New Zealand
AIR
IMPORT
- Major terminals (Air New Zealand, Swissport, Menzies) are operating normally nationwide. Carriers have advised that fuel surcharges are likely to increase this month due to the increased cost of jet fuel.
EXPORT
- Major terminals (Air New Zealand, Swissport, Menzies) are operating normally nationwide. Carriers have advised that fuel surcharges are likely to increase this month due to the increased cost of jet fuel.
LANDSIDE & CUSTOMS
- NZ FAK CFS, all operations are business as usual.
- FAF – Staying with weekly updates due to continued fluctuations in diesel prices.
- Lyttelton KiwiRail service to/from port has a Block of Line from 9th to 16th August.
Australia
LANDSIDE & CUSTOMS
- The H5 bird flu has confirmed cases nationally with additional detections confirmed in wild birds across Australia. Whilst the number of detections has increased nationally, importantly there continue to be no detections in poultry or Australia’s agricultural production systems.
- Terminals:
DP World is experiencing delays which started on Friday 7th August, and have continued throughout the weekend. With 10 vessels due into port in the next 7 days, we are expecting continuing delays.
A large industrial shed at Port Adelaide caught fire releasing a toxic plume of smoke. The Port of Adelaide experienced minor operational delays but vessels load and discharge has not been impacted.
- BMSB Season for 2026-2027 is fast approaching. Whilst formally yet to be announced by DAFF, the BMSB measures for the upcoming season will most likely remain the same as last year:
- Season dates – The 2026-2027 BMSB risk season will apply to target high-risk goods from target risk countries shipped on board a vessel between 1 September 2026 and 30 April 2027 (inclusive).
- Target Risk Goods & Target Risk Countries – most likely to remain the same as last season.
- Random inspections – Goods from emerging risk countries, as well as airfreight consignments from USA and China will continue to be subject to random inspections throughout the season.
- Mandatory offshore treatment – Target high risk goods shipped as Breakbulk (including flat rack and open top containers) will continue to require mandatory offshore treatment before arrival into Australia.
- Previous measures can be found here: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/import/before/brown-marmorated-stink-bugs
- Border Holds continue to persist, causing delays and additional charges for imports into Australia, affecting both air and sea consignments. These prolonged delays have been ongoing since December, and whilst border holds are not new, the duration and volume of current holds is well outside of normal operational expectations. The holds are seemingly random however, and are causing significant delays and additional costs to the importers as they are not recoverable with ABF and costs incurred largely sit with importers. Industry is working with Border Force to advocate for more Border Force staff and wider transparency on reasons for holds. We encourage importers to factor in potential delays into planning and escalate through normal channels where appropriate.
Asia
AIR
IMPORT
- New Zealand import capacity remains tight across all of Asia including China. Bookings need to be made at least 5 days before departure. Larger ocean to air conversions are expected due to the delays and congestion with ocean freight.
- Australian import capacity is okay across major trade lanes, with some services experiencing minor delays.
- Australian import rates continue to fluctuate depending on carrier and routing, with spot pricing available for urgent or oversized shipments.
- Demand and bookings remain steady across key markets for Australian imports.
EXPORT
- For New Zealand exports; Most carriers are now starting to fill up quickly with bookings taking up to 48 hours to be confirmed.
- Australian export rates are still stable across key export markets, particularly into China and North Asia.
- Australian export capacity is getting tight with certain carriers starting to fill up quickly, early bookings are recommended.
- Premium options available with good capacity at higher rates for urgent Australian export cargo.
OCEAN
IMPORT
- Typhoon Dolphin made landfall early Monday morning in China and has caused some disruption around the Wenzhou area however, luckily the impact to major ports has been limited.
- Delays in Shanghai are still significant, with wait times for berths at some terminals ballooning out to 9 days. Ningbo seems to have recovered from their closures following Typhoon Bavi.
- Congestion in SE Asia transship hubs remains significant with some carriers reporting over 1000 containers in their roll pools – indications are this will take up to 6 weeks to see any recovery.
EXPORT
- The East coast of China is still experiencing disruption due to the multiple typhoons – Although Typhoon Dolphin did not have as great an impact as expected, it still forced people from their homes and vessels omitting Shanghai and Ningbo in particular. There continues to be congestion in these areas, causing issues with vessel schedules.
MIDDLE EAST:
There are limited-service options to the region. Some Carriers are offering services to Khor Fakkan and Al Fujairah in the UAE. Alternative services to Aqaba, Jeddah and King Abdullah entering the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea are available.
Trans-Tasman
AIR
IMPORT
- New Zealand imports – Consols are largely moving as booked. Additional space remains hard to get and rates are increasing for anything that sits outside the consols.
- Qantas, Dnata, Swissport and Menzies Aviation continue to operate as normal.
EXPORT
- Export terminals across Australia continue to operate normally.
- New Zealand export consols are moving as booked and additional capacity is now available on freighters during the week.
OCEAN
- We have been advised of upcoming reforms for export regulations on non-prescribed goods from Australia.
It appears that seven groups of goods currently treated as non-prescribed goods would become prescribed “General Products”. Therefore, these products may be subject to additional regulations and require export permits.
The commodities that will be affected are:
- food and beverages;
- rendered goods;
- pet food, stockfeed and feed additives;
- skins and hides;
- honey and honeybee products;
- wool and wool grease; and
- pharmaceutical, technical and blood products of animal
The changes are intended to strengthen Australia’s export assurance framework, provide greater traceability and meet increasingly complex importing-country requirements. While much of the initial consultation has focused on producers and exporters, the proposed arrangements may also have important operational and legal implications for freight forwarders.
