Container Bytes: Weekly Ocean & Air Freight Intelligence for Supply Chain Pros

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine return to evaluate a dynamic week across air cargo, ocean shipping, and global supply chain contracting. In this episode, we unpack the impacts of escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces, including repeated strikes on Riyadh airport. We explore why these attacks cause localized air cargo disruptions for Saudi importers and exporters while leaving broader Gulf transshipment hubs like Dubai and Qatar largely u...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein returns from vacation to join Judah Levine, analyzing the latest trade developments as Golden Week draws to a close. In this episode, we unpack new estimates showing Middle East crude oil exports returning close to pre-war baselines, aided by naval escorts, dark transits through the Strait of Hormuz, and Saudi pipeline diversions. We explain why refined fuels—including marine bunker and jet fuel—are taking longer to adjust due to refining lags...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Judah Levine hosts solo this week as Julia takes a vacation, breaking down major trade policy shifts and key ocean market movements. In this episode, we unpack the high-profile summit between President Trump and President Xi Jinping in DC, which produced a two-month extension of the US-China trade truce through early January. The deal includes mutual tariff reductions on $30 billion of annual imports down to baseline levels—notably benefiting US toy importer...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine analyze a pivotal week as President Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Washington DC seeking fragile trade stability. In this episode, we break down the high-stakes summit and why a 3-to-6-month extension of the trade truce is expected, holding off recommended 7.5% Section 301 excess capacity tariffs that would push duties back to IEEPA levels. We examine how this truce prevents a return of $1 million retaliatory port call fees on C...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine return to dissect a crucial week in global freight and energy logistics. In this episode, we evaluate the newest operational flashpoint in the Middle East. Houthi forces have seized direct control of a coastal port and island right on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. With crude and bunker fuel prices rebounding to May highs and China’s strategic reserves wearing thin, we explore whether the market is shifting from high fuel costs int...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein is feeling much better and less congested this week, joining Judah Levine to analyze the latest dynamics in global logistics. In this episode, we unpack why renewed escalation between the US and Iran has pushed fuel prices back up to June baselines—around 60% higher than pre-war levels. While rising energy costs are setting a higher floor for freight rates, market levels on major trade lanes continue to be dictated by peak demand cycles and se...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein powers through a congestion-filled cold alongside Judah Levine to break down a busy week across global trade and shipping. In this episode, we unpack why the Strait of Hormuz is heating back up from a cold war into active kinetic strikes. Despite US de-mining progress in the central channel, retaliatory missile strikes between US and Iranian forces have locked commercial transit into a continued stalemate, keeping energy prices elevated and re...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Julia Frohwein is back from vacation, joining Judah Levine to analyze a hectic week across international trade and global freight. In this episode, we break down the last-minute breakdown of US-Canada trade talks. Despite weekend announcements that an agreement was signed, negotiations collapsed over last-minute demands, triggering 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of cross-border goods for both countries. We explore how this cross-border disruption mostly im...

Welcome to this week's edition of Container Bytes! Judah Levine, Head of Research at Freightos, is hosting solo again this week while Julia continues her vacation. In this episode, we unpack why ocean carriers—including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, Cosco, and MSC—are taking steps to resume Red Sea transits despite the collapse of the US-Iran memorandum and ongoing Houthi threats. Driven by surging bunker fuel prices, the extended trip around Africa's Cape of Good Hope has grown significantly...

