Italy Freight Forwarding Services
Air, Sea & Road Freight Between Italy and the UK

Boxship orderbook bulges as race for giant vessels heats up

The container shipping orderbook has swelled to 46.5% of the active fleet, a post-2009 peak, as carriers race to secure ultra-large tonnage. With the orderbook at 16.2m teu, newbuilding activity shows no sign of slowing - Chinese shipyards alone have booked a record 4.94m teu this year, accounting for 88% of the total capacity ordered, according to Linerlytica. The orderbook-to-fleet ratio is also expected to grow, with Maersk and CMA CGM in the market for more giant ships. Tellingly, Hengli Heavy Industries announced today it had won orders for 52 ultra-large dual-fuel containerships: 20 of 24,000 teu; 20 ; of 19,000 teu; and a dozen of 22,000 teu. The 24,000 teu orders are believed to be from MSC, which reportedly wants 10 LNG dual-fuelled vessels, while upgrading 10 existing 22,000 teu orders to 24,000 teu. The Swiss-Italian liner major is said to be splashing out close to $2.5bn. This will bring MSC's haul at Hengli to 30 LNG dual-fuelled 24,000 teu ships, and more than 60 in total - a move believed to be spurred by its competitors' moves. Maersk, which was dethroned from the top of the liner rankings in 2022 by MSC, is now eyeing a dozen 24,000 teu ships, up to 24 LNG dual-fuel 19,000 teu vessels and six at 18,600 teu. South Korean and Chinese shipyards have been invited to submit quotes. Shipbrokers said CMA CGM has chosen Yangzijiang to build a dozen LNG dual-fuelled 24,000 teu containerships, although the French line has yet to confirm this. And the activity extends across segments. Zhonggu Logistics has entered the large ship segment, ordering a 14,000 teu pair at Hudong-Zhonghua for $155m each, joining fellow mid-sized shipping lines such as Emirates Shipping Line, Regional Container Lines, TS Linesm and China United Lines. Delivery is set for 2029 to 2030. On Tuesday, HMM announced it had ordered eight 13,000 teu LNG dual-fuelled ships from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for around $1.5bn, for deployment on its Far East-India-Mediterranean service from 2029. South Korea's flagship carrier has also acquired four feeder vessels second-hand. These will be integrated into emerging regional feeder networks linked to major hub ports, reinforcing HMM's hub-and-spoke network competitiveness.

K+N claims market share gains as 'strong' air cargo peak gathers pace

Kuehne + Nagel attributed most of its third-quarter airfreight growth to market share gains, and expects to keep winning business into 2027 as a strong peak season gets under way. Airfreight volumes rose 10% year on year, with chief executive Stefan Paul estimating underlying market growth at 3-4% and attributing 60-70% of K+N's growth to market share gains. "[It's] pretty much coming from hard cargo. Hard cargo had a double-digit increase in terms of volume this quarter, and ecommerce went down significantly," he told analysts yesterday. Asked whether further market share gains would follow next year, he replied: "Similar to this year, it should continue." Separate analysis from Aevean illustrates the weakening backdrop for Chinese low-value ecommerce air exports. Tonnage fell 19% year on year in September, taking the decline over the first nine months to 4%. Low-value ecommerce volumes to Europe halved in September, while those to North America were down 4%. Technology has also replaced business lost from the automotive sector, revealing a longer-term shift in the forwarder's airfreight customer base. Mr Paul recalled that, five to seven years ago, K+N had a strong automotive business out of Europe, serving major manufacturers and their first- and second-tier suppliers. That business had been replaced by technology cargo, he said. "I wouldn't say we have an overdependency now on this, but it has replaced the shrinking auto sector on a one-to-one basis." Management declined to quantify its technology exposure or specify the contribution of hyperscaler customers to growth. However, chief financial officer Markus Blanka-Graff confirmed that "the hyperscaler is a good part of our growth in 2026". "I think our view currently is that growth in that space, with the customers we continuously gain, is also going to continue into 2027," he added. Mr Paul said half of K+N's airfreight capacity came from its own charter operations, with the remainder covered by block space agreements. Improving the cargo mix, with a focus on hard cargo, would remain a priority into next year, he added. Mr Blanka-Graff explained: "The stronger profitability, the stronger margins are on the hard cargo side and special products, healthcare side, hi-tech side." However, one analyst questioned why the changing mix was not producing a stronger airfreight yield performance. Management reiterated its expectation of stable yields, without quantifying the contribution from the shift in cargo. K+N's airfreight volumes increased 7% sequentially in the third quarter, while ebit rose 84% year on year, to CHF169m ($205m). Its air logistics conversion rate reached 32%, against 23% a year earlier. Mr Paul said the forwarder expected its third-quarter volume development to continue into Q4, with stable yields. "We have just started in the peak season, but I would say it's strong. Is it even stronger than the Q3? [That's] to be seen, but it's definitely strong." Meanwhile, airlines are adding winter capacity. Qatar Airways Cargo has announced weekly 777 freighter services through Copenhagen from 25 October, and Warsaw-Chicago from 26 October, followed by a weekly rotation serving New York and Atlanta from 1 November. It has also introduced twice-weekly Dallas freighters. IAG Cargo's winter schedule includes three weekly Gatwick-Colombo flights, scheduled to begin today, alongside a doubling of Gatwick-Bangkok frequencies to six a week, broadening forwarders' bellyhold options on Asian lanes.

Qatar Cargo signs up with Pelicargo

Qatar Airways Cargo has become the latest carrier to place its capacity on US airfreight procurement and booking platform Pelicargo. Pelicargo said the partnership would provide freight forwarder users of Pelicargo with direct access to Qatar Airways Cargo's global network, real-time capacity and booking capabilities. The platform enables forwarders to quote, book, and manage international shipments from any US origin ZIP code, combining first-mile trucking with airfreight. "As forwarders face increasing pressure to respond faster to customer demands while managing tighter operational timelines, access to reliable global capacity has become increasingly critical," said Pelicargo. "With Qatar Airways Cargo becoming part of the platform, Pelicargo further strengthens its ability to connect forwarders with major international trade lanes through a more centralised and efficient workflow." The integration allows Qatar Airways Cargo to provide its products, services and open offer its global network to customers. Sean Angata, co-founder of Pelicargo, said: "Qatar Airways Cargo operates one of the most strategically connected networks in the world, making it one of the most important partners on our platform. "Today's freight forwarders need speed, visibility, and flexibility when securing capacity across multiple regions. This partnership will make that process even more seamless while further enhancing the overall user experience for our customers." In May, Emirates SkyCargo also placed its capacity on the platform.