News

Fracht Australia Logistics News - September 2025

1/9/2025

 AROUND THE WORLD 

• SEALEAD TONNAGE SANCTIONED BY US. Some 20 containerships operated by SeaLead have been sanctioned by the United States, in line with restrictions placed on dozens of owners, operators, managers and associates deemed to have Iranian involvement. The company, recently rated as the fastest growing shipping line at the India Maritime Awards and is listed as the world’s Number 13 container line by ASX / Alphaliner, charters all but two of its 53 vessels and has none on order. The US Office of Foreign Asset Control added 62 vessels to the sanctions list for shipping Iranian oil, gas, missiles, drone components and dual-use goods, along with 12 individuals and over 70 ship management and front companies worldwide.
• CHINESE CARRIERS REJIG SCHEDULES to avoid US port calls as fees loom. Chinese carriers appear to be adjusting their services to get ahead of the October financial penalties for domestic-built, -operated, or -owned vessels calling at US ports. From 14 October, these ships face a USD50 per net tonne fee; while Chinese-built vessels operated by non-Chinese carriers must pay USD33 per tonne or USD250 per container, whichever is higher.
• HÖEGH AUTOLINERS HAS INCREASED SHORT-TERM CHARTERED CAPACITY to meet contractual demands, support cargo strategy and mitigate reduced network efficiency. The moves come against a continuing backdrop of uncertainty for global auto trades, thanks to the Trump administration effectively over-ruling previous tariff announcements regarding imported vehicles by striking new bi-lateral arrangements.
• CARGO BACKLOG CLEARED after teething troubles at new Schiphol hub. Air cargo handler dnata is seeing an improvement after the “operational challenges and service disruptions” that followed its move into a new USD70m state-of-the-art centre at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport this summer. “The resulting cargo backlog has been cleared and customers have been advised that shipments are ready for collection,” a spokesperson for the Dubai-based operator told The Loadstar.
• ZIM IS REROUTING ITS VESSELS away from Turkish ports following the government in Ankara’s prohibition on port calls by Israel-linked vessels. The carrier’s local agent warned that “vessels owned, managed or operated by an entity related to Israel”, and any ship carrying Israel-destined military cargo, would no longer be permitted entrance to Turkish gateways.

