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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.

Deal or no deal, logistics operators are expanding their Gulf land bridge offerings with DHL, GWC, and Oman Air Cargo all pumping further capacity into the region as shocks from the US/Israeli war against Iran continue to be felt across global supply chains. Oman Air Cargo this week launched a new daily Road Feeder Service (RFS) between Muscat and Dubai, with Qatar-based Gulf Warehousing Company (GWC) introducing a TIR-powered air-to-land logistics corridor for the Gulf. Speaking toThe Loadstaron Wednesday, DHL Express’ chief executive officer for Europe, Mike Parra, said that he too has noted a marked uptick in demand for the company’s regional road freight connectivity in the Gulf. “With what has happened in the Middle East, with all the uncertainty, and with the Strait of Hormuz closure, we have seen a real necessity to leverage not only our heavyweight express product, but to leverage our network,” said Mr Parra. “When you have the network we have in the Middle East, on the ground and in the air, and have our capability to pivot – for instance from Bahrain to Muscat and Riyadh, which we did – and our road network in Europe, you become the logistics supplier of choice.” DHL may have been one of the early leaders on this pivot to the new Gulf overland trade corridor, but its rapid maturation into an established corridor in just four short months was made possible by determined and speedy work from regional governments. Saudi-based Flow Progressive Logistics’ chief executive Achraf Ellili noted that every authority contributed to have the entire ecosystem working together, “meaning things that we thought would take ages to happen have happened in 47 days”. Praising the rapid collaboration between GCC countries to improve the customs and border crossing processes for trucks, Saudi Automobile & Touring Association executive manager Hasan Almanasif called for operators to “take advantage” of the opportunity. Oman Air Cargo’s launch of its new RFS heeds that call, with the service set to support growing trade flows between the UAE and Oman by trucking goods each way, while also providing customers caught in the chaos options for alternative routings. Head of cargo for the carrier, Michael Duggan, said: “This new service creates greater flexibility for cargo movement between Dubai and Muscat by complementing traditional air freight operations and enabling the transport of a wider range of cargo types. “As regional supply chains continue to evolve, Oman Air Cargo remains focused on delivering reliable, customer-centric transport solutions that support trade across the Middle East.” Nor is the carrier alone in tapping up the opportunity – and it is a massive one with demand for RFSs surging 30% in the first three weeks of the war – with GWS’ new service, in which it uses its network to coordinate services from regional providers. Of course, the route’s long-term prospects continue to be challenged, with expectations that when the war definitively ends, carriers and shippers will revert to their traditional approaches, but hopes of a speedy resolution to the conflict continue to be dashed. Earlier today, news broke that just before boarding a plane to fly to negotiations US vice president JD Vance would no longer be attending the summit in Switzerland as talks had been abandoned. The reason for this cancellation has not yet been made public, but despite the ceasefire MoU signed on Wednesday stressing that attacks on Lebanon by the US and Israel were to halt immediately, Israeli forces have persisted. Indeed, those strikes began almost simultaneously with the news that President Trump had signed the MoU, prompting one forwarder to tellThe Loadstar, “How fucking long [was that]?” in reference to the length of time in which hostilities were paused. Such chaos offers the landbridge long-term prospects. Mr Ellili noted that with shippers having now experienced the route’s reliability, he expected them to “keep a percentage of their volumes moving this way now that it has been stress tested at scale”. “It is optionally now viable. Shippers require a dual corridor strategy and the GCC is now able to offer this. Jebel Ali will remain world class, but it’ll no longer be the only gateway. This new one has been stress-tested it is there, and it is complementary,” he said.

