Welcome to your Midweek Logistics Brief — the biggest stories from the first half of the week.
En Route tracked 58 articles across 59 story clusters from 75+ sources since Monday. Here are the 10 stories that matter most.
THE BIG STORY
Trump's proposed international naval coalition for the Strait of Hormuz is collapsing amid rejections from Germany, the UK, and Greece. Only limited UK mine-hunting drone support has materialized. This failure signals deeper fractures in Western alliance-building at a time when 30% of global seaborne oil depends on uninterrupted transit through the chokepoint. European powers are unwilling to militarize Hormuz security or risk entanglement in US-Israeli tensions with Iran. The logistics fallout is immediate: shipping lines will reroute around Africa, adding 10-14 days to transit times and billions in annual costs. Insurance premiums will spike, supply chain buffers will extend, and inflation pressure will resurface in energy and consumer goods. Without coordinated Western maritime governance, regional powers and proxies will increasingly shape Hormuz logistics, fragmenting global trade coordination precisely when supply chain resilience is paramount.
via Seatrade Maritime · Covered by 8 sources on EnRoute →
TOP STORIES
Iran has begun selectively granting transit rights through the Strait of Hormuz to Indian- and Pakistan-flagged vessels while maintaining restrictions on others—a strategic move that underscores how critical chokepoints are becoming tools of geopolitical leverage.
via Lloyd's List · 6 sources on EnRoute →
Escalating Middle East tensions have triggered a sharp capacity squeeze in global air cargo, with airspace closures over Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf forcing carriers to reroute via Africa and Central Asia.
via JOC · 5 sources on EnRoute →
Vanair has introduced an expanded EPEQ ecosystem integrating solar panels, batteries, and fast-charging infrastructure for Class 8 trucks, enabling engine-off power operations.
via Truck News · 5 sources on EnRoute →
Truck maintenance costs declined 1.3% quarter-over-quarter in Q4 2025, offering rare near-term relief as parts and labor expenses eased slightly according to Decisiv and TMC benchmark data.
via Fleet Equipment · 5 sources on EnRoute →
The American Petroleum Institute has completed development of the PC-12 engine oil specification for heavy-duty diesel engines, with industry adoption set for January 2027.
via Fleet Equipment · 5 sources on EnRoute →
Congress is advancing H.R.
via Trucking Dive · 4 sources on EnRoute →
The U.S.
via Supply Chain Brain · 4 sources on EnRoute →
Japanese shipping company NYK Line has acquired a 50% stake in Avenir LNG from Norway's Stolt-Nielsen in a new joint venture.
via Offshore Energy · 4 sources on EnRoute →
Air China Cargo's upgrade of its Glasgow Prestwick–Chengdu route to daily operations marks a strategic recalibration in UK-China logistics despite political headwinds.
via AJOT · 4 sources on EnRoute →
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That’s your midweek update. Full weekly roundup lands Sunday.
Summaries and story clusters are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies. Always refer to original sources for complete reporting.
THE BIG 3
1. Blank Sailings Surge as Carriers Brace for Demand Drop
Ocean carriers are pulling capacity at an accelerating pace. Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, and CMA CGM have collectively announced over 40 blank sailings on Asia-Europe and transpacific lanes through March. It's the sharpest capacity withdrawal since early 2023 — and it's not seasonal. With U.S. import volumes softening post-Lunar New Year and European demand flat, carriers are trying to prop up spot rates before the traditional Q2 contract season. The strategy is working short-term: Shanghai-Rotterdam rates ticked up 3% this week. But shippers should watch for knock-on delays and equipment imbalances, especially at transshipment hubs like Tanjung Pelepas and Colombo.
2. UPS Cuts 20,000 Jobs as Volume Slows
UPS announced it will eliminate 20,000 positions globally — roughly 4% of its workforce — as package volumes continue to underwhelm. CEO Carol Tome pointed to a structural shift: e-commerce growth is flattening in mature markets, and the company's cost base built for peak pandemic throughput is now oversized. The cuts span operations, management, and corporate. For freight shippers, this matters because UPS's network efficiency directly affects LTL and forwarding capacity. The stock rallied 4% on the news — Wall Street rewarding the discipline — but the move signals a broader reckoning across parcel and express logistics.
3. Gemini Cooperation Returns to Suez After Red Sea Pause
The Gemini alliance (Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd) is resuming Suez Canal transits on select Asia-Europe services, the first major carrier group to formally re-route back through the canal since Houthi attacks disrupted traffic in late 2023. The decision follows a relative lull in attacks and rising Cape of Good Hope diversion costs. Not all services are returning — only the AE1 and AE7 loops initially — but it's a significant signal. If Gemini holds the route without incident through March, expect other alliances to follow. Transit time savings: ~7 days versus Cape routing.
THE ROUTE MAP
Ocean
Asia-Europe spot rates (SCFI): $1,850/FEU, +3% week-over-week. Transpacific rates flat at $3,200/FEU to USWC. Blank sailing announcements running 35% above same period last year. Equipment availability tightening at South China ports.
Air
Air cargo demand remains strong on Asia-North America lanes, driven by e-commerce and semiconductor shipments. Hong Kong-LAX rates holding at $5.20/kg. European lanes softer. The Lunar New Year bounce-back has been muted compared to 2025, suggesting structural demand moderation rather than seasonal weakness.
Trucking
U.S. spot rates (dry van): $1.82/mile national average, down 2 cents from last week. Tender rejection rates at 4.8% — still well below the 7% threshold that signals real tightening. Diesel: $3.74/gal, flat. The trucking recession continues, but carrier exits are accelerating, which should set up a tighter market by Q3-Q
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Port of Oakland reported a 12% year-over-year decline in January container volumes, the steepest drop on the U.S. West Coast.
DB Schenker (now under DSV ownership) is consolidating 14 European warehouses into 6 mega-hubs. Expect disruption through Q2.
India's Sagarmala program approved $2.1B in new port infrastructure spending, targeting 8 coastal projects for completion by 2028.
FedEx quietly expanded its autonomous delivery pilot with Nuro to 3 new U.S. metros (Austin, Nashville, Phoenix).
EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) reporting requirements now cover shipping emissions. First compliance deadline: March 31.
AI & AUTOMATION WATCH
Flexport launched an AI-powered customs classification tool that auto-assigns HS codes with 94% accuracy, cutting broker review time by 60%.
Maersk is piloting computer vision at APM Terminals Rotterdam to detect container damage during gate-in — 3-second scan per box.
Gatik (autonomous trucking) secured a $95M Series C to expand middle-mile autonomous routes. Now operating 35 daily routes for Walmart and Loblaw.
Project44 released a predictive ETA model claiming 40% fewer "surprise" delays through ML-based port congestion forecasting.
THE NUMBER
136
That's the number of container ships currently waiting at anchor globally, according to MarineTraffic data as of Wednesday. It's up from 98 two weeks ago and 74 at the start of the year. The increase is driven by a combination of blank sailing schedule disruptions, port congestion in Southeast Asia, and weather delays in Northern Europe. For context, the pandemic peak was ~350. We're not there — but the trend is worth watching.
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