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APEC in Shenzhen, Nov 18-19: Why South China Air Cargo Tightens Right Before Black Friday

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Shenzhen hosts APEC on 18-19 November. That is nine days before Black Friday. If you are still planning to fly cargo out of South China in the second half of this month, the two calendars have just collided. The short version APEC's Leaders' Meeting runs 18-19 November in Shenzhen. The CEO Summit is 17-18 November. The meeting week opened on 14 November. Expect tighter air cargo capacity across Shenzhen and Guangzhou from mid-November through the days after the summit. This is how major international events usually affect host-city airports, not a published restriction. Black Friday is 27 November. The last air restock window and the capacity squeeze land in the same ten days. Sea freight cannot save this order. At this point only air, express, or a split shipment can. Lock space now, and price a backup airport. Hong Kong, Xiamen and Shanghai Pudong are the realistic alternatives. Figure: Air freight con...
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Top 10 Container Shipping Companies in 2026

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Global Logistics Intelligence · 2026 Carrier Rankings Published by STU Supply Chain (Licensed NVOCC & FMC Freight Forwarder, Shenzhen) · Updated November 2026 Executive Summary (Key 2026 Market Facts) Market Concentration: The top 10 container lines control 85% of global capacity, with the top 5 holding 65.5% . #1 Carrier: MSC leads globally with 7.48M TEU (21.5% share), ahead of #2 Maersk (4.71M TEU) by a margin larger than Hapag-Lloyd’s entire fleet. Reliability vs. Capacity: Global schedule reliability sits at 49.9% (6.81-day average delay), while a record 15.1M TEU orderbook (44% of active fleet) is reshaping 2027 rate dynamics. Alliance Structure: Capacity is split across Ocean Alliance , Gemini Cooperation , Premier Alliance , and two major independents ( MSC and ZIM ). 85% Global capacity held by top ...
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US Container Rates Are Falling. The East Coast Broke First.

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Transpacific container rates fell again in the first week of November 2026, and the East Coast is now falling faster than the West Coast. Shanghai–Los Angeles sits at $7,539 per 40ft on the Drewry WCI, unchanged week over week. Shanghai–New York dropped 3% to $9,303. On the Shanghai Shipping Exchange index, the East Coast fell below $10,000 for the first time in 11 weeks. NRF expects November US import volume to land at 2.05 million TEU, down about 9% from October. For an importer, that sounds like good news. It is not the whole story. On the same lane, in the same week, 40HQ quotes from our own booking desk ranged from $5,670 to $11,330. The index is an average. Nothing on the market is priced at the average. The Numbers: Two Indexes, One Direction Two benchmarks matter for China–US ocean freight. They sample different carriers, different booking windows and different rate types, so they rarely agree. This week they agreed on direction. Benchmark Lane Rate (per 40ft) We...
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Sea Freight From China to the USA, Priced for a 343% Market

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By Charlie Chan · Last updated: November 12, 2026 · 7 min read Charlie Chan 20 years on the USA line. TL;DR:  Far East to US West Coast spot rates have climbed  343%  since the end of February, and fuel surcharges are still moving. In a market like this, the forwarder you pick changes your cost more than the forecast does. This is what we do differently on China to USA sea freight:  all-in quotations  (base, fuel, origin, destination — one number),  both spot and contract  priced side by side,  booking dates built on warehouse delivery, not carrier ETA , and dedicated handling for FBA, TikTok Shop FBT and DDP door-to-door cargo. A rate spike does not create most of the losses people blame on it. The spike is public information — everyone sees the same 343%. What the spike actually punishes is a specific set of habits. Quoting on the base rate and discovering the fuel surcharge later. Booking on the carrier's ETA and missing the warehouse appointme...
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