🔹 SAF & Green Fuel Costs Pushing Sea Freight Rates
shipping lines are passing on green fuel costs. With IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and EU ETS already live, lines are trialling biofuels/low-carbon surcharges.
Singapore (main bunker hub for AUS trades) is blending more expensive biofuels, which sets the cost base for carriers servicing Melbourne, Sydney, Fremantle.
Impact: SMEs moving timber, grain, cotton, frozen meat on long-haul trades (AUS → EU/US) will see “environmental” surcharges added to sea freight invoices.
🔹 Carbon Pricing — Dates That Matter
EU ETS (Jan 2024): Already applies to voyages calling Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp — relevant for AUS → EU exporters.
IMO Global Pricing (2027): Will cover all ships >5,000 GT, impacting Australia’s exports of bulk commodities and containers to EU, US, Asia.
Impact: Container freight rates from Australia → Europe could rise by USD 50–150/TEU in early phases. SMEs should start asking lines to quote carbon-inclusive rates now.
🔹 US De Minimis Ends (Aug 29, 2025)
While targeted at low-value parcels into the US, it signals tighter US customs enforcement.
For Australian exporters shipping consumer goods (wine, retail, health products) into the US by sea, there may be extra scrutiny on declared values and potential port congestion from higher compliance checks.
Impact: SMEs exporting to the US should factor in longer clearance times and confirm who bears compliance costs with their freight forwarder.
Sources -Â reuters, TradeWinds, IMO, ArcticToday, Trans.info, SeaSNews, Xeneta, IATA, Sea-Intelligence, Drewry, USTR, CBP, European Commission, Deposco (Sep 2025).
Disclaimer – Market data is from public sources we consider reliable but has not been independently verified; accuracy is not guaranteed.