Welcome to this week's edition of Container Bytes! I'm Judah Levine, Head of Research, hosting solo this week as Julia takes a well-deserved vacation. 📍 In this episode, we unpack why the anticipated Oman-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has fallen apart. New demands from Iran—including reparations, transit fees, and vessel bans—have pushed hopes of an imminent resolution back, returning regional maritime transport to a strict wartime status quo. However, in a surprising counter-...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 We hope you didn't miss us too much during our one-week hiatus—we are back in action. In this episode, Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine examine a potential new diplomatic development: a proposed bilateral agreement between Iran and Oman aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Under this proposal, vessels would coordinate entry through the northern Iranian channel and exit via the southern Omani channel, without transiting tolls for 60 days. We analyze what t...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 Just a reminder that we are taking a one-week hiatus next week (July 29th), but we will be right back the following week. In this episode, Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine tackle the newest dimension of maritime disruption: the Houthis have officially announced a transit closure through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait targeting Saudi-linked vessels and those calling at Saudi ports. This localized escalation strikes at the heart of Saudi Arabia's pipeline bypass stra...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 We are hitting Episode #40, and the Strait of Hormuz has officially circled back to square one. The fragile June ceasefire has disintegrated into a high-stakes operational standoff. While the US asserts the waterway remains open via its southern channel, reality on the water tells a completely different story: drone attacks and naval skirmishes have effectively reduced commercial transits to a crawl. In this episode, Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine unpack th...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 It’s July, and the Strait of Hormuz is locked in a dangerous pattern of starts, stops, and serious military escalations. Yet, the energy market is throwing a complete curveball: crude oil prices have unexpectedly plummeted back to pre-war baselines. Instead of the catastrophic energy shortages predicted months ago, the industry is suddenly bracing for a global oil oversupply. In this episode, Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine unpack this paradox. While crude s...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! I’m Julia Frohwein, joined as always by our resident freight expert, Judah Levine. 📍 It’s July 1st, and while it feels a bit like a broken record to talk about the Strait of Hormuz, the dynamics on the water have shifted completely. We are no longer looking at a standard blockade—we are witnessing a raw power struggle over who runs the waterway. In this episode, we break down why Iran is using the current memorandum of understanding to enforce permanent sovere...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! I’m Julia Frohwein, alongside our resident freight expert, Judah Levine. 📍 Let's get "Strait" to it. (Yes, it's a bad joke, but things are moving too fast to pass up a pun). Following the historic US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, the Strait of Hormuz is finally seeing a trickle of traffic. But behind the headlines, the reality is a logistical obstacle course. In this episode, we expose the secret military hotline opened between the US and Iran to coordinat...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! 📍 This week, Julia Frohwein is riding that post-birthday glow alongside our resident freight expert, Judah Levine, to break down a massive, chaotic turn of events. Headlines are screaming about a historic US-Iran interim peace agreement, but before you celebrate the "full reopening" of the Strait of Hormuz by this weekend, you need to read the fine print. In this episode, we unpack why a signed memorandum of understanding won't magically fix your supply chain ...

Happy birthday to me! 🎂 I’m Julia Frohwein, celebrating my special day by powering through another intense session with our resident freight guru, Judah Levine. The headlines are full of escalating US-Iran and Iran-Israel naval fire, but the biggest shockwave this week isn't military—it's the massive early arrival of Ocean Peak Season. 📍 In this episode, we unpack why the National Retail Federation just ripped up their previous calendar, declaring that the 2026 volume peak is hitting right no...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! I’m Julia Frohwein, powering through being a bit "under the weather" this week alongside our resident freight expert Judah Levine to unpack a highly volatile session. 📍 The Persian Gulf conflict is intensifying, and while peace negotiations continue, ocean freight has officially hit the panic button on early Peak Season demand. In this episode, we break down the massive June 1st rate explosion. Spot rates didn't just tick up—they skyrocketed by $1,000 to $1,80...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! I’m Julia Frohwein, joined by our resident freight guru Judah Levine to unpack another high-velocity week in global shipping. While rumors of a negotiated end to the war have ships in the Persian Gulf optimistically drifting toward the Strait of Hormuz, experts warn that infrastructure damage means a fuel price hangover could last well into next year. In this episode, we tackle the sudden, early arrival of Peak Season. Asia-North Europe rates have climbed back...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! I’m Julia Frohwein, joined as always by our resident freight expert Judah Levine, ready to break down another high-stakes week in global logistics. 📍 The Strait of Hormuz remains tenser than ever, with a planned US retaliatory strike temporarily pushed off by President Trump while negotiations continue in the shadow of a crumbling ceasefire. In this episode, we tackle the massive structural shift impacting Peak Season 2026. Because of ongoing Red Sea diversion...

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, but it officially has a new "manager." 📍 This week, Julia Frohwein and Judah Levine dive into Iran’s creation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority—a move that signals a permanent intent to entrench authority over the passageway. While Operation Freedom managed to extract a few US-flagged vessels, the naval exchanges between the US and Iran have only added to the uncertainty. In this episode, we break down Maersk’s $500M fuel bill. Carriers are facing massi...

