jump again next week, and it will jump again the week after, because the Christmas season started to shift. “The transatlantic is strong and the transpacific is also recovering, so if you look at global trade from a carrier’s point of view, the recovery of freight rates is predominantly about demand rather than blank sailings,” he told delegates. The WCI’s transpacific routes saw spot rates grow more moderately than Asia-Europe this week, with the Shanghai-Los Angeles leg up 1% week on week, to $3,385 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York route grew 2%, to $4,317 per 40ft. Drewry added that it expected to see the peak season also arrive early on transpacific trades, citing ONE’s 1 June PSS of $2,000 per 40ft as an example. Analysts at Linerlytica also noted that Amazon rearranging its summer sale to take place a month early was also creating a mini-peak in demand. “Transpacific rate hikes on 15 May are sticking, with space remaining tight on the back of increased e-commerce cargo, driven partly by Amazon’s decision to move its Prime Day sale from July to June, which has created a compressed window for cross-border shipments. “The increased demand has already prompted Maersk to add a seasonal USWC extra loader service, with more expected to follow,” it added. However, at the same time, carriers have continued restrict proforma capacity: according to Drewry, seven blanked sailings are due on the transpacific next week, “indicating tighter capacity and creating scope for carriers to implement higher FAK rates”. MSC today announced two more blanked sailings on its Asia-US east coast network, with the America service due to be skipped in week 23 and the Empire service to be skipped in week 24.

Container spot rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades posted double-digit increases this week on the back of new FAK rate levels, peak season surcharges, and tighter capacity. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry recorded an 11% week-on-week increase on the Shanghai-Rotterdam leg, to end at $2,413 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa route was up 20% on the previous week, to finish $3,701 per 40ft. “The Asia-Europe peak season is expected to start earlier than usual, as higher cargo bookings, tight vessel space, and disruptions linked to the US/Israel-Iran conflict are prompting shippers to move cargo earlier. “As demand is rebounding, Drewry expects rates to increase further in the coming week,” the analyst said. Carriers are certainly preparing to introduce more price rises in a couple of weeks, with MSC notifying customers this week of new FAK (freight all kinds) rates of $4,700 per 40ft to North Europe and $5,500 for both East and West Mediterranean destinations on 1 June. However, market reaction was mixed on how successful further increases will be. One UK forwarder toldThe Loadstarthey “have been hearing the carriers are expecting a peak season – some are talking June, some July”. However, they questioned whether demand could support higher spot rates. “All carriers are looking for GRIs from mid-May. We have noticed an uplift in volumes, however nothing significant for the current levels of GRI to stick at these initial published levels, and I expect reductions,” one said, adding that threats of rollovers at Asian loading ports had yet to materialise. “We have seen rolling lists issued, but only on the smaller Premier Alliance vessels heading into Southampton, and we have not experienced issues with getting the shipments loaded on board.” However, capacity on both trades this week was down 5% on last week, according to data from freight rate benchmarking platform Xeneta. According to Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand, while Asia-Europe spot rates continue to hover at levels similar to the outbreak of the Iran conflict, transpacific spot rates are up 50% on pre-war levels, which he described as a “plateau”, and argued they would decline as the annual contracting season on the trade draws to a close. However, this week’s WCI shows transpacific spot rates also showing strong gains, with its Shanghai-Los Angeles route up 10% week on week, to $3,357 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York leg increased 14%, to $4,252 per 40ft, which Drewry attributed to “the implementation of emergency fuel and peak season surcharges by carriers”, while also keeping capacity in check – seven blanked sailings have been announced on the transpacific next week. Mr Sand said: “One factor behind the short-term market plateau on the transpacific is US shippers delaying signing new long-term contracts, due to the uncertainty caused by the Middle East crisis and the risk of locking-in rates for the next 12 months at a higher level than necessary. “For every delayed contract, more containers must be moved on the spot market, and carriers will charge a premium – but for shippers, the short-term pain is worth it if they ultimately secure lower long-term rates in the coming weeks. “As new long-term contracts are finalised and come into force, volumes will shift back to contracted rates and that should translate into a softening of the short-term market. “This will be gradual softening rather than a dramatic fall off a cliff edge to pre-conflict levels, particularly ahead of the traditional peak season build-up later in the summer,” he added.

