Global Shipping Update: What Global Mobility Managers Need to Know

Updated monthly. Last updated: August 2026.

This page sets out the current state of international shipping conditions affecting household goods and personal effects moves from the UK. It is based on the BAR Overseas Group Global Shipping Conditions update, the industry source of record, which is linked in full below. The conditions described apply across all UK international removers and are not unique to Bournes.

We refresh the picture at the top of this page each month and log what has changed underneath. So whether this is your first visit or you follow it every month, you get the full current position first, then a clear view of what has actually moved and what is easing off.

In this Update... 

• Headlines at a Glance >>

• Current Conditions >>

• Key Actions for Global Mobility >>

• Change log >>

Headlines at a glance

• Middle East disruption remains the single biggest factor. Interim ceasefires and diplomatic talks are periodically stabilising routes through the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping lines are still suspending bookings and diverting vessels, so there is no reliable relief yet.
• Cost certainty is the practical headache. Short-notice surcharges, currency adjustments and periodic fuel (bunker) reviews mean the figure quoted and the figure at sailing can differ.
• Moves to Asia, Oceania, India and the Middle East continue to route around the Cape of Good Hope, with longer transit times now the norm.
• Moves to North America face tight vessel capacity and a real risk of containers being rolled or cancelled following carrier alliance changes.
• Longer-standing conditions continue unchanged: lithium-ion battery restrictions, ICS2 information requirements, the ONE Line restriction on the effects of Russian passport holders, and reduced container equipment quality.
• Start planning and booking earlier than you would have historically, to give the best chance of securing vessel space.
• Set expectations with assignees on transit times and on the possibility that costs move between quotation and sailing.
• Identify lithium-ion items early and advise assignees against shipping them wherever possible.
• For any assignee holding a Russian passport, confirm carrier suitability before committing to a booking.
• Build contingency into both start dates and budgets, particularly for moves to the Middle East, Asia and North America.
• Talk to us early on any live or planned move so we can plan around the current conditions rather than react to them.

The current picture, region by region

Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz

The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping in the region. Interim ceasefires and diplomatic talks are periodically stabilising routes through the Strait of Hormuz, but carriers are still suspending bookings and applying costly diversions. Some services into the region have been reintroduced using alternative routings, though these are very fluid and are regularly withdrawn and then reinstated, usually because the revised transit ports are not equipped for the volume now being diverted to them.

New routings often involve an overland leg with high additional costs that vary continuously, which makes long-term quotes impossible. Rates agreed before the conflict are no longer being honoured, so a previous quotation may increase significantly. New shipments also carry a risk of being stranded at alternative ports under end of voyage or force majeure terms if the situation escalates.

Moves to Asia, Oceania and India (Eastbound)

The diversion around the Cape of Good Hope is now well established and schedules are generally followed, so longer transit times should be treated as normal for these destination regions. There is still no reliable estimate for when passage through the Suez Canal will be safe.

The omission of Middle East port calls on some Asia services remains a significant drag on the region. The services that still call Middle East ports run extremely full, and carrier route realignments continue to create a backlog. For moves to Oceania, congestion at Asian transhipment ports continues to cause some containers to be rolled more than once, with the delays that brings.

Moves to North America

Carrier alliance changes have reshaped which ports of load and discharge are used, and some services and calls offered previously are no longer available. Many lines route their US services through Southampton, and direct US discharge ports have shifted under those realigned services. With capacity removed from the route, demand runs ahead of vessel space, so rates are higher and delays and cancellations are common. The practical point for anyone moving is that more notice is needed to secure space, and the chance of a container being rolled or a booking cancelled is higher.

The Mediterranean

Mediterranean services are affected because the traditional route onward through Suez is not available, so vessels turn around and return. This has led to ports being omitted and transit times lengthening.

Moves to Africa and Latin America

Both regions are broadly reliable where a shipping line offers a service on a given route. For Africa, many inland destinations served by overland on-carriage have been dropped from schedules because of main-port congestion and weak on-carrying infrastructure, which has thinned coverage, particularly for the Indian Ocean Islands. For Latin America, customs clearance and release can take longer than the free storage a line allows, so storage charges may accrue.

Transit times

These conditions are stretching carriers’ ability to hold their advertised transit times, and there are wide differences between vessels. As an illustration from the update, a sailing from Southampton to Sydney can currently take anywhere between 56 and 89 days before any delays, depending on the vessel. Because vessels are usually chosen around a load date rather than the fastest option, and because cargo can still be rolled to a later and slower sailing, the transit time on any single move is hard to guarantee.