Welcome back to Container Bytes! I’m Julia Frohwein, and I’m back with Judah Levine to break down a week that felt like a decade. We’re diving into the rapid-fire timeline of Project Freedom—the US-led effort to force transit through the Strait of Hormuz that resulted in naval skirmishes and was suspended almost as quickly as it began. In this episode, we analyze why ocean rates are proving remarkably "sticky" despite the low-demand slow season. While Asia-Europe rates are hovering near pre-w...

Welcome to a very special episode of Container Bites! If you’re wondering why Eytan suddenly has long brown hair and a British accent—don’t panic. 📍 I’m Julia Frohwein, and I’m thrilled to be taking over the mic. This week, Judah and I dive into the "Quiet Crisis." The ceasefire is holding, but with the Strait of Hormuz still closed and the US blockade in place, oil prices are creeping back up. We break down why Asia-Europe ocean rates are hitting a stubborn floor—50% higher than October leve...

Get your freight emergency kits ready, because the fuel market is bordering on absolute chaos. Between the IRGC boarding container ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Lufthansa slashing 20,000 flights due to fuel concerns, capacity is getting squeezed from both ends. While jet fuel prices have dipped slightly from their March peak, the real ghost in the machine is availability. Europe might only have six weeks of jet fuel left in the tank, making "seasonal trends" look about a...

Get your freight Christmas sweater on (yes, even in April), because the Straits of Hormuz are getting chilly🥁. We’re diving into why the Hormuz blockade(ish) your ocean rates are staying surprisingly grounded while jet fuel prices are pulling an Artemis II. Judah explains the "Inverse Crisis Correlation"- we have so many ships due to overcapacity that even a Middle East blockade can't kick rates into high gear. Meanwhile, air cargo is feeling the heat as jet fuel prices doub...

Better late than never. Hope your supply chain is holding up better than my audio equipment. The ceasefire news is hogging the headlines, but don't let the noise fool you;the Straits of Hormuz are still effectively a "no-go" zone for container ships. While carriers like CMA CGM and COSCO are trickling a few vessels out, nobody is exactly rushing back in. Ocean rates are staying surprisingly soft at around $2,500 for Transpacific lanes due to a massive ghost of overcapacity. ...

The Supreme Court tossed IEEPA tariffs out, but don't pop the champagne just yet. The White House pivoted with a (temporary-ish) 10% global tariff under Section 122 just four days later. It's currently sitting well below the 15% to 20% ranges we saw previously, but with the July expiration date looming, the USTR is sprinting through 122 new trade investigations. The billion-dollar question: how do you actually get your IEEPA refund? CBP is launching the CAPE portal mid-April, but ...

The Middle East isn't exactly "business as usual," (you knew that) BUT the cargo heart is starting to beat again. We’re moving past the total shutdown and into the "creative logistics" phase. That's a polite way of saying everything is moving by truck on two-lane highways and costing a fortune. The real story this week isn't just the closure of the Strait; it’s the surcharge flurry hitting lanes that haven't even seen a ripple from the Gulf. While ocean liners are ship-to-ship refueling like ...

Welcome back to the pod! This week, I (Eytan) and Judah (not me) dive into why the Straits of Hormuz is the latest headache for your bottom line, even if your containers aren't actually in the Gulf. We’re tracking "Emergency Contingency Surcharges" (top-tier naming, guys) that are adding $300-$400 per container just as we hit the post-Lunar New Year lull. On the bright side, the Supreme Court and the Court of International Trade just handed a massive win to importers. If you’ve been pay...

Special edition for you independent forwarders out there. SMB forwarders are tired of being told they’re "dinosaurs" by Silicon Valley. They’re tired of waiting for ERP roadmaps that never arrive. And they're tired of being told they can't compete with the $100M tech budgets of the global giants. They’re wrong. In this episode, I sit down with Farouk Gomati, President of Interworld Freight, to talk about the unfair advantage of the mid-sized operator: The ability to deeply understand th...

