Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

Hobbled by an influx of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) arriving at ports, Europe’s inland waterways are now contending with increasing temperatures provoking decreasing water levels, extending delays for those wishing to use barges. The current level on the Rhine’s Kaub gauge is 110cm, with forecasts for water levels to fall to 100cm this week – in 2023, the level falling below 150cm prompted operators to implement low-water surcharges. Barge operator Contargo last year levied a €75 per teu/€90 per feu surcharge with water at 101cm, but has yet to announce anything this year. Split into four gauges, Duisburg, Emmerich, Kaub, and Koln, the capacity of each section of the Rhine to handle traffic can differ, with Kaub capable of operating at below 81cm, while the obligation of carriers to transport along the Duisburg stretch ceases at 181cm. Inland sources toldThe Loadstarthe image of Europe’s inland waterways as an alternative to rail and road has taken a battering in recent years, with poor service, embedded congestion, and more surcharges forcing shippers to question its worth. While part of the problem is the emergence of larger containerships, one source toldThe Loadstarthis was being used to disguise the fact that barge operators were providing “a far from efficient option”, with multiple barges moving underutilised. The source said every stakeholder recognised that congestion at inland terminals attached to deepwater ports was endemic, but they were not willing to work together to address the issue – one suggestion would be to share space and reduce the number of vessels on the water. After spiking beyond the four-day mark in March, congestion at Antwerp and Rotterdam appears to be declining again, but Contargo’s latest congestion numbers show handling-wait times of 51 hours at Antwerp and 86 hours for Rotterdam. In an update, the barge operator noted: “There is a significant shortage of berthing space due to the handling of several deepsea vessels. In individual cases, diversion to alternative berths may be possible. “However, significant delays are also to be expected there due to staff shortages. Overall, this situation is leading to extended turnaround times for inland vessel handling, which is affecting our operations.”

We just got another reminder of how political shipping and logistics have become. As also confirmed now in our circles after talks that started earlier this year – Saudi Arabia’s top sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund) is considering pooling its logistics investments and building one global player, essentially following what Dubai (with DP World) and Abu Dhabi (with AD Ports via Noatum Logistics) started well before them. The US-Iran war could be the accelerant. After all In shipping, geopolitics have returned ...

European shippers and forwarders have welcomed the new free-trade agreement between the EU and Mexico, which was inked at a summit in Mexico City at the end of last week. It builds on the trade accord signed in 2000 and provides duty-free access for almost all goods. Closer economic economic ties between the bloc of 27 European member states and Mexico reflect efforts on both sides to reduce dependence on the US and President Trump’s volatile tariff offensive, as well asChina. “Trade agreements are always very important for the EU as they reduce customs duties and also decrease the often-underestimated administrative burdens. These can be costly, as well as adding complexity and unreliability to procedures which translate into significant delays at the borders,” commented the European Shippers’ Council’s secretary general Godfried Smit. “From a business perspective, these agreements open up markets. For EU companies it is also very important that they diversify their sourcing as geopolitical tensions are very high at present and there is the risk of disruption to logistics.” In 2025, trade between the two was valued at more than€86bn ($79bn): roughly€53bn in exports and almost€34bn in imports. The EU stands as Mexico’s third-largest trading partner after the US and China, and its second-largest export market. Mexico exports machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, mineral products, and metals and imports machinery, automotive products, chemicals, and industrial equipment from the EU. Moreover, EU-Mexico trade has grown more than 75% in the past decade, with exports growing slightly more rapidly, at 92% versus 66% for imports. More than 45,000 EU companies are expected to benefit from the new trade agreement. Nicolette van der Jagt, director general of the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services (CLECAT), which represents the interests of more than 19,000 companies employing in excess of a million staff, said that the trade body, in general, supported trade agreements that facilitate international trade. “For freight forwarders and logistics service providers, such agreements can contribute to smoother customs procedures, greater regulatory cooperation and more predictable trading conditions, which are particularly important for SMEs involved in international supply chains. In that respect, the EU-Mexico modernised trade agreement is a positive development.” However, given that CLECAT had, to date, not conducted detailed sector-specific assessment of the EU-Mexico agreement, she was unable to provide precise analysis regarding which business verticals may benefit most. In a paper published this month –EU-Mexico trade pact amid rising protectionism?–Shruti Sasidharan, an analyst at Transport Intelligence (Ti), emphasised that the new EU-Mexico trade frameworks came at a time when companies were increasingly diversifying supply chains amid geopolitical uncertainty, rising protectionism, and disruptions to global trade routes. “Mexico is becoming more important as a manufacturing and export hub because of its strong industrial base and close proximity to the US market. As a result, sectors such as automotive, electronics, machinery, and industrial manufacturing are expected to benefit the most.” The reduction or removal of tariffs on industrial products, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, and agricultural goods is expected to support higher trade flows. “This could increase demand for ocean freight services between major European ports, such as Rotterdam, Antwerp-Bruges, Hamburg, and Valencia, and Mexican ports, including Veracruz and Manzanillo.” Ms Sasidharan also pointed to the provision in the new EU-Mexico trade agreement which simplified customs procedures and improved market access. “This could encourage greater use of express delivery and faster transport services, benefiting air freight operators and airport logistics hubs on both sides of the Atlantic,” she added.

