Global container shipping had a rollercoaster year in 2025, and the numbers tell a fascinating story.

In this episode of The Loadstar Podcast, host Charlotte Goldstone is joined by CEO of Container Trades Satistics (CTS) Nigel Pusey and The Loadstar’s managing editor Gavin van Marle to break down the biggest shifts in volumes, pricing and trade lanes over the past year.

From surging intra-Asia and Far East–Europe growth to a sharp decline on the transpacific, the trio unpack how tariffs, geopolitics and the China+1 strategy reshaped global flows. They dive into why freight rates fell nearly 20% year-on-year despite strong demand, where peak season really showed up, and how secondary trades quietly stole the spotlight.

Plus, there’s a scorecard moment as past predictions are put to the test, and some bold new forecasts are made for 2026 that may or may not age well. Data-driven, opinionated and refreshingly honest, this is essential listening for anyone trying to make sense of today’s container markets.

Earnings season is in full swing, and the numbers are telling a story. This week on News in Brief, The Loadstar team break down Maersk’s Q4 and DSV’s Schenker-fuelled growth, plus the job cuts across both companies.

Alex Lennane also details a tech comment in DSV’s earnings call that’s quietly rattled the freight forwarding world.

The episode also tracks falling ocean rates, firmer air freight prices, rising European road contracts, and fresh questions over when ships will really return to Suez.

Add in Panama port drama, looming parcel fees, Chinese New Year pressures and a hint of Manifest gossip, and you’ve got a lot to catch up on.

Global trade runs on one essential ingredient: access to capital. Yet for millions of businesses, particularly SMEs in emerging markets, trade finance remains complex and out of reach.

In this episode of the Loadstar Podcast, host Charlotte Goldstone is joined by Sinan Ozcan, senior executive officer and board director at DP World Trade Finance, to unpack how trade finance really works, and why it matters more than ever.Since launching in 2021, DP World Trade Finance has mobilised over $1.6 billion in working capital and partnered with more than 30 financial institutions, reshaping how trade is funded by embedding finance directly into DP World’s global ports and logistics ecosystem.

Mr Ozcan draws on more than 25 years of experience across banking, export credit, logistics, and trade finance to explain:

• What the global trade finance gap actually is and why it’s been growing
• How real-time logistics data and cargo visibility can reduce risk and unlock funding
• Why SMEs struggle most to access capital, and how embedded finance helps
• How DP World mitigates fraud, collateral, and credit risk
• The role of free zones and supply chain infrastructure in enabling trade

If you’ve ever been confused by trade finance or wondered how data, logistics, and capital can come together to unlock global trade, listen now!