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For a second month straight, rates to Australia increase while global freight rates decrease: International freight insights APAC September 2025

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For a second month straight, rates to Australia increase while global freight rates decrease. Access ZG’s indicators from Asia based freight forwarders are that spot ocean freight rates offered by some carriers to Australia increased 20% for August 2025 (following a 10% increase in July 2025). These August 2025-month international ocean freight observations show differences to the Index results stated below. This is due to rate volatility and the index lagging by up to a few weeks the information Access ZG sees in both other metrics and on the ground with Asia freight forwarder and shipping line quoted rates.


The China Containerized Freight Index showed spot ocean freight rates China to Australia increased 8% for August 2025 (after increasing 16% in July). Shanghai Containerized Freight Index which leads the China Index (as it uses data from quoted rates for the forthcoming week) to all global routes decreased 7% for August 2025 time period (after decreasing 12% for July 2025), however the index increased 2% in the final week of the month indicating global rate falls may have ceased. The Drewry Composite Index that measures ocean freight spot rates globally decreased 15% in August (after decreasing 11% for July).


Some shipping lines blanked sailings in the past months as well as implemented rate surcharges to Australia & New Zealand (some of which stuck). This caused increased ocean freight rates on these routes compared to most global routes which have seen declines.


There is now more divergence in international freight rate movements between trade lanes depending on specific geopolitical, demand and shipping line capacity policy.


The Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) futures is the best read for global future ocean shipping market forecasts (only available for Asia to Europe route). It showed a 11% decrease in 31 October contracts (ec2510) over the past month, longer dated contracts decreased about 6% over the past month.


Worldwide air freight rates per the TAC Index was flat for the month of August 2025. Intra-Asia Pacific air freight rates increased 3% for August 2025 (per World ACD Air Cargo Market Trends report) which was much stronger than the Index’s worldwide reading which was flat.


Getting quality early information is important in this volatile market. Prior International Freight Insights APAC newsletters under the ‘Insights’ tab and further service offering information can be viewed here: access-zg.com 

 

Reply for further discussion about how Access ZG’s service offerings can assist with increasing control of your overseas logistics operations.

 

See below for August 2025 high value article highlights:

 

Modern supply chains demand shipper flexibility

 

Complex supply chains require planning to maintain the efficiency of logistics operations and that requires foresight that data can bring through the understanding of what is possible and how to foolproof systems. Up to the beginning of this decade moving goods for most shippers was comparatively straight forward, since Covid disrupted global supply chains there has been major changes to the way supply chains are maintained and operated including how regulators respond to changes.

 

Moreover, booking cargo with a number of carriers and collecting and using data to make carrier comparisons on cost and performance gives a company the leverage to move quickly should disruptions develop. Xeneta also argues that shippers should renegotiate contracts at the right moment. "When the market softens, carriers may reduce capacity to protect prices. If you're not tracking rates in real time, you'll miss your window to renegotiate. Data on current rates, carrier behaviour, and peer benchmarks gives you leverage so you can act fast and secure fair contracts," said a Xeneta briefing.

 


ONE launches Door Delivery Service in Saudi Arabia

 

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has introduced a new "Door Delivery" service in Saudi Arabia, expanding its inland logistics network. The service connects the Port of Dammam directly to customers' door locations, including customs clearance. ONE said the goal is to provide a seamless, single-transaction solution from port to final destination, and vice versa. The launch covers major cities such as Neom, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Jubail, with deliveries supported by ONE's trucking network. The company also signaled plans to expand coverage further. With this move, ONE is strengthening its end-to-end logistics offering in the Kingdom, supporting both imports and exports.

 


DHL Air Freight Market Update

 

Global Air Cargo Demand:

 

·      Strong and stable gains ex-Asia Pacific and Intra-AP lanes contrast with sharp declines from ex-EU and ex-MEA regions

·      Global air cargo volume growth for 2025 is now forecast at ~0.6%, down from earlier 5–6% expectations; while e-commerce demand weakens, high-value and time-critical shipments remain resilient, with strongest growth seen in emerging markets, specialized cargo, and tech-driven logistics

 

Global Air Cargo Capacity

 

·      Air cargo capacity in Q3–Q4 2025 is expected to grow modestly (~2–3% YoY), driven by belly space recovery, with constraints from aircraft shortages and delivery delays limiting freighter expansion

 

Regional Air Freight News – Asia

 

·      Shifting supply chains to Southeast Asia boosted demand on Intra-Asia routes, reflecting broader regional realignment

 

 

Trump's aggressive trade policies reshape global supply chains

 

America's major container ports are bracing for their worst performance since the COVID- 19 pandemic, with import cargo volumes expected to plummet 5.6% in 2025 as the Trump administration's aggressive tariff policies fundamentally disrupt international trade flows. The stark projections, released in the latest Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, reveal a supply chain under unprecedented strain. After a temporary surge to 2.3 million TEUS in July as retailers rushed to import goods ahead of August's tariff implementation, US ports now face a devastating contraction that will extend through the remainder of the year.

