What moves your costs, your transit times and your cargo today.
Good morning. The weekend brings little new in terms of events, but several operational signals need to be factored into planning: less effective capacity, port-call changes and costs that are not falling at the same pace as congestion. The market remains more dependent on carrier decisions than on underlying demand.
THE DAY IN 30 SECONDS
- CBP has postponed until 20 January 2027 part of the new formal-entry requirements for postal shipments to the United States.
- Drewry reports increases of 3% to Rotterdam and 5% to Genoa as carriers cut Asia–Europe capacity.
- Maersk will reduce certain surcharges between the Middle East and West Africa by between $400 and $500 from 1 November.
- Maersk is withdrawing export coverage from Walvis Bay to Europe and North America, while retaining import traffic.
- Hapag-Lloyd is diverting MSC Meline imports scheduled for Genoa to Livorno and will reallocate exports to other vessels.
- London Gateway continues to suspend empty-container acceptance, redirecting returns to alternative depots subject to space availability.
- US full-truckload contracts being repriced are closing, on average, 13.11% above the previous rate.
- Airbus expects the global freighter fleet to grow 46% by 2045, mainly to replace older aircraft.
- Oregon will allocate $205 million to a rail connection linked to a potential new container port access route.
- AI adoption across 13 supply-chain functions averages 1.94 points out of five.
TODAY IN FIGURES
🚪 CUSTOMS
CBP postpones new formal postal entries until January
The figure: 20 January 2027, the new compliance date
Why it matters: exporters sending goods to the United States through the postal network gain three months to adapt data, systems and procedures. Some shipments will remain under informal entry, while others will require formal entry depending on their characteristics and applicable requirements.
- The extension covers goods subject to requirements from other US agencies, duties under Chapters 98 or 99, and certain tariff preferences.
- CBP will meanwhile retain the informal postal-entry procedure introduced in June for shipments worth up to $2,500.
- Declarants may comply early or, where applicable, use the voluntary electronic Entry Type 13 test launched on 22 September.
What to watch: the extension does not restore the de minimis exemption or alter the duties applicable to each product.
📊 FREIGHT RATES AND MARKET SIGNALS
Asia–Europe rates rise despite improving Chinese port conditions
Why it matters: shorter waits at origin are not yet translating into lower freight rates because carriers are withdrawing sailings. Reduced effective capacity increases the risk of rollovers and restricts shipment-date flexibility.
- Drewry’s composite WCI rose 2% during the week, supported by trans-Pacific and Asia–Europe routes.
- Shanghai–Rotterdam rose 3%, to $3,632 per FEU, while Shanghai–Genoa gained 5%, to $4,152.
- Average waiting time in Shanghai fell from 97 hours in week 38 to 38 hours in week 42.
What to watch: Drewry expects another slight increase on Asia–Europe if capacity cuts continue.
Maersk lowers Middle East–West Africa surcharge
The figure: $500 less per 20-foot container from 1 November
Maersk will reduce its Emergency Contingency Surcharge from Jebel Ali, Jordan, Sohar, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan to West Africa. The surcharge for a 20-foot dry container will fall from $2,450 to $1,950; that for a 40-foot container will decrease from $3,550 to $3,150.
Why it matters: this is a material reduction, although the residual surcharge remains high. Under CFR, CIF, CPT and CIP, the seller contracts the carriage; under FCA or FOB where the buyer arranges main carriage, the buyer bears the cost. Offers priced after 1 November will reflect the revised charge.
🚢 OCEAN SHIPPING
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