Gemini Suspends, Revamps Middle East Services Amid Growing Conflict
Gemini Cooperation announced the suspension of several Middle East services, including routes to Europe and Asia, as well as regional shuttle operations, citing the escalating war in the Gulf. The alliance, which includes Maersk and Hapag‑Lloyd, is launching a new Asia‑Europe loop to partially offset the loss of east‑west capacity. Maersk emphasized that the decision follows a comprehensive risk assessment aimed at protecting personnel and vessels. The move seeks to balance safety concerns with the need to limit broader supply‑chain disruption.
CMA CGM Adds Direct India-USWC String as Part of Asia Network Overhaul
CMA CGM announced a new standalone service linking India directly to the U.S. West Coast, extending its Pearl River Express loop. The weekly rotation will call at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Karachi and Colombo, using a fleet of 13 vessels sized between 10,000...
Intercontinental Exchange to Launch Container Freight Futures in April
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) announced plans to launch four container freight futures contracts on April 7, pending regulatory approval. The contracts will be U.S.-denominated, cash‑settled, and indexed to the New York Shipping Exchange’s Freight Indices covering routes between Asia, Europe and the United States....
TPM26: War a Problem for Container Shipping, but Not ‘Pandemic-Scale’: Analyst
Analyst Lars Jensen told the TPM 26 conference that the Middle‑East war, which has shut the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, poses a problem for container shipping but falls short of pandemic‑scale disruption. He emphasized that while the conflict will...
TPM26: Europe’s Persistent Port Congestion Won’t Be Remedied by Short-Term Fixes
Europe’s main import gateways suffer from chronic buffer‑capacity shortages, turning port congestion into a persistent bottleneck rather than a fleeting disruption. Industry leaders warn that the lack of short‑term remedies will continue to erode vessel schedule reliability and strain inventory...
Middle East War Puts Trans-Pacific Service Contract Talks in Limbo
Container lines have halted 2026‑27 trans‑Pacific service contract negotiations as the Middle East war ties up roughly 10% of global container tonnage and pushes bunker fuel prices higher. The conflict adds uncertainty to cost structures and functional capacity, prompting carriers...
Middle East War Slows Trans-Pacific Service Contract Talks Further
Container carriers are pausing or slowing 2026‑27 trans‑Pacific service contract negotiations as they gauge the fallout from the Middle East war. The conflict has immobilized an estimated 2 %‑10 % of global container tonnage, tightening available capacity. Simultaneously, soaring bunker fuel prices...
TPM26: US Trucking Crackdown Likely to Have Delayed Impact on Drayage Sector
A congressional proposal known as Delilah’s Law would strip thousands of non‑English‑speaking and non‑domiciled commercial driver’s license holders from U.S. roads, intensifying a broader Trump‑era trucking crackdown. Panelists at TPM26 argued that the drayage sector, especially at ports like Long Beach,...
TPM26: Buffer Capacity Being Taken Out of Gemini Network: Hapag-Lloyd CEO
Gemini’s ocean alliance has sustained roughly 90% schedule reliability, allowing Hapag‑Lloyd to trim the buffer capacity built into its 2025 service. The carrier says the reduction yields faster, more competitive transit times without sacrificing predictability. Shippers such as Dollar General and...
TPM26: Flexport CEO Sees AI’s Impact on Logistics Accelerating
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen announced that artificial‑intelligence tools can trim roughly 10% off the back‑office component of ocean freight costs, enabling logistics firms to scale without proportionate hiring. He revealed that Flexport entered a "code red" mode in November 2025,...
TPM26: Global Trade ‘Still Strong’ Despite Uncertainties: Hellmann CEO
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics CEO Jens Drewes told the TPM26 conference that global ocean freight volumes remain robust despite heightened geopolitical risks, including ongoing trade tensions and the expanding Middle East conflict. He highlighted continued strength in worldwide trade and pointed...
Air Freight Backlog Set to Gridlock Asia Airports Amid Middle East Conflict: K+N CEO
Air cargo originating in Asia for the US and Europe will soon pile up at regional airports as the expanding Middle East conflict grounds a sizable share of available capacity. Kuehne + Nagel CEO Stefan Paul warned that backlogs will materialise by...
TPM26: Iran Conflict Puts New Risk on US Economic Growth: Yellen
Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the Iran‑Israel conflict threatens to choke oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude futures to their highest level in over a year. Higher energy prices could lift inflation and undermine the...
MSC Downgrades India-Europe/Med Network Amid Transshipment Cargo Lift Woes
Mediterranean Shipping Company announced a downgrade of its India‑Europe and Mediterranean services, cutting vessel capacity on the Himalaya Express (HEX) from roughly 14,000 TEU to about 9,000 TEU. The IPAK service, run with the Shipping Corporation of India, will also...
