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Most Competitive Services:
Reliable services from Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, and Shenzhen to SYD/MEL/BNE. Rates are coming in at USD 900.00 - 1200.00 per TEU.
Mid-Tier Services:
These carriers are currently testing market conditions with rates set at USD 900.00 - 1200.00 per TEU. However, with several sailings cancelled in early July, available space is limited and options remain tight.
Premium Services:
The premium providers acted decisively last week, fully applying the GRI and raising rates to USD 1150.00 - 1350.00 per TEU for all major China ports. Valid from 1st to 14th July, this marks a clear upward shift in rate strategy.
West Coast:
Due to ongoing congestion in Singapore and sustained pressure on freight capacity, average rate levels are coming in at USD 1100.00 per TEU ex CMP to AUWC. There is large variance across the board, with rates spanning across levels of USD 900.00 - 1350.00 per TEU.
Advertised GRIs:
Rates out of Southeast Asia vary based on location.
Advertised GRIs:
With an aggressive blanking schedule for the latter half of June, we are now seeing carriers with full vessels and a roll pool of cargo.
Southeast Asian hubs are booked out until July with some carriers.
In recent weeks, several carriers have adjusted their port rotations, with a noticeable trend of omitting Brisbane on the southbound leg to minimise overall schedule delays. While operationally necessary, this adjustment can add up to 14 days to the total transit time for affected containers. These changes are largely driven by a combination of adverse weather conditions and ongoing port congestion across key terminals.
Singapore is also seeing vessel omissions, with carriers working to maintain reliability.
Several sailings scheduled for late June will be pushed into early July.
Northern Ports: Heavy fog and rough seas forced the closure of several northern Chinese ports for 10 to 26 hours, leading to moderate port delays. According to Seaexplorer, 134 vessels are waiting near the Shanghai-Ningbo corridor, and another 40 vessels are queued outside Qingdao.
Southern Ports: Tropical Storm Wutip caused closures at Yantian, Shekou, and Nansha between 13–15 June, halting operations for 10 to 49 hours. The Hong Kong–Yantian area remains congested, with 87 vessels currently anchored.
Port Kelang is currently experiencing congestion, with carriers reporting vessel waiting times of up to 3 days. The delay stems primarily from vessel bunching. Yard utilisation is exceptionally high, sitting at approximately 95%, contributing to slow terminal turnaround.
Manila continues to grapple with ongoing port congestion, resulting in an average vessel waiting time of 1.8 days. At the time of reporting, 14 vessels were anchored and awaiting berthing. Operational efficiency remains strained.
In Singapore, carriers are facing up to 2 days of vessel waiting time. Yard utilisation remains elevated, contributing to delays. 31 vessels were positioned in the anchorage area outside the Singapore-Tanjung Pelepas corridor. Current roll pool is 1-2 weeks.
MV APL SAVANNAH MA517A/MA252R will omit the Fremantle call to recover schedule position due to congestion.
At Chattogram Port, yard occupancy remains high and vessel wait times average 5–7 days. Operations at CCT and NCT terminals are under pressure following a recent extended public holiday, which limited handling capacity and yard space. Equipment availability and labour shortages are further compounding delays across the port and container freight stations (CFSs). As of the latest report, 10 vessels are at anchor awaiting berth.
Ports in Ashdod and Haifa are currently operational, though restrictions on Dangerous Goods (DG) cargo are in effect.
The situation remains fluid, and carriers may opt to bypass Israeli ports entirely if regional tensions escalate.
Despite regional instability, the Strait of Hormuz remains open, with CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd both confirming normal maritime operations in the area. However, there has been a noticeable rise in GPS signal jamming throughout the Arabian Gulf, disrupting AIS transmissions and complicating vessel navigation.
Shanghai → New York
Rates dropped 10% week-over-week to USD $6,584 per 40 ft container, but remain about 81% higher compared to six weeks ago.
Shanghai → Los Angeles
Freight costs fell sharply, by 20% week-over-week. However, overall, they’re still up 73% compared to six weeks prior. Source: Drewry
After several weeks of steady gains, the SCFI has retraced its recent progress, as transpacific spot rates came under intense pressure from mounting excess capacity. Rates to the U.S. West Coast have seen their sharpest weekly declines in the past fortnight, with carriers unable to hold onto the rate increases introduced on 1 June. This has also raised concerns about the viability of peak season surcharges for contract customers. Although the early tapering of the transpacific peak season has yet to impact secondary trade lanes—where volumes remain strong—signs of softening are beginning to emerge. Charter rates have held firm for now due to limited vessel availability, but forward freight futures for August on the East Coast are already trading below June levels. This suggests the market may have reached its ceiling for 2025, with potential downward corrections on the horizon. Source: Linerlytica
The Trans-Pacific market is entering a transitional phase following an early peak season for some shippers. While overall demand has not significantly declined, bookings for July are noticeably slower compared to the strong volumes seen in late May and early June.
