What moves your costs, your transit times and your cargo today.
The day in 30 seconds
- The United States has banned Canadian imports valued at $967 million from 29 September.
- The SCFI fell 1% to both US coasts, while Maersk will withdraw 4,000 TEU of weekly capacity.
- Panama will raise daily transits to 33 on 15 October and has already authorised a 14.94-metre draft.
- Hapag-Lloyd is using Suez on six Gemini services, although most of its network continues via the Cape.
- Mumbai is restricting freighters until June 2027, while Navi Mumbai faces start-up disruptions.
- Croatia has kept several crossings with Bosnia and Serbia closed, with two-hour waits at alternative border points.
- Rotterdam has lost four first-port connections but gained two as the last European port of call.
- Poland has opened an intermodal terminal in Zabrze, while Audi is testing automated loading of cars onto rail wagons.
⚖️ Tariffs and trade policy
United States bans $967 million in purchases from Canada
The figure: $967 million in Canadian imports, based on their 2025 value
Why it matters: The ban has been in force since 00:01 on 29 September and mainly affects alcoholic beverages, certain dairy products and motorcycles. European goods containing Canadian components or with Canadian origin may require confirmation of classification and origin before shipment: no Incoterm, including DDP, permits customs clearance of a product whose importation is prohibited.
- Alcoholic beverages account for approximately 87% of the affected trade.
- Certain dairy products, including whey, as well as motorcycles and mopeds, are also covered.
- Many tariff lines were already subject to a 50% duty, so the additional commercial impact may be limited.
What to watch: A bilateral negotiation could change the list, but Washington has not yet announced exemptions or a transition period.
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📊 Freight rates and market signals
SCFI falls 1% as Maersk withdraws 4,000 TEU
The figure: $7,463 per 40-foot container to the US West Coast and $10,497 to the US East Coast
Why it matters: Both routes fell 1% from 18 September, a modest signal consistent with the end of the peak season ahead of China's Golden Week. Under CFR and CIF, the seller contracts ocean transport; under FOB and FCA, the buyer does so, making October quotations relevant rather than assuming September levels will be extended.
- Maersk will withdraw its additional Transpacific Express service between Asia and the US West Coast in October.
- The withdrawal will remove 4,000 TEU of weekly capacity, limiting some of the downward pressure on freight rates.
- The planned tariff reduction between China and the United States is arriving too late to alter the current peak season.
What to watch: Blank sailings after Golden Week will determine whether the decline continues or stabilises as capacity is reduced.
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United States consolidates its bottlenecks in one dashboard
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics updated its federal logistics indicators dashboard on 29 September. The tool brings together ships at anchor and awaiting berths, rail dwell, truck speeds around Los Angeles-Long Beach and New York-New Jersey, spot rates and diesel prices.
Why it matters: It is not a single index and does not independently provide a market conclusion, but it makes it possible to assess whether a supplier-reported delay is local or part of a wider deterioration in the US supply chain.
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🚢 Ocean shipping
Hapag-Lloyd uses Suez on six Gemini services
Hapag-Lloyd confirms that its SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4, NE4 and IEX services currently transit the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The carrier stresses that every transit is subject to a security assessment and that most of its network remains diverted around the Cape of Good Hope.
Why it matters: The shorter transit does not yet apply to the entire network and does not guarantee the routing of each sailing. The routing of the specific vessel remains relevant before delivery dates are committed, particularly for onward connections or letters of credit with tight expiry dates.
What to watch: Hapag-Lloyd expects to include the next SE1 legs and AE12 as well, subject to naval protection and security review.
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⚓ Ports and congestion
Rotterdam loses four first-port deep-sea calls
The port performance dashboard shows 30 deep-sea connections with Rotterdam as the first European port of call, four fewer than a year earlier. Nine connections list it as the final export port, up two year on year; the port receives approximately 75 ocean-going vessels daily.
Why it matters: Fewer first calls may add days to certain imports when containers arrive after Antwerp, Hamburg or another European port. For exports, more final calls may reduce transshipments and provide more time to deliver containers before ocean departure.
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✈️ Air cargo
Mumbai's two airports face mounting restrictions
Mumbai's existing airport has suspended slots for dedicated freighters until June 2027 because of airside infrastructure works. Airlines are transferring operations to the new Navi Mumbai airport, where thirteen freighter services have committed to operate, but the start-up is generating congestion and delays.
Why it matters: Mumbai is an important export gateway for India's pharmaceutical, chemical, textile and industrial components sectors. Under CPT and CIP, the seller contracts the main carriage; under FCA, it is contracted by the buyer, making the airport, flight and handling time material before a delivery date is accepted.
What to watch: The development of effective handling capacity at Navi Mumbai, rather than only the number of announced services.
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🚛 Road transport
Croatia closes crossings with Bosnia and diverts heavy traffic
The Stara Gradiška-Gradiška crossing is closed in both directions due to bridge damage. Gunja-Brčko also remains closed, with traffic diverted through Županja-Orašje, while freight traffic is suspended at Tovarnik-Šid and must use Bajakovo.
Why it matters: Croatian authorities reported two-hour waits at Jasenovac and Svilaj on 29 September. Under DAP or DDP, the seller bears the transport and diversion costs to destination; under FCA, these normally fall to the buyer, making route and surcharge confirmation relevant for shipments to Bosnia, Serbia or the Balkans.
What to watch: The reopening of Stara Gradiška and truck accumulation at Bajakovo and Županja-Orašje.
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🚆 Rail transport
Audi automates the loading of cars onto rail wagons
Audi and Unikie have tested the automated loading and unloading of passenger cars onto rail wagons in Ingolstadt. The trial is part of the AutoLog project, alongside Volkswagen Group Logistics, Deutsche Telekom and logistics institute BIBA.
Why it matters: The system is intended to reduce manual movements and vehicle handovers between compounds, loading lanes and rail wagons. There is still no date for commercial deployment and no published data on time savings, productivity or damage reduction, so it remains an operational trial rather than additional capacity available to the market.
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🔀 Multimodal and logistics
Zabrze opens a new intermodal terminal in Silesia
CLIP has inaugurated the South Poland Terminal Zabrze on the site of the former Makoszowy coal mine. The facility has handling areas, rail tracks and infrastructure to transfer cargo between road and rail in southern Poland's industrial region.
Why it matters: Its location supports flows towards Central European corridors and the Polish ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście. CLIP has not published annual capacity, track length or storage area, so its actual effect on frequencies or space availability cannot yet be measured.
What to watch: The first regular services, their origins and destinations, and the commercial capacity ultimately offered by the operator.
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🌐 Trade routes and regional markets
Panama raises daily transits to 33 from October
The figure: 33 daily transits from 15 October and a 14.94-metre Neopanamax draft from now
Why it matters: The canal will add one daily Neopanamax slot to reach ten and maintain 33 total slots across both locks. The measure improves predictability between Asia and the US East Coast, but a vessel without a reservation remains exposed to an indefinite wait; a carrier's slot remains necessary before transit time is calculated.
- The maximum authorised draft at the Neopanamax locks rises immediately to 14.94 metres, equivalent to 49 feet.
- The expansion is supported by Gatún Lake's recovery and near-average rainfall in the basin.
- The Canal Authority maintains the reservation system as the only guarantee of a transit date.
What to watch: Rainfall and the level of Gatún Lake, as the Authority maintains its water deficit assessment and may adjust slots or draft again.
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Diego Carmona
Foreign trade and international transport consultant and trainer since 1991
If this is useful to you, I work on three fronts: CargoAnalytica (daily global trade intelligence), 13Global (a foreign trade training method) and SEOComex (SEO for companies in the sector).
