As the Asia Pacific logistics landscape enters the second half of 2025, cautious trade optimism, shifting supply-chain alignments, and tighter regulatory oversight are reshaping demand patterns across sea, air, and land routes. Capacity adjustments, evolving customs requirements, and infrastructure constraints in key corridors are adding operational complexity. The following summary highlights recent developments in the ocean, air, inland, and customs markets, together with measures underway to support shippers through this transitional period.
Ocean market
After a 90-day tariff reprieve between the U.S. and China took effect in mid-May, Transpacific bookings rebounded sharply following an April dip of up to 40% on China–U.S. lanes. Many importers have advanced seasonal shipments to secure space. Meanwhile, intra-Asia volumes remain resilient, fuelled by rising consumption in Southeast Asia and growing demand for bonded warehousing and sea-air combinations via hubs such as Singapore. To address increased Transpacific demand, capacity on major services is being restored with larger vessels and extra sailings, while the upcoming World Gateway 2 facility in Singapore will expand regional warehousing and transshipment capabilities.
Air freight market
Global air-cargo volumes rose 4.3% year-on-year in March, led by Asia Pacific, with a 7% capacity increase in April and higher load factors on Asia–Europe and transpacific routes. Despite modest global GDP forecasts and softer export orders, spot rates have held steady and space remains available, though recent U.S. tariff adjustments have prompted some routing changes. Capacity is being scaled on high-demand lanes, and tailored guidance on customs planning and routing is being issued to maintain service consistency into early Q3.
Inland market
Overall, inland connectivity is stable, but urban congestion and cargo surges are stretching infrastructure in southern Vietnam, eastern India, and select Chinese corridors. Road, rail, and barge operations in Greater China continue to perform reliably, while cross-border trucking in Southeast Asia benefits from streamlined border processes. China–Central Asia rail links are also expanding as a cost-effective alternative to air for time-sensitive goods. Enhanced container-tracking tools are improving visibility, and forward-loading documents and accurate forecasting are recommended to mitigate seasonal bottlenecks.
Customs market
Since 14 May, revised U.S. duties—including IEEPA-based levies and a reduced 54% rate on low-value imports—have altered landed-cost structures for goods from China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR. Concurrently, new U.S.–U.K. trade provisions are affecting European imports. In response, a structured assess–comply–optimise framework is being applied to review tariff exposure, validate classifications, and explore duty-mitigation strategies such as alternative sourcing and drawback programmes. Scenario-planning tools and real-time tariff tracking are helping businesses distinguish confirmed policy changes from speculation and adapt cost models accordingly.
This mid-year overview underlines the importance of proactive planning across transport modes and customs processes as the region navigates an increasingly dynamic trade environment.
For more information:
Mikkel Linnet
Maersk
Tel: +45 24821196
Email: [email protected]
www.maersk.com