Industry Insights
What is moving in freight, and what it changes for your cargo
Short reads on the conditions that actually affect a shipment in planning: capacity, routing, cost and the rules around them. Every figure is attributed to the source that published it. The reading of what it means operationally is ours.
September 2026
Shanghai and Ningbo are backed up, and ships are skipping the call
Average waits of 5.46 days at Shanghai and yard occupancy of 92 to 95 percent at Ningbo, after typhoon closures. Some carriers are now skipping the call rather than queueing.
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August to September 2026
Panama Canal under pressure: what a million dollar transit slot tells you
Transit slots auctioned at an average of US$1.1 million in August, sixteen times a year earlier, and the draft limit is tightening. Less cargo per vessel, and a cost that lands somewhere.
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August to September 2026
The Arctic route: a 20 day China to Europe option, for a few weeks a year
A limited seasonal service via the Northern Sea Route moves cargo from Ningbo-Zhoushan to Europe in 20 to 22 days. The transit is real. So are the reasons most cargo should not be on it.
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July 2026
China to Europe air freight rates fall to their lowest in months
Rates from China to Milan, Frankfurt and Liège fell more than 20 percent. A soft window like this is worth using, but only if the cargo is ready to move when it opens.
Read the analysisPlanning a movement against any of this?
Market conditions are only useful once they are applied to a real shipment. Tell us the cargo, the lane and the deadline, and we will tell you what the current picture means for it.
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