Senior executives from major global shipping firms and industry associations met with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on 28 May, highlighting growing operational and economic pressures on goods trade. The meeting, as reported by the WTO, focused on the increasing costs and capacity constraints affecting global supply chains.

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The representatives noted that while supply chains have shown resilience, efforts to divert cargo to alternative maritime routes—particularly in the Gulf region and other chokepoints—are raising expenses for shippers and, ultimately, consumers. They pointed out that tightening capacity across transport networks is creating serious difficulties, with some land-based routes and ports already saturated. Shifting cargo away from maritime routes, they said, offers limited options and adds further costs.

One executive illustrated the scale of the challenge by noting that approximately 70 freight trains are required to carry the same volume as a single container ship. Operational bottlenecks, including customs delays related to multimodal logistics and the use of alternative corridors, were also cited. These constraints, combined with rising costs and route uncertainty, underscore the need for global investment in improved port and logistics infrastructure to maintain efficient and predictable trade flows.

The industry leaders emphasized the importance of respecting multilateral norms and agreements, including the principle of freedom of navigation. Director-General Okonjo-Iweala stressed that maritime transport carries over 80 percent of global trade by volume and called for stronger cooperation between governments and the private sector. Addressing customs delays, she urged full implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and other measures, such as digitalizing customs procedures, timely information-sharing, and restraint in using trade restrictions to bolster supply chain resilience.

She also encouraged the industry representatives to continue engaging with the WTO Secretariat and other international organizations to bring attention to the mounting challenges. Participants in the meeting included senior executives from MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Evergreen Marine Corp., Yang Ming, and China Merchants Energy Shipping (Singapore), as well as the heads of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), and the World Shipping Council.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform