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It’s possible freight rates from Asia could reach new record highs. I know it’s not what U.S. importers like to hear, but freight rates are way up from Asia right now due to a number [...]
Freight Rates behave differently this decade than they did through previous periods. The prices shippers pay climb, even skyrocket, seemingly with every disruptive event. But freight rates [...]
This is a guest post by Daniel Mercer. Tariff changes can alter import costs very quickly. That can affect margins and pricing decisions. It can also change sourcing plans and inventory levels. [...]
This peak season was supposed to fizzle out early, supposing it would even really happen at all. In May and June, analysts were caught off guard by an early surge in shipping, pointed to as [...]
2026 started as a promising year for shippers when it came to freight rates. A combination of severe overcapacity and decreased demand plummeted massively bloated 2025 freight rates. Then [...]
Introduction: The Post-Tariff Shipping Paradox Demand is supposed to be dropping this week, but freight rates are rising. What’s happening in the international shipping market right now? [...]
As expected, President Trump’s sweeping new tariffs arrived last week to replace his struck-down IEEPA ones. On Thursday, the Trump Administration announced the U.S. would impose tariffs [...]
Iran attacked three ships trying to cross the Hormuz Strait this week. The U.S. responded by striking approximately 170 Iranian military targets over a 48-hour period. Iran then tried to [...]
Trans-Pacific freight rates have been surging after strong shipper demand spurred an early start to international shipping’s peak season. Last week, ocean freight carriers implemented [...]
When I first started writing about international shipping more than 15 years ago, a rollercoaster was the best metaphor to describe the industry, with its volatile, up-and-down freight rates for [...]
Halted Strikes on Iran Today could have been a day of war escalation. President Trump posted on Truth Social that there was a military attack on Iran scheduled, but he held it off at the request [...]
Ocean freight rates have been elevated since the start of the Iran War. However, as we’ve covered in Universal Cargo’s blog, international shipping’s capacity is not stretched [...]
Last week, we blogged on the opening of the Hormuz Strait, but with the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran feeling tenuous and Iran warning of possible mines in the water and [...]
With the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping traffic through it is reportedly at a trickle. According to a Reuters article by [...]
It’s time to look at what’s happening with freight rates. Whenever there’s a disaster, crisis, or disruption to a major shipping hub, freight rates are impacted. Usually, that [...]
This is a guest post by Jake Herrera. During each year, shipping volume swings wildly. It only takes weeks for freight availability to go from comfortable to tight. This often happens when [...]
Yesterday (Monday, March 24th), the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said no to carriers requesting waiver of the 30-day notice period before hitting shippers with fees related to the Iran War. [...]
Competition on the waters of international shipping looks to be shrinking again as the world’s fifth-largest ocean freight carrier, Hapag-Lloyd, made a buyout deal yesterday to acquire the [...]
This is a guest post by Alexander Bley. International shipping often feels like a gamble. You book a container and schedule the pickup. You expect your goods to arrive on time. Then, you receive [...]
Last week, while Universal Cargo’s blog was on a little break for the holidays, U.S. importers of furniture got good news. The 25% tariff on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets, and [...]