DHL, Expeditors, and Matson are all pointing to the same thing: AI infrastructure rapidly becoming one of the logistics industry’s most important new cargo verticals, reshaping freight flows across multiple regions – and modes. What began as a surge in semiconductor and GPU shipments is now reshaping freight networks more broadly, driving demand for specialised handling, premium air freight capacity, and new routings stretching from South-east Asia to the Middle East. DHL this year expanded its dedicated data-centre logistics operations in North America, targeting hyperscaler demand for servers, racks, cooling systems, and AI infrastructure equipment. The logistics giant said the rapid expansion of AI data centres was creating growing demand for specialised freight handling and project logistics services, as hyperscalers raced to build computing capacity. Expeditors said the trend was now becoming global. “Data farms are popping up all over the globe,” the forwarder said in a recent earnings Q&A, adding that it was now shipping AI-related products “across the US, to India, South-east Asia, Europe, and the Middle East”. DHL agreed, saying demand was strongest in the US, but infrastructure expansion was accelerating across Europe, India, Australia, Indonesia, and the Middle East. The German behemoth said AI infrastructure projects increasingly required highly specialised “white-glove” logistics services, including secure handling, rack positioning, grounding, and installation support inside data centres. Many deployments, it said, relied on charter aircraft for “time-critical shipments”, while operators increasingly faced demands for pricing responses within “two-to-four hours” for urgent air freight moves. DHL explained that AI servers had become dramatically more valuable, some units now worth between $1m and $3m, increasing requirements for security, chain-of-custody protection, and specialist handling. Expeditors added that demand from hyperscaler customers remained robust, despite growing geopolitical disruption. “Volumes for this industry are holding strong and we currently are seeing continued increases in volume,” it said. Freight dynamics But the AI boom is also beginning to reshape broader freight dynamics, including the balance between air and ocean cargo. Ocean carrier Matson, in its Q1 earnings call, said rising fuel prices, Middle East disruption, and tighter air cargo capacity were increasingly pushing freight away from air services and into expedited ocean products. “We think we’re entering a period where we’re going to see more airfreight conversions,” said chief executive Matt Cox. “The air freight markets have been significantly dislocated,” he added. Matson said it had benefited from “elevated freight costs and reduced air cargo capacity in select markets”, particularly as passenger airlines cut marginal routes and fuel prices climbed. The company also pointed to strong demand for “data centre servers and racks” moving from Asia into the US market. The comments suggest the AI infrastructure boom is now influencing not just semiconductor markets, but also aircraft capacity, fuel-sensitive routing decisions, and modal shift between air and ocean freight. That shift is being amplified by wider geopolitical uncertainty. Expeditors said the Middle East conflict had tightened air cargo capacity and increased jet fuel costs, forcing logistics providers to implement alternative routings and contingency plans. “The industry is adapting just as it did during the pandemic,” the company said. At the same time, manufacturers continue diversifying production, away from China into South-east Asia, creating new tradelanes and freight flows. Matson said it was seeing strong growth from feeder services in Vietnam and Thailand, and expected customers to continue shifting some manufacturing capacity out of China. The result is that AI infrastructure is no longer simply another technology segment for logistics providers. Instead, it is becoming a structural driver of freight demand, increasingly capable of reshaping global transport networks, capacity planning, and supply chain strategy across both the air and ocean markets.

