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Stop! The main east-west route has announced the cancellation of 75 flights, and blank flights are surging! | Maritime export logistics
Apr 29,2025
With the intensification of trade tensions between the United States and China, the trans-Pacific route is experiencing unprecedented major disruptions, and shipping companies are canceling voyages in response to a sharp decline in demand. The latest industry data shows that the number of canceled voyages has increased sharply, and shipping companies are cutting capacity on major trade routes to adapt to changes in demand.
On the Asia-North America East Coast route, the market response was particularly strong. According to Sea-Intelligence's analysis, the most severely affected week was the one starting on May 5, when the share of empty capacity soared to 42%, an increase of 7 percentage points from the previous week.
The Asia-North America West Coast route also faced severe disruptions, with the share of empty capacity jumping from 13% to more than 28% in the week starting April 28.
Drewry's latest report shows that a total of 75 sailings were canceled between the 18th and 22nd weeks on major east-west trade routes, accounting for 10% of the total planned sailings. Among them, 61% of the cancellations occurred on the trans-Pacific eastbound route, 31% on the Asia-Nordic and Mediterranean routes, and 8% on the trans-Atlantic westbound route.
Although shipping reliability is expected to increase moderately, according to Drewry's forecast, about 90% of the weekly sailings will go as planned, but market conditions remain unstable. Drewry's WCI composite index shows that freight rates fell 2% per week to $2,157 per 40-foot container. Freight rates on the Pacific route fell 3%, and those on the Asia-Europe/Mediterranean and transatlantic routes fell 1% each.
In the face of trade tensions, shipping companies announced that they will introduce peak season surcharges (PSS) next month. For example, CMA CGM will charge $600 per standard container and $900 per 40-foot container for shipments to Mexico and Canada starting on May 15, as well as the same fees for shipments to the United States starting on May 25. At the same time, from May 15, a PSS of $400 per TEU and $800 per 40-feet container will be applied to all shipments from Northern Europe to North America.
Whether these price increases can be sustained will depend on changes in demand over the next four weeks. Industry stakeholders are taking a cautious approach, with some exploring alternative sourcing options in Southeast Asia. However, equipment shortages and capacity constraints remain significant challenges. Market stability largely depends on the outcome of tariff negotiations, and further service cuts could occur if uncertainty persists.
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