Propelled by an 18% jump in box traffic in March, the port of Los Angeles enjoyed a strong April – and part of its gain may be US east coast ports’ loss. “April came in strong, our best month of 2026 and the highest since last August. We handled 891,000 container units. That is up more than 5.5% from a year ago and 18% over the previous month,” reported CEO Gene Seroka. The growth was driven by loaded imports, which soared 21% over the March tally, to 459,825 teu, up 1.5% year on year. Empty boxes increased 10%, to 303,310 teu, while loaded exports dipped 0.5%, to 127,726 teu. Mr Seroka noted that year-on-year growth was from an elevated base, as the port’s imports in April 2025 had been boosted by front-loading. He pointed to the retail sector as the primary engine of growth this year. “What’s driving this? Generally speaking, the American consumer, still resilient, still spending,” he said. “With US manufacturing holding steady, we’re also seeing a consistent flow of parts and components.” The port’s tally for the first four months of the year added up to 3,279,704 teu, 2% ahead of its five-year average for that period. The picture is markedly darker on the US east coast. According to Descartes, the port of New York & New Jersey suffered an 18.4% slump in box traffic from March to April, while Norfolk (down 18.2%), Charleston (-16%) and Savannah (-11.9%) also recorded double-digit drops. Container volumes at the top ten US ports were down 1.4% from March, Descartes noted in its latest Global Shipping Report. It pointed out that west coast ports’ market share accounted for 44.6% of total imports, up from 38.3% in March, whereas east and Gulf coast ports’ share sank to 39.2%, from 44.3% in March. “These significant swings likely reflect rebalancing of import routing rather than a sudden change of underlying demand,” Descartes commented. It noted that China traffic to US east coast ports had surged in March, while west coast ports had registered decline in that tradelane. Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, reckons the shift was produced by a combination of factors. The conflict in the Middle East could have prompted shippers to opt for the faster Asia-US route, in anticipation that oil/bunker prices were going to go higher or become disruptive via fuel shortages as the war stretched on, or because of higher fuel surcharges on routes to US east coast than west coast routes, he suggested. “Also, Chinese New Year was later than usual this year, so it could be that April was boosted by post-holiday backlog goods, some of which also went by the quicker route and arrived in April instead of March, because of the later holiday start,” he noted. Moreover, some cargo owners have shifted from direct airfreight, Asia-Europe, to a sea-air routing via the US west coast. Comparisons may be skewed by the fact that this year volumes reaching US east coast gateways in March were unusually elevated because bad weather in February pushed some of that month’s volume into March, Mr Levine pointed out. Looking ahead, the latest Global Port Tracker report from the US National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates predicts year-on-year increases for May and June – but “only because of the sharp fall-off in imports after ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were announced in April 2025”. “With inflation rising and consumer confidence falling amid global economic uncertainty driven by the conflict in Iran, an overall trend of lower imports is expected to continue after that,” commented NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold. “Containerised imports in the first quarter were down year on year, and forward demand is weakening,” added Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett. “Stalling re-stocking efforts and rising geopolitical tensions are increasingly clouding the outlook.” Mr Seroka noted the impact of fuel prices as a question mark looming over the coming months. Overall, he expressed cautious optimism. “I have not got any data suggesting we’re going to hit a rough spot,” he said. Despite headwinds, US GDP expanded 2% in the first quarter, he said. “Inflation, although high, is still not runaway. Consumers are still spending at near-record pace, and importers keep active,” he said. “The next import wave will be back-to-school products, followed by early holiday inventory.”

Container spot freight rates across the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades saw marginal gains this week, as carriers managed to halt three consecutive weeks of price declines into Europe. According to this week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry, spot rates on the Shanghai-Rotterdam route increased 2%, to $2,170 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-Genoa leg edged up 1%, to $3,075 per 40ft; carriers gaining some momentum before attempting to implement new FAK rate levels next week (15 May), ranging from $3,500-$4,500 per 40ft to North Europe, and $4,500-$4,600 to the Mediterranean. However, both customers and analysts remain sceptical that these will fully stick, despite recent capacity cuts by carriers. “Asia-Europe rates from April to the first half of May have been flat,” one Asia-Europe forwarder toldThe Loadstar. “We’re seeing early indications of an increase for the second half of May of around $200 per teu, which I think has come from the heavy blanking, and it has impacted our allocations and even seen some rollovers,” he added. According to Drewry’s analysis of blanked sailings and capacity reductions, “effective capacity is expected to decline 3% month on month on Asia-North Europe, and 10% month on month on Asia-Mediterranean in May”, it said. However, analysts at Linerlytica predicted the carriers’ capacity plans would not be enough to support the new FAK levels. One noted: “Carriers will face an uphill task in securing the next three rounds of rate hikes to North Europe, with limited capacity cuts in May and higher capacity expected in June.” There were stronger pricing gains on the transpacific trades, after the implementation of emergency fuel and peak season surcharges by carriers at the beginning of the month. The WCI’s Shanghai-Los Angeles route increased 5% week on week, to end at $3,062 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York leg was up 7%, to finish at $3,721 per 40ft. And forwarders on the trade said spot rates were relatively stable, with some discounts of $2,500 per 40ft to the west coast and $3,550 to the east coast available. However, west coast forwarder Freight Right warned that space was becoming increasingly tight, as carriers cut capacity to force prices up, leading to increasing supply chain disruption. “While [transpacific] space is technically available to book, the reduction in vessel capacity means a high percentage of shipments are being rolled to subsequent weeks,” the firm said. This has also recently led to carriers departing China with overloaded vessels, it added, with excess volumes unloaded in the South Korean transhipment hub of Busan. “To compensate for fewer ships, carriers are overloading active vessels, sometimes forcing unplanned discharges at intermediate ports like Busan to lighten the load for the transpacific crossing,” it added, and warned that blanked sailings for the remainder of this month were likely to “occur at a higher rate than in April”. This was confirmed by Linerlytica, which reported: “Multiple blank sailings are planned in early May, with the biggest changes involving the Premier Alliance’s reconfiguration of its transpacific services.”

Container spot freight rates on the transpacific trade into the North America west coast managed to defy gravity and edge up this week, while most other east-west trades witnessed a third consecutive week of declines. This week’s World Container Index (WCI) from Drewry showed its Shanghai-Los Angeles leg increasing 2% on the previous week, to end at $2,930 per 40ft, and meant it was now up 34% on the spot rate immediately prior to the outbreak of the Iran conflict. Other indices show similar movements – The Freightos Terminal showed a Far East-US west coast rate reading of $2,675 per 40ft, with head analyst Judah Levine noting it was 45% up on the pre-war rate. One forwarder, at the end of the TPM event in Long Beach at the end of March, which took place as the US and Israel launched their bombing campaign on Iran, toldThe Loadstarthe quoted rate per 40ft for his 2026 annual contracts leaped by $1,000 overnight as a result of the conflict. While he was derisive of that offer, it now appears carriers have largely managed to achieve that goal through a mixture of pricing