July 2026 Market Update
As we enter July, the Far east to UK market faces continued pressure. Peak season demand remains ongoing despite many experts expecting it to ease.
Vessel utilisation, congestion and carriers continuing to actively manage capacityare are the key causes. It is seemingly likely that despite signs of stabilisation, July is looking like a temporary plateau. Space and freight rates remain at a premium.
Market Snapshot
Ocean Freight
- Demand remains strong across the Far East to UK trade.
- Space is available but becoming increasingly limited on preferred sailings.
- Freight rates remain firm with carriers continuing to support pricing.
- Schedule reliability remains below normal due to congestion and network disruption
Freight Rates & Carrier Capacity
Freight rates remain at a premium due to how shipping lines are managing available capacity.
Instead of allowing rates to fall following the June surge,several carriers have reduced capacity by withdrawing vessels from Asia-Europe loops. They are introducing more blank sailings and adjusting service rotations. This does help improve schedule efficiency and vessel utilisation, however, it significantly reduces space available.
This along with congestion across Asia and Europe is significantly reducing available space, creating additional pressure.
Alongside higher base freight rates, many shipping lines continue to apply additional surcharges including:
- Peak Season Surcharges (PSS)
- Emergency Bunker Surcharges (EBS)
- Fuel Adjustment Factors (where applicable)
- Operational and equipment-related surcharges on selected trade lanes
Although fuel prices have eased slightly compared with recent highs, many carriers have retained Emergency Bunker Surcharges, meaning overall transport costs remain above normal seasonal levels.
Port Congestion
Many major East Asian ports remain incredibly busy. This with the congestion in European ports continue to reduce schedule reliability and delay vessel rotations.
Pressure points include:
- Shanghai
- Ningbo
- Singapore
- Rotterdam
- Antwerp
- Hamburg
This delays creates a long term domino effect with vessels forced to wait longer for port entry and containers are forced to spend longer times at terminals.
UK Ports
UK ports are operating relatively well in comparison. They are however facing disruptions due to European delays.
Customers may continue to experience:
- Late vessel arrivals
- Vessel bunching
- Rolled containers
- Port omissions
- Changes to published sailing schedules
- Longer collection windows during busy periods
Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton continue to receive vessels affected by delays elsewhere in carrier networks, meaning schedule reliability remains below historical averages.
Liverpool is increasingly becoming an attractive alternative for UK imports. With strong operational performance and faster turnaround times for vessel discharge, Liverpool can offer a more efficient entry point for cargo. Routing shipments via Liverpool can also help reduce pressure on congested southern ports, improve inland distribution efficiency for northern and midlands-based customers, and provide greater flexibility within supply chains.
UK Haulage & Fuel
The UK transport market remains stable, although haulage providers continue to face ongoing operational pressures.
Diesel prices have softened slightly during recent weeks, providing some welcome relief for transport operators. However, fuel remains one of the largest operating costs and many hauliers continue to apply fuel surcharge mechanisms in line with market movements.
Other challenges affecting UK transport include:
- Driver availability
- Port waiting times
- Congested collection slots
- Container restitution delays
- Equipment positioning
Planning deliveries in advance and maintaining flexibility around collection dates continues to help minimise disruption.
Air Freight
Air freight remains an important option for urgent and high-value shipments, particularly where ocean freight delays cannot be accommodated.
However, the continued strength of the ocean freight market is placing additional demand on air cargo. Businesses facing delayed sailings or limited vessel space are increasingly turning to air freight for time-critical cargo.
At the same time, ongoing e-commerce volumes and demand from the technology, automotive and manufacturing sectors continue to consume available capacity.
Whilst capacity is generally available, rates remain significantly higher than ocean freight and can increase quickly during periods of disruption.
Customers with urgent requirements are encouraged to discuss options with the Trinity Logistics team as early as possible to secure the most suitable routing.
Market Outlook
Looking ahead, we believe the market remains finely balanced.
Although the early June surge appears to have levelled off, shipping lines continue to actively manage capacity, congestion remains widespread and carriers are showing little indication of relaxing current pricing strategies.
With vessels still being removed from service loops, continued application of Peak Season and Emergency Fuel Surcharges, and ongoing disruption across global ports, we expect market conditions to remain firm throughout July.
Our advice remains simple:
- Book early.
- Allow additional lead time.
- Remain flexible where possible.
- Speak to your freight forwarder before cargo is ready to ship.
- Taking a proactive approach now will help minimise delays and avoid unnecessary costs as we move further into the traditional peak season.
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July Market Updates
July 2026 Market Update As we enter July, the Far east to UK market faces continued pressure. Peak season demand remains ongoing despite many experts expecting it to ease. Vessel utilisation, congestion and carriers continuing to actively manage capacityare are the key causes. It is seemingly likely that despite signs of stabilisation, July is looking […]
Read More
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