Register Free Trial Maersk has made the first break from its logistics integrator strategy with a 26 ship vessel order that was confirmed by the company last week. It sets the stage for a new capacity race as the containership orderbook ratio surges to a post 2009 high of 45% with additional orders still to come as vessel demand remain relentless. The current vessel shortage is driving freight rates, charter rates and second hand ship prices to fresh year to date highs, which has ironically mad

Maersk will withdraw its seasonal Transpacific Xpress (TPX) peak season extra loader service connecting Cai Mep, Busan, Long Beach, Cai Mep from October 2026 with the last sailing by the 4,504 teu MAERSK BOSTON at Cai Mep on 29 September 2026. The service was launched in June 2026 on a 49 day rotation, using 6 ships of 3,600 to 4,600 teu with 1 blanked sailing in each cycle. 15 sailings were mounted during the 2026 peak season.

X-Press Feeders have launched a new Thailand Straits X-Press (TSX) service connecting Singapore, Laem Chabang, Singapore from 26 September 2026 with the 2,824 teu MONACO operating on a weekly rotation. The service retakes the rotation of the former TSX service that X-Press withdrew in 2024.

Register Free Trial The escalation in the Middle East tensions as Houthi forces advance in Yemen over the last 2 weeks has not deterred carriers from resuming more Suez transits, with COSCO and OOCL the latest carriers to return to the troubled Red Sea region. The move will leave the Premier Alliance partners as the only main carrier group that have not returned to the Red Sea. The total capacity of ships diverted to the Cape route has dropped to a 2 year low of 4.6% of the global fleet. Freig

MSC has added a new Noumea-Fiji Loop connecting Sydney, Brisbane, Noumea, Lautoka, Suva, Nelson, Wellington, Sydney from 22 August 2026 using 3 ships of 1,100 teu to 2,500 teu. A new Northern Loop service will also be launched calling at Sydney, Auckland, Napier, Tauranga, Sydney with 2 ships of 2,500 teu. The 2 new services will replace the former Noumea Express service that called at Sydney, Noumea, Lautoka, Suva, Tauranga, Sydney.

Gemini Cooperation partner's current Asia Shuttle 14 (A14)/Bohai Shuttle 5 (BS5) service will be extended to cover the North China ports previously covered by the Asia Shuttle 4 (A04)/Bohai Shuttle 1 (BS1) from 1 October 2026. The extended A14/BS5 will call at Xingang, Dalian, Busan, Xingang, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Xiamen, Busan, Xingang with a new call added at Dalian and a second call added at Busan. It replaces the A04/BS1 service that called at Busan, Shanghai, Dalian, Xingang, Busan w

X-Press Feeders have launched a new Germany Poland X-Press 2 (GPX2) calling at Hamburg, Gdansk, Hamburg from 3 September 2026 with the 809 teu X-PRESS MULHACEN.

Register Free Trial The Israeli government’s decision on the Zim sale to Hapag-Lloyd has been postponed by 30 days to allow Hapag-Lloyd and Israeli private equity fund FIMI to revise its offer in order to address Israeli opposition to the sale. Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd has reversed its decision on Red Sea transits as it sent the 14,993 teu AL JMELIYAH on the Asia-Med SE1/AE12 service on the Suez, with Maersk making 10 trans-Suez trips of its own lasat week as the 2 Gemini Cooperation partners con

Register Free Trial Terminal operations in Ningbo and Shanghai were severely disrupted again by typhoon Saudel last week, resulting in extended delays of over 10 days in the most severe cases. The elevated port congestion continues to tie up vessel capacity with 3.92m TEU of 11.4% of the fleet still tied up at anchorages last week. Vessel availability remains very tight, keeping charter rates firm as the limited number of ships circulate within the same circle of charterers as new ship deliveri

HMM, Interasia Lines (IAL), ONE, COSCO/OOCL and Pacific International Lines (PIL) are jointly launching a new India-East Africa service connecting Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Mombasa, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Dar es Salaam, Nhava Sheva that will operate on a butterfly rotation to provide weekly connections between India and Mombasa on the first leg and Dar es Salaam on the second leg. The new service will turn in 56 days using up to 8 ships of 1,800 teu to 2,500 teu starting with the 1,781 teu SEATRADE PE

Register Free Trial Port congestion has reached a new high with over 4.3m TEU waiting to berth at container ports globally, driven mainly by delays across East Asia as fresh storms continued to disrupt vessel schedules. In terms of total TEU, the stranded capacity is higher now compared to the previous peak of 4.0m TEU reached during the COVID pandemic in 2022. The current stranded capacity accounts for 12.6% of the global fleet at 34.4m TEU, which is lower than the peak of 15.7% recorded in 20

MSC has switched its Himalaya Express service connecting the Indian Subcontinent with the Mediterranean back to the Suez route on both directions, marking the first full service return to the Red Sea since 2024 for MSC. The revised Himalaya Express will connect Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Vizhinjam, Sines, Valencia, Gioia Tauro, King Abdullah Port, Jeddah, Colombo, Nhava Sheva and is expected to transit the Suez on both directions even though current vessel schedules still show the Cape route on the s