Did You Know That…

 

…Asia-Europe ‘double sailings’ top pandemic peak as congestion upends Golden Week cuts

• Asia-Europe ‘double sailings’ surpass 2021 pandemic peaks as severe port congestion disrupts vessel schedules
• Vessel bunching reverses traditional Golden Week capacity cuts, with carriers cancelling far fewer sailings than usual
• Carriers accelerate return to Suez, releasing additional vessel capacity and raising concerns over potential oversupply.

Asian port congestion pushes ‘double sailings’ beyond pandemic highs, disrupting carriers’ traditional Golden Week capacity cuts as Suez routings resume.

…Global container shipping volumes reached a record 17.46M 20FT equivalent units in August, while freight pricing climbed to its highest level in more than two years, according to Container Trades Statistics (CTS). This new peak in August saw volumes increase 3.7% from August 2025, with global volumes up 4.7% year over year for the first 8 months of 2026.

 

…Russia’s container trade continues eastward shift as Asian carriers expand capacity

• Vladivostok handled more than 1.2m teu in the first nine months of 2026
• MSC and Sinokor are the two largest capacity providers at Russia’s busiest container port
• St Petersburg’s recovery continues, but volumes remain well below pre-war levels.

Vladivostok has consolidated its position as Russia’s largest container gateway, with MSC and Sinokor accounting for more than 40% of scheduled capacity at the port.

For any inquiry you can contact our member in the Russian Federation: NAWINIA, Ms. Elena Bukker, ebukker@nawinia.com

 

…Markets are dismayed by Lula’s surprise win—and for good reason. The pressure is on Brazil’s re-elected president to avoid an economic slump. LULA WAS a goner—or at least that is what everyone had assumed. Instead, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s incumbent president, pulled off a win for the history books. The left-wing leader hung on to his job by a clear margin of nearly four percentage points in a presidential run-off on October 25th, even though he had trailed his rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, in the first round of voting three weeks earlier. Never in Brazilian history has anyone come from behind in this way to clinch the presidency. In January Lula will become the country’s first democratically elected president to start a fourth term. Lula, who turned 81 on October 27th, has harnessed admirable energy in the weeks since the first round of voting humbled him. He regrouped his campaign and changed his strategy. Now he needs to muster the same vim to relaunch his programme of government. He should make a start by naming a finance minister whom investors will trust. He must then announce a credible plan for fiscal reform. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has left Brazil for the United States after he was defeated in Sunday's presidential election.

 

…China wine imports decline. Recent customs figures reflect a significant drop in demand for wine imports in China, with 207M liters worth US$1.42 billion being shipped over 2025, which reflects a 72% drop from the peak volume in 2017, a trend that is continuing into this year.

According to China's General Administration of Customs (GAC), China imported 101.4M litres of wine in the first half of 2026, down 11% from the same period in 2025. Values, however, edged up by around 0.8% to approximately US$716 million, lifting the average import price by 13.3% to US$7.07 per litre.

The drop in demand can be attributed to a myriad of factors such as the May 2025 ban on alcohol at official meals, weaker business entertainment that has eroded banquet and gifting occasions, as well as economic pressures that have dampened general consumer demand.

However, whilst alcohol consumption has moved away from obligation and gifting, it has moved towards personal enjoyment which has seen the market become smaller and more selective, with consumers and importers placing greater emphasis on value, quality and specific wine categories.

Also, Wine imports into Hong Kong declined again in 2025, falling by 3.1% to €742 million. Volume dropped by 6.5% to 273,000 hectoliters. As a result, the average import price rose by 3.7% to €27.16 per litre (2024: €26.20).This saw Hong Kong remain the world's most expensive wine market in 2025, even as the total value of wine imports fell for the fourth consecutive time since 2021.

 

…We are pleased to announce that the EAA Network Annual Conference 2027 will take place from 12–15 October 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, hosted by our esteemed member Woo Young Logistics.

This edition will be particularly special as we will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the EAA Network — a significant milestone in our journey of building and strengthening a trusted, truly global network of independent freight forwarders. So, please mark your calendars and save the dates: 12–15 October 2027!

We look forward to bringing our members together in Seoul to celebrate 20 years of EAA Network, strengthen our partnerships and create new opportunities for the future.

We hope to see you all there! More information about the conference venue, programme, accommodation package, and registration will follow in due course.

 

…GDP expanded in China by 4.5% during the third quarter, year on year, an improvement on the 4.3% recorded in the second quarter. China’s export boom is offsetting weak domestic demand.

 

…Japan’s mission to Mars’s moons takes off

It will collect samples and search for signs of ancient life.

ORBITERS, LANDERS and rovers have travelled to Mars, but none has returned. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) intends for that to change. On October 20th, its Martian Moons exploration (MMX) mission lifted off from Tanegashima, an island in southern Japan. The probe will spend the next year travelling to Mars, where it aims to land on Phobos, the larger of the planet’s two moons, collect at least ten grams of rock and dust, and return the haul to Earth in 2031. Planetary scientists hope the mission will resolve a long-standing puzzle: how Mars’s moons were formed—and, in the process, reveal much about the planet itself.

 

Potential industrial action at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach could disrupt container operations from Sunday 1 November 2026, following a strike authorisation by approximately 250 port security workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 26.Although negotiations remain ongoing and no strike has been confirmed, a work stoppage could affect several major terminals across the port complex.

…Tesla demonstrated its new Roadster sports car; the demonstration vehicle was modified with SpaceX-derived thrusters and able to flip mid-air and land safely again. The electric-carmaker reported a surprise positive cashflow in its latest earnings.

…Find attached the latest updated version of the EAA Network members list, including all primary contacts.

 

…By 2030, a third of Sicily could turn into a desert.

 

Have a great weekend !