 

 

Hapag: "Tariffs are not great but they won't stop global trade"

 

Tariffs of around 15-20% are not great, said Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen, adding, "that doesn't stop global trade even if of course it does not have a positive effect". Discussing the container trades on a Hapag-Lloyd webinar today, 25 August, Jansen argued that while there was volatility in the market, particularly in the second quarter, demand had been better than expected and rate erosion was slowing, offering an upbeat H2 forecast. According to Jansen tariffs have a negative effect on global trade but if you look at where the import taxes are settling, at around 20% for most countries, "that's probably more or less where most people had hoped or expected it to land," he explained. There are not many trades which Hapag sees as "super-weak", the company's volumes are continuing to grow even as some trades are stronger than others.

 


Houthis seek to control Red Sea trade routes

 

Iran-backed militia establishes de facto authority over critical shipping corridor, challenging global maritime order.

The Yemen-based Houthis have transformed from a regional insurgent group into a maritime power capable of disrupting global trade, establishing what amounts to a toll system for commercial vessels transiting one of the world's most crucial shipping corridors.

More than a year into their campaign, the Iran-backed militia shows no signs of backing down despite sustained military pressure from Western powers.

 

The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) has introduced an unprecedented system requiring commercial vessels to request "safe passage" through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea. This represents a fundamental shift in maritime governance, as a non-state actor attempts to impose regulatory control over international waters that handle approximately 12% of global trade. Since November 2023, the  Houthis have conducted over 190 attacks by October 2024, demonstrating remarkable operational resilience despite sustained bombardment by US, UK, and Israeli forces. Their ability to maintain pressure on commercial shipping while absorbing military strikes reveals a sophisticated support network and strategic depth that traditional military responses have failed to neutralize.

 


Big lifts underway at US$400m Melbourne Intermodal Terminal

 

Work is ramping up at the US$400 million Melbourne Intermodal Terminal (MIT) in Somerton. Crews are installing seven giant rail-mounted gantry cranes supplied by Konecranes. Each crane stands 25 meters tall, weighs 350 tonnes, and can lift up to 46 containers an hour. Together, they will help the site process one million containers a year.

 

The 45-hectare terminal, backed by Aware Super, is the largest of its kind in Victoria. It includes more than 30 hectares of concrete hardstand, about the size of 14 AFL fields. MIT will open in October. The design allows future growth, with capacity for 12 cranes as trade increases.

 

 

US rejects IMO net-zero framework

 

The United States has formally rejected the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) proposed carbon levy, branding it a “global carbon tax on Americans” and vowing to rally opposition ahead of a key vote in October. In a joint statement, secretary of state Marco Rubio, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, energy secretary Chris Wright, and transportation secretary Sean Duffy said president Donald Trump would not accept “any international environmental agreement that unduly or unfairly burdens the United States or harms the interests of the American people.” The proposed net-zero framework, agreed in principle by a majority of IMO member states in April, seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping sector by introducing fuel standards and levies on ships that fail to meet strict targets.

 


Sea-Intelligence: Sharp increase in unstable weekly capacity

 

In issue 726, Sea-Intelligence Sunday Spotlight analyses the weekly capacity offered on individual liner services and find it has become drastically more volatile and unpredictable on the major East/West trades since the pandemic. This growing instability creates "lumpier" flows of cargo into ports, with services on the Asia- Europe trade lanes seeing volatility more than double, a trend that is a contributing factor to persistent port congestion problems.

While a liner service ideally offers stable and predictable capacity each week, practical realities - such as using different-sized vessels, blank sailings, or schedule delays - cause the actual weekly TEU on individual services to fluctuate.

 



Access ZG (access-zg.com) provides services to international logistics & trade participants, specialising in connecting with Asian markets.  

 

Thanks for taking the time to read and hope you gained some valuable insights,


Jeffrey Levy CA 

Founder

ACCESS ZG 

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Phone: 0417 275 262           

           +86 18813902084

WhatsApp: +61 417 275 262

WeChat: Jiefu888Jeff


 
 
 

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