Capacity across the trade is stabilizing between 85%–90% utilisation, particularly from mid-June onward. However, the Pacific Southwest gateway is nearing full capacity, largely driven by the introduction of extra loaders. This surge has begun to tip the balance toward overcapacity, especially as demand remains uneven and closely tied to individual shipper strategies and cargo profiles.
With fewer blank sailings and sufficient equipment at origin, schedule reliability is improving modestly, particularly on core direct services to the Pacific Southwest. However, the risk of port congestion remains if excess capacity persists into July.
👉 Read the full update in our Dedicated Tariffs Blog.
Rates on the FEWB lane have risen sharply:
Given the rate trajectory and full vessel bookings:
Shanghai → Rotterdam
Rates rose 12% week-over-week, reaching approximately USD $3,171 per 40 ft container.
Shanghai → Genoa
Slight weekly increase of 1%, with rates at approximately USD $4,075 per 40 ft container. Source: Drewry
The TAWB rate environment remains relatively calm, with most carriers delaying the introduction of further surcharges:Overall, freight rates remain stable, with no major fluctuations expected until after the first week of July, when seasonal volumes could trigger minor upward adjustments.
Overall, freight rates remain stable, with no major fluctuations expected until after the first week of July, when seasonal volumes could trigger minor upward adjustments.
The FEWB trade is facing mounting pressure from a combination of equipment challenges, infrastructure disruption, and early-season demand surges:
From a geopolitical standpoint, tensions near the Strait of Hormuz have limited direct impact on FEWB container flows. Most carriers have already rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope, avoiding the Red Sea entirely. However, any escalation impacting oil shipping could influence bunker fuel surcharges (BAF) downstream.
Conditions across the TAWB trade are relatively stable, with some improvements in European port congestion.
Despite the congestion in southern Europe, overall demand remains steady, and vessel capacity is sufficient to meet shipper needs. Carriers are adjusting schedules with minor blank sailings, but space remains largely accessible with standard lead times.
Equipment availability continues to be a mixed picture across the TAWB network. Shortages remain critical in inland Central Europe, particularly:
Main North European ports currently report stable inventory levels with no significant container shortages.
Portuguese ports — notably Lisbon and Leixões — are experiencing equipment tightness, along with Mersin in southern Turkey, impacting load planning from these regions.
Carriers are actively repositioning equipment where possible, but inland shortages are likely to persist through early July due to rail congestion and uneven cargo flows.
FEWB service reliability is under strain:
While weather-related and labor disruptions are minimal at present, port congestion in key Mediterranean hubs may cause modest delays in vessel turnaround and feeder operations. However, carriers have largely kept weekly services intact, and schedule reliability has improved slightly across Northern Europe.
Middle East & South Asia (MESA) airfreight volumes remain approximately 13% below the previous two-week average:
China & Hong Kong → United States volumes fell 10% WoW (week 23), now 19% lower YoY, with similar downward pressure on spot rates (–5% WoW, –17% YoY).
Reason:
The early-month rebound, created by deferred shipments after tariff relief, appears to have been temporary rather than sustained.
Global air cargo tonnage dropped 3% WoW in week 23, driven by:Year-on-year, total volumes are down 2%, based on over 500,000 weekly transactions
Comparing weeks 23–24 vs. weeks 21–22 shows a modest 1% increase in both global volumes and average rates.
Week 24 figures indicate total tonnage dipped 2% WoW, but rates remained stable at US$2.51/kg, 8% higher YoY and 42% above June 2019 levels.
Airfreight capacity from China to Australia is currently more stable compared to previous weeks, with some carriers reducing rates on selected routes. However, space remains tight across major airports, particularly ahead of 27–28 June, where flights to SYD, MEL, and BNE were fully booked.
Overall, while there is some rate relief, tight capacity driven by e-commerce demand continues to require early planning and flexible service selection for shipments into Australia.
A surge in geopolitical risk linked to the Israel–Iran conflict has triggered sharp increases in freight and tanker markets:
Additionally:
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, prompting Iran to threaten closure of the Strait of Hormuz - a vital global shipping route that carries nearly 20% of the world’s oil. As a result, global shipping is on high alert, with tankers rerouting, freight and insurance rates spiking, and carriers like CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd closely monitoring developments. Supertankers have already reversed course in the Gulf, and Japanese carriers are advising ships to minimize time in the region. While ports remain open and traffic is flowing, increased GPS jamming and security threats - such as drone, mine, or missile attacks - pose growing risks to navigation and commercial vessel safety. Source: G Captain
Recent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have sparked concerns over Australian fuel security. Despite Iranian threats to close the strategic waterway following recent strikes on its nuclear facilities, the shipping industry remains confident that it will stay open. Shipping Australia points to historical precedent - during the Iran–Iraq Tanker War (1980–1988), Hormuz never closed - even amid direct targeting of commercial vessels With approximately 20% of global oil and LNG volumes transiting the strait daily, even the threat of disruption caused Brent crude to briefly jump from US$69 to US$74 per barrel on June 13. For Australia, this escalation continues to raise questions about fuel price volatility and supply chain resilience. Source: The DCN / Linerlytica
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