Federal Court Dismisses ILA Complaint over Virginia Rail Cranes
A federal court dismissed the International Longshoremen’s Association’s lawsuit claiming the Virginia Ports Authority violated national labor law by installing automated yard cranes without union notification. The VPA, which filed a motion to dismiss in October 2025, argued the union...
Wind OEMs Pin Hopes on Data Center Energy Demands Amid US Setbacks
U.S. data‑center construction is driving a surge in electricity demand, giving wind turbine OEMs a fresh growth catalyst despite a hostile regulatory environment. German onshore specialist Nordex projects $11 billion in 2025 orders, while Danish Vestas expects revenue of $24‑26 billion in...
Rotterdam Congestion Limits Benefit of Second-Half Surge in Imports
The Port of Rotterdam handled 14.2 million TEUs in 2025, marking a 3.1 % increase driven by a strong second‑half surge in Asian imports and expanding trade with North America. Despite this growth, persistent congestion and a carrier‑alliance restructuring forced a notable...
After Hapag-Zim Deal, Premier Alliance May Be Next in the Spotlight
The Hapag‑Lloyd acquisition of Zim adds roughly 2.8 million TEUs to the carrier, cementing its position among the world’s largest shippers. Meanwhile, the Premier Alliance—Ocean Network Express, HMM and Yang Ming—has amassed just over 4.8 million TEUs of existing and ordered capacity. The...
India-Europe Spot Rates Climb on Seasonal Booking Demand, Tighter Capacity
Container carriers on the India‑Europe and Mediterranean lanes have raised February spot rates sharply, reflecting heightened seasonal booking demand and constrained vessel capacity. Forwarder data show spot asks climbing $400‑$500 per TEU since January, pushing average prices from Nhava Sheva/Mundra...
Hapag-Lloyd Set to Grow Its Intra-Asia Network Through Zim’s Gold Star Line
German carrier Hapag-Lloyd plans to leverage its $4.2 billion acquisition of Zim Integrated Shipping Services to expand its intra‑Asia footprint through Zim’s Hong Kong‑based affiliate Gold Star Line. Gold Star operates 20 liner services with a fleet of 40 vessels totaling roughly 100,000 TEU,...
Trans-Pacific Carriers, Importers Slow-Walking Service Contract Negotiations
Trans‑Pacific ocean carriers and U.S. importers are deliberately postponing contract sign‑offs for the 2026‑27 service year as spot rates to the West Coast have slumped more than 20% since early January. Both sides hope that underlying market fundamentals will improve,...
Ocean Carrier On-Time Arrivals Tumbled in January: Xeneta
Ocean carrier schedule reliability plunged in January 2026 as congestion at Asian hubs and severe North Atlantic weather disrupted liner networks. Rate‑benchmarking platform Xeneta reports a sharp decline in on‑time arrivals across most carriers, with only non‑alliance services showing modest...
CargoSprint Acquires Key Appointment Scheduling Tool for LA-LB Dray Carriers
CargoSprint, a U.S. container‑terminal payment technology provider, announced the acquisition of Dray Dog, a Southern California software firm that powers appointment scheduling for drayage carriers. Dray Dog is widely used by large dray carriers and currently manages a substantial share...
Maersk to Upsize India-USEC Capacity to Tap Post-Trade Deal Cargo Growth
Maersk announced a significant upsizing of its West India‑US East Coast (MECL) service to add incremental westbound container capacity. The move follows the United States’ reduction of tariffs on Indian‑made goods from 50% to 25%, with a further cut to...
CMA CGM Inks Order for Six Dual-Fuel LNG Ships with India Yard
CMA CGM has placed an order with India’s Cochin Shipyard for six 1,700‑TEU dual‑fuel LNG container vessels. The deal was announced during a New Delhi visit that also included a pledge to recruit an additional 1,500 seafarers, bringing the total Indian crew...
Surging China Auto Exports to Counter Carrier Overcapacity Fears: Wilhelmsen CEO
Wallenius Wilhelmsen CEO Lasse Kristoffersen said China will ship an additional 2.3 million vehicles this year, boosting total exports to roughly 8.2 million units. The surge aligns with an 8% increase in roll‑on/roll‑off carrier capacity, adding 67 new vessels to a fleet of...
Hapag-Lloyd’s Plan to Acquire Zim Would Deepen Shipping Oligopoly
Hapag-Lloyd announced a $3.5 billion plan to acquire Israel’s Zim Integrated Shipping Services, pending regulator sign‑off. The transaction would add roughly 704,000 TEUs, pushing Hapag-Lloyd’s capacity above 3 million TEUs and placing it among the world’s five largest container lines. The deal...
Ocean Alliance, ONE Rework Trans-Atlantic Services, Remove Ships
Ocean Alliance and Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced a major overhaul of their trans‑Atlantic service network, removing several vessels and consolidating U.S. port calls. The redesign follows a year of uneven trade, with U.S. exports to Europe rising sharply while...