discipline and capacity management, Xeneta head analysts Peter Sand tellsThe Loadstarin next Monday’s podcast. Xeneta data shows Far East-US west coast and east coast rates up by an average 50% since the war started. “Part of it is arguably due to the smart capacity management post-Chinese New Year, explained Mr Sand. “But 50% up is also testament to the fact that carriers have successfully been pushing up rates amid all the uncertainty that shippers also had to handle,” he said, but added that there were some early signs of shippers replenishing inventory. “It’s also shippers perhaps fearing that as we face the traditional peak season in the third quarter, there could massive congestion in the main hubs in South-east Asia. “So a lot of shippers have decided ‘let’s move my goods forward’ – Adidas, for instance, is front-loading its cargo ahead of the World Cup [in the Americas],” he said, adding that this was a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach – ‘bring my goods in so I won’t run short at a later stage with some unforeseen headwind’. However, the WCI’s Shanghai-New York leg lost 2% week on week, to end this week at $3,483 per 40ft, indicating that transpacific pricing trends are by no means uniform. However, with CMA CGM implementing a $2,000 per 40ft peak season surcharge on all shipments from Asia to the US, there is the prospect of further increases next week. On the Asia-Europe trades, the WCI’s Shanghai-Rotterdam and Shanghai-Genoa legs both declined 1% from the previous week, to end at $2,127 and $3,039 per 40ft, respectively. Drewry said carriers had finally begun to address the overcapacity on the trades, with “seven blank sailings announced for the coming week”, with effective capacity expected to decline 3% month on month on Asia-North Europe, and 10% month on month on Asia-Mediterranean this month. “Rates into North Europe and the Mediterranean peaked three weeks ago, and capacity is also up by 6%-9%, so it’s a mixed picture right now,” Mr Sand said. While Drewry expects Asia-Europe spot rates to remain stable next week, a key date for freight buyers on the trade will be 15 May, when carriers will attempt a series of new FAK (freight all kinds) rates. However, there is quite a spread between carrier ambitions: both Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM are aiming for $3,500 per 40ft to North Europe and around $4,500 per 40ft to the Mediterranean; and MSC has announced $4,400 per 40ft for both North Europe and the west Mediterranean.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) are pushing ahead with their integration. In North America, the pair have aligned sales and pricing to sell one network, while systems integration, the final piece of the puzzle, is expected to be completed halfway through 2027. ANA, Japan’s largest passenger airline, officially acquired 100% of the all-cargo carrier on 1 August of last year. To cargo customers in the US, the pair are now essentially one company. Pricing has been aligned and covers all destinations across their combined network, said Shawn McWhorter, president of NCA Americas. “We’ve aligned all sales activities in the US,” he said. “We’re operating virtually as one company.” NCA operates a fleet of B747 freighters, predominantly deployed on transpacific routes, and ANA runs a B777 freighter to Los Angeles and Chicago, and uses supplemental lift by US freighter operator Kalitta Air to Chicago. Its passenger flights to the US cover New York, Washington, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. ANA cargo sales personnel as well as the passenger airline’s external freight sales agents have moved under the NCA sales umbrella. Customers can use air waybills of either airline, Mr McWhorter said. To them, it is one carrier made up of several operators – the proprietary flights of ANA and NCA and contracted freighters flown by Kalitta and Atlas Air. Historically, NCA’s sales in the US have concentrated largely on traffic to Japan, but the integration with ANA’s network offers more possibilities to serve customers looking to move freight to other Asian destinations. Sales have also been aligned in Mexico, which both carriers have covered through local GSA contracts. ANA runs a passenger flight between Tokyo and Mexico City, while NCA has been working with