As global freight markets begin to show signs of stabilisation after months of disruption, the industry’s largest forwarders have shown that recovering markets are not automatically translating into easier profits. The warning, highlighted this week by profitability software provider OntegosCloud, comes as freight rates remain elevated, capacity remains constrained and geopolitical risks continue to distort supply chains. Yet first-quarter results from the world’s largest freight forwarders suggest profitability is increasingly being driven by pricing discipline, productivity gains and cost control rather than favourable market conditions. DSV’s first-quarter results offered perhaps the clearest evidence. While the group reported strong revenue growth following its acquisition of Schenker, its Air & Sea division saw EBIT decline 4.9% year on year. The company attributed the performance to lower average gross profit yields in both air and ocean freight, citing market dynamics and integration effects. Air freight gross profit rose 44%, but average yields fell 7%, while sea freight yields declined 18%. Conversion ratios and operating margins both weakened compared with the previous year. At CH Robinson, management highlighted extensive repricing activity and disciplined revenue management as the company sought to offset rising transportation costs. The company maintained margins despite higher truckload costs, with executives stressing targeted pricing actions and operational discipline rather than favourable market conditions as drivers of performance. Kuehne+Nagel struck a similar tone. The Swiss forwarder exceeded first-quarter expectations and raised the lower end of its full-year earnings guidance, but management repeatedly pointed to cost reductions rather than market strength as the primary reason. The company’s cost-saving programme delivered faster-than-expected benefits, reducing unit costs and helping offset a 17% decline in recurring EBIT from the previous year. CEO Stefan Paul said “disciplined cost management” had driven the company’s strong start to 2026. The pattern is consistent across the sector. Expeditors also exceeded expectations in the quarter despite relatively modest revenue growth, reflecting the importance of operational execution rather than simply benefiting from elevated freight rates. Oliver Gritz, founder and chief executive of OntegosCloud, explained that this reflects a broader challenge facing the industry. “There’s a common assumption that when disruption declines, profitability improves,” he said. “In reality, some of the greatest pressure on margins can emerge during the transition from volatility to stability.” The risk, he argues, is that customer expectations begin normalising faster than forwarders’ underlying cost structures. Procurement teams often move quickly to seek lower transport costs once disruption eases, while insurance costs, network inefficiencies, contractual commitments and working-capital pressures can remain embedded for months. There are already signs that large shippers remain intensely focused on cost control. US grocery giant Kroger warned yesterday that operating costs were rising faster than sales growth, while citing higher freight expenses linked to fuel costs. The retailer’s comments underline the continuing pressure on supply-chain budgets and suggest procurement teams may remain aggressive in seeking logistics savings. That dynamic could become increasingly important in the second half. Xeneta data shows that air freight contracts are already becoming shorter as uncertainty persists. It said more than half of air freight agreements between forwarders and airlines are now valid for less than 30 days, levels not seen since the pandemic. At the same time, air cargo load factors on key Asia-Europe and Asia-North America corridors remain close to maximum utilisation. The result is a market where operational complexity remains high, but where profitability is becoming harder won. The first-quarter earnings season suggests the industry’s largest players are, so far, managing that challenge successfully. But their results also indicate that profitability is being protected through repricing, cost reduction programmes and productivity improvements rather than through any broad-based improvement in underlying market conditions. The biggest competitive advantage in the second half of 2026 may not be exposure to recovering markets, but the ability to preserve yields, protect margins and convert operational recovery into financial performance.

