Freight Forwarders
- Mega Merger: Evri and DHL eCommerce merged to form a UK delivery giant handling 1B parcels/year, with 15,000 out-of-home access points.
- Chinese Dominance: 15 Chinese firms in Top 50 ocean forwarders (Sinotrans #1); 14 in air freight rankings.
- U.S. Tariff Impact: Termination of de minimis rule ($800 exemption) since May 2 increased costs for SMEs, accelerating shift to overseas warehouses.
Shipping Lines
- Capacity Rankings: Global fleet reached 7,307 vessels (32.39M TEU). MSC led with 6.64M TEU (20.49%), followed by Maersk (4.58M TEU) and CMA CGM (3.94M TEU).
- Rate Surge & Shifts:
- Trans-Pacific rates spiked 160% in two weeks; carriers imposed PSS up to $3,000/40ft.
- Container shortages expected at U.S. Gulf ports (e.g., Houston) from July.
- Trade Lane Divergence:
- Europe: Rates hit $2,800-3,200/40ft, with MSC/PA alliance canceling 3 sailings (50% of WK26 capacity).
- Latin America: Rates softened on West Coast but rose on East Coast due to limited capacity.
Air Cargo ✈️
- Volume vs. Rates: Global volumes +6% YoY (May), but spot rates fell 5-6% in June amid U.S.-China trade uncertainty. China-U.S. tonnage down 20% YoY.
- Airline Expansions:
- SF Airlines & Etihad Cargo partnered to optimize Asia-Europe/Middle East-China routes.
- Air China Cargo launched regular China-UK freighter flights (7 weekly).
- Shanghai Airport built overseas cargo terminals in Ethiopia (600kt/year) and Mexico City (100kt/year).
New Corridors ��
- China-Europe Rail: Xinning Logistics launched Zhengzhou-Moscow train, carrying agricultural machinery.
- ASEAN Links: Vietnam-Singapore hubs strengthened to serve manufacturers like Lenovo