Mexican all-cargo airline Mas de Cargo. In December, the pair announced a block space deal to give the Asian carrier space on Mas from Los Angeles to the Mexican capital and to Guadalajara. In return, Mas has space allocations on NCA flights between LA and Tokyo. Connection and capacity arrangements between the two carriers remain unchanged, according to Mr McWhorter. Down the road, he has his eyes on the market between Latin America and Asia, where he sees promising demand, but for now the integration with ANA is taking priority. With the sales integration in North America in the bag, the focus in now on ground handling, the objective to bring the two partners under one roof in locations they both serve, such as Los Angeles and New York JFK. The final step in the fusion of the two Japanese carriers will be on the systems side, where the pair are using different versions. For the time being, they pick which system to use, based on the air waybill in play. “By the middle of 2027, it will be all integrated,” Mr McWhorter said. Inside the industry’s AI shift Complete The Loadstar’s ‘State of AI in the Supply Chain’ survey — and receive the full report and data before release. Take the 2-min survey

L’indice mondiale dei container sale dell’1% a 4.500 dollari per feu. Per la settima settimana consecutiva le principali direttrici si muovono però in direzioni opposte: Shanghai-New York balza del 7% e Los Angeles del 5%, mentre Rotterdam perde il 9% e Genova il 5% Shanghai – Il World Container Index (Wci) di Drewry torna a crescere leggermente nella settimana del 17 settembre, con un aumento dell’1% a 4.500 dollari per container da 40 piedi. Il movimento contenuto dell’indice complessivo nasconde tuttavia una divergenza sempre più evidente tra le principali rotte East-West: per la settima settimana consecutiva Transpacifico e Asia-Europa mostrano infatti andamenti opposti, con i collegamenti verso gli Stati Uniti in aumento e quelli verso il Nord Europa e il Mediterraneo in deciso arretramento. Sul Transpacifico, i noli spot da Shanghai a Los Angeles sono aumentati del 5% a 7.712 dollari per feu, mentre quelli verso New York hanno guadagnato il 7% raggiungendo 10.394 dollari. A sostenere il mercato contribuiscono la domanda precedente alla Golden Week cinese e la gestione della capacità da parte dei vettori: per la prossima settimana sono previste nove blank sailing, contro le otto di quella corrente. Drewry si attende quindi un ulteriore lieve aumento delle tariffe, sostenuto dalla domanda pre-festiva e dalla riduzione dell’offerta operata dalle compagnie. La situazione è opposta sull’Asia-Europa. Shanghai-Rotterdam ha registrato una flessione del 9% a 3.626 dollari per feu, mentre Shanghai-Genova è scesa del 5% a 4.016 dollari. Il calo si verifica nonostante una capacità relativamente stretta e una nuova crescita della congestione in Asia: a Shanghai il tempo di attesa è passato dalle 65 ore della settimana 36 alle 78 ore della settimana 37, mentre per la prossima settimana sono previste quattro blank sailing. Drewry attribuisce la pressione ribassista soprattutto alla debolezza della domanda e prevede un ulteriore lieve arretramento dei noli sulla direttrice nelle prossime settimane. A pesare sull’Asia-Europa è inoltre il graduale ritorno dei servizi attraverso il Canale di Suez, che sta ripristinando parte della capacità effettiva precedentemente assorbita dalle deviazioni intorno al Capo di Buona Speranza. Il processo resta comunque incerto: i nuovi rischi per la sicurezza nel Mar Rosso e nell’area di Bab el-Mandeb potrebbero rallentare la normalizzazione, mentre in Nord Europa la possibile escalation degli scioperi nei porti tedeschi rischia di aggiungere nuove perturbazioni alle schedule. Il quadro del 17 settembre restituisce quindi un mercato container sempre meno uniforme. Sul Transpacifico la combinazione tra domanda pre-Golden Week e controllo della capacità consente ai vettori di sostenere i prezzi, mentre sull’Asia-Europa l’aumento dell’offerta effettiva legato al progressivo ritorno a Suez e una domanda più debole stanno spingendo i noli verso il basso. Il modesto +1% del Wci nasconde così movimenti molto più marcati sulle singole rotte e conferma come, in questa fase, la geografia dei traffici conti più dell’andamento dell’indice globale.

