Register Free Trial Container freight rates enjoyed a mini year end rally with the SCFI rising by 6.7% in the last reading of 2025 while the CCFI increased by a more modest 2.0%. Despite the recent rate strength, average 4th quarter CCFI rates remain 10.7% lower than the 3rd quarter and the current quarter’s rates is at the lowest level in 2 years with carriers’ earnings already under pressure. CMA CGM has started to send their ships back o the Suez route as scheduled from last week on their e

CMA CGM has added a new South American feeder service branded as the Motagua Express calling at Kingston, Puerto Cortes, Puerto Barrios, Pointe a Pitre, Kingston from 31 December 2025. The service turns in 3 weeks and deploys the 1,740 teu PERITO MORENO, 1,841 teu CMA CGM BALBOA and 1,341 teu LM ARES.

Asean Seas Line (ASL) and China United Lines (CUL) have launched a new intra-Asia service calling at Nansha, Shekou, Laem Chabang, Bangkok (PAT & Sahathai), Laem Chabang, Nansha from 28 December 2025. The service is branded by ASL and CUL respectively as the Bangkok Thailand Express 2 (BTX2) and New SCT Express (NSX) and turns in 2 weeks using the 1,781 teu ASL HAIPHONG and 1,930 teu CUL LAEM CHABANG.

HMM will revive the former Korea Vietnam Express (KVX) and add a new Korea Indonesia Service (KIS) to replace its current Intra Cross Network (ICN) butterfly service. The new KVX will call at Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Ho Chi Minh City, Sihanoukville, Laem Chabang, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Busan using 4 ships of 1,800 teu on a weekly frequency starting with the 1,875 teu HMM HARMONY at Busan on 30 December 2025. The KIS will call at Incheon, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Jakarta, Surabaya, Incheo

Greta Shipping has launched a new China-Gulf Express 1 (CGX1) service connecting Qingdao, Ningbo, Jebel Ali, Qingdao from 24 December 2025. The service is scheduled to turn in 42 days using a single ship, the 1,831 teu CSTAR VOYAGER. The service will connect at Jebel Ali on its new Kuwait Feeder Service (KWF) that is operated jointly with Hapag-Lloyd, replacing its former Jebel Ali-Karachi Express (JKX) service from 15 December 2025. The new KWF calls at Jebel Ali, Shuaiba, Shuwaikh, Jebel Ali,

Greta Shipping will launch a new Red Sea 1 (RS1) service connecting Salalah, Djibouti, Salalah from 3 January 2026. The service will operate weekly initially using the 1,030 teu BHAGYA LAXMI for 3 weeks and is scheduled to be replaced by the 1,730 teu GRETA STAR from 24 January 2026.

Register Free Trial Maersk will make its first Suez transit on 22 December in 2 years with the 7,250 teu MAERSK SEBAROK on the Middle East-US East Coast MECL service. However Maersk stressed that it has not yet decided on a wider shift back to the Suez route. Apart from CMA CGM and Maersk, the other carriers have not made any moves to return to the Suez route and a full return is not expected take place until at least 3 months later. Container cargo demand has remained resilient through 2025 w

CMA CGM has launched a new Palmyra Shuttle service calling at Beirut, Lattakia, Alexandria/Port Said, Beirut from 22 December 2025 with the 1,208 teu ONUR G. A.

Asean Seas Line (ASL) and China United Lines (CUL) have teamed up to launch the new Ningbo Philippines Express 2 (NPX2)/China Philippines Express (NP2) service that will call at Qingdao, Rizhao (ASL ship only), Shanghai, Xiamen, Manila (South), Qingdao using 2 ships of 1,700 teu - the 1,667 teu newbuilding XIAN FENG JU HE from ASL and 1,730 teu UGL SHENZHEN from CUL. The new service starts from 1 January 2026 at Qingdao and will replace ASL's current NPX2 that is operated independently by ASL o

ONE will start to take slots on the Red Sea-China Service (RCS) from 15 January 2026. The RCS is a joint service operated by GFS, ESL, RCL and TSL calling at Shanghai, Qingdao, Nansha, Shekou, Jeddah, Sokhna, Aqaba, Jeddah, Shanghai that was first launched on 14 November 2025 and branded as RCS by GFS, China Red Sea Connector (ECRC) by ESL , RCR by RCL and RCX by TSL. The service turns in 8 weeks and initially deploys 5 ships of 2,500 to 3,600 teu on a rolling schedule, and is expected to be up

Register Free Trial The containership orderbook has risen to 11.61m TEU, accounting for 34.8% of the current fleet on the back of a record number of ships ordered in 2025. The carriers’ appetite for new ships goes beyond their fleet renewal needs and raises the spectre of over-supply in the next 4 years. After failing to secure rate increases earlier this month, carriers are pushing ahead with another series of rate hikes in mid-December with mixed success. Although the SCFI surged by 7.8% las

The Premier Alliance’s Far East Pacific 1 (FP1) pendulum service connecting North Europe-Asia-US West Coast will be split from April 2026 into 2 separate loops. The Japanese port calls on the FP1 will no longer be offered in the upsized Far East-Europe 1 (FE1) service with larger ships of 13,000-15,000 TEU set to replace the current 9,000 TEU ships deployed on the FP1. Details of the 2 revised loops as follows:- * Far East-Europe 1 (FE1) calling at Laem Chabang, Cai Mep, Singapore, Rotterdam,