The gradual regionalisation of global supply chains is becoming one of the most important trends shaping container shipping, according to Braemar, as new trade agreements and shifting geopolitical dynamics redraw cargo flows. Analysing the World Bank’s latest global outlook, consultancy Braemar said the institution’s prediction that the 2030s could become the most prosperous decade since the 1970s carried significant implications for liner shipping, despite a challenging near-term market. The World Bank argues that artificial intelligence, energy security and regional trade integration could drive a new era of economic growth next decade, however, global growth is expected to reach just 2.5% this year, while container trade volumes are forecast to expand by only 2.5%-3.5%. For shipping, the most immediate structural shift is the rise of regional trade. According to Braemar, the number of regional trade agreements has risen from around 300 in 2020 to nearly 400 today, with such agreements now accounting for 60% of global trade, compared with 40% in 1990. “This isn’t abstract,” said Braemar analyst Jonathan Roach. “The interesting stuff is in the regional and inter-regional trades.” Braemar expects future growth to be increasingly concentrated on intra-Asia, intra-African and nearshoring corridors such as Mexico-US and Eastern Europe-EU routes, rather than exclusively on traditional east-west trades. The shift is also influencing vessel ordering patterns, it noted. Of the 1,621 containerships currently on order, only 114 are ultra-large vessels of 20,000 teu or more, suggesting owners are prioritising regional and mid-sized tonnage over additional megaships. “The ‘hub-and-spoke’ geography of container shipping is slowly becoming more ‘spoke-and-spoke’,” Mr Roach noted. “The decade ahead could be golden,” Mr Roach underscored. “But shipping networks built for the last 30 years of globalisation may need rewiring for the next 10.” Beyond regionalisation, Braemar highlighted the energy transition as another potential source of future box demand. Global clean-energy investment reached $2.2trn in 2025, accounting for roughly two-thirds of all energy investment. While stricter environmental regulations are increasing costs, with IMO carbon rules adding an estimated $150-$400 per container on some routes, demand for solar panels, batteries, turbines and associated infrastructure could provide a long-term boost for containerised trade. AI presents a more complex picture. Braemar said the construction of data centres would generate short-term demand for servers, cooling systems, generators and electrical equipment moving in containers, creating what it described as an “AI infrastructure bow-wave”. However, the firm cautioned that once facilities are built, ongoing AI growth would rely more on computing power than freight demand.

The forward-looking view on Danish forwarder DSV is always fascinating. That’s simply explained. The company – often promising to be better and more profitable than at any time previously thanks to deal-making – is widely regarded as the best asset-light transport and logistics player, as far as M&A-related execution is concerned. Looking ahead The near-Dkr290bn annual revenue* ($45bn) group led by CEO Jens Lund keeps changing. And again this week, we were reminded that – over a year after other top casualties were disclosed ...

Feeder ships continue to dominate the boxship construction scene, including Chinese owners choosing to convert bulk carriers to container ships to beat the long wait for newbuildings, in order to capitalise on the red-hot charter market. The Cosco group is converting a pair of Diamond 53-type open-hatch Supramax bulk carriers into 2,500 teu container vessels. The work is expected to be completed between Q3 and Q4 this year. X-Press Feeders will charter the vessels for 18 to 24 months for $27,000 per day. The conversion includes removing onboard cranes and elevating the wheelhouse by two decks, enabling up to seven rows of containers to be stacked. On Tuesday, China Classification Society (CCS) announced that Chan Xin 66, a 2012-built 80,000 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier, had been converted into a 3,600 teu container ship, claiming it is the largest project of its kind. The vessel owner, Shenzhen Qianhai Radiant Shipping, acquired Chan Xin 66 last November and converted the ship at Zhoushan Xinya Shipbuilding. Renamed Guang Qi De Er Ta, the transformed container ship entered service on 10 June. CCS, which supervised the five-month long project, described the conversion as challenging, involving large-scale hull structural modification, reconstructing the cargo hold, and installing a brand-new container securing system. Major shipbuilders are busy with orders until 2029, meaning the wait for a newbuilding could be three to four years. Greenfield shipyards are getting in on the boom, but it would also take them around two years to complete a vessel. Other than that, feeder vessels dominated the newbuilding scene this week: Dubai-based Emarat Maritime, an owner and operator of tankers and bulk carriers, has diversified into the container sector, ordering three 930 teu ships from Hubei Guangji Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group, with delivery expected in 2028. Emerat, owned by the Sharaf family, has options for three more ships. Norway-based Eitzen group has ordered a pair of 900 teu electric vessels from Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipbuilding & Repairing, after winning a grant from the Norwegian government to design the ships build the needed electrification infrastructure. Eitzen subsidiary Zen, which focuses on the group’s electrification activities, will own the vessels. The ships, to be delivered in 2028, will be deployed to intra-Europe routes to form the basis of new electric freight corridors. Shandong Port Group’s feeder operating arm Shandong Marine Corporation has added to its orderbook, commissioning a pair of 1,100 teu ships from Shandong Marine Equipment. Costing $23.8m each, the vessels will be delivered in 2028. On the car carrier front, Sallaum Lines booked a pair of 8,600 ceu ships from Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry. The Cypriot ship owner said it would build more car carriers as it expects more demand amid rising exports of Chinese electric vehicles. Sallaum director Hasan Sallaum said: “With larger capacity, dual-fuel capability and an ammonia-ready design, these ships give us the flexibility to serve growing market demand while continuing to invest in lower-emission transportation.”

