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CBP Releases Consolidated Forced Labor Guidance for Importers: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has published updated operational guidance consolidating its enforcement frameworks under three statutes: 19 U.S.C. 1307, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). |
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The updated guidance includes enforcement process maps for UFLPA, CAATSA, and Withhold Release Order (WRO) and Finding actions, giving importers a clearer view of how each enforcement pathway operates. |
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Each section provides step-by-step guidance on what importers can expect when shipments are detained or excluded, and how to respond. Importers with supply chain exposure to forced labor risk areas should review the guidance and ensure internal compliance procedures align with CBP’s outlined processes. |
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CPSC eFiling Becomes Mandatory July 8: Importers Must Act Now: The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) mandatory eFiling requirement takes effect July 8, 2026, requiring importers of regulated consumer products to submit certificate data electronically through CBP at time of entry clearance. There are three filing types, and choosing the right one depends on how your products are registered. |
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Disclaim: Used when an HTS code flags for CPSC review but the specific product is not subject to CPSC regulations. Importers may either submit a disclaim that includes an intended use code, or forgo the filing entirely. CPSC has stated that disclaim PGA message sets are not required but may improve an importer’s risk score. However, CBP has not yet confirmed that ACE will support the disclaim feature at go-live, so importers should not assume this option will be available on July 8. As long as ACE allows it, the decision to file or forgo the disclaim remains at the importer’s sole discretion. |
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Filing of reference set: Used when a product has been pre-registered in the CPSC Product Registry ahead of entry. Requires submission of only four data elements at time of entry, including a reference number linking to the registered product. This is the fastest and least burdensome filing method and is strongly recommended for importers with significant CPSC exposure. |
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Full PGA message set: Used when a product has not been pre-registered in the CPSC Product Registry. Requires submission of 20 to 30 data elements at time of entry, drawn primarily from the product’s Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) or General Certificate of Conformity (GCC). This method is more time-consuming and costly, and increases the risk of clearance delays. |
TRANS-PACIFIC EASTBOUND (TPEB)
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Capacity remains tight across the TPEB trade. Overall June space has dipped slightly to an average of 83%, down from 87% in the second half of May. |
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The U.S. West Coast is seeing marginally better availability due to service reinstatements and occasional extra loaders, though space remains constrained and rollings are occurring across most strings. The U.S East Coast and Gulf are more restricted, with little to no capacity relief in sight. Compounding this, Panama Canal draft allowances are tightening in July and several carriers have already begun enforcing weight restrictions on Panama strings. |
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Demand remains strong, with volumes surging through June and continuing to build into July. |
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Rates continue their upward trajectory. June 12’s Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) rose approximately 10% on West Coast lanes and approximately 10% on East Coast lanes. |
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Current rates are expected to hold firm through the end of June with no signs of softening; with further increases to spot rates anticipated in the first half of July. |
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Book 4–5 weeks in advance. Shippers with time-sensitive cargo should strongly consider premium service levels or alternative routings to secure space and minimize the risk of rolling. |
FAR EAST WESTBOUND (FEWB)
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The announcement of a U.S.-Iran framework peace agreement and the pending reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is a historic geopolitical breakthrough, but it will not provide immediate relief to container capacity. Major tanker operators and analysts project it will take months for maritime traffic and energy flows to fully normalize. For the FEWB container trade, shipping lines will maintain Cape of Good Hope diversions as the operational baseline until they can verify the Red Sea and Suez Canal are entirely safe from residual attacks. |
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While scheduled blank sailings have dropped to roughly 5%, active tonnage remains committed, with Singapore berthing delays of up to 7 days, keeping active tonnage tied up and exacerbating equipment shortages at Chinese origin ports. |
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Current demand remains high, with June sailings operating at maximum utilization and rolling risks still elevated. |
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The spot market remains under peak-season momentum. As of June 12, the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) rose approximately 20% week-on-week on North Europe lanes marking a seventh consecutive week of gains. Because elevated rates are currently anchored by operational bottlenecks rather than organic demand, any meaningful rate correction will be a slow process, even as the geopolitical situation stabilizes. |
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Extend Lead Times: Book 5–6 weeks in advance. Do not rely on historical transit times; build significant buffers into your supply chain to absorb port congestion delays. |
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Do Not Wait for Rate Drops: The market will not self-correct quickly. Delaying bookings in hopes of a cheaper spot rate will likely result in rolled cargo and missed deadlines. |
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Prioritize Premium: For mission-critical or time-sensitive freight, standard bookings carry too much risk. Transition these shipments to premium, guaranteed-space services to ensure equipment availability and avoid large roll pools at origin ports. |
TRANS-ATLANTIC WESTBOUND (TAWB)
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Carriers are deploying additional capacity on North Europe (NEUR) to U.S. East Coast lanes heading into Q3 2026, with June deployment running above May levels. Selective blank sailings continue into weeks 25-26. Major North Europe origin ports are experiencing delays: congestion, barge backlogs, and inland rail disruptions are affecting cargo fluidity at multiple hubs. Mediterranean origin ports face similar conditions. Schedule reliability on the TAWB westbound trade has fallen below 50% in recent periods. Equipment shortages persist across German and Benelux origin locations and are expected to continue into early July. |
