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23 September 2026
Forwarders are urging those engaged in trade between Europe and Latin America to “book earlier”, amid issues of availability and port congestion on both sides of the tradelane – albeit with little of this playing out in the present shape of rates.
According to Container Trades Statistics (CTS), after a difficult start to the year LatAm-bound European volumes have recorded steady increases. July (CTS reports two months in arrears) having seen a year-on-year volume jump of 2.3%.
A source active on the trade told The Loadstar “exchange rates, financing costs, and industrial investment” across Latin America was making itself felt on freight flows up and down the continent.
Volumes in the opposite direction showed a growing slowdown, hitting just 2.4% year on year for July, after a June bounce of 15.1%, which followed an uptick of 10.7% in May.
A Brazilian forwarder told The Loadstar that the region had been contending with port congestion, – as has been true for much of Europe this year – while carrier schedule changes were also causing headaches.
While there had been little change in rates, amid an upturn in surcharges, the forwarder warned that issues across ports on both sides of the trade were feeding into costs they were able to quote customers, and warned that further pressures could be expected.
“All of this can increase the final bill,” the forwarder said, adding that ,for shippers, “the priority is to book earlier, check alternative sailings, and allow realistic delivery windows. Pharma and other temperature-sensitive shipments also require reliable handling and contingency plans”.
Interestingly, two of those The Loadstar spoke to questioned the logic of a LatAm-Europe tradelane, one noting: “Demand, rates, and operational risks can differ significantly between countries, ports, and cargo segments.
These differences matter when planning bookings and negotiating contracts.”