EC2508, Shanghai’s benchmark freight futures contract, slid further in the afternoon session, closing at 1,949.5—dashing hopes that the market had found a floor at yesterday’s low - 1,987. The culprit, once again, was Maersk, which opened its FAK (Freight All Kinds) quotation for the second week of June at $2,100 per FEU. Yet, almost as soon as shippers began booking at that rate, the offer was abruptly raised to $2,231, rendering the initial price little more than a lure. With the Shanghai Con
Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk will launch a new Transpacific WC6/TP9 service connecting Xiamen, Busan, Long Beach, Xiamen. The Gemini Cooperation service will turn in 6 weeks and deploys 6 ships of 4,000-5,000 teu starting with the 4,622 teu RHONE MAERSK at Xiamen on 23 June 2025.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd remain at the bottom of the carriers’ EBIT margin league table for the 5th consecutive quarter with their operating performance continuing to lag behind all of their main rivals. The 2 Gemini Cooperation partners’ heavy reliance on contract cargo and relatively low exposure on the Transpacific market, coupled with their high operating cost base have continued to weigh down on their financial performance.
The restoration of suspended Transpacific services along with the addition of extra loaders have fully restored the total capacity available on the Far East-North American route. These capacity additions are expected to mitigate the impact of soaring Transpacific rates which are expected to rise to $6,000/feu to the US West Coast and $7,000/feu to the US East Coast on 1 June 2025. With container equipment availability and port congestion both under control, coupled with the rebound in vessel ca
Freight futures on the Shanghai–North Europe corridor continued their slide, with the benchmark EC2508 contract tumbling 13% week on week. Traders spent much of the period rolling short positions from the soon to expire EC2506 contracts into later maturities, wagering that any near-term firmness arising from the spill over from the Transpacific route would prove transitory as Far East to North Europe now commands the lowest rates among major routes. Average daily volume dropped 38% while open in
Asia-Europe rates are torn in 2 different directions, with the SCFIS declining by 1.4% on 26 May, while the forward looking SCFI recorded a strong gain of 14.1% on Friday. Carriers have stumbled on their bid to hike rates on 1 June, with Maersk once again undercutting their rivals even before the GRI was implemented. Rising congestion at European ports have severely disrupted schedules, with ships rerouting where possible to avoid berthing delays but this has failed to lift market momentum. Alt
Register Free Trial Total capacity on the Transpacific is set to rebound sharply in the coming 4 weeks, with an average of over 560,000 teu departing from Asia to the US weekly compared to the Week 19 low of 377,000 teu. Additional capacity are still being added as carriers capitalize on rising demand and soaring transpacific freight rates. CUL is the latest carrier to join the bandwagon, adding a new standalone Transpacific service from June while incumbent carriers have also added extra loade
China United Lines (CUL) will restart its Transpacific coverage with the launch of the Trans Pacific West Coast 1 (TP1) service calling at Shekou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Long Beach, Shekou from 7 June 2025. The service is scheduled to turn in 38 days and will deploy 5 to 6 ships of 2,400 to 2,800 teu, starting with the 2,786 teu CUL MANILA at Shekou on 7 June 2025 that is scheduled to arrive at Long Beach on 29 June 2025 where she will berth at the SSA Pier A terminal. CUL had operated its own Transp
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have launched a new Gemini Cooperation feeder service branded as Middle East Shuttle 6 (M06) / Pakistan Service 2 (PK2) to connect Salalah, Port Qasim, Salalah from 13 May 2025. The service turns in 7 days using 2 ships of 2,500-3,500 teu to provide 2 sailings a week.
ONE has teamed up with Arkas/EMES to launch a new Black Sea-Turkey service from 23 May 2025. The Greece Bulgaria Service (GBS) / Black Sea Turkey Service 1 (BT1) will call at Piraeus, Ambarli, Burgas, Varna, Izmit, Piraeus turning in 2 weeks with the 1,445 teu ROZA A from Arkas and 1,528 teu SINAR BUKITTINGGI from ONE. ONE will also take slots on 2 other Black Sea Turkey services operated by Arkas, with details as follows: * Black Sea Turkey Service 2 (BT2) through slots on the Arkas/EMES Tur