Global container demand hits record 17.3m TEU

The Global Trade Brief · 15 September 2026

Five minutes to understand what matters in global trade.

The Big Move

Global container demand hits record 17.3m TEU in July

Why it matters: Equipment repositioning becomes harder, increasing pressure on effective capacity where demand is strongest.

  • Growth on headhaul and regional routes widened their gap with return routes.

Source

The Route

Typhoon congestion tightens intra-Asia vessel capacity

Why it matters: Budget and schedule risk rises for cargo moving through affected Asian hubs while disruption persists.

  • Drewry’s index rose 9% to $1,312 per 40ft on 3 September from 27 August.
  • Intra-Asia rates increased for a fifth consecutive week.
  • Transhipment bottlenecks affected Busan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Source

The Number

Census data show US-Mexico trade at record 94.8bn USD

94.8bn USD

Why it matters: The higher flow increases the load on cross-border freight gateways and transport capacity.

  • Two-way trade increased 27.5% year over year.
  • US exports to Mexico rose 18.1% year over year to 34.24bn USD.
  • Imports from Mexico jumped 33.5% year over year to 60.55bn USD.

Source

The Risk

Spain’s DeCA mandate starts 5 October

Why it matters: Affected cargo movements require digital control-document readiness by the deadline, making paperwork systems an immediate compliance risk.

  • AECOC launched AECOC Transporte to facilitate DeCA adoption.
  • The platform targets small and midsize shippers and carriers.
  • It supports DeCA issuance, management and retention.

Source

What to Watch

  • Talks on the suspended Naples and Salerno port strike are scheduled for 16 September.
  • WSC is seeking IMO revisions to lithium-battery declarations under Special Provision 188.
  • Neltume plans a 900m USD Montevideo terminal with annual capacity of up to 1.15m TEU.

The full day in global trade

Today’s Headlines

  • Adani wins 30-year Paradip dry bulk concession
  • Los Angeles posts busiest three-month cargo stretch
  • War-driven demand lifts VLCC and suezmax prices
  • CSP Spain seeks Valencia concession extension to 2070
  • Soft demand weakens outlook for traditional air cargo peak
  • Russia uses dark Arctic oil transfers in Sea of Japan
  • UK targets at least 40% rail freight growth by 2040
  • Emirates SkyCargo adds three Indian freighter gateways
  • EU parcel fee cuts Belgian simplified declarations by 50%
  • Kijfhoek yard curbs hazardous cargo shunting
  • Manila South Harbour commissions six hybrid RTGs

Today’s Analysis

⚓ Port operators expand capacity as Los Angeles sets a cargo record

Why it matters: Higher terminal capacity can improve cargo availability, but record gateway volumes and uneven container flows still pressure landside operations.

  • Adani secured a 30-year concession at Paradip to expand dry bulk capacity.
  • The Port of Los Angeles handled 955,907 TEUs in August.
  • More than 2.9m TEUs moved through Los Angeles during June, July and August.
  • Los Angeles loaded exports fell 9% year over year to 115,561 TEUs.
  • Los Angeles handled 340,044 empty containers, up 4% from August 2025.
  • CSP Spain requested an extension of its Valencia concession from October 2041 to 2070.
  • CSP Spain plans up to six OPS devices across Muelle Costa, Muelle Príncipe Felipe and Muelle Este by 2030.
  • DP World and Asian Terminals Inc. commissioned six hybrid RTGs at Manila South Harbour.
  • Manila South Harbour capacity increased from 1.45m TEU in 2021 to 2m TEU in 2025.

🛢️ Tanker competition lifts asset prices as Russia expands dark STS transfers

Why it matters: Rising tanker acquisition costs and opaque cargo transfers increase chartering, compliance and counterparty exposure in oil trades.

  • A Dubai oil trader was linked to multiple VLCC and suezmax purchases.
  • Competition for tonnage among separate Middle Eastern buyers is fuelling tanker prices.
  • Russia conducted two dark ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Sea of Japan.
  • The transferred cargoes had travelled through the Northern Sea Route.
  • The movements form part of increasingly complex logistics for Russian crude exports to Asian markets via the Arctic.

✈️ Emirates adds India capacity while soft demand limits the wider air peak

Why it matters: Indian exporters gain more freighter options even as weak consumer demand reduces the likelihood of a broad fourth-quarter rate surge.

  • Emirates SkyCargo added weekly freighter services to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
  • The airline now offers seven weekly freighter flights and 167 weekly passenger flights to India.
  • Emirates SkyCargo transported more than 153,000 tonnes of exports from India in financial year 2025/26.
  • The carrier moved more than 28,000 tonnes of Indian exports to the UAE in financial year 2025/26, up 24%.
  • Forwarders do not expect a traditional air cargo peak because consumer demand remains soft.
  • Forwarders expect some capacity and rate tightening around China’s Golden Week, Black Friday and Christmas.
  • High-tech traffic continues to provide a strong base for the air cargo market.

🚂 UK sets a rail growth target as Kijfhoek restrictions constrain freight

Why it matters: Long-term rail freight expansion depends on network capacity, while current yard restrictions can immediately disrupt hazardous cargo and locomotive movements.

  • The UK government set a target to increase rail freight by at least 40% by 2040.
  • The existing UK ambition is 75% rail freight growth by 2050.
  • The Department for Transport expects intermodal traffic to rise 65% by 2040.
  • The Department for Transport expects construction traffic to rise 45% by 2040.
  • Kijfhoek North cannot handle some hazardous-material shunting or locomotive changes because fire-water pressure is below permit requirements.
  • ProRail said the problem occurred on 6 September and remains under investigation.
  • RailGood said €250m had been spent on fire-extinguishing facilities at Rotterdam port and Kijfhoek.

📦 EU parcel fee shifts ecommerce entry flows away from Belgium

Why it matters: The fee is already changing customs-routing decisions for low-value ecommerce shipments entering the European Union.

  • The European Union applies a €3 fee to low-value ecommerce parcels.
  • Belgian simplified customs declarations fell around 50% year over year.
  • Belgian customs chief Kristian Vanderwaeren reported the decline at the EU CBEC ecommerce forum.

Sources

  1. Adani secures strategic Paradip concession to expand dry bulk capacity
  2. Port of Los Angeles records busiest three-month cargo stretch
  3. Dubai oil trader linked to VLCC and suezmax purchases as war drives tanker price spike
  4. CSP Spain uses electrification plan to seek Valencia concession extension to 2070
  5. No major air cargo peak expected as consumer demand remains soft
  6. Russia expands Arctic oil shadow fleet with dark STS transfers in Sea of Japan
  7. UK sets 40% rail freight growth target, but questions remain over GBR delivery
  8. Emirates SkyCargo ramps up India freighter capacity
  9. Belgium welcomes new ecommerce fee and steps up enforcement
  10. Shunting constraints at Dutch rail yard Kijfhoek
  11. DP World and ATI add six hybrid RTGs in Manila

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