MSC will launch a new Cheetah service connecting Singapore, Colombo, Beira, Nacala, Singapore from November 2025. The service will turn 5 weeks using 5 ships of 2,500 teu starting with the 2,532 teu MSC SHEFFIELD III at Singapore on 3 November 2025.
Arkas Line has launched a new Med Africa Service (MAS) connecting Alexandria, Beirut, Lattakia, Mersin, Aliaga, La Spezia, Genoa, Casablanca, Dakar, Lagos (Apapa), Lagos (Tincan), Tema, Abidjan, Nouakchott, Casablanca, Tangier, Valencia, Barcelona, Fos, La Spezia, Genoa, Salerno, Alexandria from 20 October 2025. The MAS combines Arkas' existing Blue Med Service (BMS) and West Africa Service (WAS) and will turn in 10 weeks using 10 ships of 1,400 to 2,400 teu, using ships redeployed from the 2 e
Register Free Trial The special port fees applied by the US and China on each country’s ships took effect on 14 October but the impact has been less severe than initially expected. Chinese authorities have not applied the 25% US ownership rule strictly and only Matson is affected by the fees so far although Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd diverted 2 of their US-flagged ships on the Transpacific TP7/WC5 service to avoid the port fees. At least one US-flagged operator has received waivers due to their new
COSCO Shipping will launch a new Japan Thailand Vietnam (JTV) service connecting Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nansha, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City, Yangpu, Shekou, Kobe from the end of October 2025. The JTV service will turn in 4 weeks using 4 ships of 1,700 teu starting with the 1,707 teu INSIGHT at Kobe on 28 October 2025.
SeaLead will replace its standalone Five Seas Express (5CX) service with a new Far East-Mediterranean service via the Suez Canal in cooperation with CU Lines (CUL) and Global Feeder Services (GFS) from the end of October 2025. The former 5CX service has been disrupted since August 2025 after 16 SeaLead operated ships were added to the OFAC sanctions list, affecting 8 ships of 5,000 teu to 6,800 teu that were formerly operated on the service. The new service operated by CUL, GFS and SeaLead wil
Shandong Marine Corporation (SMC) has launched a new Qingdao-Jeju container service connecting Qingdao, Jeju, Qingdao. The service will deploy the 672 teu SMC RIZHAO on a weekly rotation starting from 16 October 2025 at Qingdao, becoming the first service to provide regular direct connections between China to Jeju in South Korea.
The long position holders also entered liquidation mode as the new quotations from the liners continue to disappoint with quotation for last week of October lowered to $1500 per FEU. EC2510, which is trading at 7% premium to the latest SCFIS, is testing the 1,100 level. The recent low of this contract was 1,050 on 19 September.
Futures traders in Shanghai maintain their risk-off mode—further liquidation by short sellers pushed prices higher. EC2510 dropped as diverging quotations among liners again cast doubt on the mid-October GRI. The new Chinese Port Dues targeting ships owned or controlled by US interests affect only 6 ships or 1.6% of the capacity currently deployed in the Far East to North Europe route.
CMA CGM will add new calls at Qingdao and Aqaba on its stand-alone Asia-Red Sea REX2 service from 16 October 2025. The enhanced REX2 service will call at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Singapore, Djibouti, Jeddah, Sokhna, Aqaba, Qingdao, turning in 9 weeks using 9 ships of 5,000 to 9,000 teu with a extra week added to the rotation.
Classical risk off rally today starting from the afternoon session: big price move but also a lot of liquidation. So most of the buy trades were just short covering. The news was China's big port due on US related vessels kick in today, which may force the carries to withdraw some capacity etc. What may have gone unnoticed in the market was the Maersk listed $1,800 per FEU for the 30 Oct i.e. the first week of November, which is even lower than the freight rates that it quoted for the shipments