Category: Newsletters

Persistent congestion continues to impact Northern Europe’s key container ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and London Gateway. According to a global forwarder’s visibility platform, this is causing “heavily disrupted operations”. The delays are driven by a combination of full terminal yards, labor shortages, strike activity, restricted inland transport and changes in alliance networks. Additionally, the

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

Container Lines Warn Port Congestion Inevitable whenAsian Imports Rebound Container line executives are warning that a rebound in Asian imports could overwhelm major U.S. ports. Import volumes from China are down by as much as 50% due to tariffs, but retailers like Walmart and Target have started shipping again, signaling a potential rebound. The timing

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. Rotterdam’s total volumes dropped by 5.8% to 103.7 million tons compared to 110.1 million tons in the same period in 2024 primarily due to reduced activity in tank and dry bulk. Even

Major changes to the U.S. less-than-truckload (LTL) freight classification system will take effect as of July 19, 2025. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) is reclassifying over 2,000 items to density-based classes and the update will impact how rates are calculated across the industry. The NMFC has said the changes are intended to simplify

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 that nine scheduled sailings on the Asia–U.S. East Coast route will be blanked in May 5–11 (Week 19), reducing capacity by 42%. The U.S. West Coast will have

The European Commission is closely monitoring containerized imports from China due to concerns that the high U.S. tariffs will force a redirection of Trans-Pacific trade flows and flood Europe with Chinese goods. Although the EU has not seen import volumes rise beyond normal seasonal patterns, a new “Import Surveillance Task Force” has been launched to

IATA is standing by its air cargo forecast, even if ocean shipping resumes through the Red Sea. The trade group expects air cargo volumes to grow by 6% in 2025. Speaking to Air Cargo News at the IATA World Cargo Symposium (WCS), IATA director general Willie Walsh said that the trade body believes the air

The global ocean freight market is facing a fraught outlook in 2025, a new DHL update finds, characterized by economic headwinds, geopolitical tensions and industry restructuring. Global economic growth is projected to slow to 2.5% in 2025, the weakest since 2009, excluding the pandemic. The Americas will be hit hardest, with growth in the U.S.

The European Union (EU) is stepping up efforts to stop plastic pellet pollution at sea. These tiny plastic pieces, used to make everyday plastic items, often spill during transport and end up in oceans. ”Microplastics, including plastic pellets are now found everywhere — in our oceans, seas and even in the food we eat,” says