Welcome back to another "uneventful" week in Global Freight. 📍 This week, Eytan opens with a dad-joke for the ages: What is the White House's favorite craft beer? An IEEPA. 🍺 (International Emergency Economic Powers Act). It’s a bitter brew that the Supreme Court just poured down the drain. In this episode #21, Judah and Eytan break down the Section 122 Pivot. After SCOTUS struck down the IEEPA tariffs, the administration moved at record speed to implement a 10% global tariff using "Balance o...

They never thought we'd make it, but here we are: Episode 20. We’ve been talking about Lunar New Year for six weeks, but we were still blindsided by the reality of it this week. Forget the traditional benchmarks—Judah’s inbox is currently the world’s most accurate economic indicator, overflowing with hundreds of out-of-office replies. In this episode, we break down the Ocean Rate Cliff, with East Coast rates falling 12% to $3,000/container. We also dive into the week's biggest shocker: the Wh...

We’re back for episode 19, and with Lunar New Year just days away (Feb 17th), the "Gear Down" is officially here. Manufacturing is slowing down, and for the first time this year, we don't have a major geopolitical change to talk about. It almost feels... quiet. In this episode, we break down the LNY Rate Slide: Asia-Europe is down to $2,400/container and the Med has plummeted to $3,600. We also tackle the massive uncertainty in Maersk’s 2026 earnings report—a $2 billion swing that could land ...

Welcome back to Freightos' Container Bytes, Episode 18. Judah and I were just reminiscing about the fact that we don't have theme music. We still don't. But what we do have is a weather report that’s actually scarier than the geopolitics for once. Storm Kristin just put the North Atlantic in a chokehold, grounding vessels from Spain to the English Channel and proving that Mother Nature still has the biggest veto in logistics. ⛈️ In this episode, we break down the US-India "Sweet Spot" deal—a ...

Welcome back to Freightos' Container Bytes, Episode 17. We’re only four weeks in, and we’ve had more trade "wars" than I’ve had hot coffees. This week, Eytan and Judah track the whiplash of the Greenland deal—shoutout to Davos for the "peace framework"—and the immediate shift of the tariff-cannon toward our neighbors to the North. While the US threatens 100% tariffs on Canada over Chinese EVs and 25% on South Korea for legislative delays, the rest of the world is busy swiping right on e...

Time for a high-stakes episode of "Where in the World is the Trade War?" with our Greenland Bingo card. ❄️ In this episode, Judah and Eytan break down the sudden 10% tariff threat on the EU (which apparently wasn't on anyone's 2026 forecast) and why the EU is dusting off its "Big Bazooka" in retaliation. We also check in on the Red Sea, where Maersk is leaning in just as CMA CGM is pulling back, making the Suez Canal the "will-they-won't-they" romance of the maritime world. Finally, we ...

Welcome back to Freightos' Container Bytes, the podcast that is technically Episode 15, despite the fact that our team’s ability to count past 14 has recently been called into question. We dive into the geopolitical soup of the Strait of Hormuz. While the headlines are screaming about oil, we’re looking at the real logistics casualty: the UAE’s Jebel Ali port. If the "Ocean-to-Air" bridge that feeds Europe gets shaky, your lead times are going to look as stretched out as my favorite 10-year-o...

This is an episode from Freightos' Unfiltered Freight series, shared here too. Welcome to a masterclass in air cargo reality with Glyn Hughes, the Director General of TIACA and a 40 year industry veteran who has seen it all. From the early days of faxed rate sheets to the current AI revolution, Glyn is here to explain why the industry is currently stuck in a psychological trap of its own making. We have a PlayStation problem. While the next generation is busy playing the game and having fun,...

Welcome to 2026! We are already 3% of the way through the year, so if you haven't hit your KPIs yet, you're officially behind. JK, kinda. Ocean freight is starting the year with a hangover and a double shot of espresso. Rates are climbing fast, with Asia-Med is up 20% to $4,800 and Transpacific rates jumped 22% just to kick off January. It’s the classic pre-Lunar New Year rush, fueled by the Red Sea crisis that just refuses to quit. It’s basically chaos, but organized chaos. And in the weirde...

Welcome to the final Container Bytes of 2025! It’s been a year. We laughed, we cried, we watched spot rates do things that defy physics. (I’m not crying – you are). The "Blink-and-You-Missed-It" Peak This year's peak season on the Trans-Pacific was… weird. Like, "my kids eating their veggies" weird. It was skewed entirely by the trade war front-loading. We saw rates hit $6,000 per container briefly in June/July as everyone panicked about the jump from 30% to 145% tariffs, but then it vanished...

