The Loadstar

The Loadstar is fast becoming known at the highest levels of logistics and supply chain management as one of the best sources of influential analysis and commentary.


Friday, June 13, 2025
US Navy warship escorting Maersk ship
Shipping

Container Shipping Faces New Threats After Israeli Strikes on Iran

Commercial shipping in the Middle East may face a new threat after a wave of Israeli attacks against Iran’s military and nuclear leadership further

June 13, 2025
Total Views: 2099

Friday, June 6, 2025
Aerial view of a container ship
Shipping

Container Spot Rates Surge as June GRIs Kick In

Container spot freight rates on the transpacific and Asia-Europe trades saw a massive jump this week, as a series of 1 June general rate increases (GRIs) took

June 6, 2025
Total Views: 1245

Friday, May 23, 2025
Aerial top view of a containership underway
Shipping

Tariff Truce Spurs a Slow-Burn Surge in Transpacific Freight Rates

Container spot freight rates on the transpacific continued to trend upwards this week, albeit at a far gentler pace than last week’s GRI-induced double-digit

May 23, 2025
Total Views: 445

Thursday, May 22, 2025
The busy container port and natural scenery in Shanghai, China
Shipping

Warning Shot: GRIs Reveal Carrier Playbook Amid Tariff Rush

General rate increases (GRIs) give a “clear indication of ocean carrier intentions”, and raise alarm bells for their clients with long-term

May 22, 2025
Total Views: 553

Monday, May 19, 2025
A OOCL containership docks at the Port of Long Beach
Shipping

Transpacific Gridlock Looms Tariff Truce Triggers Freight Frenzy

Transpacific shippers keen to take advantage of the 90-day tariff time-out are likely to be faced with tight capacity and soaring freight rates as new volumes

May 19, 2025
Total Views: 847

Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Aerial top view of a containership underway
Shipping

Carriers Roll Out Rate Increases Amid US-China Tariff Pause

After the US and Chinese governments agreed to slash reciprocal tariffs, shipping lines are expecting an early peak season on the transpacific eastbound trade,

May 13, 2025
Total Views: 1650

Monday, May 12, 2025
E-Commerce Likely the Front-Runner in Resurge of Transpacific Trade After Deal
Shipping

E-Commerce Likely the Front-Runner in Resurge of Transpacific Trade After Deal

Trade flows – including ecommerce – are expected to restart on the transpacific after the initial new tariff agreement between the US and China. Talks

May 12, 2025
Total Views: 534

Friday, May 2, 2025
Aerial top view of a containership at port. Stock Photo: Shutterstock/Avigator Fortuner
Shipping

Blanked Sailings Buoy Spot Rates Amid Broad Market Slide

Spot rates across all the major east-west deepsea trades continued their downward descent this week, although it has become increasingly clear that widespread

May 2, 2025
Total Views: 799

Friday, April 25, 2025
Aerial view of a container ship
Shipping

Blank Sailings Cushion Fall for Container Spot Rates

Container freight spot rates maintained their downward trajectory this week, as tariff uncertainty continued to plague the transpacific market and demand

April 25, 2025
Total Views: 1129

Wednesday, April 23, 2025
A OOCL containership docks at the Port of Long Beach
Shipping

Trump’s China-Built Ship Fees Spark Chaos in Global Carrier Alliances

The USTR fees for China-built shipping threaten a “complete destabilisation” of the ocean alliances, as the carriers with box ships exempt from the

April 23, 2025
Total Views: 1635

Wednesday, March 26, 2025
HMM Takes Delivery of Its First Methanol-Powered Containership
Shipping

HMM Takes Delivery of Its First Methanol-Powered Containership

South Korean shipping line HMM has taken delivery of the HMM Green (above), the first in a series of nine 9,000 teu methanol-fuelled containerships being

March 26, 2025
Total Views: 1370

Tuesday, March 25, 2025
CMA CGM Iron docked in Singapore - stern view
Shipping

Despite Sourcing Shifts, ‘Don’t Write-off China’, Says CMA CGM CCO

China cannot be written off completely from supply chains, despite tension with the US and manufacturing shifts towards South-east Asia, according to CMA

March 25, 2025
Total Views: 1289

Friday, March 21, 2025
atlantic star
Shipping

USTR Tariff Could Scuttle ACL’s U.S. Operations, CEO Warns

Niche transatlantic carrier Atlantic Container Line (ACL) has warned it would have to exit the trade if the US Trade Representative (USTR) enforces its

March 21, 2025
Total Views: 2475

Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Southwest Washington-grown white wheat is loaded onto the M/V LIBERTY GLORY (Photo Credit - American Maritime Congress)
Shipping

U.S. Ag Exports Caught in the Crossfire as China Retaliates on Tariffs

Chinese retaliation to US tariffs will hit the “low-margin” agricultural sector the hardest, and White House officials haven’t grasped the full impact,

March 11, 2025
Total Views: 2200

Friday, March 7, 2025
Aerial view of a container terminal
Shipping

Asia-Europe Container Spot Rates Find a Floor—For Now

This week’s FAK rate hikes introduced by carriers on the Asia-Europe trades managed to arrest 13 weeks of successive spot freight rate

March 7, 2025
Total Views: 81

Monday, March 3, 2025
The LNG-powered containership, the CMA CGM, on the river Elbe near the city of Hamburg, Germany, February 14, 2021. Photo: FrankHH / Shutterstock.com
News

CMA CGM Posts ‘Solid’ 2024 Results, But Sees Choppy Waters Ahead

CMA CGM Group posted 2024 results broadly similar to those of AP Møller Maersk (APMM), but warned of a difficult year to come. As usual, however, the French

March 3, 2025
Total Views: 29

Monday, February 24, 2025
Stock image of an MSC containership
Shipbuilding

MSC’s Record-Breaking Orderbook Sails Past 2M TEUs

MSC has returned to Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard for up to eight 21,700 teu LNG dual-fuelled ships, as the Swiss-Italian carrier consolidates its

February 24, 2025
Total Views: 1047

Friday, February 21, 2025
Aerial view of a container ship
Shipping

Shipping’s Price War: Spot Rates Slide as Carriers Battle for Cargo

Container spot freight rates on the major east-west liner trades experienced another week of decline, as slack demand continued to depress

February 21, 2025
Total Views: 1169

Friday, February 14, 2025
The Ever Max ready to transit the Panama Canal. Photo courtesy Panama Canal Authority
Shipbuilding

Evergreen Expands Fleet with $3B Order for 24,000 TEU Behemoths

Evergreen is to spend more than $3bn on another series of 24,000 teu ultra-large

February 14, 2025
Total Views: 962

Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Aerial view of a container ship
Shipping

Ocean Carriers Scramble as GRIs Hit a Wall

Blanked sailings and general rate increases (GRIs) have failed to arrest the drop in Asia-North Europe freight rates, with slot utilisation less than 95% amid

February 11, 2025
Total Views: 980