South-East Asia ↔ Australia rollovers
High intra-Asia demand is tightening space ex Singapore, Port Klang, Jakarta. Blank sailings around Golden Week (Sep–Oct) reduced ~11% of scheduled sailings.
Impact:
Australian importers from Singapore/Ningbo/Shanghai → Sydney/Melbourne risk rollovers and delayed cargo.
Action:
SMEs should book 2–3 weeks ahead of sailing.
Split shipments across multiple carriers to reduce rollover risk.
For urgent imports, use short-sea feeders via Singapore.
India Subcontinent ↔ Australia tight outbound slots
Strong Indian exports of rice, cotton, and textiles are soaking up capacity ex Tuticorin, Chennai, Colombo.
Impact:
Australian exporters (grains, cotton) face tight outbound slots into South Asia. Carriers may priorities high-paying commodities.
Action:
Lock in allocations on mainlines early.
SMEs should align shipping schedules with harvest/export seasons.
Consider transshipment via Singapore if direct slots unavailable.
Trans-Tasman 🇦🇺↔🇳🇿 Space tight
Strong reefer demand (meat, dairy) from Melbourne/Sydney → Auckland/Wellington keeps reefer space tight.
Impact:
Rates remain stable, but detention/free-time limits are stricter.
SMEs with perishable exports risk extra storage costs.
Action:
Negotiate extended free-time at booking stage.
SMEs should plan reefer bookings 3 weeks in advance.
Consider alternative ports (e.g., Tauranga) if Auckland congested.
Sources: Reuters, Drewry, Xeneta, Sea-Intelligence, IATA, BunkerIndex, DHL, The Nightly, Port Authorities, DFAT (Sep 2025)
Disclaimer – Market data is from public sources we consider reliable but has not been independently verified; accuracy is not guaranteed.