This is an episode from Freightos' Unfiltered Freight series, shared here too. Welcome to a special edition of Container Bytes, featuring 30-year ocean veteran Stephanie Loomis, who's navigated everything from Hanjin's collapse to pandemic-era chaos. Her market predictions are legendary, and she's not sugarcoating what's ahead for your freight procurement in 2026. Carriers have finally learned capitalism. The days of $500 China-LA rates are buried, and today's shipping giants won't touch fre...

We're back and pumped to talk freight. Get your freight Christmas sweater on.🧣 Transpacific air rates hit $7.50/kilo, beating out last year's $7.30 peak despite recession fears and front-loading concerns (take that, 2024!). Meanwhile, Asia-Europe stays flat at $3.60/kilo as carriers shift more capacity there. And....the Red Sea is showing signs of life! I'm not crying - you are. Houthis released hostages that had been held since July, and CMA CGM is increasing vessel traffic through the area ...

BREAKING: So... the Suez Canal Authority is that friend who tells everyone you're definitely coming to their party when you clearly said "maybe next year." Meanwhile, carriers are playing Red Sea chicken while rates do whatever the heck they want (mostly staying flat by YMMV). Air cargo is peaking harder than my acting career (I was a lollipop in Willy Wonka in second grade, nbd). , with China-US hitting $6.50/kg despite everyone's doom predictions. Who needs consistency when you can ha...

Got good news and bad news for your today, freight podcast friend. Good news? The Houthis said they would stop firing on ships in the Red Sea (but container liners aren't holding their breath). The bad news? A 48% increase in China - US West Coast rates (and a confusing 3% drop on China - US East Coast). Ready for a game of GRI Madness? Then how about throwing in a healthy dose of tariff Supreme Court indicators to round it out? Also, do us a solid and share this episode with someone. Chapt...

That's not how this was supposed to work. I'm taking my ball and going home. Ocean freight rates climbed despite increased stability, with some major drivers of stability for the next year on China-US trade. Judah breaks down air cargo rates, ocean rates, why the GRIs might be sticking and which ones aren't. Also, yolo, no port fees! Party time! This podcast is a little experiment from Freightos—and may not be around forever—so if you dig quick bites of freight wisdom, let us know. ...

Bro, how am I supposed to run a podcast if everything changes every day? Less than 24 after the last weekly podcast was published, a trade summit between China and the United States changed everything. So we tacked on our quick view on what that means at the end of this episode. Just another reminder of how everything can change, every day. This podcast is a little experiment from Freightos—and may not be around forever—so if you dig quick bites of freight wisdom, let us know. F...

Soybeans! Port fees! GRIs! This week has all the drama that Shakespeare forgot. Journal of Commerce put out estimates of $42M (!) in reciprocal port-call fees, we touch on the upcoming 🇺🇸-🇨🇳 summit and more. Plus...blanked sailings pushed Transpacific and Asia–Europe spot rates up (Asia→USWC jumped ~18%, and Asia→EU is back towards ~$2,300/FEU). We also talk early peak season demand in air cargo pushing China→US air rates to about $5.60/kg. Come on, just listen, bro. This podcast ...

What's up in freight? Thought you'd neve ask. Asia→US West Coast popped from ~$1,400 to >$2,000/FEU and Asia→Europe to ~$2,300—driven by mid‑month GRIs and capacity pulls, not tariffs. We break down why this smells opportunistic in slow season, whether Nov 1 sticks, and what carriers are blanking next, we talk about the impact of the new port‑call fees' minimal impact and air demand’s increase...with rates still still staying stable. Also, if you are still reading this, share our pod...

Sorry, we kinda said it all in the title. But you're here so let's keep going. Ceasefire chatter isn’t sending carriers sprinting back through Suez...and even when they do, expect a short scheduling mess, then more capacity and more downward pressure. We break down where rates are (hello, 2023 vibes), the tariff/port‑call fee volley (USTR vs. China, rare earths), who’s actually exposed, and what to do now. Also, be kind, leave a review! This podcast is a little experiment from Freightos—and...