Did You Know That…

…Trump hails 'amazing' meeting with China's Xi but no formal trade deal agreed

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have met for the first time in six years - raising hopes for a de-escalation of tensions between the world's two biggest economies.Trump described the talks, held in South Korea, as "amazing", while Beijing said they had reached a consensus to resolve "major trade issues". China’s export to the USA is said to be worth $ 1 Billion a day.. Trump claims a win-win as China-US trade tariffs are also reduced. As President Trump touts a win today in China, the US Senate has undermined his tariff policy at home by voting against the duties imposed on Brazil.

 

…Red Sea comeback for liners unlikely before 2027. CMA CGM has been testing the waters, quite literally, adding further services to its Red Sea rotation, but there appears no great hope of a wider reversion of containership transits through the waterway before 2027.

…Container spot rates are up, but not enough to hike annual contract rates.

·SCFI global index rose 7% this week, bringing it back to mid-September levels

·Most of the recent rebound occurred in mid-October; pace of gains has slowed

·Average spot rates in the Asia-Med trade are still 27% below average contract rates despite 10% rise from recent low, according to Xeneta.

There’s still time to rescue the situation, but carriers look like they’re going into annual contract talks in Europe with a weak negotiating hand, particularly in the Mediterranean trade.

Mixed messages for ocean shippers as box rate hikes loom. It was another week of confused signals on container spot freight rates from the main indices – the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) continuing to show considerable variance against indices powered by Drewry, Xeneta and Freightos.

 

…Blanked sailings, due to 'operational constraints', disrupting India trades. French container line CMA CGM has reported a series of schedule disruptions/vessel delays on its Indian networks, impacting customer expectations on service reliability.

…Why DP World built a 10,000 teu berth for ships that don’t yet call in the Philippines.

·DP World’s new 10,000 teu berth in Manila marks a forward bet on the Philippines’ role in future trade growth

·The company sees a gradual increase in exports, driven by regional production moves and infrastructure expansion

·Despite tariff pressures, DP World remains confident in Southeast Asia’s long-term trade resilience

DP World’s mega ship berth in Manila underscores its long‑term bet on the Philippines’ evolution from an import‑driven market to a regional trade hub.

…Türkiye’s fabled textile industry is coming apart at the seams.

Inflation, China and an exodus of Syrian workers are among its problems. Türkiye remains one of the world’s top textile suppliers. But its share of the global market has dwindled to below 3%, the lowest in more than three decades. Garment exports from Bangladesh and Vietnam, some of Türkiye’s biggest competitors, grew by double digits in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period last year. Türkiye’s dipped by 6.9%. Exports have now fallen for three consecutive years, from a peak of $22bn in 2022 to a projected $17bn this year, a drop of 23%. More than 310,000 textile and apparel workers have been laid off, according to estimates. Some 6,000 businesses have closed. Hundreds more have relocated, mostly to Egypt.

…Russian box volumes rebound despite sanctions and service realignments.

·Russia’s container market has shown resilience since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, maintaining or even expanding volumes despite sanctions and the withdrawal of global carriers 

·The ports of St Petersburg, Vladivostok and Novorossiysk have all seen increases in box volumes in 2025 

·Direct services from Russia to China, the Middle East and South America have been launched by Chinese, Turkish and domestic newcomers.

Russia’s container trade has mostly realigned toward non-Western partners and direct, rather than feeder, services.

…  Our friends from ROSE Containerline USA are celebrating its 31 Years Anniversary  According to the ceo mr. neal Rosenberg, from our humble beginnings in 1994 to becoming a trusted, family-owned NVOCC with a global network of partners — we’re proud of every milestone, every shipment, and every relationship built along the way. Here’s to 31 years of resilience, reliability, and remarkable people — our team, clients, and agents worldwide who make Rose what it is today. Here’s to the next chapter — onward and upward! Congrats on behalf of the EAA Network Neal and team !
 

… The latest update on the EAA Network Annual Conference, from 24-27 March, 2026 in Istanbul: to date we have 129 participants registered and a number of pending members. Attached we send the latest update of the attendees list. We will welcome friends on senior management level from 80+ companies, representing about 70 countries from all over the globe. Registration is still open, don’t hesitate to join this event !

…China Plus One strategy hangs in the balance amid US-Vietnam tariff discussions.

·New trade deal expected between the US and Vietnam

·20% tariffs on Vietnam could challenge strong growth in exports to the US

·But some goods could be exempted from tariffs.

Meanwhile, China finds a new home in Europe to offset lost exports to the US.

… Growthpoint Properties has entered a long-term partnership with RSA Aero to develop the Cape Winelands Airport (Icao: FWAN) into South Africa’s next major air cargo and logistics hub. The project, located 25 km from Cape Town International Airport (Iata: CPT), represents an initial investment of ZAR 8 billion (approximately USD 430 million).

…Red Sea Return Could Flood Europe’s Ports With Cargo. The reopening of the Suez Canal following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could release up to 2.1 million TEU of shipping capacity and trigger a temporary surge in cargo arrivals at European ports, according to an analysis by Sea-Intelligence published on 23 October 2025.

…Logistics – a gateway to Africa’s youth employment. As half of all new entrants to the global labour market by 2030 will come from Africa, logistics is emerging as one of the continent’s most promising job sectors.

Your author just returned from a recruitment trip to East Africa and we expect to announce some valuable new members in this region within short.

…Polar bears can swim up to 65 km without stopping.

…Got a song stuck in your head? Try chewing gum. Studies show that chewing keeps parts of the brain busy that are involved in repeating tunes—making it harder for those catchy “earworms” to play on repeat.

…Ever heard of that? Classical music can enhance concentration — it calms the mind, stimulates the brain, and supports learning. This phenomenon is known as the ‘Mozart effect.’

…In most watch advertisements, the hands are set to ten past ten – regardless of brand or model. The position creates a balanced, smiling look that subtly frames the logo.

…This DYKT news bulletin will be published on the website as well, go to www.eaanetwork.com.

Have a good weekend !