Author: Shipco News Desk

Port congestion across Europe continues to worsen, with Bremerhaven facing severe labor shortages and few alternatives for shippers. Forwarders report average wait times of five to six days, depending on the destination.  Maersk has extended its contingency plan through the end of May, citing a sharper-than-expected drop in available labor during recent holidays such as

Amid capacity reductions on the Trans-Pacific, South America is gaining prominence as a strategic focus for global air cargo. At the IATA CNS conference in Miami, attendees were told the shift comes with big changes for the air cargo sector and that carriers and freight forwarders “need to know how it will impact the industry”.

China’s growing trade surplus with the European Union (EU) continues to raise concerns that the region is becoming a target for redirected exports. In the first four months of 2025, China’s trade surplus with the EU reached a record $90 billion, driven by a combination of tariff pressures from the U.S. and favorable currency conditions.

A ceasefire deal brokered by Oman between the U.S. and Yemen’s Houthi forces has raised cautious optimism for the shipping industry. Under the agreement, Houthi groups will stop attacking vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. However, they have stated that their campaign against Israel will continue. Security experts warn it is too

India and Pakistan have imposed mutual bans on cargo transiting through their respective ports . This follows the April 22 attack involving tourists in Kashmir. India’s full cargo ban on all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan took effect on May 2. Pakistan countered with a similar ban, allowing only pre-cleared shipments already in

The container shipping industry faces deep uncertainty amid a weakening global trade outlook. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its U.S. GDP forecast for 2025 to 1.8%, down from 2.7%. The World Trade Organization (WTO) also expects global merchandise trade to shrink by -0.2% this year. Maritime analyst Drewry has downgraded its global port throughput

According to the Port of Los Angeles, import volumes are expected to drop by 35% starting the week of May 5th. CNBC reported Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director, saying this was due to the impact of tariffs on Chinese goods and explained that many large U.S. retailers have halted shipments from China in response

The Port of Rotterdam retained its position as Europe’s largest port in Q1 2025, although the combined ports of Antwerp-Bruges handled more containers. A statement released by the Port of Rotterdam said the port’s total volumes dropped by 5.8% to 103.7 million tons. The drop was due to reduced activity in tank and dry bulk.

A significant wave of blank sailings is set to impact Asia–U.S. container trade lanes, with U.S. East and Gulf Coast services facing the sharpest cuts. Sea-Intelligence reports nine canceled sailings on the Asia–U.S. East Coast route during May 5–11, reducing capacity by 42%. The U.S. West Coast will have 10 blank sailings from April 28