News in Brief Podcast | Week 18 2026 | Hormuz, Suez Returns and Air Cargo's Struggle

Why It Matters

The combined ocean and air‑freight disruptions raise shipping costs and reduce capacity, forcing businesses to adjust inventory and logistics strategies to protect margins and delivery reliability.

Key Takeaways

• Middle East strait closure pushes carriers to consider Red Sea routes
• Ocean freight rates up 50% eastbound, modest westbound increase
• Schedule reliability improves as carriers trim underperforming sailings
• Air freight rates remain high despite slowing weekly growth
• Cathay Cargo faces capacity squeeze from Gulf route losses

Summary

The podcast dissected the latest supply‑chain turbulence, focusing on the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, shifting ocean‑freight routes through the Red Sea and Suez, and the lingering strain on air cargo amid jet‑fuel shortages. Analysts also reviewed Q1 earnings from major forwarders Kuna and Nagel, noting modest impacts on their air‑freight divisions, and highlighted Zenet’s March schedule‑reliability scorecard.

Ocean‑freight markets showed a mixed picture: trans‑Pacific rates to the U.S. west coast rose roughly 50% over two months, while east‑coast rates climbed about 52% and European lanes saw a 7‑14% increase with capacity up 6‑9%. CMA CGM’s doubled transits through the Red Sea illustrate carriers’ willingness to chase cost savings, yet most remain cautious about fully re‑entering the corridor until security stabilises.

Air‑freight dynamics remain uneven. The Baltic index stayed 32% above year‑ago levels, with only a modest week‑on‑week rise, while capacity rebounds in the Middle East and South Asia are tempered by persistent jet‑fuel shortages and FAA‑mandated flight cuts at Chicago O’Hare. Cathay Cargo’s loss of Gulf hubs forces direct Asia‑Europe flights with payload limits, driving higher rates and less reliable transit.

For shippers and forwarders, the convergence of higher ocean rates, spotty schedule reliability, and constrained air capacity translates into tighter margins and the need for proactive inventory positioning ahead of the peak season. Monitoring geopolitical developments and carrier capacity strategies will be critical to managing cost volatility and service reliability.

Original Description

This week’s News in Brief dives back into the ongoing disruption in the Middle East, as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and oil prices continue to ripple through global supply chains. But while uncertainty persists, there are signs of shifting strategy with CMA CGM doubling down on Red Sea transits, raising the question of whether other carriers will follow and what that could mean for freight rates.

Charlotte Goldstone is joined by Xeneta’s Peter Sand to break down the latest on ocean freight, from the risk of a renewed rate war to what improving schedule reliability really means beneath the surface.

On the airfreight side, Alex Lennane unpacks a market still under pressure. Capacity is slowly returning, but jet fuel shortages and high prices are keeping rates elevated and operations tight. We also look at flight cuts in Chicago, Kuehne + Nagel’s latest earnings, and a deep dive into Cathay Cargo and the “cruel paradox” facing the carrier amid ongoing disruption.

From Suez strategy to fuel strain, this episode maps the key forces shaping freight right now.

The Loadstar has launched its new “State of AI in Supply Chain” survey.

We’re looking to learn how forwarders and customs brokers are putting AI into practice. As a thank you, participants will receive early access to the full report before it’s publicly released, along with the complete raw dataset.

The report will cover:

- Where AI is currently being used in the freight forwarding sector

- The main challenges organisations face when trying to scale AI

- How companies are measuring ROI and determining real value

- Where industry leaders see AI heading over the next 12–24 months

Your perspective would be greatly appreciated. You can find the survey link in this article—thanks in advance for contributing.

https://lnkd.in/eiDfPz3X

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrechsLIjUXjkigWdKqHR8jli69E281HhkRCeCan29454dwg/viewform