Extreme container freight rates might lead to a string of bankruptcies for companies without transport deals, says shipping analyst Lars Jensen in an analysis to Shippingwatch. Particularly smaller fashion brands are under pressure, according to trade organization.

Container carriers' customers are currently so fixated on capacity shortages that they have less time to enter projects aimed at creating common digital standards in the industry. "We'll have to wait for them to be ready again," DCSA CEO Thomas Bagge tells ShippingWatch.

Carriers in the US, Europe and South Korea continue to scrap end-of-life ships at beaching yards in Southeast Asia. The third quarter proved the most fatal on record, according to NGO Shipbreaking Platform.

Efficiency is dropping at UK container port Felixstowe while containers are piling up, according to Vesselsvalue. Some carriers are now opting to divert their vessels away from the port.

With acute shortages of capacity, bottlenecks and ensuing delays have continued to affect the multi-purpose sector, where containers are lucrative goods. The rates are currently record high, according to an analysis from Toepfer Transport.