 SEAFREIGHT NEWS 

• JAPAN AND KOREA ADDED TO STINK BUG RISK COUNTRIES. North Asian nations Japan and Korea have been added to the list of “emerging risk” countries for the dreaded brown marmorated stink bug. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has just released a notice with measures for the 2025-26 BMSB season. Key points were: Addition of Republic of Korea and Japan to the emerging risk countries list / Target high risk goods arriving as airfreight from United States of America and China will be subject to random inspections / Addition of a NEW offshore BMSB treatment option Ethyl Formate / New application process for the BMSB in-transit and rolled policy. According to DAFF, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and South Korea were now identified as emerging risk countries, with random inspections applying to goods shipped from these nations between 1 September 2025 and 30 April 2026.
• CMA CGM Q2 Stable in an uncertain environment. CMA CGM’s second quarter has seen a decline in shipping results year-on-year, most notably in EBITDA, but the broader Group results were stable. Releasing 1H/Q2 2025 results recently the Group said the first half of the year was heavily marked by geopolitical conflicts and trade tensions, particularly between the United States and its main trading partners. In the second quarter of 2025, revenue amounted to USD13.2 billion, in line with the second quarter of 2024. EBITDA reached USD2.3 billion, representing a limited decrease of 7.9% compared to the previous year. The margin stood at 17.3%, down 1.5 percentage points.
• ANL CONTAINER LINE will launch a brand-new service connecting North Asia, Papua New Guinea and Queensland. Dubbed APR 2, the fortnightly service will utilise 3 x 1,700 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) vessels with the first sailing to be San Giorgio from Qingdao on 12 September. APR 2’s full rotation is Qingdao, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Lae, Motukea (Port Moresby), Brisbane, Gladstone, Townsville, Qingdao and transhipment via the Westpac service will provide links to the Solomons (Honiara) and Vanuatu (Vila and Santo). Noumea will be served by transhipment over Brisbane to the ANZ Shuttle.
• MAERSK HAS RAISED its full-year profit expectations after a second quarter that saw revenue growth of 2.8% and EBI reaching USD845 million. AP Moller-Maersk said that while down “sequentially” the 2Q results were in line with the previous year despite significant geopolitical uncertainty and continued rate pressure, driven by continued strong results in Terminals, volume growth in Ocean and increased profitability in Logistics & Services. Maersk has raised its full-year 2025 financial guidance for EBIT from between USD0.0 billion to 0.3 billion to between USD2.0 billion to 3.5 billion.
• MAERSK LINE IS NOW RESTORING seasonal Victorian calls northbound on its New Zealand-South East Asia Southern Star service. Dubbed Melbourne Star by the carrier, the service was implemented last year on a fortnightly basis and nominally extended through until the end of September, but ships continued to call on an ad hoc basis, including twice in December.
• SOUTH KOREAN SHIPPING LINE HMM has reported a profitable first half of the year, “despite trade headwinds” – but its Q2 numbers tell a different story. The flagship carrier’s revenue for H1 was KRW5.48bn (USD3.97bn), giving it a net profit of KRW1.21bn (USD879m) and an operating profit of KRW 847bn (USD614m), resulting in an operating margin of 15.5%. Revenue was up 9.1% on H1 24 and net profit rose 5.7%, but operating profit was down 19.4% year on year.
• HAPAG–LLOYD POSTED H1 NUMBERS that included reduced profits, but the carrier remained bullish its growth could continue to outpace the market. The German liner went with: “Solid half-year results in a volatile market.” Group EBITDA for H1 25 was USD1.9bn, down USD45m on H1 24, while EBIT fell to USD677m from USD879m. Hapag’s liner revenue increased, to USD10.4bn, across the first six months, which it attributed largely to an 11% increase in volume, to 6.7m TEU.
• MSC WILL EXPAND its China-Australia Koala service by adding weekly Melbourne calls from the end of September. Koala was launched in late October last year, initially calling Shanghai, Shekou, Jakarta, Fremantle and return. Hong Kong later replaced Shekou and in January this year Port Adelaide was added, along with northbound Jakarta calls. The new rotation will be Shanghai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Jakarta, Shanghai, with an extra ship to be added to the service.
• OOCL BOOMS IN FIRST HALF. Hong Kong-headquartered Orient Overseas International Holdings has reported a strong first half for 2025, driven by significant gains for OOCL, and says the Group financial position remains one of the most robust in the industry. 1H Group revenue reached USD4,876 million (1H 2024 USD4,646 million); Group EBIT was USD985 million (1H 2024 USD840.5 million) and Group EBITDA was USD 1,466 million (1H 2024 USD1.278 million). The Container Transport and Logistics business reported EBIT of USD 977 million (1H 2024 USD878 million) representing an EBIT margin of approximately 20.1%. Liner liftings grew to 3.9 million TEU in 1H 2025, from 3.67 million TEU in 1H 2024. 

