The rapid growth of lithium battery shipments is driving renewed discussions about maritime safety and cargo transparency. The World Shipping Council (WSC) is urging governments to review regulations that allow certain lithium battery shipments to move through supply chains without being formally identified as dangerous goods. The WSC’s proposal comes amid rapid growth in lithium
The Port of Los Angeles recorded its three strongest consecutive months on record, handling more than 2.9 million TEUs between June and August. Import activity has remained strong throughout the summer. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director, Gene Seroka observed “resilient consumer demand, early holiday shipments, and a broad mix of cargo” which are driving
Container freight rates on Trans-Pacific trade lanes continued to rise this week, supported by sustained demand and ongoing operational disruptions across Asia. According to reporting from American Shipper, citing Freightos data, spot rates from Asia to the U.S. West Coast and U.S. East Coast rose 2% week-over-week. Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) released on September
Global schedule reliability suffered a significant monthly decline in July as congestion intensified across major Asian container hubs. According to data from Sea-Intelligence, schedule reliability fell to 56.4%, down 6.1 percentage points from June, while average delays for late vessel arrivals have exceeded six days. The fallout from congestion has been severe at several of
Global air cargo demand continued to grow in July, supported by steady trade activity, expanding manufacturing output, and strong demand across key international markets. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), total air cargo demand, in terms of cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), increased 3.9% year-over-year in July, while international cargo traffic increased by 4.7%. “The
Over 4.3 million TEU of vessel capacity are currently tied up in port congestion, representing 12.6% of the global fleet capacity, according to Linerlytica. “In terms of total TEU, the stranded capacity is higher now compared to the previous peak of 4.0m TEU reached during the COVID pandemic in 2022,” the analyst assessed. Record levels
China’s ports handled a record 161.1 million TEU in the first half of 2026, growing 5.8% year-over-year, according to Alphaliner data cited by ShippingWatch. The growth has outpaced the 5.2% increase in the global container trade. In the first half of 2026, Ningbo-Zhoushan handled 22.9 million TEU, up 8.8%, and surpassing Singapore, which recorded 22.7
The Panama Canal handles approximately 5% of global trade and serves as a critical gateway for U.S. supply chains, connecting Asian manufacturing hubs with ports along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, according to reporting by American Shipper. Data from the U.S. International Trade Administration estimated that 72% of vessels transiting the canal are either
Container shipping markets continue to demonstrate resilience while ocean carriers are practicing capacity discipline against steady cargo demand across major East-West trades. According to Drewry’s World Container Index released on August 20, 2026, global container rates increased for a second consecutive week, supported primarily by gains on the Trans-Pacific trades. Drewry’s assessment noted seven scheduled
Sea-Intelligence reported that 1.7 million TEUs of container capacity were tied up in port-related delays in June, representing 5% of global deep-sea container capacity. This figure indicates the share of delayed capacity has more than doubled compared to the pre-pandemic average of 2.2% recorded between 2011 and 2019. Sea-Intelligence’s CEO, Alan Murphy pointed out that
