International Maritime

A‘ future powerhouse’

As carriers expand services to the continent, Sascha Geiken, vice president of ocean freight for the Middle East and Africa at DHL Global Forwarding, called the rising demand a structural shift rather than a short-term spike.

“ China – Africa is one of our fastest-growing trades,” he told the Journal of Commerce.“ And it’ s not only ocean freight that is growing because we see super strong growth in our air freight activities.”

Geiken also highlighted the key constraints facing many African gateway ports that cannot handle larger vessels efficiently, piling pressure on liner networks and broader container flows.

“ We see in several countries that the demand is growing, the vessels calling at the ports are getting bigger, but the infrastructure outside the ports is also not able to handle the massive growth,” he said.

Once the cargo leaves the port and is on the road, cross-border movement presents another challenge to logistics providers.

“ If you want to transport cargo by road from one country in Africa to another, it is very complicated,” he said.“ The complexity [ is ] in terms of documentation process. The amount of time it takes to facilitate a simple document of transport between one and two countries is one of the biggest pain points.”

The cross-border issues remain despite the African Continental Free Trade Area( AFCFTA) established in 2019, with trading under the agreement beginning in 2021. The agreement aims to liberalize tariffs on 90 % of goods traded between African countries, making intra-African trade easier and more cost-effective.

While 54 out of 55 African Union countries have now signed up for the deal, non-tariff barriers continue to frustrate the free movement of cargo across borders, such as complex customs paperwork, inconsistent customs procedures, and varying domestic regulations. In addition, inadequate transport infrastructure, including road networks, secure parking and rest facilities for drivers, and broader logistics support infrastructure continues to add complexity and cost to cross-border transport operations across the continent.

“ If Africa can get this in order, maybe not free borders but simplified processing of land transport, there is nothing that will stop Africa becoming the powerhouse of the future,” Geiken said.

As carriers and forwarders intensify logistics competition, AGL’ s Labonne did not believe the result would be determined solely by operator size or acquisition.

“ It will depend on the ability to efficiently connect ports with production areas, consumption centers and major regional corridors,” he said.“ In other words, value creation will increasingly depend on controlling the entire logistics chain, from the quay to the final customer.”

email: greg. knowler @ spglobal. com

NOAA estimates a 70 % chance the 2026 El Niño will be the strongest on record. Claire Salvail Photos / Shutterstock. com

Panama Canal to cut one daily Neopanamax ship transit by September

By Michael Angell and Mark Szakonyi

The Panama Canal is limiting the number of ships allowed to transit the waterway and more strictly allocate transit auctions as part of its ongoing effort to deal with low-water levels on its locks that are cutting the loaded capacity of vessels.

The Panama Canal Authority( ACP) began limiting the number of daily slots on its largest Neopanamax vessel locks to nine per day on Sept. 3. The canal’ s original set of locks were limited to 25 vessel transits as of the same date, but the number of Panamax vessels will be cut to 23 by Sept. 15.

Through July 2026, the canal had been averaging close to 10 Neopanamax transits per day, according to ACP statistics. Daily Panamax transits averaged about 25 over the same period.

The ACP said the reduction in the number of daily transits may“ increase waiting times for vessels arriving at the waterway without a secured reservation.”

In addition, the agency said it would modify the auction process for ship operators to secure last-minute transits starting Sept. 4.

The ACP will categorize vessels into one of four groups that will be allowed to bid on an auction on a rotating basis, depending on the number of vessels that are waiting to transit. Ship operators will also only be able to bid on one slot per day.

The ACP said the new auction process will give priority to container vessels with the highest TEU capacity. High-capacity container vessels, though, still face coming draft limits on the Panama Canal that cut into how much cargo can be carried.

The draft limits stem from a strong El Niño weather pattern that’ s causing a drought in Panama and limits the

36 Journal of Commerce | September 7, 2026 www. joc. com