Container Bytes: Weekly Ocean & Air Freight Intelligence for Supply Chain Pros

This is an episode from Freightos' Unfiltered Freight series, shared here too. Welcome to a masterclass in air cargo reality with Glyn Hughes, the Director General of TIACA and a 40 year industry veteran who has seen it all. From the early days of faxed rate sheets to the current AI revolution, Glyn is here to explain why the industry is currently stuck in a psychological trap of its own maki...

Welcome to 2026! We are already 3% of the way through the year, so if you haven't hit your KPIs yet, you're officially behind. JK, kinda. Ocean freight is starting the year with a hangover and a double shot of espresso. Rates are climbing fast, with Asia-Med is up 20% to $4,800 and Transpacific rates jumped 22% just to kick off January. It’s the classic pre-Lunar New Year rush, fueled by...

Welcome to the final Container Bytes of 2025! It’s been a year. We laughed, we cried, we watched spot rates do things that defy physics. (I’m not crying – you are). The "Blink-and-You-Missed-It" Peak This year's peak season on the Trans-Pacific was… weird. Like, "my kids eating their veggies" weird. It was skewed entirely by the trade war front-loading. We saw rates hit $6...

This is an episode from Freightos' Unfiltered Freight series, shared here too. Welcome to a special edition of Container Bytes, featuring 30-year ocean veteran Stephanie Loomis, who's navigated everything from Hanjin's collapse to pandemic-era chaos. Her market predictions are legendary, and she's not sugarcoating what's ahead for your freight procurement in 2026. Carriers...

We're back and pumped to talk freight. Get your freight Christmas sweater on.🧣 Transpacific air rates hit $7.50/kilo, beating out last year's $7.30 peak despite recession fears and front-loading concerns (take that, 2024!). Meanwhile, Asia-Europe stays flat at $3.60/kilo as carriers shift more capacity there. And....the Red Sea is showing signs of life! I'm not crying - you are. Ho...

BREAKING: So... the Suez Canal Authority is that friend who tells everyone you're definitely coming to their party when you clearly said "maybe next year."  Meanwhile, carriers are playing Red Sea chicken while rates do whatever the heck they want (mostly staying flat by YMMV). Air cargo is peaking harder than my acting career (I was a lollipop in Willy Wonka in second grade, nbd)....

Got good news and bad news for your today, freight podcast friend. Good news? The Houthis said they would stop firing on ships in the Red Sea (but container liners aren't holding their breath). The bad news? A 48% increase in China - US West Coast rates (and a confusing 3% drop on China - US East Coast). Ready for a game of GRI Madness? Then how about throwing in a healthy dose of tariff Supr...

That's not how this was supposed to work. I'm taking my ball and going home. Ocean freight rates climbed despite  increased stability, with some major drivers of stability for the next year on China-US trade. Judah breaks down air cargo rates, ocean rates, why the GRIs might be sticking and which ones aren't. Also, yolo, no port fees! Party time! This podcast is a little experiment...

Bro, how am I supposed to run a podcast if everything changes every day? Less than 24 after the last weekly podcast was published, a trade summit between China and the United States changed everything. So we tacked on our quick view on what that means at the end of this episode.  Just another reminder of how everything can change, every day. This podcast is a little experiment from Freightos—and m...

Soybeans! Port fees! GRIs! This week has all the drama that Shakespeare forgot. Journal of Commerce put out estimates of $42M (!) in reciprocal port-call fees, we touch on the upcoming 🇺🇸-🇨🇳 summit and more.  Plus...blanked sailings pushed Transpacific and Asia–Europe spot rates up (Asia→USWC jumped ~18%, and Asia→EU is back towards ~$2,300/FEU). We also talk early peak season demand in air cargo...

What's up in freight? Thought you'd neve ask. Asia→US West Coast popped from ~$1,400 to >$2,000/FEU and Asia→Europe to ~$2,300—driven by mid‑month GRIs and capacity pulls, not tariffs.  We break down why this smells opportunistic in slow season, whether Nov 1 sticks, and what carriers are blanking next, we talk about the impact of the new port‑call fees' minimal impact and air de...

Sorry, we kinda said it all in the title. But you're here so let's keep going. Ceasefire chatter isn’t sending carriers sprinting back through Suez...and even when they do, expect a short scheduling mess, then more capacity and more downward pressure. We break down where rates are (hello, 2023 vibes), the tariff/port‑call fee volley (USTR vs. China, rare earths), who’s actually exposed,...

Sorry, we kinda said it all in the title. Port fees for Chinese vessel calls are coming soon. We break down what it means, how rates are responding, the costs that Chinese carriers are swallowing, and more.  This podcast is a little experiment from Freightos—and may not be around forever—so if you dig quick bites of freight wisdom, let us know.  For more detailed weekly freight updates delivered s...

In yet another episode of Container Bytes, we talk about the logistics impact of Typhoon Ragasa,  dive into air and ocean rates, and even talk a bit about trade wars. It just wouldn't be a 2025 freight update if we didn't, amiright? This podcast is a little experiment from Freightos—and may not be around forever—so if you dig quick bites of freight wisdom, let us know.  For more detailed...

 TikTok negotiations might be thawing US-China trade tensions (swipe up?), but don't expect freight rates to plummet until that 30% tariff stops trending (see what I did there?).  Transpacific rates surprised with a 30% September jump despite a weak peak season, hitting $2,300/container. Meanwhile, the upcoming USTR port call fees for Chinese vessels (starting Oct 14th) are scrambling carrier...