Lower volumes in December and a slight slip in spot rates in January suggest the heavy demand keeping Asia-Europe logistics chains and equipment availability under pressure are beginning to moderate.

Shippers of air cargo will face capacity constraints for the rest of 2021, and global forwarders are having to grow their controlled networks to cater to the steady demand.

Hapag-Lloyd has found that stocking up on boxes cannot alone ease the severe equipment pressure that has built on the major trades out of Asia.

Ocean Network Express expects to ride a wave of profitability through the first quarter of 2021 and beyond, driven by a strong recovery in demand on the trans-Pacific and Asia–Europe trades.

German line Hapag-Lloyd on Wednesday said its pre-tax earnings jumped 30 percent year over year in 2020, the latest evidence that container carriers are headed for their most profitable year in at least a decade.

In a 2020 disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the on-time performance of container carriers on the major east-west trades deteriorated to its lowest-ever level and then got even worse.

Importers of higher-value cargo from Asia have been better able to withstand higher spot rates, forcing some shippers of lower-value cargo out of the market completely.

The long-standing connections between CMA CGM and Yilport were again on display with the carrier’s former ports and terminals division head joining the Turkish port operator.

US imports from Europe have been rising steadily since August, with the trans-Atlantic so far able to shrug off the severe disruption experienced on the trades out of Asia.

Shippers sending goods across the English Channel will only have their cargo accepted by DB Schenker if all customs information is correct.

The never ending peak season demand on major trades out of Asia has placed unseasonal demands on carriers and container terminals in the region, with increasing numbers of containers being rolled at the regional hubs.

A rebound in container volume at the port of Antwerp came in the second half, when Europe’s unexpectedly strong recovery kept ships full and terminals busy from July for the rest of the year.

A fourth quarter operational update from OOCL gives the first glimpse of what to expect from carriers as they head for a highly profitable year.

The China-Europe rail network is creaking under the same space and equipment shortages, and soaring rate levels, that are disrupting air and ocean markets.

New customs formalities came into effect on Jan. 1, when the Brexit transition period ended and the UK effectively became a “third country,” but DB Schenker says incomplete documentation was creating significant delays.

With most feeder services in the Pearl River Delta currently suspended, the movement of containers to and from Hong Kong and Shenzhen is being severely disrupted.

All Kuehne + Nagel cargo on the air freight trade lane between Amsterdam and Los Angeles will be carried by aircraft flying on sustainable aviation fuel.

A growing number of forwarders are taking the bold step of chartering ships as a way to directly control shipping capacity and provide more reliable services.

With importers of lower-value cargo in the EU unwilling to pay record rates, some factories in China will close early and delay the shipping until after the holidays.

Trans-Pacific air cargo rates maintained their upward track into the New Year, and even though prices fell slightly on the other east-west trades, global volume growth has continued.

Frustrated shippers and forwarders want European competition authorities to take action against what they have labeled market distorting practices by container carriers.

This would be the fourth attempt at an IPO from Zim since 2008, but the carrier will go to the market this time riding a wave of record profits for the company.

Shippers on Asia-Europe ocean trades can expect elevated rate levels and limited vessel space well into the first quarter as demand and restocking fills all available capacity.