Freight carriers including container shippers and cargo airlines say global demand is building toward a seasonal peak that could outstrip last year’s as more consumers shop online to overcome coronavirus curbs.
Overall, container volumes may dip just 2% in 2020 compared with industry experts’ early forecasts of a 15% slump, according to Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive officer of German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd AG, which is deploying more capacity now than it did during the build-up to year-end holidays in 2019.