Concern for container cargoes in International Shipping News 23/05/2026 M erchandised trade entered this year on an unexpectedly strong footing, propelled by high-tech manufacturing and containerised shipping across the Pacific. However, beneath the surface of these strong early performance indicators is a more fragile reality, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In its newest report, Trade and Development Foresights 2026, UNCTAD found that the initial momentum that defined global trade over the last few quarters is already facing headwinds. Trade analysts and policymakers are warning that a combination of cooling tech sectors, structural vulnerabilities, and sudden military escalations in the Middle East will severely restrict international trade for the rest of the year. “Fragile aggregate demand, compounded by persistent uncertainties and new geopolitical risks, suggest that the momentum observed in 2025 and early 2026 will fade as the year progresses,” said the report. Trade metrics from January and February presented an image of robust health, pointing to resilient trade volumes, driven primarily by containerised cargo flows originating from major Asian industrial hubs and traversing transpacific shipping lanes. China, in particular, posted strong performance indicators at the start of the year, with its total exports expanding by more than 20% in dollar terms during the first two months compared with the same period twelve months prior. Global seaborne cargo expanded 5.3% over January and February, underpinned by double-digit growth rates in distinct commodity segments including automotive vehicles, grain, and liquefied natural gas, UNCTAD said. This data was supported by the global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index reaching heights not observed since 2021. Balancing act Yet, UNCTAD notes that this early-year strength was structurally unbalanced. The majority of the trade expansion was heavily concentrated withi