The permit requirement is currently expected to commence from around April 2027.
IMPORT
- As 20’ equipment shortages continue we are seeing a shift towards LCL (less container load) as the next best alternative transport mode. Delays can occur as we wait for shipping lines to find and make boxes available. Based on current market rates, any consignments 17 CBM or less can be on parr with an FCL ( Full container load) shipment. At face value the cost per CBM as LCL is higher but savings in trucking (origin and destination), devan time and labour as well as the complete removal of detention risk needs to be considered. While FCL pricing is subject to change and can impact this FCL vs LCL ratio over time, the lack of 20’ equipment supply in Australia will be ongoing.
EXPORT
- Adverse weather is impacting vessel schedules for New Zealand exports and forcing some vessels to change rotation or omit ports all together.
- MSC is seeing a growing roll pool in Wellington, a major transship port for South Island cargo into Australia. For time sensitive cargo, it is recommended to utilize other services.
Europe
AIR
IMPORT
- Consols are still delayed by up to 48 hours for New Zealand imports, however space via the Middle East is starting to open up and we have been able to get additional space on Emirates. Transiting Singapore and Narita is also working well.
- Australian import capacity is improving on selected direct services, with transit delays of 24–48 hours still being experienced.
- Australian import rate fluctuations continue depending on airline capacity.
EXPORT
- New Zealand Exports – Capacity is starting to ease via the Middle East. Emirates and Qatar are able to take bookings within 48 hours. No real capacity via the USA.
- Australian export capacity is very tight with some of the cheaper carriers, booking lead times of 1-2 days may apply on some carriers.
- Premium options are available for urgent Australian export cargo.
- Space is available for Australian exports with advance planning.
OCEAN
IMPORT
- CMA CGM has suspended booking on their Europe to NZ services via Asia due to peak season volumes causing congestion. Booking ahead 3-4 weeks is recommended across all lines.
- Some lines have introduced Emergency Fuel Surcharges due to rapidly rising oil prices.
- BMSB season will start again on September 1st 2026. Procedures should be the same as last season.
- CMA CGM and Maersk are continuing to sail via Cape of Good Hope.
- There have been shortages of 20ft equipment from some ports.
- We have seen increased customs inspections from European ports particularly on cargo with any military connection.
EXPORT
- Due to peak season space has tightened on all European services, please endeavour to place your bookings 4+ weeks in advance.
- There is congestion with transshipment in Singapore with some Carriers averaging delays of 3-5 weeks.
- Temperatures across Northern Europe have returned to more seasonal levels, and the exceptional heatwave conditions that recently impacted terminal operations across Benelux and German ports have eased. As a result, terminal operations are gradually returning to normal, with equipment performance, workforce productivity, and IT systems stabilizing.
North America
AIR
IMPORT
- New Zealand import consols continue to be delayed in transit by up to 48 hours. Air NZ continue to have capacity issues ex the West Coast as they take on more bookings from Interline carriers, however we have managed to get additional bookings on United Airlines.
- Australian import capacity is limited with some carriers delaying up to 48 hours, early bookings are still recommended where possible.
- Australian import rates remain relatively stable overall, with some fluctuations depending on carrier and routing.
- Demand and bookings remain steady across key markets for Australian imports.
EXPORT
- Capacity remains full for New Zealand exports, although the booking time is now around 7 days with some destinations less than that. Transiting via Sydney is an option, however there are backlogs on carriers so no certainty of when the onforwarding flights are confirmed.
- Uplift availability remains tight across several carriers for Australian exports, with early bookings recommended.
- Australian export rates remain relatively stable overall, with minor fluctuations across selected services and routings.
- Australian export capacity remains manageable with sufficient forward planning.
OCEAN
- Vancouver terminal utilization is moderate at 79%, there are no berthing delays. The average import rail dwell time has increased slightly to 3.5 days.
- US Terminal Operations:
New York – no berthing delays, rail dwell time has reduced to 0.4 days.
Norfolk – minimal berthing delays, import dwell time has increased slightly to 3.4 days.
Charleston – berthing delays of up to 3 hours, import dwell has increased to 5.5 days.
Savannah – average berthing time has reduced to 6 hours. Import dwell time has decreased to 4.8 days, rail dwell time remains at 1 day.
Houston – berthing delays of up to 6 hours. Import dwell time has increased to 5 days.
Oakland – no berthing delays. Average import delivery timeframe reduced slightly to 5.3 days.
Seattle – no berthing delays. Rail import dwell time has reduced slightly to 2.8 days.
Los Angeles – average dwell time for local import cargo is 3.1 days, on-dock rail dwell time has increased to 5.1 days.
IMPORT
- No major issues at this point.
EXPORT
- West Coast North America – demand has increased for direct service to West Coast of the US & Canada, the Vancouver calling vessels are heavily booked to September. There are blank sailings in week 32 and week 38. The next Seattle departure is the Maersk Yellowstone 631N, ETD 20/8, after the Mate 634N ETD 10/9. The subsequent Vancouver vessel is the ANL Warrnambool 637N ETD 1/10.
- US East Coast – Space remains tight; we do encourage that bookings are placed 3+ weeks in advance of departure.
- US Rail – There is seasonal congestion at US rail ramp. Chicago, Louisville and Kansas City are heavily impacted.
