Seafreight Insights

Read our Seafreight Insights to find out about the latest developments in the global sea cargo industry. Get an update on trade and rate developments as well as flexible solutions offered by cargo-partner to deal with the current challenges.

The global sea freight market in June and July was characterized by an early peak season. Aggressive holiday inventory frontloading and the desire to avoid tariff deadlines caused spot rates to spike prematurely.

After mid-July, the market saw a modest downward correction as demand eased and carriers adjusted their network allocations. Heading into August, carriers have once again introduced updated operational surcharges.

Further market disruption is to be expected, given the intention of Yemen’s Houthi movement to replicate Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by disrupting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Key market dynamics and trends include:

• Freight rates softened in the second half of July but are expected to move upwards again in August due to newly announced surcharges.

• With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, oil price fluctuations remain a crucial factor in the future development of freight rates.

• Congestions at transshipment hubs in Asia, such as Singapore, Port Kelang and Tanjung Pelepas, but also at Middle Eastern and European ports, such as Hamburg, is causing delays.

• Carriers continue to manage capacity and keep rates elevated, with plans to increase blank sailings, particularly on the Asia-Europe lanes, to restrict supply and defend price floors.

• Fleet expansion and new vessel injections have been completely offset by port bottlenecks. Roughly 10.9% of the global container fleet is currently trapped in port queues, representing the highest disruption level since 2022. Therefore, the situation remains tense, despite improved schedule reliability on overseas routes.

• We recommend booking at least three to four weeks before the desired sailing dates to secure the required space.

Current market assessment from July 31, 2026:

cargo-partner Solutions:

• North Europe Express: South China to Europe via Suez in 25 Days (click for PDF)

• Short Sea Solutions from and to Türkiye (click for PDF)

• Ocean Freight Management (click for PDF)

• Full end-to-end visibility with our Intelligent Container Tracking (click for PDF)

• ReSEAlience - Flexible options to deliver your ideal solution between Asia/Europe

• Rail Transport Solutions (click for more)

• Flexible Air Freight Solutions (click for more)