Wittbecker on Aluminum: US-China trade war clobbers cross-Pacific trade

Container shipping lines have sharply increased blank sailings on Transpacific routes in response to escalating trade tensions between the US and China. Blank sailings are canceled voyages.

The total blanked capacity for weeks 16-19 has surged to 367,800 TEU compared to just 60,000 TEU three weeks prior. The Asia-North America West Coast trade lane has seen scheduled capacity drop by 12% compared to six weeks ago, while the Asia-North America East Coast route experienced an even steeper decline of 14%.