A driver employed by a Lithuanian company and left unpaid for seven months blocked his truck at a Dutch service area, invoking a right of retention over the vehicle. A court in Enschede ruled in his favour, ordering the company to pay more than €17,800 in back wages and daily allowances, rejecting all of the employer’s claims.

The OOCL Sunflower lost dozens of containers in the North Pacific during a storm on the Asia–United States route, with estimates ranging from 32 to 57 units as US authorities activate safety measures and begin checks on arrival in Long Beach.

An investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Guardia di Finanza of Palermo has led to the seizure of 17 tonnes of cigarettes, 8 tonnes of shredded tobacco and a clandestine plant in Castagnaro, in the province of Verona, linked to logistics depots in the Padua area.

Average spot container freight rates published by Drewry on 19 March 2026 show a moderate increase across all outbound routes from China. Transpacific trades recorded the sharpest gains, while fuel surcharges are weighing on global transport costs.

An agreement between the Aponte group and South Korean shipowner Ga-Hyun Chung will see MSC acquire a 50% stake in Sinokor, the world’s largest operator of VLCC supertankers, with an estimated 24% share of tonnage available on the global spot market. The move turns market rumours into a formal corporate structure and reshapes the balance of power in crude transport at a time when freight rates are at their highest since 2020.