This week’s News in Brief tracks a fragile balance across global shipping. Fresh investment into CMA CGM’s terminal portfolio highlights carriers’ long-term bets, just as renewed Houthi threats underline how uncertain a return to the Suez Canal remains and why Cape of Good Hope routings are still propping up today’s capacity balance.

Weather disruption across Europe and the US adds another layer of pressure, while earnings updates from UPS and others reveal the ongoing fallout from restructuring, fleet changes and weakening demand.

Gavin van Marle unpacks the latest spot rate movements as the pre–Chinese New Year rush fades and carriers begin discounting to fill ships.

Alex Lennane brings updates from air freight and overland transport, including storm impacts, aircraft retirements and fresh questions around rail consolidation in North America. Plus, a look at one of the few bright spots of the week: a new EU–India trade agreement that could signal a rare shift towards freer trade.

From Red Sea risk to rate wars, this episode lays out what matters now and what to watch next.

In this week’s episode, The Loadstar team explores mounting pressure across shipping, logistics tech and inland transport.  

As talk of a return to the Suez Canal continues to swing back and forth, carriers, ports and insurers are all weighing up the risks and potential fallout once mass transits resume. Gavin van Marle unpacks what a Suez comeback could mean for North European and Mediterranean ports. 

Alex Lennane joins to take a deeper look at forwarders rethinking their reliance on CargoWise after its controversial pricing overhaul. Are there real alternatives - or is WiseTech’s grip on the market as tight as it seems?  

They also examine fresh hurdles facing Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s proposed rail merger, after regulators rejected their initial submission, and what that means for overland freight in the US. 

Plus, updates on FedEx’s LTL spin-off, early signs of a “reckoning” for ocean carriers amid excess capacity, first glimpses of alliance networks for 2026, and the latest movements in ocean and air freight rates. 

From software shockwaves to shifting trade routes, this episode connects the dots across a fast-changing logistics landscape. 

This week on the Loadstar News in Brief, Charlotte Goldstone is joined by Alex Lennane and Gavin van Marle to break down a packed week in global supply chain news.

From cooling container spot rates and firmer air cargo pricing to the latest twists in the US tariff saga, we examine what’s really driving the market right now. The team also discusses growing signals of a return to the Suez Canal, airline M&A activity, and why geopolitical uncertainty continues to loom large over freight decisions.

Plus, the team give insights from the BIFA Freight Service Awards and a look at what’s coming up in the week ahead!

2026 gets off to a chilly start for global supply chains. Europe’s major ports are hit by snow and ice, disrupting terminal operations and road and rail links. Meanwhile, carriers are pressing ahead with fresh terminal investments, and Cosco is quietly expanding its hinterland ambitions.

Gavin van Marle breaks down what’s happening on the ocean side as carriers front-load capacity ahead of Chinese New Year and rates settle after the festive period. Alex Lennane joins with a full airfreight reset, as seasonality returns, capacity shifts sharply and shippers weigh whether softening ocean rates could trigger a modal shift away from air.

We also revisit the CargoWise pricing shake-up as the first invoices land and confusion grows, plus an update on the controversial US mega rail merger and what it could mean for inland transport.
From winter disruption to strategic repositioning, this episode sets the tone for the year ahead in freight.

Join The Loadstar team as they round up the hot topics of 2025 and look forward to what might be coming up in 2026.  

They detail what one word and song they would use to summarise this year’s antics, plus their winners and losers of all that has transpired in the last 12 months.  

This podcast recaps forwarding woes and wins, carrier ambitions, ship fires, AI, ecommerce, trade shifts and much much more. Plus, each of The Loadstar journalists give their bold prediction on what to look out for next year. 

So, sit back and relax as we remind you of all the major events that shaped supply-chains in 2025.  

Coming up in this episode: container volumes are rising but prices are still falling, so what’s really driving the disconnect between demand and rates? We look at fresh CTS data, the role of China in reshaping freight buying behaviour, and why overcapacity isn’t showing up where you might expect.

We’ll also unpack new ecommerce handling fees being introduced in parts of Europe and why the air cargo industry says they risk distorting established trade flows. Alex Lennane brings the latest on whether the so-called air cargo “mini-peak” still has legs and why AI shipments could become one of the highest-yield cargoes heading into 2026.

Plus, pressure is mounting on ZIM’s board as shareholders push for change, WiseTech faces growing backlash over its new CargoWise pricing model, and we look at what a potential US tariff “vacuum” could mean for transpacific trade.

Join The Loadstar's journalists as they analyse all that, plus rates, geopolitics and forwarder fallout.

After weeks of disruption, Southeast Asia’s ports are slowly reopening following historic floods - but delays and backlogs still plague regional supply chains. In more positive news, seafarers from the MV Eternity C have finally been released, and carriers are starting to eye a return to the Suez Canal, with the Ocean Alliance restarting transits and CMA CGM signalling confidence with naval escorts and new services. 

Meanwhile in the US, importers like Costco are racing to file refund claims ahead of a potential Supreme Court ruling that could overturn tariffs, raising the prospect of a lengthy and chaotic reimbursement process. And in the tech world, WiseTech’s surprise CargoWise overhaul has triggered industry outcry, with logistics providers accusing the software giant of rolling out major changes without warning right at the height of peak season. 

Charlotte Goldstone, Gavin van Marle and Alex Lennane bring you the week’s essential freight headlines in one short and snappy podcast.  

This week’s episode dives into the growing contrasts across global freight. In ocean shipping, Maersk has pushed back against claims of an imminent Suez Canal return — despite pressure from the Suez Canal Authority — leaving carriers and insurers guessing when routes might reopen.  

Meanwhile, strikes in Belgium, ship fires in US ports, and record-low scrapping levels add to Europe’s congestion woes, as MSC piles on more transatlantic tonnage and Hapag-Lloyd invests in new feeder vessels. 

Gavin van Marle unpacks the latest on ocean rates and why carriers are still betting big on capacity despite falling demand, while Alex Lennane brings updates from the air, from the return of UPS and USPS’s final-mile partnership to fears that the UK’s de minimis delay could turn it into an ecommerce “dumping ground”. 

Plus, with Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday driving a short-lived “mini peak”, we look at how global airfreight demand is holding up, how Asia is powering through flooding disruptions, and whether Western Global’s struggles could mark the end of the MD-11 era. 

It’s a busy week across air, sea and logistics — and this episode connects all the dots. 

In this episode of The Loadstar Podcast we take you inside one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving regions in global trade: Africa.

Host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone is joined by Mohammed Akoojee CEO & MD of DP World Sub-Saharan Africa. Together, they unpack why Africa is emerging as one of the most important players in global logistics and what still needs to happen to unlock its full potential.

Mr Akoojee reveals why Africa’s role in global trade is accelerating, the critical role infrastructure plays and where DP World is investing billions to aid Africa's logistics boom and benefit local communities.

He also explains why intra-African trade lags behind cross-border trade in Europe and what is needed to drive this, plus gives listeners a glimpse into what the future of Africa's trade could look like once the Red Sea crisis and trade wars are resolved. 

So, if you're curious about the rise of new consumer markets and how better logistics can transform a continent, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

In this episode of News in Brief, The Loadstar team delves into the latest developments in the world of tariffs and refund issues, rail mergers, ecommerce and ocean rate dynamics. 

In under 20 minutes, our award-winning journalists provide insights into how these topics - and many more -  could affect supply chains and consumer prices. 

So, tune in now for a comprehensive overview of the week's most significant shifts, and to hear what to keep an eye on for the week ahead! 

All the stories mentioned in this episode can be found on The Loadstar's website.