In a move designed to tackle chronic congestion and delays in airfreight exports, Bangladesh will permit private cargo operator stations to be established near its international airports. The measure, announced by finance minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury during the presentation of the national budget earlier this month, responds to long-standing demands from exporters, freight forwarders and logistics providers for faster and more efficient cargo processing. Under the proposal, both international logistics companies and domestic private operators will be allowed to invest in air cargo clearance activities through dedicated off-airport facilities. “To simplify trade and reduce supply-chain lead time, I propose issuing a new regulation for establishing Air Cargo Operator Stations, enabling globally renowned logistics companies and domestic private operators to invest in air-cargo clearance activities,” Mr Chowdhury told parliament. He added that, once implemented, the country’s international airports in Dhaka, Chattogram (Chittagong) and Sylhet would gradually be transformed into full-fledged logistics hubs, supporting the continued growth of Bangladesh’s ecommerce sector. Currently, exporters typically load cargo at factory premises before transporting it directly to airports, where shipments often face lengthy queues, security checks and warehouse delays before being loaded onto aircraft. Industry groups welcomed the proposal, arguing that off-airport cargo stations could significantly improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks. Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), toldThe Loadstar: “It is a very positive decision for the air cargo sector. If off-dock facilities are available, we will be able to deliver export cargo and receive import cargo from there.” He said the benefits could be particularly significant for imports. “The facilities available for import cargo handling at Dhaka airport are extremely poor. Off-dock facilities will be much more helpful for import cargo handling than export cargoes. “We feel that having off-dock facilities would make the process of handling air cargo much more convenient compared with managing it solely within airport premises.” Nurul Amin, former vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA), described the proposal as one of the most important potential changes for the country’s airfreight industry in recent years. “The proposed budget measure on the formulation of regulations for establishing Air Cargo Operator Stations has the potential to be one of the most significant reforms for Bangladesh’s airfreight sector in recent years,” he said. However, he cautioned that the extent of any cost savings would depend on how the regulations are implemented. “This initiative can reduce airfreight costs if genuine competition in cargo handling is established.” Mr Amin noted that cargo handling at Dhaka airport is currently carried out by a single handling agent, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, limiting competition. “Allowing internationally reputed logistics companies and qualified domestic operators to establish Air Cargo Operator Stations could break existing monopolistic practices, improve service quality and efficiency, introduce global best practices and put downward pressure on handling charges,” he said. He added that delays remained one of the hidden costs of airfreight in Bangladesh. Export cargo frequently encounters long waiting times, warehouse capacity constraints, manual documentation procedures and bottlenecks during security screening, with screening machines often out of action. Private cargo stations could reduce pressure on airport facilities by enabling off-airport cargo acceptance and pre-clearance procedures, significantly shortening dwell times and reducing storage and labour costs, Mr Amin said. He also argued that the move could lower airlines’ operating costs. “Many airlines serving Bangladesh currently maintain their own cargo staff and infrastructure because existing handling arrangements do not fully meet operational requirements,” he said. The proposal follows another significant liberalisation measure announced in the budget, under which Bangladesh will remove the 49% cap on foreign ownership of inland container depots (ICDs) from 1 July. Together, the reforms signal a broader government effort to attract foreign investment into the country’s logistics sector and modernise trade infrastructure as export volumes continue to grow.

