Relief at U.S. ports, but global disruptions peep elevated rates.
Averted port strike and new alliances lead the charge for the year ahead.
Will shippers sink or swim as they brace for tariff storms and port gridlocks in 2025?
After brief disruptions at major U.S. ports, volatility is expected to continue with excess capacity, blank sailings and post-election rush.
The closure of U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports lasted just a few days, but knock-on effects on service reliability are expected.
With the U.S. East Coast strikes called off, vessels are starting to resume their rotation schedules.
Even as port congestions ease, shippers need to stay prepared for a complicated peak shipping season outlook.
Container shipping networks are now under severe pressure with rising rates, box shortages and mounting port congestion all pointing to a Q3 crunch.
Container shipping markets have stabilized, for now at least. But change is coming, not least because the alliance system is being remade.
With the Suez Canal effectively out of bounds for container shipping, it is not only the Asia-Europe trade that has been thrown into disarray.
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