Did You Know That…

… Liner sector defies disruption as box numbers surge to quarterly highs.

·Global container volumes rose 4.7% in the first nine months of 2025 against last year

·Q3 traffic hit a record 49.2m teu, up 1.5% on Q2, with August now the busiest month on record

·China’s export pivot continues to fuel volume gains across global south

·CTS freight index falls to lowest level since 2023 as carriers brace for end-of-year demand slowdown

Global container volumes reached record highs in Q325, despite geopolitical disruption and uneven regional demand. While North American imports continue to falter, robust growth across Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and South America buoyed overall performance. Chinese exports to emerging markets surged, helping offset transpacific declines as the ongoing trade war pegged back US trade.

 

…Container spot rates to US still sinking, but Asia-Europe gets an FAK push. Container spot freight rates out of Asia this week diverged between the North American and European markets.

 

…Back in business.. Our friend Steven Yuan from FS China’s analysis on the China to Europe trade: After shipping companies pushed freight rates up to around USD 2500/40HQ starting November 15th, the market saw a continued price decline. Now the lowest rate is USD1700/40HQ. On the other hand, Maersk, benefitting from its lower prices, is facing relatively tight space and is basically sold out until the end of the month. Despite this ongoing volatility, carriers are still planning to implement another rate increase in early December. The most likely scenario, however, is that prices will once again follow a pattern of rising initially and then falling back.

In accordance with the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and Israel's withdrawal from Yemen's territorial waters, the Yemeni armed forces have announced: effective immediately, all military operations against Israel will cease, and the maritime blockade on Israeli ports will be lifted! The Yemeni General Staff confirmed that, given the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israel's withdrawal from parts of occupied Palestinian territory, and the increased flow of aid into Gaza, the Yemeni armed forces have decided to suspend military operations against Israel, including the lifting of the maritime blockade.

This move indicates that the possibility of resuming operations in the Red Sea is increasing, providing the shipping industry with a long-awaited respite, but also bringing hidden concerns about excess container capacity. So far, due to the tense situation in the Red Sea, about 2 million TEUs of container shipping capacity worldwide have been forced to detour around the Cape of Good Hope. estimates that this crisis has led to an 8% reduction in global shipping capacity. If the Red Sea waterway is restored on a large scale and a large number of ships flood the market, it is highly likely to exacerbate the problem of excess container capacity, thereby further causing freight rates to decline. Once the Red Sea achieves long-term stability, it will become the biggest variable in the global shipping market by 2026: the supply and demand pattern of transportation capacity will be reshaped; Main line freight rates may hit a new bottom; The profit margin of shipping companies is further compressed.

 

…We are pleased to welcome our new member in East Africa: MITCHELL COTTS Freight Kenya Ltd. You can meet the Mitchell Cotts delegation at the annual conference in Istanbul, in March 2026. We expect to announce another new asset to our network in East Africa within the next two weeks. Attached we send the latest update of our members-list for your easy reference.

…AD Ports acquires minority stake at Latakia. CMA Terminals has been operating the Syrian port since 2009. GFS, a container feeder company which is majority-owned by AD Ports, is poised to begin services that call at the terminal. UAE-based logistics company AD Ports has acquired a 20% stake in Syria’s Latakia International Container Terminal. AD Ports signed the deal with French container giant CMA CGM, whose subsidiary CMA Terminals has operated the Syrian port since 2009 and signed a 30-year concession agreement last May. LICT handles more than 95% of Syria’s containerised trades and is a crucial gateway for agricultural and industrial goods. Latakia’s current capacity is 250,000 teu, but there are plans to increase that to 625,000 by the end of 2026. CMA CGM announced in August this year that it would be investing €200m ($170m) to extend and modernise the port’s container terminal.

…DP World begins Tartus port operations

·Further investments planned with $800m on standby

·Tartus saw fourfold increase in port calls in May compared to last year

·Port calls have grown modestly since then

Port operator will be tasked with preparing the port for Syria’s increasing role in global trade.

 

…Tradelanes: New Zealand exporters get a boost from India deal. New Zealand exporters could be set for a boost on their key verticals as an India-New Zealand trade deal looks imminent.  

…Forwarders combine shortsea operations as Ellerman City Liners buys Viasea. UK shipping line Ellerman City Liners has acquired European shortsea liner operator Viasea, for an undisclosed amount. The deal will see two major freight forwarders combining their shipping assets: Ellerman is backed by UK 3PL Uniserve, both part of the GB Global group.

…Tanzania has its Tiananmen moment. A post-election crackdown that killed hundreds has changed the country for ever. The inauguration of Samia Suluhu Hassan as president of Tanzania on November 3rd was an incongruently unconfident event for someone who claims to have won 98% of the vote in an election on October 29th. The swearing-in was brought forward and moved from a stadium in the largest city, Dar es Salaam, to a military parade ground in Dodoma, the sleepy capital. The public was banned. The opposition has rejected the result. A curfew was imposed after protests broke out.

…CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin clears Red Sea safely as French giant steps up tests for return.

·Ship restored its AIS transmission after six days, showing it had moved out of Houthi reach and into the Arabian Sea

·Move comes as more CMA CGM megaships are returning to the region

·However, a large‑scale resumption of vessel traffic is still not on the horizon

The next Asia-Europe ultra‑large containership to take the Red Sea route on its headhaul voyage could become a key bellwether for the wider return.

…Red Sea shipping traffic growing but box bosses still weighing up a big bang return

·Houthis signal their campaign of attacks had stopped, for now, but security concerns remain

·Lloyd’s List Intelligence analysis confirms 8% increase in traffic compared to 2024, but 56% less than 2023

·Maersk affirms it wants to be the first line to return to the Red Sea, but it will not be running test services

Yemen’s Houthis have signalled a halt to their attacks on ships, and shipowners appear to be responding with a five-month uptick in vessels transiting the Bab el Mandeb. But an end to more than two years of disruption to global maritime trade is realistically only going to end once the major lines return, potentially en masse.

…CMA CGM joins growing liner presence in Hamburg via Eurogate terminal stake

·Deal will support Eurogate’s Container Terminal Hamburg planned expansion to 6m teu

·Agreement pending regulatory approval by mid-2026

Following MSC and Cosco’s recent stakes in Hamburg’s container terminals, CMA CGM has signed a term sheet to acquire 20% of Eurogate’s Container Terminal Hamburg.

…Coop has officially opened a new railway hub in the heart of Zurich to supply over 70 stores in the city in an environmentally friendly and efficient way. The project shifts logistics from road to rail, reducing CO2 emissions by 80% compared to exclusive road transport and saving around 58,000 truck journeys each year in and around Zurich.

…After two decades and a cost of $1bn the Grand Egyptian Museum opened in Giza. It is described as the world’s largest archaeological collection.

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

Have a good  weekend !