Freight forwarding has plenty of AI demos. The harder test is whether the technology can handle the daily mess of the quote desk: emails, PDFs, spreadsheets, carrier portals, agent replies and rates that change before anyone has time to clean the data. That is where Sumeet Trehan, founder of Starboard, believes the market is moving. His argument is not that AI will replace small and mid-sized forwarders. It’s that those forwarders are too important to global trade, and too close to their customers, to be pushed aside simply because larger players have better tools. Trehan came to that view after a career through Maersk, BCG and Flexport, where he helped build the company’s Canadian business. At Flexport, he said that he began to question whether digital freight was solving the right problem. “Small and mid-size freight forwarders are essential for global trade,” Trehan said. “The operational expertise they have cannot be replaced by a digital freight forwarder.” Starboard’s pitch is that local forwarders should keep the customer relationship and operating knowledge, while the platform gives them some of the advantages normally associated with larger competitors: better technology, stronger procurement and, eventually, financial infrastructure. Forwarding remains relationship-driven, local and exception-heavy. The person who knows which carrier office to call, or which routing will fall apart, still matters. But the pressure on smaller forwarders is real. In developed markets, Trehan said, forwarding has become a thin-margin business, often operating at net margins of 1-2%. After the freight rate itself, labour is the biggest cost. “It’s almost an existential crisis for a large number of freight forwarders,” he said. “How can they cut down cost? And it’s not a five-year strategy roadmap. For a lot of our customers, it needs to get done tomorrow.” Starboard’s first product focuses on quoting. In spot-heavy forwarding markets, importers and exporters may send the same request to several forwarders at once. A small or mid-sized forwarder might receive 20-30 quote requests a day, Trehan said, with each taking one or two hours to build. Average response times can stretch to 24-48 hours. That delay can lose business. The customer wants to know what it will cost to move cargo from A to B, and the forwarder that replies first often has the advantage. Starboard plugs into the inbox of a forwarder’s sales or pricing team. When an RFQ arrives, its AI agent reads the request, extracts the cargo and routing details, breaks the job into legs, searches contract and spot rates, and can reach out to agents or co-loaders for missing pieces. The company says users have reduced response times from a day or two to roughly one or two hours in many cases. Trehan argues the benefit is not just speed. Forwarders often receive rates from dozens of sources in different formats. A human may rely on memory, assuming yesterday’s best option is still today’s best option. In volatile markets, that assumption can be expensive. “The idea is not only to quote fast, but also always quote at the cheapest and best rate you can give to your customers,” he said. The industry’s data problem is old. Freight has spent decades trying to digitise around documents and messages that rarely line up cleanly between parties. EDI may be everywhere, but standardisation remains uneven. Trehan sees AI as useful because it can turn messy inputs into structured data that systems can use, without forcing forwarders to replace every legacy system first. He is also cautious about AI hype. Starboard spent more than two years working with around 25 design partners in the US and Canada to train its agents on real quoting workflows. “You can show magic in a demo,” he said. “But actually having something which can start replacing human work takes years and years of effort.” For forwarders evaluating AI, Trehan’s advice is to start with the business problem, not the technology. Faster quote turnaround, better win rates, higher profitability per quote and less manual work are measurable. A vague AI pilot is not. Trehan said customers have typically seen air quote response times fall to about an hour and ocean quotes to two or three hours. He also claimed average quoted rates can drop by around 5% when the system finds better options inside the forwarder’s own rate sources. Starboard does not name those customers publicly, citing confidentiality agreements. His final advice is simple: choose the partner carefully. “At this stage the technology is so nascent and early, you need to invest in the team over the brand or the company,” he said. For smaller forwarders, that may be the useful AI story: not a future where the local operator disappears, but one where the operator answers faster and prices more intelligently. This post was sponsored by Starboard.