Search across reports, market insights, and blog stories. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have put forward a plan to lower the cost of zero-emissions trucks operating at their facilities, according to aport authority press releasedated Sept. 15. The proposal, reported bySupply Chain Dive, outlines a three-year Zero-Emission Truck Rewards Incentive Program, known as ZE-TRIP, that would pay qualifying trucks $60 for each terminal visit and as much as $36,000 per vehicle over a year. The two ports are accepting public comments on the draft through Nov. 2. A virtual public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon, with participation available by phone or online. The incentive plan sits within the ports' joint Clean Air Action Plan, which seeks to cut port-related air pollution. One objective of that plan, first introduced in 2006 and revised twice since, is to reach zero emissions for on-road drayage trucks serving the ports by 2035. The proposal follows earlier financial relief efforts aimed at speeding the shift to zero-emission trucks. In 2023, the two ports said they would provide $60 million in vouchers to help companies buy zero-emission Class 8 drayage trucks for operation at the San Pedro Bay complex. Port of Long BeachCEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba described the program as an additional tool in the ports' decarbonization efforts, saying it is intended to offset the higher costs of owning and operating zero-emission trucks and reflects direct feedback from truckers about their needs. Separately, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced last month that they would invest $40 million in regional electric-truck charging infrastructure. That project forms part of an updated clean air agreement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District. On the East Coast, the Port of New York and New Jersey launched a voucher program in September aimed at reducing costs for zero-emission drayage and yard trucks. That program offers $230,000 for Class 8 drayage trucks and $150,000 for off-road terminal trucks. Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business A Quick Overview of Market Performance Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry The Largest Import Supplying Countries The Largest Destinations for Exports The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles The Largest Markets And Their Profiles Instant access. No credit card needed. Online access to 2M+ reports, dashboards, and tables. Trusted by Fortune 500 teams.

The proposed program would pay up to $36,000 per year for qualifying trucks that operate at the port complex. The latest proposal from the San Pedro Bay Ports is part of their shared Clean Air Action Plan, or CAAP, under which they aim to reduce port-related air pollution,per the plan’s website. One of the goalsoutlined in the plan, first introduced in 2006 and updated twice since then, is to achieve zero emissions for on-road drayage trucks serving the ports by 2035. The latest proposal builds on previous financial relief programs the port has offered to encourage the transition to zero-emission trucks. In 2023, the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach said they would offer$60 million in vouchersto help companies acquire zero-emission Class 8 drayage trucks to be operated at the San Pedro Bay complex. “This incentive program is another tool in our decarbonization playbook, helping offset the higher costs of owning and operating zero-emission trucks based on direct feedback from truckers about what they need,” Port of Long Beach CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba said in the release. Separately, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach announced they would invest $40 million for regional electric-truck charging infrastructure, last month. The project is part ofan updated clean air agreementwith the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Similarly, the Port of New York and New Jerseylaunched a voucher programthat aims to reduce costs for zero-emission drayage and yard trucks, according to a September press release. The voucher is for $230,000 for Class 8 drayage trucks and $150,000 for off-road terminal trucks.

AJOT Newsroom | Sep 16 2026 at 10:52 AM |Ports & Terminals Draft guidelines have been released for a newly proposed, three-year program to accelerate the transition to zero-emission trucking at the nation’s largest port complex, offering qualifying trucks incentives of $60 per terminal visit and up to $36,000 per vehicle annually. The proposed Zero-Emission Truck Rewards Incentive Program, or ZE-TRIP, is part of rapid action by the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to execute measures promised through an agreement last month with the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The program is designed to make zero-emission trucks more cost-competitive, encourage greater utilization of the zero-emission trucks that exist today and help attract more zero-emission trucks to the market to serve the ports. View the draft ZE-TRIP guidelines at cleanairactionplan.org/strategies/ze-trip. “We know cost is one of the biggest barriers for our trucking partners to transition to zero emissions,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba. “This incentive program is another tool in our decarbonization playbook, helping offset the higher costs of owning and operating zero-emission trucks based on direct feedback from truckers about what they need. Closely collaborating with our supply chain partners has been critical to the environmental progress we have made already and it’s going to be even more important as we chase our zero-carbon goal.” “Accelerating the transition to zero-emission trucking requires both ambition and practical solutions,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “ZE-TRIP puts real resources behind that effort by rewarding the use of zero-emission trucks today while helping build the market for more of them in the future. Working together with our trucking community and supply chain partners, we can continue driving toward a cleaner, more sustainable port complex while keeping cargo moving efficiently and competitively.”