Red Sea

Container lines are using rate hikes and blank sailings to manage capacity surplus and faltering demand.

The Suez Canal Authority held discussions with major ocean shipping lines to discuss a return to the strife-torn Red Sea route.

U.S. container ports continue to author a strong comeback from the pandemic despite some current headwinds to trade conditions.   

A Danish diplomat said shipping giant Maersk is closely following events in the Middle East as it eyes a return to the Suez Canal.

Plans to end the war in Gaza should help global shipping return to the Suez Canal in 2025, the waterway’s chief said.

While Israel and Hamas meet to discuss a U.S. proposal for ending the war in Gaza, it’s uncertain whether a peace deal will return major shipping lines to the Red Sea and Suez Canal. 

While ocean container rates on the trans-Pacific were unchanged in the latest week, carriers are testing soft demand with general rate hikes. 

Container rates on the closely-watched eastbound trans-Pacific fall to their lowest levels since before the Red Sea crisis erupted in 2023. 

Yemen’s Houthi rebel militia said it is escalating its campaign against Israel-linked shipping, regardless of a ship’s destination.

Containerized imports through U.S. ports staged a modest comeback in June following a sharp drop in May.

A merchant vessel has been attacked in the Red Sea, the first such incident in 2025.

Shipping analysts warn Israel’s attacks on Iran could lead to another Red Sea situation if carriers avoid key trade route.    

Container rates on the Asia-U.S. trade lane surged as shippers rushed early peak- season traffic and carriers announced general rate increases, according to SONAR and Freightos data.  

Freightos Baltic Index container rates showing the effects of  the China-U.S. tariff break and carrier rate hikes.

The tariff pause saw Hapag-Lloyd bookings from China to the United States increase 50%.

The parent of Maersk, the second-largest ocean container carrier, revised its full-year box outlook, saying tariffs could cut global volumes by 1% from a year ago.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they have not agreed to cease attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, contradicting claims made by President Donald Trump.

Another early peak container shipping season is on tap as Asia-Pacific trade is predicted to outpace a global economic slowdown.

A top-secret group chat of U.S. officials discussing details of attacks aimed at reopening Red Sea shipping inadvertently included a journalist.

Cosco Shipping Holdings, China’s largest container carrier, saw heady improvement in revenue and profit in 2024.