Ascolta la versione audio dell'articolo 4' di lettura English Version Translated by AI. For feedback, please contact english@ilsole24ore.com Una nuova portacontainer da 10mila tonnellate solca i mari della Cina dal mese scorso. Si chiama Ningyuan Diankun e può essere scambiata per una nave mercantile come un’altra, invece ha diverse doti del tutto eccezionali: è elettrica e completamente autonoma. Non è la prima e non sarà certamente l’ultima, ma per adesso è la più capiente portacontainer elettrica del mondo. Varata nel porto di Ningbo - il più grande al mondo per tonnellaggio di merci movimentate, situato sul delta del Fiume Azzurro - la nave porta nel nome un riferimento al Kun, un Leviatano della mitologia cinese capace di trasformarsi in uccello, e all’elettricità, Dian, sposando l’antico con il moderno. Chiedilo al Sole Le domande sono suggerite automaticamente da 24Ore AI sulla base del contenuto visualizzato. Domande di approfondimento generate da 24Ore AI Lunga 128 metri e larga 22, la Ningyuan Diankun ha una capacità di 740 Teu (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, corrisponde a un container standard di 20 piedi) ed è stata progettata da Sdari, mentre il sistema di propulsione elettrica da 20 MWh è stato fornito dallo Shanghai Marine Equipment Research Institute. Entrambe le realtà fanno parte della China State Shipbuilding Corp, il più grande conglomerato cantieristico al mondo, controllato dallo Stato. Per la propulsione elettrica, l’unità è equipaggiata con dieci moduli di alimentazione grand come un container standard, per una capacità di quasi 20 MWh e un’autonomia di 100–180 miglia nautiche a seconda della velocità e del carico. Loading... Zero emissioni e zero rumore «Questo consente alla nave di operare in modalità completamente elettrica, con zero emissioni e zero rumore per l’intera durata del viaggio, adattandosi perfettamente alle esigenze operative del trasporto costiero», ha spiegato Ma Hongmeng, responsabile del progetto, a “China Daily”. Secondo Ma, siamo all’inizio di una nuova era per il trasporto containerizzato costiero cinese. E la casa madre di Ningyuan Diankun lo conferma: «Ningbo Ocean Shipping possiede 32 navi ecologiche e a basso consumo energetico, pari al 57% della sua flotta, e 19 navi intelligenti, il 34% del totale: un segnale dei progressi compiuti nell’ammodernamento verso soluzioni a basse emissioni e a guida intelligente». Ad Amsterdam solo barche elettriche L’elettrificazione del trasporto marittimo, secondo gli operatori, è il prossimo grande mercato che si apre, ma questa rivoluzione industriale è in corso quasi soltanto in Cina, come del resto sta accadendo anche per l’auto elettrica. Sulla stessa strada sono i Paesi scandinavi, che già da tempo praticano l’elettrificazione delle flotte, e in particolare la Norvegia, primo Paese europeo a varare una portacontainer elettrica a guida autonoma, la Yara Birkeland, con una capacità di 120 Teu, per trasportare merci lungo le rotte costiere. Da quest’anno, poi, nei fiordi norvegesi si può entrare solo con navi a zero emissioni, per cui tutte le flotte turistiche hanno dovuto riconvertirsi all’elettrico. Stesso discorso per Amsterdam, dove ormai possono entrare solo barche a propulsione elettrica. Catl: batterie per gli oceani entro 3 anni La Cina, però, è decisamente più avanti. L’emancipazione del settore marittimo dalle fonti fossili è fondamentale per gli obiettivi più ampi di Pechino in materia di decarbonizzazione e indipendenza energetica. Le batterie, particolarmente adatte alle operazioni di navigazione costiera, sono la prima alternativa all’olio combustibile pesante, mentre sul fronte della navigazione d’altura si studiano altre soluzioni, dall’ammoniaca all’idrogeno. L’adozione su larga scala di navi oceaniche elettriche non si è ancora concretizzata a causa della bassa densità energetica delle batterie attuali rispetto ai combustibili fossili, ma il più grande produttore di batterie al mondo, Catl, è convinto che “ci si arriverà nel giro di 3 anni”, come ha sostenuto la responsabile della sua divisione dedicata alle applicazioni marine, Su Yi, all’ultima fiera Marintec China.