French container shipping line CMA CGM was the latest carrier to report reduced first-quarter profits today, on the back of weak freight rates and a loss of market share. Defining its results as “resilient”, CMA CGM reported first-quarter volumes of 5.93m teu, a 1.5% year-on-year increase on the 5.85m teu it handled in the first three months of 2025. This implied the carrier lost market share in the period, with Container Trades Statistics data for the first three months of the year showing a global growth rate of 4.4% in terms of volumes. Meanwhile, the weak freight rates that characterised the period weighed on CMA GCM’s earnings, with revenues down 8.5% year on year, to $8.02bn, and EBITDA down 41.3%, to $1.39bn – all of which was driven by a 9.8% decline in the average freight rate, to $1,351 per teu. However, with the group‘s expansion into logistics and another sectors in recent years, the weak liner results were partially offset by a growth in revenues at its logistics subsidiary, Ceva. “In an uncertain geopolitical context, the group delivered resilient performance in the first quarter of 2026, supported by the strength of our shipping activities and the diversification of our business model,” reported chief executive Rodolphe Saade. As a result, Q1 group revenue of $13.2bn was down just 0.2%, compared with the first quarter of 2025. However, group EBITDA was down 31.6% year on year, to $2.1bn, representing an EBITDA margin of 16%, “mainly attributable to the maritime activity, due to a high comparison base in the first quarter of 2025 and a less favourable market environment in the first quarter of 2026”. Ceva posted revenue of $4.6bn in the first quarter, up 6.6% year on year, which the group attributed to “perimeter effects and foreign exchange impacts”, while EBITDA of $330m was down 17.2% on Q1 25, “reflecting pressure on freight management activities in a deteriorated market environment, as well as ongoing challenges affecting the automotive sector”. And, as with other carriers that also have port operating arms, CMA CGM’s terminal businesses – CMA Terminals and Terminal Link – pushed its ‘other activities’ segment to record a 59.1% growth in revenue, to $1.3bn, while EBITDA was up 90%, to $294m, “mainly reflecting improved profitability in the terminal business, air cargo activities, and the contribution of recently consolidated operations”. Mr Saade added: “While tensions in the Middle East and disruptions across global supply chains continued to weigh on the industry, we adjusted our network, implemented alternative logistics corridors and maintained reliable service for our customers. “Looking ahead, our priority remains clear: protecting our people, managing risks with discipline and preserving the group’s agility as we continue to grow and develop,” he said.

The first-quarter (Q1 26) results of France’s CMA CGM Group, released on Friday 22 May ahead of our bank holiday, were particularly uninspiring with regard to the Ebitda margin tied to its 3PL arm, Ceva Logistics. And, unsurprisingly, that disclosure comes just as Ceva-related M&A rumours in logistics are building again in our circles. Now The 210 basis points drop in Ebitda margin from logistics operations (read: Ceva), the carrier said, reflected: “Pressure on freight management activities in a deteriorated market environment, as ...

A bit of straightforward reporting is mandatory today as the depressing ’stock story’ of WiseTech (WTC) is overshadowed by other events in recent days and weeks. Rewind: it was earlier this month when management attended a Macquarie event in Sydney. With hindsight, adding fuel to the fire after months of pain and uncertainty for WTC employees. On that occasion WiseTech boss Richard White – as reported yesterday by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) – wasn’t shy telling investors that: “It doesn’t take much effort to convince ...