Carriers Pull Sailings and Add GRIs as US Port Fees Add New Cost Layer
Container lines are tightening capacity to defend freight rates just as new U.S. port fees on China vessels start on 14 October—costs that carriers say will be passed through to shippers.
In the run-up to contracting season, the shipping alliances have stepped up blank sailings to support pr...
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Airfreight Cools; Growth Still Building
Even though air cargo is easing back after a brisk summer, global tonnages rose in the third quarter, with eCommerce redrawing lanes and hub dynamics, while UK airport expansions point to a more connected decade ahead.
Worldwide air cargo tonnages were up 4% YoY in Q3 2025 and while average sp...
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Blank Sailings, GRIs and a Typhoon Disrupt Asia Shipping
Shippers moving goods out of Asia are bracing for the tightest space and schedule disruptions as the major container shipping lines accelerate blank sailings in the lead-up to China’s extended Golden Week holidays.
Following weeks of tentative planning, lines have now confirmed broad capacit...
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Ex-China Airfreight: Turbulence and Transformation
For shippers moving goods by air into Europe and the US, the peak season has arrived with a complexity not seen in recent years. As flights are cancelled and rates trend sharply upward, a fundamental reshaping of the marketplace is underway.
In September, a powerful typhoon swept through south...
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US Targets Tariff Evasion
The White House has launched a revitalised Trade Fraud Task Force to clamp down on tariff evasion and customs violations. This coordinated cross-agency initiative is set to bring sharper enforcement tools and greater scrutiny to a trading environment already complicated by regulatory uncertainty ...
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Growth Sustained, But Reliability and Policy Risks Loom for Air Freight
Air cargo volumes surprised on the upside again in August, rising by around 5% year on year, the second consecutive month of growth at this pace. Capacity also increased by 4%, though yields came under pressure as rates softened.
Despite the stronger demand, the outlook for Asia–Europe and A...
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Road freight prices edge higher in August
Stronger August demand lifted UK road transport prices, with both haulage and courier markets firming despite fresh capacity entering the system.
The latest TEG Price Index shows overall prices rising nearly 2% month on month and sitting 2.4% above August 2024 levels. Haulage led the gains, up...
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Resetting UK–EU trade
Five years on from the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and with the 2026 review fast approaching, the UK and EU have a chance to move beyond firefighting and design a trading relationship that works in today’s economy.
A new Parliamentary report from the Chartered Institute of Export &...
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Asia Pacific Freight Markets Reshape as Tariffs Shift Trade Flows
Air and sea freight in the Asia Pacific region is at the centre of global freight realignments, as eCommerce and feeder shipping operations are reshaped by recent policy changes in the US.
Adjustments to tariff rules and the elimination of duty exemptions have pushed shippers to reconsider s...
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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Season 2025
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is an agricultural pest native to China, Japan and the Korean peninsula. Each year, Australia and New Zealand enforce strict controls from 1 September through 30 April to prevent the introduction of this invasive pest through international trade.
Accidenta...
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US Tariffs Reshape Global Supply Chains
The wave of new US tariffs has triggered a recalibration across global trade and supply chains. While markets initially reacted with relative calm, the cumulative impact of the Trump administration’s layered tariff regime, now reaching more than 60 countries, is beginning to reshape sourcing st...
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EU Freight and Customs Round‑Up
The movement of goods between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU is entering one of its most challenging and complex periods in recent years. Regulatory changes are reshaping established routes, creating new administrative demands, and raising questions about supply chain resilience.
F...
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