September Shipping Trends: Top Routes, Carriers, and Air Cargo Hubs
September shipping data reveals the routes, carriers, and air cargo connections shaping global freight. Explore ShipsGo insights across ocean and air shipments.
September brought a diverse mix of ocean and air freight activity, with Türkiye standing out across several of the most frequently used ocean routes in ShipsGo shipment data.
From Türkiye’s key export gateways to major European and North American destinations, and from Asia’s busy air cargo corridors to the carriers handling the highest shipment volumes, September data offers a snapshot of how logistics teams moved goods worldwide.
Here are the key shipping trends from September based on ShipsGo data.
Türkiye Remained a Key Origin for Ocean Freight
Türkiye ranked among the most-used ocean freight origins in September.
The Aliaga (Izmir) to Felixstowe route ranked first, accounting for 0.9% of tracked shipments. The route was overwhelmingly direct, with 98.1% of services operating without transshipment, and an average transit time of 9 days.
Other leading Türkiye-origin routes included:
- Aliaga (Izmir) → Valencia: 0.9% share, 12-day average transit time
- Aliaga (Izmir) → Bremerhaven: 0.9% share, 13-day average transit time
- Izmit (Gebze) → Felixstowe: 0.7% share, 13-day average transit time
- Istanbul (Ambarli) → Felixstowe: 0.7% share, 14-day average transit time
- Aliaga (Izmir) → Antwerp: 0.7% share, 17-day average transit time
- Aliaga (Izmir) → New York: 0.7% share, 18-day average transit time
The concentration of several top routes around Aliaga, Izmit, and Istanbul highlights the continued importance of Türkiye's major container gateways for connections to Europe and North America.
Direct Services Dominated the Top Routes
One of the clearest patterns in September's ocean data was the strong presence of direct services.
Several of the top-ranked routes recorded 100% direct services, including:
- Aliaga → Bremerhaven
- Izmit → Felixstowe
- Aliaga → Antwerp
- Cape Town → Philadelphia
- San Antonio → Philadelphia
- Shanghai → Manzanillo
Even on routes with transshipment options, direct services generally made up most options.
For logistics teams, this matters beyond transit time. Direct services can reduce port handovers and may offer more predictable routing options when planning shipments.
MSC Led Carrier Share in September
Looking at carrier activity, MSC ranked first with a 17.0% share of tracked shipments.
However, the carrier landscape was far from concentrated around a single provider. CMA CGM followed with 15.3%, while Maersk Line accounted for 12.5%.
The top 10 carriers were:
| Rank | Carrier | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSC | 17.0% |
| 2 | CMA CGM | 15.3% |
| 3 | Maersk Line | 12.5% |
| 4 | Hapag-Lloyd | 9.9% |
| 5 | COSCO | 7.7% |
| 6 | OOCL | 5.8% |
| 7 | ONE Line | 4.6% |
| 8 | Arkas Line | 3.5% |
| 9 | ZIM Line | 2.4% |
| 10 | Evergreen | 2.4% |
The data also shows differences in how carriers operated across direct and transshipment services.
For example, COSCO and OOCL had nearly 90% of their services operating directly, while Maersk Line had a more balanced split between direct services and transshipment services.
This highlights why looking only at carrier availability may not be enough when evaluating a route. Each carrier's service structure can be equally important.
Air Cargo: Asia Remained at the Center of Major Trade Lanes
September's air cargo data showed strong activity across major Asian airports.
The Shanghai Pudong International Airport → Incheon International Airport route recorded the highest shipment count among the listed air cargo lanes.
The other leading air cargo connections included:
- Incheon → Chicago O'Hare
- Incheon → Taiwan Taoyuan
Incheon's prominence across multiple top routes underscores its role as a key hub connecting Asian cargo flows with regional and international destinations.
Korean Air Cargo Led the Air Carrier Rankings
On the air cargo side, Korean Air Cargo recorded the highest shipment count.
It was followed by:
| Rank | Air Cargo Carrier |
|---|---|
| 1 | Korean Air Cargo |
| 2 | Air Incheon |
| 3 | Lufthansa Cargo |
| 4 | American Airlines |
| 5 | Turkish Cargo |
The presence of both Asian and global carriers among the leading providers reflects the highly connected nature of air cargo networks, where major hubs play a central role in moving shipments between regions.
Need Better Air Cargo Visibility?
What September Data Tells Logistics Teams
September's shipment data highlights three important patterns.
First, route choice remains highly regional. Türkiye's major container ports appeared across several of the most frequently used ocean routes, particularly on connections to the UK and continental Europe.
Second, direct services remain a major part of available capacity. Many of the leading routes offered predominantly direct services, although the balance between direct and transshipment options varied significantly by carrier and route.
Third, network visibility matters across both ocean and air. A route may look straightforward based on its origin and destination, but the available carriers, service structure, transit time, and hub connections can vary considerably.
For logistics teams, access to this data can make it easier to compare options and understand how freight moves across global trade lanes.
Explore More Shipping Data with ShipsGo
From ocean routes and carrier activity to air cargo connections, shipment data can reveal patterns that schedules alone can't show.
With ShipsGo, logistics teams can track shipments, analyze shipping activity, and explore available ocean freight services using real shipment data.
Want to explore your own routes and discover how they compare?
Start exploring ShipsGo and turn shipping data into better routing decisions.
Real-Time Shipment Tracking
Ecem Kalaycı