Market Report - 10/2026

Asian Nations Lead in Connectivity

China’s liner shipping connectivity index reached 1,347 in September 2026, more than double the scores of second-ranked South Korea (633) and Singapore (626). Asia dominates overall, with 9/15 top-ranked economies.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) index gauges a country’s integration into container-shipping networks using factors including vessel calls, port capacity, carrier and service availability, largest ship size, and the number of countries reached through direct services.  

Stronger rail connectivity between China and the Mekong region is providing customers with additional options for selected regional cargo flows. >21M tons of cross-border cargo have now moved via the China–Laos railway since operations began.

The British government has set ambitious targets to increase rail freight volumes: +40% by 2040 and +75% by 2050. This could mean more than £15B moving by rail each year, with Great British Railways (GBR) serving as the primary driver.

The U.S. merchandise-trade deficit widened in August: merchandise imports increased 5.5%, led by a +16.6% surge in the value of inbound shipments, primarily driven by industrial supplies such as petroleum products.

Canada’s federal government is committing C$1.2B (USD $843M) to ocean protection and marine safety as it prepares for increased commercial vessel traffic tied to new energy, LNG, and port projects.

• Transport Canada will replace aging digital systems used for cargo inspections, port state control, domestic vessel oversight and seafarer certification. The new system will integrate marine data and improve risk analysis, enforcement, and regulatory services.
• New infrastructure projects: expansion at the Port of Vancouver and the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project will bring additional ship traffic to the West Coast.
• DP World’s Centerm terminal (Vancouver) has increased container capacity by 65% with a 75-metre berth extension, expanded on-terminal rail capacity, and automated truck gates.

The EU has new customs declaration requirements for steel imports, starting October 1^st 2026. Shippers must provide traceable evidence showing where steel was originally melted and poured.

Romania is modernizing the 113km Brașov – Sighișoara line, a vital link on the Rhine-Danube and Baltic Sea-Black Sea-Aegean Sea corridors within the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The project is expected to be completed in 2029 and is estimated to cost €2.25B.

• The upgraded railway will accommodate 22 freight trains daily—roughly 6M tonnes of freight—and increase the maximum speed to 120km/h.

The Delaware Container Terminal (DCT) is being developed on a 137-acre site and will be capable of accommodating vessels of up to 16,000 TEU, with 1.2M TEU annual capacity.

• Infrastructure will include a 2,700’ quay with a 45’ depth
• The terminal will have seven electric ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes, 24 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes, and provide access to Class I rail services and major highways (I-495, I-95, and I-295).

The Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (Alabama) remains on schedule for an early 2027 opening. The $100M, 272-acre terminal serves as an inland extension of the Port of Mobile’s container gateway. It will connect central Alabama manufacturers, distributors, and exporters with Mobile through direct CSX rail service, creating a rail alternative to truck drayage between the coast and Montgomery.

After a year-long delay, the cargo divisions of Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines and IAG Group (parent company of British Airways) are finally prepared to launch their joint cargo venture. Customers should benefit from the combined strengths of the three airlines, with cargo moving in a coordinated fashion across multiple carriers, hubs, and regions.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) will consolidate its East Asia and South Asia regional headquarters into a new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore and centralize management of its East/West/South Africa markets in Dubai, effective April 1^st, 2027.

Kuehne+Nagel agreed to a comprehensive, long-term strategic collaboration with Amazon which will allow them to leverage Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the company’s data center infrastructure.

CMA CGM Group successfully closed its acquisition of FedEx Supply Chain at an enterprise value of $1.4B. The multi-year commercial agreement should unlock broader collaboration in air and ocean freight and contract logistics services.

Google, Microsoft, and DSV have joined the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA).

A single deal will nearly double the U.S. battery-electric Class 8 fleet, as 2,500 Tesla Semi vehicles were purchased through the Zero-Emission Truck Shipper-Carrier Alliance Leading Electrification (ZET SCALE), a program jointly operated by Catalyst Mobility and the Smart Freight Centre.

The electrification of road freight trucking is happening much faster than for passenger vehicles, as rigs are used more intensively and have a quicker turnover. This structural force could undermine long-term oil demand across the world—diesel consumption in China will drop >10% this year.

“Our aspiration is to use 100% EV vehicles in our fleet system in the next three to four years as we implement our fleet renewal plan” – Li Wenjun, President of Nippon Express (China)

The pace of adoption around the world largely depends upon government support. Beijing has operated an annual scrappage-subsidy program for older diesel trucks since 2024, offering cash incentives to encourage fleet operators to replace aging vehicles with cleaner alternatives.

An August 2026 Gartner survey found that AI now accounts for 2/3 of supply chain digital investments, though 55% of chief supply chain officers say they’re still working out the actual return.