AIRFREIGHT NEWS 

• AIR FREIGHT RATES HOLD STEADY, thanks to capacity management by carriers, but the downward trend in demand could trigger a drop in prices. Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, explained that tariff deadlines “may have contributed to the moderate increase in global air cargo volumes in July”. Mr Levine said stable rates could be an indication of shrewd capacity management from airlines. “Capacity shifts away from lanes with easing demand on to trades with increasing volumes have kept rates stable overall, but lower compared to last year,” he said.
• AIR CARGO DEMAND FROM APAC TO US PICKS UP. Volumes between Asia Pacific and the US showed signs of life in recent weeks, while from Europe, figures have weakened, potentially a sign of volumes rebalancing as a result of the US finalising more tariff arrangements. In addition, demand from China to the US increased by 5% year on year in week 32 - the first increase compared with last year since mid-April. In contrast, export tonnage from Asia Pacific to Europe has now declined for four weeks in a row, led by declines from China, South Korea and Indonesia.
• AIR CANADA has gradually restarted its operations after a strike, which put around 75% or more of air cargo volumes at risk of disruption and delays, was brought to an end. The airline's operations have been grounded since 16 August, but in a press release from 19 August, Air Canada said it would restart operations after reaching a mediated agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. Mediation discussions were begun on the basis that the union commit to have the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work, said Air Canada in a press release.
• RUSSIAN AIR CARGO-CARRIER VOLGA-DNEPR looks likely to end the year in the hands of the state, with suggestions that owner Alexei Isaykin made the decision give up the company to mitigate any penalty emerging from a lawsuit from the prosecutor general. Reports began to circulate in the media recently that Mr Isaykin had told employees of a probable transfer during celebrations for the carrier’s 35th birthday. Not only contending with a loss of volumes from being shut out of the western world for more than three and a half years, it has also struggled against an increase in competition from Chinese airlines, and there are suggestions the airline is now in “systemic crisis”. Last year’s figures noted a year-on-year decline of 7% in carryings, to 202,000 tonnes.
• KOREAN AIR has committed to purchasing eight 777-8 freighters from Boeing after the aircraft manufacturer recently started production on the new generation cargo aircraft model. Boeing recently started production on the 777-8F by drilling the first hole into a wing spar as it works towards the first aircraft delivery in 2028. Korean Air also intends to purchase 20 777-9s, 25 787-10s and 50 737-10s. "This agreement with our long-standing partners, Boeing and GE, marks a pivotal moment for Korean Air," said Walter Cho, chairman and chief executive of Korean Air.
• CHINA’S E-COMMERCE VOLUMES shift to Europe. E-commerce volumes from China to the US have decreased, while volumes from China to Europe have increased, new research has found. For the period May-July, the US received 15% of China’s e-commerce exports. This is down 16% from the same period last year, shows data from supply chain consultancy firm, Aevean. E-commerce volumes have shifted to Europe. The region received 27% of exports from May-July, up 6% year on year. 

OCEANIA PORTS AND AIRPORTS 

• PORTS VICTORIA will know much more of the minutiae of vessel movements in its waters after awarding OMC International a contract for detailed data analysis. OMC has won the tender for the provision of AIS Big Data Analytics services and will supply its TransitAnalyst platform which will support Ports Victoria’s data analysis capabilities, enhancing port efficiency and navigational safety. OMC says TransitAnalyst enables Ports Victoria to gain valuable insights into vessel movements within port waters via AI-enhanced analysis of every transit - including route, swept path, speeds, and rates of turn.
• CONSENT FOR AUCKLAND WHARF ADDITIONS. Port of Auckland (PoA) has jumped a hurdle in its plan to build one new berth and extend another, receiving provisional approval under a fast-track consent process. The major project involves the construction of a new cruise and ro-ro (roll on / roll off) berth, Bledisloe North Wharf, to accommodate larger cruise ships and maintain a second vehicle berth after the likely sale of one of the existing facilities, Captain Cook Wharf, to the Auckland Council for public use. The second project will see the extension of Fergusson North (container) Wharf decking to enable ship-to-shore gantries to service vessels of up to 10,000 TEU.
• WELLINGTON WINS ANOTHER CUSTOMER as it has has secured another trans-Tasman caller, with COSCO Shipping and OOCL’s joint ANE/ANS service to add a weekly visit from 19 September. Commencing from v 014E of the COSCO-chartered 1,728 TEU Celandine, departing Melbourne 4 September, the ANE/ANS service port rotation will be Melbourne, Bell Bay, Port Botany, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Melbourne. Celandine will be followed by the other service regulars, the 1,102 TEU Pride C (OOCL) and the 1,819 TEU ESL Winner (COSCO).
• MELBOURNE INTERMODAL TERMINAL gears up with more RMGs. Another shipment of rail-mounted gantries for the Melbourne Intermodal Terminal at Somerton arrived in Melbourne, just as erection of the first two units was completed on-site. The AUD400 million MIT is being developed by the Aware Super-backed Intermodal Terminal Company in two stages: the first phase involves delivery of the 15-hectare Inner Terminal which will initially be serviced by four RMGs. To accommodate future TEU growth at the MIT, the Inner Terminal has been designed to include a total of six of the cranes. Construction of Phase One of MIT (1 million TEU per annum) is now 90% complete, with operations due to begin in October. Phase Two will see that number doubled. 

CUSTOMER SERVICE 

If you would like further information about any of the above items, please contact one of our friendly Fracht Team members at fracht@frachtsyd.com.au