Executive summary
- Ocean: ME2 westbound moves CICT to CWIT in Colombo from 28 Aug 2025; eastbound unchanged. Global schedule reliability (Jul): 65.2%, we advise customers to proceed with standard planning and use targeted ETA contingency on must-arrive shipment.
- Customs: U.S. tariff actions affect steel/aluminium and selected India exports. Review HS codes, pricing, and buyer exposure.
- Air (South Africa): Daily departures and consolidations for peak season, reduced handling on eligible moves through 31 Dec 2025.
Ocean Update
Ocean operations across IMEA remain broadly stable, with seasonal weather and isolated terminal disruptions being managed within plan. To ease congestion in Colombo, Maersk will shift the ME2 westbound call from Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) to Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) while keeping eastbound calls unchanged. This structural change takes effect 28 August 2025 (first impacted vessel: Maersk Guayaquil 535W).
Schedule Reliability: Despite recent seasonal weather and isolated terminal variability in IMEA, operations remain stable. According to the Sea-Intelligence latest release, global schedule reliability in July 2025 was 65.2%. Under the new-alliance lens, Gemini Cooperation recorded 92.0% on all arrivals and 89.6% on trade arrivals. We’ll continue to monitor variability and adjust buffers where needed
What this means for your planning
- South Asia exports via Colombo: Westbound cargo will route via CWIT from 28 Aug; eastbound routings unchanged. Check cut-offs and gate windows per your booking.
- Reliability: Despite pockets of weather/terminal disruption, arrival performance remains resilient compared to the wider market, supporting more predictable downstream planning.
Customs Update
New U.S. tariff actions and potential India impact
The United States (U.S.) Department of Commerce has expanded Section 232 measures, moving steel and aluminum tariff rates to 50% across 400+ product categories, including wind turbines, mobile cranes, bulldozers, railcars and various components—aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing and closing circumvention loopholes.
Separately, the U.S. imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods on 7 August 2025, with duties on select items potentially reaching up to 50%. Early reporting highlights exposure for textiles, gems & jewellery, footwear, furniture, chemicals and auto components.
Customer impact & guidance
India- Demand risk for U.S.-bound exports in labour-intensive categories as landed costs rise, review SKU profitability and buyer commitments.
- Commercial actions: Re-price where contracts allow; protect margins with duty-inclusive quotes and shorter validity windows.
- Upstream effects from 50% U.S. tariffs on steel/aluminum-linked machinery and components could tighten spreads and dampen orders into U.S. channels. Map exposure across steel, heavy equipment, and EV-adjacent parts.
- Diversify lanes & buyers: Accelerate orders into preferential/regional blocs to counter U.S. exposure.
- Adjust pricing & terms: Incorporate duty scenarios in quotes; add reopener clauses for tariff volatility.
- Engage on policy: Support trade bodies on exemptions/exclusions where applicable under Section 232 processes.
- Increase value-add: Explore component localization/finishing to mitigate duty incidence on finished goods.
Air Update
Special feature | Eyes to the Skies: Your Airfreight Advantage in South Africa from anywhere to anywhere
To help South African shippers move time-sensitive cargo with confidence, Maersk is offering daily departures, a dedicated pricing desk, and proactive milestone updates across our global air network. We support general, dangerous (IATA-accepted), and temperature-controlled cargo, and can provide cost-efficient consolidations on key lanes—pairing local know-how with global reach.
What this means to our customers:
- Daily departures with flexible re-routing and real-time tracking to keep urgent cargo moving despite disruptions.
- Dedicated pricing manager with SLA-backed quote turnaround and strong carrier ties to secure space during peak demand.
- Customs-bonded warehousing and best-in-class ground handling protocols to help mitigate theft and damage risk.
- Clean, standardised invoicing to reduce documentation errors that can lead to penalties.
- Customer experience experts to proactively manage milestones and exceptions end-to-end. Maersk
- Reduced handling charges on eligible airfreight moves, valid through 31 December 2025.
- Complimentary Maersk-branded sunglasses for qualifying shipments while supplies last (upon quote request and booking during the promo period).
- Promotion window: from end-August through year-end 2025.
Limited time offer (SA origin/destination):
These measures directly target today’s pain points, space assurance in peak weeks, risk reduction on the ground, faster quotes, and tighter milestone control—so you can proceed with standard planning and apply targeted contingency only on must-arrive shipments.
Click here for more information on the service and to secure this limited offer.
Special feature | Nairobi Airport: a faster gateway for regional and global uplift
Kenya remains one of Africa’s busiest air-cargo hubs . IATA place total air cargo handled at 380,000 tonnes in 2023, and 373,000 tonnes 373,000 tonnes in 2024 (with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) handling 365,000 tonnes), underscoring Nairobi’s role in high-velocity export flows.
Horticulture including, cut flowers, fruits, and vegetables totalled 214,700 tonnes in H1 2024, with flower revenues of USD 835m in 2024 and a 2025 forecast of USD 851m, much of it time-sensitive and air-dependent into Europe and the Middle East. Beyond Europe’s established corridors, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are fast-emerging frontiers for floriculture growth.
Healthcare is scaling too, Nairobi- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) now hosts multiple CEIV Pharma–aligned facilities and handlers, signaling airport-level readiness for temperature-controlled, high-value pharma.
According to Accenture data, international air-cargo capacity rose 4% YoY in early 2025, with Asia–Middle East–Europe lanes showing persistent growth, important for Nairobi’s connections into Gulf, India, and Europe.
Beyond perishables, pharma, lifestyle and apparel shipments to Europe and the Americas remain a strategic growth area for Kenya. Exports to the U.S. under AGOA rose to USD 470m in 2024, supporting faster-cycle replenishment use cases where air makes sense.
It’s on this backbone that we’re enhancing our airfreight capabilities to and from Nairobi, connecting major markets across South Africa, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Europe. Shippers can leverage daily departures with lane snapshots (cut-offs, Turn-around-times (TAT), near-term capacity) to lock purchase order (PO) calendars with confidence; specialised handling for perishables, machinery, and time-critical cargo supported by the 4,303 m² Astra facility near JKIA for fast cross-dock and temperature control; pharma-ready options aligned to CEIV practices for temperature integrity and milestone visibility; and consolidations on key lanes to secure predictable uplift and improve unit economics during peak weeks. From late Q3 2025, we will scale capacity on selected Africa–Middle East–South Asia–Europe trade lanes.
Get in touch with our Air experts about your freight needs.
All information in this update is based on publicly available sources. *
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