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NEUR ports remain under pressure: Rotterdam yard utilization is at 85–92% with barge waits of 72–75 hours amid labor disruptions; Antwerp/Zeebrugge at 75–88% with 3+ day berth delays; Hamburg ~89% with 2-day vessel waits and deepening Rhine barge service cuts; and Bremerhaven ~90–93% with severe ongoing inland rail disruptions. |
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Mediterranean congestion is elevated at Valencia (3+ day berth delays absorbing rerouted volumes) and Genoa (1–2 days, with rail corridor maintenance June–September). |
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Selective TAWB blank sailings persist into weeks 25–26 (~5% cancellation) and global schedule reliability stands at ~55–60%; book 3–4 weeks ahead. |
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Critical container/chassis shortages persist across TAWB origins (Germany, Benelux, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia) into week 27. |
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Spot rates on North Europe to U.S. East Coast lanes held firm into mid-June, up approximately 65% from late March lows. |
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Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) remain active across NEUR and Mediterranean origins. |
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT TO NORTH AMERICA
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The Indian Subcontinent (ISC) to North America trade is experiencing a capacity squeeze in the second half of June. Multiple carriers have announced blank sailings in weeks 25-28, and one carrier has withdrawn a direct service string, reducing options for shippers at major origin ports. The Strait of Hormuz closure has constrained vessel deployment across the broader Middle East and Indian Subcontinent region, with total ISC capacity running approximately 8% below year-ago levels. Capacity is expected to remain tight through July. |
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Rate increases and Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) are active across carriers and expected to rise into July. |
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Rates to the U.S. West Coast accelerated again this week, driven by a surge in project cargo on top of already-constrained capacity, pushing prices to new near-term highs. |
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U.S. East Coast demand held steady at the elevated levels established over recent weeks, with the rate floor remaining firmly above prior-month levels. |
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China-to-Europe momentum returned this week after a period of stability, with demand picking up notably on the AMS and LHR lanes; e-commerce is the primary driver of the uptick. |
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Advance booking lead times of 5–7 days are recommended across all destinations. |
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Market rates continued to climb week-on-week. Flight cancellations on LAX and ORD routes June 14–17 due to AOG aircraft tightened available capacity and contributed to the rate increase. |
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The European market also saw an uptick, driven by a diversion of ocean freight to air as maritime constraints continue to affect sea freight options. |
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Space to the U.S. West Coast and East Coast is extremely limited; booking lead times of 7–10 days are strongly advised. |
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Market rates and demand remained stable week-on-week. Some airlines announced FSC reductions effective this week, though overall market pricing held. |
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Booking lead times of 5–7 days in advance are recommended given continued hub tightness on connecting services. |
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Rates held at elevated levels from the prior week. Carrier hubs continue to face tight flight connections, and capacity to the U.S. is constrained due to quarter-end demand. |
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EU rates held stable. Some carriers were fully booked ex-origin through mid-June. |
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Booking 5–7 days in advance is recommended. |
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Market conditions were unchanged from the prior week with no new capacity developments. |
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Advance bookings of at least 5 working days are recommended to secure space. |
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U.S. space is fully booked through the current week and remains heavily loaded for the week ahead. Space confirmation is required on a per-shipment basis. |
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Rates continued to trend upward. A pending FSC increase will add to overall costs. |
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Minimum booking lead time of 5–7 days; early engagement on all shipments is critical. |
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A surge in demand across all U.S. ports led to widespread airline congestion and severely tightened TPEB capacity, with space availability deteriorating to critical levels across multiple carriers. |
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Booking lead times of at least 10 days in advance are strongly advised. |
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Demand remained strong. Capacity ex-BKK and at connecting hubs is extremely tight, with airlines reporting a severe backlog to the U.S. East Coast in particular. |
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Terminal congestion is ongoing, causing shipments to miss flights. The situation is expected to persist through end of June and into early July. |
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Advance booking lead times of 7–10 days are strongly recommended. |
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Market conditions held steady from the prior week with no meaningful rate movement. |
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No capacity issues at origin, though transit times to TPEB are slightly extended due to hub congestion. Booking 7 days prior to cargo ready date is advised. |
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Rates eased slightly week-on-week relative to prior weeks. Capacity is improving modestly ex-origin. |
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Transit times remain around 6–8 days for both TC1 and TC2 destinations, unchanged from prior periods. |
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Broader Indian Subcontinent (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan): |
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Conditions remained volatile and largely unchanged. Advance bookings of 5–7 days are still required, particularly for large shipments. Express options are recommended for urgent TC1 cargo to secure space. |
(Source: Flexport)
Please reach out to your account representative for details on any impacts on your shipments.
Week to June 8, 2026
Transit time remained flat at 34 days from China to the U.S. West Coast; increased from 50 days to 53 days from China to the U.S. East Coast; and increased from 52 days to 53 days from China to North Europe.
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