North Europe News

Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst:“The recent tariff ruling by the US Supreme Court will have knock-on impacts for ocean container shipping, but this will be nuanced and unlikely to cause a huge increase in frontloading demand, even though tariffs on some Chinese manufactured goods are lower today than a week ago.“The court ruling and political fallout actually increase uncertainty for many shippers. The TPM industry conference taking place in Long Beach next week is traditionally when long term freight contracts are negotiated…

“Average spot rates are down this week across all main fronthaul trades out of the Far East. From Far East to US West Coast and US East Coast, it is a textbook market development with falling spot rates coinciding with a slight uptick in offered capacity,” said Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst.“It is a different story from Far East to North Europe where offered capacity has decreased week-on-week but spot rates continue to fall. This suggests an even weaker market on this trade.“2026 is expected to be a year defined by overcapacity in container shipping…

Two vessels from CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping line, have travelled through the Suez Canal, the authority that runs the waterway said on Tuesday, in a sign the disruptions linked to the Gaza war could be easing.While the Suez Canal provides the fastest link between Asia and Europe, since November 2023, shipping companies have had to take much longer routes because Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants attacked commercial vessels, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians during warfare in Gaza.CMA CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Major carrier CMA CGM has announced its INDAMEX service will transit Suez Canal on fronthaul and backhaul voyages between India/Pakistan and US East Coast in a notable step towards a largescale return of container ships to the Red Sea region.The first vessel to complete a full service loop via Suez Canal will be CMA CGM Verdi, sailing from Karachi to New York on 15 January. eeSea by Xeneta data shows voyages via Suez Canal rather than Cape of Good Hope reduces full loop transit time on this service by two weeks…

Houthi militia have reportedly ceased attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea, and the impact could be seismic for global ocean container shipping, warns Chief Analyst Peter Sand at Xeneta. However, an immediate largescale return to the region will require a series of further assurances.“Details are sketchy, and you cannot base the safety of crews, ships and cargo on the word of Houthi militia. Carriers need far more assurance than that and, perhaps more importantly, so do insurance companies…

“During the first seven months of 2025, Nigeria’s seaborne imports of clean petroleum products (CPP) declined by 39% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 230 thousand barrels per day (kbpd). The decrease follows a 19% reduction during 2024,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The reduction in imports is due to the start of operations at the 650 kbpd capacity Dangote refinery early last year. By June 2025, the refinery’s output had reached 550 kbpd, as reported by company officials.“Imports from Northern Europe have reduced the most.

During the first seven months of 2025, Nigeria’s seaborne imports of clean petroleum products (CPP) declined by 39% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 230 thousand barrels per day (kbpd). The decrease follows a 19% reduction during 2024.The reduction in imports is due to the start of operations at the 650 kbpd capacity Dangote refinery early last year. By June 2025, the refinery’s output had reached 550 kbpd, as reported by company officials.“Imports from Northern Europe have reduced the most.

Latest data from Xeneta, an ocean and air freight intelligence platform, shows average spot rates from China to the US West Coast are down 59% since June 1, 2025, at USD 2 268 per FEU (40ft container). Rates have also plummeted into the US East Coast, down 43% to USD 3 796 per FEU in the same period.Average spot rates from North Europe to US East Coast are USD 2 000 per FEU, down a gentler 5% since June 1, 2025, but a more considerable 25% compared to January 1 of this year.“US…

Market average spot rates – July 8, 2025:Far East to US West Coast: USD 2673 per FEU (40ft container)Far East to US East Coast: USD 5151 per FEUFar East to North Europe: USD 3393 per FEUFar East to Mediterranean: USD 4197 per FEUNorth Europe to US East Coast: USD 1992 per FEUMarket average on the Transpacific trade from Far East to US West Coast accelerated its decline in the early days of July, down 18% from end-June and falling below the level seen in second half of May. With carriers now deploying more capacity above the level required to meet shippers’ demand…

X-Press Feeders Group, the world’s largest independent common carrier, has signed two agreements with COSCO SHIPPING Lines, one of the world’s largest mainline operators, to expand network coverage, strengthen mainline-feeder coordination and improve service reliability.The agreements were signed by Francis Goh, Chief Operating Officer of X-Press Feeders Group and Irene Cheng Jin, Deputy Managing Director of COSCO SHIPPING Lines on June 18, 2025. Under the partnership agreement…

Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst, shared insights following the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict.“Geo-politics is once again threatening the safety and stability of global supply chains so we must hope for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, with concerns it could see a de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a vital entry point for container ships calling at ports such as Jebel Ali and the wider Arabian Gulf region," said Sand.“Any closure of the Strait of Hormuz would see services re-routed…

The prospect of a large scale return of container ships to the Red Sea following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Houthi militia in Yemen would flood the market with shipping capacity and cause a global collapse in freight rates, but the situation remains far from certain.Data released by Xeneta, an ocean and air freight intelligence platform, shows global TEU-mile demand would decrease 6% if container ships begin sailing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal again…

