14 DIARIO DEL PUERTO MARTES 19 MAYO 2026 ganize its services, reinforce alternative ports of call, and fall back on land-based solutions to ensure supply chain continuity. Similarly, the CMA CGM Group acknowledges a “significant increase” in energy costs linked to the geopolitical crisis, which has led to a review of surcharges and an adjustment of rates. Its Chairman and CEO, Rodolphe Saadé, insists on the need to pass on part of these costs to maintain operational viability. Hapag-Lloyd is also adopting a cautious tone. Its CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen, in a recent exclusive interviewwithDiario del Puerto, estimated the additional weekly costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East at around 40-50 million euros. “Unfortunately, it seems the situation is going to get worse rather than better,” noted Rolf Habben Jansen. For the Hamburg-based German shipping company, Europe is one of themarketswhere this volatility is most clearly evident. Structural overcapacity However, the market is not behaving uniformly. Despite cost pressures, freight rates have not seen a sustained surge as inprevious crises. This iswhere the second major factor comes into play: structural overcapacity. Linerlytica, a company that addresses “asymmetric information problems” in the container shipping industry through data-driven market intelligence, warns that, despite the disruption, the entry of new vessels and the high order backlog continue to limit the upside potential of rates. This tension between disruption and oversupply defines the current moment. On the one hand, shipping lines are implementing “blank sailings,” adjusting services, and modifying rotations to sustainprices. On the other hand, the volume available in the market acts as a natural brake. According to Drewry, this duality explains why freight rates on key routes such as Asia–Europe show occasional corrections even in a crisis environment. Vulnerabilities in Global Supply Chains For their part, European freight forwarders are on the front lines of this adjustment. Stephane Graber,DirectorGeneralofFIATA (the International Federation of FreightForwardersAssociations), warnsofthe“growingfragility”of global supply chains, emphasizing that rerouting and geopolitical instabilityare alreadyaffectingallmodes of transport. On the operational front, DHL Global Forwarding describes a scenario of growing congestion at alternative hubs and an increasingly intensive use of multimodal solutions. Its CEO, Tim Scharwath, notes that these alternatives have gone from being complementary to “critical” for maintaining flows to Europe. This shift toward hybrid solutions is one of themost significant changes of the past month. Land corridors between the Middle East También Hapag-Lloyd adopta un tono prudente. Su CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen, en una reciente entrevista concedida en exclusiva a Diario del Puerto, cifraba en unos 40-50 millones de euros los costes adicionales por semana provocados por el conflicto enOriente Medio. “Por desgracia, parece que la situación va a empeorar en lugar de mejorar”, señalaba Rolf Habben Jansen. Para la naviera alemana con sede en Hamburgo, Europa es uno de los mercados donde esa volatilidad se manifiesta con mayor claridad. Sobrecapacidad estructural Sin embargo, el mercado no se comporta de forma homogénea. A pesar de la presión sobre los costes, los fletes no han experimentadouna escalada sostenida como en crisis anteriores. Aquí entra en juego el segundo gran factor: la sobrecapacidad estructural. Linerlytica, compañía que aborda “problemas asimétricos de la información” en la industria del transporte marítimo de contenedores mediante inteligencia de mercado basada en datos, advierte que, pese a la disrupción, la entrada de nuevos buques y la elevadacarteradepedidossiguen limitando el potencial alcista de las tarifas. Esta tensión entre disrupción y exceso de oferta define el momento actual. Por un lado, las navieras aplican “blank sailings”, ajustan servicios ymodifican rotaciones para sostener precios. Las navieras ajustan servicios y modifican rotaciones para sostener precios. En la imagen, Medcenter Container Terminal (MCT) en Gioia Tauro (Italia). / Shipping companies are adjusting services and modifying schedules to maintain prices. Photo: Medcenter Container Terminal (MCT) in Gioia Tauro, Italy. Corredores terrestres entre Oriente Medio y Europa, combinaciones mar-aire y rutas indirectas están ganando protagonismo Land corridors between the Middle East and Europe, seaair combinations, and indirect routes are gaining importance
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