Maersk Asia-Pacific quarterly market update - Q3 2025

For the latest macroeconomic updates and what they mean for supply chains around the world, please head to the Maersk Global Market Update for Autumn 2025

As we enter the final quarter of 2025, supply chains across Asia-Pacific continue to evolve amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and shifting trade policy. In this edition, we provide a snapshot of current conditions across ocean, air, inland, and contract logistics, along with the latest regulatory developments affecting regional and global trade. Maersk remains focussed on delivering resilient, integrated solutions to support our customers through a changing market landscape.

Whilst severe weather in China in the form of typhoons had an impact on the overall reliability of the network, but the flexibility and responsiveness of the network meant that major disruptions were avoided.

This consistency offers customers greater certainty whilst navigating ongoing supply chain complexities.

Golden Week Planning

As we approach China Golden Week in early October, customers are encouraged to plan shipments proactively around the public holiday period in China. While capacity planning varies across carriers, Sea-Intelligence (issue 733) reports that overall blank sailings and schedule adjustments have now reached levels broadly in line with historical seasonal patterns. Maersk continues to provide early visibility and coordination to minimise potential disruptions and ensure equipment availability.

Diverging Demand Trends

Global container trade remained resilient, growing by 4.9% year-on-year from May through July, according to Maersk internal data (September 2025). Strong import demand was recorded in Latin America, Europe, and Africa, while exports from West Central Asia and the Far East remained firm. However, regional divergence continues: North America imports were flat year-on-year and remain significantly below the 2011–2019 average. Far East Asia imports also declined, down 4.2% from May through July. Sea-Intelligence (issue 732) confirms this divergence, highlighting subdued US-bound demand and more stable flows in Intra-Asia and Middle East trade lanes.

Air Freight Market Update

Air freight conditions across Asia-Pacific remained consistent with recent trends from August through late September, following earlier strength in Q2. According to Maersk internal data (September 2025), global air freight demand grew by 9% year-on-year in June, before moderating to 5.5% in July, suggesting a gradual levelling after a period of strong growth. Intra-Asia volumes remained firm, while Europe and North America recorded more mixed performance due to macroeconomic uncertainty and evolving trade dynamics.

Regional Trends and Vertical Performance

Technology continues to drive growth across global air cargo volumes, while demand in Automotive and Lifestyle verticals has softened. According to Maersk internal data, European import markets contributed significantly to global volume growth in Q2, supported by continued strength from Far East Asia. Healthcare and Industrial verticals also showed resilience, maintaining a steady year-on-year trend in July. Meanwhile, the impact of US de minimis policy changes has begun to affect some SME-driven e-commerce flows, particularly on low-value shipments.

Supply Environment and Utilisation

Air cargo capacity rose again in July, with global available capacity reaching its highest level since 2019, largely due to increased passenger travel boosting belly-hold space. According to IATA and Maersk internal data, global cargo load factors rose 0.7% year-on-year to 45.1%, with Asia-Pacific reaching 49.3%. Despite this improvement, some regions, including North America, continue to see weaker utilisation, and freighter operations remain constrained by factors such as limited aircraft supply and Middle Eastern airspace restrictions.

Market Disruptions and Structural Challenges

Broader structural risks remain present, including the ongoing impact of global conflict, labour disputes, and climate-related disruptions. Many Southeast Asian governments are recalibrating policies to maintain growth momentum considering these external pressures. Meanwhile, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns are beginning to affect inland transport flows in select markets, a trend expected to intensify.

We are working to drive operational efficiency and ensuring service continuity. Our inland teams are also innovating the product offering to enhance competitiveness, enabling better flexibility, reliability, and integration across inland and ocean services.

LCL Update

Maersk has upgraded its LCL online service with a redesigned interface that offers a clearer and more efficient booking experience, featuring transparent key details like pricing and transit times, a visual timeline for tracking shipments, streamlined operations with easy payment and sharing options, all while maintaining its signature brand colors for a professional and user-friendly workflow.

Effective October 14, 2025, the U.S. government will begin phasing in new service fees on maritime transport services of Chinese owned and Chinese-built vessels calling U.S. ports. These fees will be introduced gradually over the next three years.

We are committed to helping you minimise the impact of disruption these tariffs may cause to your supply chain. We want to reassure you that:

• No surcharge will be applied. We have no intention to introduce any surcharge in connection with this rule.
• Your services remain unchanged. We do not anticipate adjustments to our U.S. port rotations or your existing service plans.

Pasir Gudang, Malaysia: Asia’s Largest Cocoa Warehouse

In September, Maersk and Barry Callebaut launched one of Asia’s largest cocoa bean warehouses in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. This multi-storey, purpose-built facility spans over 600,000 square feet and has the capacity to handle nearly 40,000 metric tons of cocoa beans. Strategically located close to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and just one kilometre from Barry Callebaut’s processing plant, the warehouse significantly reduces transit time and enhances supply chain control.

Equipped with Maersk’s advanced Warehouse Management System (WMS), the facility provides real-time inventory tracking and optimised handling workflows. It also incorporates eco-friendly design elements such as LED lighting and natural ventilation. This investment reflects Maersk’s focus on high-integrity storage solutions for agri-based commodities and reinforces our commitment to building resilient, high-performance supply chains across the region.

Lin-gang, Shanghai: Flagship Fulfilment Facility

Maersk’s new flagship fulfilment centre in Lin-gang, Shanghai, is redefining flexibility and control in contract logistics. Situated within a key special economic zone, the facility offers nearly 150,000 square metres of warehousing space and is designed to meet the evolving needs of global and regional supply chains. With built-in automation, in-house sorting and retrieval systems, and full-service distribution capabilities, it supports a broad range of use cases including import/export distribution, consolidation, and cross-border e-fulfilment.

The facility also reflects Maersk’s long-term sustainability goals. It is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification by 2025 and is engineered to maximise renewable electricity usage while minimising environmental impact. With optimal connectivity to major ports, the Lin-gang warehouse enables faster time-to-market and improved operational agility for customers managing complex or high-volume fulfilment flows.

Major Ports Update

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Remark: Information is dynamic and subject to change.

Resources and tools to support you

Visit our “Insights” pages where we explore the latest trends in supply chain digitization, sustainability, growth, resilience, and integrated logistics.

Learn what’s happening in our regions by reading our Europe, North America, and Latin America updates.

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