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has announced that the Premier Alliance Agreement (No. 201435) can take effect on February 9, 2025.The Premier Alliance is replacing THE Alliance, but does not include Hapag-Lloyd which instead entered the Gemini Cooperation with Maersk.The new arrangement allows Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Yang Ming to share vessels on trade lines between the United States and Asia, the Middle East and Europe.The cooperation is comprised of mainline services across the major East – West Tradelines: Asia – North America West Coast…

Middle East ceasefire and Lunar New Year will see ocean container freight rates fall further in February - with carriers now taking action to slow the market decline.Latest data from Xeneta – an ocean and air freight intelligence platform – shows average spot rates from the Far East stand at USD 3 795 per FEU (40ft container) into North Europe and USD 5 085 per FEU into the Mediterranean – down 22% and 13% respectively since 1 January.Early data suggests spot rates will fall further on 1 February…

DEME has secured two contracts, valued at over $300 million, for the transport and installation of 112 foundations at the Nordlicht 1 and 2 offshore wind farms in Germany, as well as providing scour protection for the projects.DEME will install 68 foundations and scour protection at Nordlicht 1 in 2026, followed by 44 foundations and scour protection at Nordlicht 2 in the following year.Several vessels will be deployed including DEME’s offshore installation vessel Orion, a jack-up vessel and a fallpipe vessel for the scour protection.The Nordlicht wind farm zone…

Strikes at ports on the US East Coast and Gulf Coast, which would have caused an economic and supply chain crisis, have been called off – with ocean container freight rate growth now expected to slow or fall.The strikes were set to begin on 15 January and would have forced the closure of ports from Maine to Texas. This has now been averted after a tentative agreement over a new six-year master contract was reached between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents port workers…

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has opened a 15-day comment period for members of the public to comment in response to a newly filed vessel sharing agreement between Ocean Network Express (ONE), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Yang Ming Marine Transportation (Yang Ming).ONE, HMM and Yang Ming are parties to THE Alliance Agreement (No. 012439) that is currently in effect.The five-year agreement, titled the Premier Alliance Agreement, authorizes the three ocean common carriers to share vessels…

Ocean container carriers are desperately trying to push spot freight rates up in early November to halt the market decline and strengthen their hand during negotiations with European shippers for new long-term contracts.Latest data from Xeneta’s ocean and air freight rate intelligence platform shows average spot rates on the major fronthaul trades from the Far East to North Europe and the Mediterranean are set to increase on November 1 between 15-25%.Average spot rates currently stand at 3 390 per FEU (40ft container) into North Europe and $3…

The ongoing impact of conflict in the Red Sea, spiraling freight rates and congestion across global ocean container supply chains resulted in record high carbon emissions from the ocean container shipping industry in Q3.The Xeneta and Marine Benchmark Carbon Emissions Index (CEI), which measures carbon emissions across Xeneta’s top 13 ocean container shipping trades, hit 107.9 points in Q3 – the highest on record and up 12.2% compared to a year ago before the Red Sea crisis.The CEI is based on Q1 2018…

“During the first nine months of 2024, seaborne shipments of jet fuel increased 11% over 2023," said Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO. "Shipments were equivalent to 461 million barrels or 1.7 million barrels per day (mbpd). At the same time, airline passenger traffic measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) exceeded 2019 levels for the first time since COVID,”Airline cargo traffic recovered quickly after the COVID pandemic hit in 2020 and has since remained mostly within +/-10% of 2019 levels.

“Year-to-date, Guyana’s oil exports have jumped to 598 thousand barrels per day (kbpd), a 58% year-on-year increase, adding to the growth achieved in previous years. Over the past three years, the average annual growth rate has hit 76%,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.ExxonMobil first started producing from the Liza field in the Starbroek Block in late 2019. Since then, the operation in the Liza field has been expanded and production in the Payara field added.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Tuesday has gone ahead with strike action at U.S. ports from Maine to Texas and accused ocean container carriers of ‘gouging customers’.The ILA confirmed the strike in an announcement yesterday, Monday, while at the same time claiming ocean container carriers are now charging $30,000 per container in a ‘whopping increase from $6,000 just a few weeks ago’.Xeneta data – which is based on more than 450 million crowdsourced datapoints – shows the ILA claim is misleading. Average spot rates on the major fronthaul from the Far East to U.S.

Ocean container shipping demand from China to North America and North Europe continued to break records in June, but the latest data from Xeneta indicates it may now have peaked.The June highs came as importers rushed to protect supply chains amid the global disruption caused by conflict in the Red Sea.The latest data, released this week, shows 800,000 TEU were shipped from China to North Europe in June, which is the highest ever monthly figure on this trade (Source: Xeneta, Container Trades Statistics).While the trade from China to North America did not set a new all-time high…