If April felt tighter than expected, you’re not imagining it.
What’s driving the current pressure on China–Oceania shipments aren’t just local demand or seasonal trends, it’s the knock-on effect of disruption happening in completely different parts of the world.
Carriers are adjusting their global networks in response to ongoing geopolitical tension and operational constraints elsewhere. That means vessel positioning, schedules, and capacity are being influenced well before ships even reach our trade lane.
The result? Fewer reliable sailings and more competition for space.
We’re currently seeing:
• Increased sailing withdrawals across services that would typically be stable this time of year
• Ongoing flow-on delays as vessels fall out of rotation or are repositioned
• Stronger demand ahead of holidays colliding with reduced available capacity
• Cargo being rolled more frequently, particularly ex-East China
While some global bottlenecks are starting to ease, access to key transit routes is still not equal across all carriers. This continues to shape how shipping lines allocate vessels and Oceania is often impacted as a secondary trade.
What this means for importers is simple:
planning windows need to be wider, and flexibility is becoming more important than ever.
Where to from here?
With blank sailings continuing and capacity still being carefully managed, we expect space to remain tight through May and potentially beyond.