Regulatory and operational conditions

ICS2 information requirements

ICS2 is the European Union’s system for pre-arrival safety and security declarations on goods entering or transiting the EU. Any shipment on a vessel that calls at an EU port after leaving the UK must carry information identifying the shipper, so your mover may need to request more personal information than in the past. This sits with the EU and the shipping line rather than the mover. The EU has added a household goods and personal effects description to its watch list, and while legitimate shipments should not be affected, a valid commodity code can occasionally be queried, which may cause a short delay.

Lithium-ion batteries

This remains an ongoing condition rather than a new one. Shipping lines are still inconsistent on whether lithium-ion batteries can travel, and often decide shipment by shipment. This covers anything containing such a battery, including power tools, laptops, e-scooters and e-bikes. The BAR Overseas Group recommends these are not shipped. If they are included, the shipment is likely to need declaring as hazardous cargo, which means carrier permission, a substantial surcharge and a slower booking. A failure to declare is treated as a misdeclaration, a serious offence under maritime law that can carry a fine of around 30,000 US Dollars for the customer, alongside possible confiscation of the goods.

The practical action for programmes is to identify these items with assignees as early as possible and, wherever it can be avoided, keep them out of the shipment. Where an assignee needs to include them, our Move Consultants will fllag it at the planning stage so we can work through carrier permission and the correct hazardous declaration before anything is booked, rather than discovering the problem at the port.

Russian passport holders

As in recent months, shipping line ONE Line will not carry the personal effects of assignees holding Russian passports. Anyone in this position should confirm that the chosen line can clear their goods at destination before booking, since the storage charges arising from a dispute can be significant.

Fridges and freezers

Hapag Lloyd and ONE Line have confirmed they can carry fridges and freezers, but the shipper is responsible for declaring them as hazardous where necessary, and a misdeclaration can bring fines or removal of the goods. As with lithium-ion items, raise any appliances of this kind with us at the planning stage so the declaration is handled correctly before booking.

Container equipment quality

The quality of container equipment has fallen, largely because of the extra containers needed to serve Asia via the Cape of Good Hope. Where a container arrives unsuitable for household goods, the mover has to reject it, which can mean delays, a missed vessel and extra haulage costs through no fault of the mover.

Cost, currency and fuel

Freight rates and ancillary charges are usually set by shipping lines in US Dollars and Euros, with port and on-carriage charges in local currency, but they are payable in Sterling and converted at the ship’s sailing date. A mover quotes using the indicative rate at the time of quotation, so the final invoice can differ from the quote purely on the exchange rate applied at despatch, which the mover does not control.

Freight contracts are also subject to periodic fuel (bunker) reviews that adjust the rate up or down each quarter. With energy costs elevated, increases are likely, and the update cites recent examples of up to 350 US Dollars per container. On top of this, carriers may apply surcharges at very short notice, which is why the cost at sailing can move away from the cost first quoted.

Key actions for Global Mobility teams

• Start planning and booking earlier than you would have historically, to give the best chance of securing vessel space.
• Set expectations with assignees on transit times and on the possibility that costs move between quotation and sailing.
• Identify lithium-ion items early and advise assignees against shipping them wherever possible.
• For any assignee holding a Russian passport, confirm carrier suitability before committing to a booking.
• Build contingency into both start dates and budgets, particularly for moves to the Middle East, Asia and North America.
• Talk to us early on any live or planned move so we can plan around the current conditions rather than react to them.

Read the full BAR Global Shipping Conditions update

Have a move that could be affected by any of the above? Speak to the Bournes corporate team and we will advise on the current position for your specific route. 

Monthly change log

What has changed each month. The full current picture is always in the section above; this log is for readers who follow the update and want to see only how the picture has evolved from recent months. 

August 2026 — No new developments this month. Conditions carry over from July, with only editorial tidying to the source. The Middle East position holds on interim ceasefires and diplomatic talks, with booking suspensions and diversions continuing.

July 2026 — The month’s substantive shift: The Strait of Hormuz moved from an active blockade to a picture of interim ceasefires and periodic diplomatic talks stabilising routes, although carriers continued to suspend bookings and divert vessels. Earlier reports of containers stranded at alternative ports, mainly in India, no longer featured.

June 2026 — Broadly stable on May, still described as a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Containers caught out when the conflict began remained stranded, mainly in India. Added emphasis on shipping lines invoicing additional charges after a container is discharged, sometimes directly to the destination agent, despite earlier assurances that all costs had been settled.

May 2026 — The Middle East moved from fully suspended toward a partial reintroduction of services using alternative routings, though capacity stayed limited against the traditional all-water route. Containers caught out at the start of the conflict were still stuck, mainly in India.

April 2026 — The acute phase. The update reported continuing US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz and many Middle East locations unreachable and new Middle East shipments suspended. Emergency Bunker Surcharges were being applied across many routes as oil prices rose sharply.