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That compares with the nearly 3,500 to 4,500 daily bookings typically made throughout all of 2026. The bookings come as Iran’ s attacks on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have cut off the Middle East’ s resin producers from world markets. The Middle East accounts for 15 % of global polyethylene supply, the most widely traded type of resin, according to S & P Global Market Intelligence.

Ocean carriers ramp up asset investments

March has been marked by a spree of investments in marine terminals by Ocean Network Express( ONE),

Hapag-Lloyd and APM Terminals( APMT), part of Maersk. ONE also increased its ownership stake in its largest provider of chartered tonnage, becoming the largest external shareholder of Poseidon Corp. in a transaction potentially valued at close to $ 1 billion. ONE currently has a fleet of 281 ships amounting to 2.2 million TEUs. Of that, Seaspan has chartered some 43 container ships to ONE, amounting to about 417,000 TEUs in capacity. ONE also expanded its Asia container terminal network by acquiring a stake in Dongwon Global Terminal Busan( DGT) from South Korean conglomerate and terminal owner Dongwon Group.

ONE’ s terminal move in Busan also comes ahead of a shakeup in the Premier Alliance’ s Asia – Europe network in April that will see Busan become the focus of its North Asia trade, while ending direct calls at ports in Japan and Taiwan. In India, Hapag-Lloyd is investing about $ 1 billion in a move designed to play catch up with competitors while aligning with local regulatory changes. The expansion program includes reflagging four of Hapag-Lloyd’ s container ships to the Indian registry and participating in terminal infrastructure development at Vadhavan, a greenfield deepwater harbor project about 100 miles north of Mumbai. APMT is boosting its network in Vietnam, taking a 49 % stake in Haiphong’ s HHIT terminal in north Vietnam and building a $ 1.8 billion terminal in Da Nang. The recent terminal investments by the carriers show how— supported by record profits from several years of supply chain disruption— they want to gain better control of landside operations and mitigate port congestion.

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