Forwarders may be short of confidence following confirmation that the US and Iran have signed a deal to end the war, but there have been green shoots of hope with ocean transits on the up. Both President Trump and President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that they had put pen to paper – or pen to touch screen – to sign the document labelled the “Islamabad MoU”, which essentially lays out the foundations for negotiation for a comprehensive deal due by August. Under the MoU, both sides have agreed to “declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other”. Further to which, they agreed to “refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon,” with this last point proving particularly concerning for forwarders, with news that Israel has continued to strike Lebanon. One source pointedThe Loadstarto the news this morning that Israeli strikes had resumed against Lebanon with the words “how fucking long?” contending that they did not believe the deal would result in any material change in the short term. Another forwarding source said that they had been following progress of the negotiations and were left confused as to what the state of play was as a consequence of the announcement made by President Trump in Versailles last night. And while when pressed on whether they thought that long-term deal would materialise, the forwarder responded with “I honestly do not think that any of this will actually transpire,” there have been glimmers – albeit small – of confidence improving. A Windward Intelligence assessment noted: “On 15 June, 14 total transits were recorded, marking the highest single day count this month, suggesting confidence is beginning to build, even as the Traffic Separation Scheme is unclear and safety guarantees are not in place.” Adding to the sense that things are on the up, Windward noted that between 1-15 June there had been 151 Hormuz transits, compared with 156 over the whole of May, “indicating the pace is already accelerating”. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguezalso welcomed the Islamabad MoU describing it as a “crucial return to peace, dialogue, multilateralism and diplomacy,” and a move towards the safe restoration of free navigation along the Strait of Hormuz. Nonetheless, Alphaliner cautioned it is likely that container lines will adopt a “phased rather than immediate normalisation,” adding “carriers that suspended or rerouted Gulf calls are unlikely to restore Hormuz transits until the freedom of navigation is demonstrably secure”.

Container lines are increasingly deploying larger vessels on intra-Europe routes, with the number of ships above 8,000 teu operating in the Mediterranean rising by 78% year on year, according to Alphaliner. The analyst said the fleet of vessels above 8,000 teu trading in the region had increased from nine ships a year ago to 16 today, despite the average vessel size in the Mediterranean remaining just 1,870 teu. MSC continues to lead the trend, operating nine of the 16 large vessels, up from six of nine a year ago. Recent additions include the 9,411 teu MSC Giselle, 9,408 teu MSC Elma, the 9,403 teu sister ships MSC Lagos X and MSC Nairobi X, and the 9,288 teu MSC Brittany. The growing presence of larger tonnage reflects carriers’ efforts to improve economies of scale on longer intra-European routes, particularly between northern Europe and the Mediterranean. According to Alphaliner, 14 of the 16 vessels above 8,000 teu are deployed on North Europe-Mediterranean services, where voyage lengths make larger ships more economically viable than on shorter regional trades. The title of largest vessel operating on an intra-European route has also changed hands. Maersk’s 9,962 teu Maersk Sirac has overtaken MSC’s former record-holder MSC Aby (9,640 teu), which has since been redeployed to the Asia-North America trade. Currently operating as an extra loader in the Mediterranean, the Maersk Sirac is due to join Maersk’s new Egypt-Turkey E8 service alongside the 8,850 teu Maersk Le Bu. Once deployed, the service will become the largest intra-Mediterranean shuttle by weekly capacity, significantly exceeding CMA CGM’s Med-Black Sea-Morocco BSMAR service, which operates vessels of between 4,300 teu and 4,600 teu. The move comes amid a broader fleet reshuffle by Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. After launching the Far East-Mediterranean-Red Sea AE19/SE4 service in March, Maersk has begun upgrading its Far East-Egypt AE15/SE3 loop with larger vessels. The service had previously deployed 14 ships ranging from 11,900 teu to 15,000 teu. “In early June, a fleet replacement programme has started whereby Maersk is redeploying fourteen identical ‘Triple E’ ships of 19,076 teu to the Far East – East Med loop,” Alphaliner said. The Triple E vessels are being transferred from the Far East-North Europe AE5/NE4 service and will replace smaller ships on the Egypt route. Meanwhile, most vessels previously deployed on the AE15/SE3 service will be shifted to the Far East-UK-Scandinavia AE3/NE3 loop. “Once all fleet switches are completed, the fleet of this loop will include 14 x vessels in the 13,100-15,000 teu size range, deployed by both alliance partners. This will reduce the average weekly capacity of the service from 19,100 to 13,500 teu (minus 5,600 teu),” Alphaliner added. The changes underline how carriers are continuing to cascade larger tonnage into regional and near-sea markets as newbuild deliveries and network restructurings reshape global container trades.