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Supply Chain Advisors
Cancelled Sailings Tracker - 08 May
Our weekly Cancelled Sailings Tracker provides a snapshot of blank sailings announced by each Alliance versus the total number of scheduled sailings.
Should you require more detailed weekly assessments and analysis of cancelled sailings and schedules by main trade and alliance, you may be interested in subscribing to Container Capacity Insight. This service includes effective capacity, port congestion, dwell time, utilisation and service reliability insights with year-on-year comparisons. Contact us to request an evaluation report.
Source: Container Capacity Insight
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Weekly analysis: 08 May 2026
Markets steady, but risks remain
Project Freedom’s brief launch and suspension added a new layer of uncertainty to the Middle East shipping environment, although disruption to container markets remains relatively localised. Carriers continue rerouting cargo through India, Colombo and Red Sea hubs, while alternative multimodal solutions are becoming more common.
Freight rates increased again this week, with the Drewry World Container Index rising 3% WoW to $2,286 per 40ft container as of 7 May. Transpacific rates rose 6%, while Asia–North Europe/Med rates increased 2%. Transatlantic rates declined marginally by 1%.
Across major East–West trades, 34 blank sailings are expected over the next five weeks, from week 20 (11–17 May) to week 24 (8–14 June), out of 702 scheduled departures, reflecting a 5% cancellation rate, with 95% of services still expected to sail as planned. Disruptions remain concentrated on the Transpacific eastbound trade (47%), followed by Asia–Europe/Med (32%), while the Transatlantic (21%) remains comparatively less affected. Gemini Cooperation continues to report no cancellations.
Capacity conditions are gradually improving, with blank sailings projected to decline from 59 in April to 49 in May and further to 30 in June, alongside a 4% MoM increase in East–West capacity.
For shippers, this points to improving network stability, although alternative routings, elevated costs and periodic disruption risks are likely to persist in the near term.
Solutions for shippers...
If you’re an international shipper/BCO and would like to learn more about the targeted support and advice we can give to service provider contracts, budgeting and tender preparations this year, contact our team of ocean freight procurement and cost benchmarking experts at supplychains@drewry.co.uk.
Solutions for shippers/BCOs
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