News in Brief podcast | Week 15 2026 | Ceasefire, capacity crunch and freight cost still up

After a two-week break, The Loadstar’s News in Brief returns with a major geopolitical development at the top of the agenda: a fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, and a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – at least for now. But with fresh attacks still reported and negotiations only just beginning, uncertainty remains high across global supply chains.

Gavin van Marle breaks down what this means for ocean shipping, from disrupted services and carrier pullbacks to the big question: will freight rates fall, or stay elevated amid ongoing risk and operational uncertainty?

We’re also joined by Aevean’s head of consulting, Maarten Wormer, to explore how the airfreight market is reacting, from shifting capacity and routing decisions to whether any sense of normal seasonality is returning in a market shaped by constant disruption.

With war risk surcharges, volatile fuel costs and unanswered questions around future transits, this episode unpacks what the ceasefire really means for shippers, and why stability may still be some way off.

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