The sea freight market remains stable, with demand at seasonally normal levels and carriers continuing to manage capacity through blank sailings. Despite continued pressure on space, service reliability across major trade lanes is holding steady.
Blank Sailings
Carriers are continuing to implement blank sailings on Asia–Europe and Transpacific routes, with further cancellations announced for September. These measures are being used to align supply with seasonal demand, helping to balance capacity, though also keeping pressure on space and contributing to sustained higher freight rates.
Schedule Reliability
These capacity adjustments are resulting in some short-notice schedule changes. However, overall stability and reliability have improved as expected since the new alliances came into effect earlier this year. With the transition period behind us, we are seeing the expected benefits of more consistent services across major shipping lanes.
Peak Season
Looking ahead, the industry is approaching one of the annual spikes in demand, with China’s Golden Week holiday in early October. Volumes are expected to rise towards the end of September as businesses prepare for this period and meet retailers’ last opportunity to ship Christmas goods.
UK Ports
All UK ports are currently operating normally, including London Gateway, following the resolution of recent operational issues.
With blank sailings continuing into September, further schedule changes remain possible. We will keep you updated with any impacts to the movement of your cargo at the earliest opportunity.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your shipment, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team at 01376 533039 or email [email protected].
