Advisories

A general strike is currently happening in South Africa, significantly impacting supply chain operations throughout the country. 

• Port terminals are closed
• Vessel operations are not being conducted, resulting in idle import/export cargo handling
• Airport cargo terminals are not processing collections, and no cargo uplift is happening
• Road export cargo collections are suspended, with no pickups being executed
• Local deliveries are not being performed due to safety and operational constraints

Shippers should anticipate delays across all shipments involving South African ports, airports, and inland transport.

Starting July 1^st, 2026, the EU made significant changes to its E-commerce customs rules, removing the duty-free threshold for low-value goods. For parcels valued at €150 or less, a flat €3 duty applies per item in a shipment. If a package contains multiple items from different product categories, the duty applies to each distinct category.

• The temporary flat-fee regime will remain in effect until July 1, 2028, while the EU continues implementing broader customs reforms.

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1/3 of all containers are now moved without cargo, a sharp deterioration from the ¼ seen in 2019. 

• The number of empty containers shipped has grown 65% since Q1 ’19, while the number of full containers has grown just 17% over the same period.
• In practical terms, carriers are now moving double the volume of empty containers—measured by distance—compared with before the pandemic.

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Drone delivery revenue will grow significantly over the next decade, from approximately $2.2B in 2026 to $25.3B by 2036.  

• Within the delivery sector, the strongest use cases are in time-sensitive and high-value logistics rather than low-margin parcel delivery; for example, medical supplies, pharmacy deliveries, etc.
• Drones can shorten delivery times, avoid road infrastructure limitations, and improve service reliability in hard-to-reach areas.

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The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) launched a new anonymous portal where people can submit cybersecurity and fraud threats, allowing companies to share information about incidents and suspicious activity and learn from each other.

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Jet fuel rose 106.6% year-over-year (YoY), reaching its highest level in more than 23 years. This has pushed cargo yields up, creating an inflationary pricing environment. Fuel costs—not demand—are now the primary driver of freight pricing.

• For carriers: margin protection through surcharges. The world’s 20 largest airlines are cancelling flights, reducing global capacity overall.
• For shippers: higher costs and volatility even in a soft market environment.
• Consumers will be forced to absorb the extra costs of jet fuel through new fees for bags, seats, etc.

Asian governments are taking defensive measures to prevent fuel shortages—subsidies, export curbs, and work-from-home mandates, etc.—but these are largely short-term solutions that won’t prevent deeper trouble long term. 

Fatih Birol, Head of the International Energy Agency, estimates that Europe has six weeks of jet fuel remaining. 

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