DT Christmas Newsletter 2025

OCEAN AND RAIL

Rolling the dice and keeping fingers crossed

Zoe Newman uses a variety of board game analogies to summarise the world of ocean and rail for Davies Turner in 2025

L ife is like a board game – every roll of the dice brings new possibilities, and the key is to make the most of what comes your way, even if it’s not exactly what you wished for! This year, our ocean freight services

On top of this, we’ve made significant strides in cross-trade business, efficiently moving goods from China to Canada and the USA, leveraging Manitoulin’s Transpacific expertise. The cards are certainly stacked in our favour, and we’re excited to see where this winning streak takes us! Battleships turns into Jenga Our Asian ocean services have continued to grapple with the disruption caused by Houthi rebels, providing us with a sobering version of Battleships on the high seas. To mitigate

team has felt like it has been navigating through a festive assortment of classic Christmas games — filled with strategy and surprises. From overcoming challenges to seizing opportunities, we’ve tackled each situation with the same energy and excitement as a lively round of holiday fun. Each “game” has come with its own rules and lessons, and we’ve worked hard to ensure every move leads to progress and success. Here’s a glimpse at the “games” we’ve been navigating throughout the year. Top Trumps: US Trade Tariffs Edition 2025 Welcome to our first game where strategy took a backseat to unpredictability. *Top Trumps*: US Trade Tariffs - 2025 Edition! Forget memorising statistics; under Donald Trump’s tariff rollercoaster, playing along felt more like poker with a magician who kept swapping out the cards. The ever-changing tariff policies left businesses guessing rather than planning, creating chaos for ocean freight services as shippers rushed to move goods into the USA, ahead of the threatened tariff hikes, leading to tight space availability and freight rate hikes. The ripple effects didn’t stop at US shores. Carriers prioritised profitable Atlantic routes, leaving Asian markets short on capacity and shaking up global traffic flows and rates. Adding to the turbulence, October saw new port fees targeting Chinese vessels — though, true to form, President Trump reconsidered his stance yet again. Watching these policy shifts unfold has felt like watching a toddler at play — throwing a tantrum when the game doesn’t go their way. The fallout of Trump’s tampering has been significant for global trade and has also negatively impacted our own US volumes, resulting in our revenues taking an eight percent hit. In short, it’s been a rollercoaster ride — without the thrill — and there are still three more years to go – best we buckle up! Playing your cards right in Canada While our US services have landed us in the winner’s circle, Canada has been an entirely different story — one that’s had us cheering, “higher, higher!” In true Play Your Cards Right fashion, and we’ve traded a mediocre hand for a winning one. Alongside DTAC, we’ve forged a new partnership with Manitoulin Global Freight (MGF) for ocean and air services. Since the partnership’s launch in July, what was once a modest bimonthly consolidation box to Canada, is now averaging two 40 foot High Cube containers per week destined for Montreal. This growth isn’t just about numbers; it’s about teamwork. MGF’s Sales Manager, Troy Cowen, has led a successful sales campaign in the UK, engaging with our team and prospective clients to drive results. MGF Operations Manager Kam Joll, then visited our Manchester, Birmingham, and Dartford hubs, helping strengthen the collaborative ties between our organisations and our teams.

Pictured left to right: John Adams, Kam Joll and Tony Cole

risks, most carriers have opted to continue with the longer but safer route via the Cape of Good Hope. With a fragile peace agreement now in place (at the time of writing), the global shipping industry is preparing for its next challenge — akin to a high-stakes game of Jenga. Over the past two years, additional tonnage has been allocated to support the extended transits of the Cape route. A sudden shift back to the Suez Canal would lead to excess capacity, misaligned equipment, and volatile rates, threatening market stability. The industry faces the delicate task of maintaining balance, whether at sea or in strategic planning. As seasoned players in this complex game, we are confident in our ability to navigate these challenges and emerge successful. Risk comes into play for express rail Our trusted ally for our Asian ocean services is our highly sought-after China rail freight service, which has achieved a consistent average transit time of just 18 days. However, much like an unexpected plot twist in a game of Risk, mid-September brought unforeseen challenges when Poland suddenly closed its borders, following 21 Russian drones infiltrating its airspace, and bringing our rail operations to an abrupt halt. With rail services generating over £1.5 million for DT last year, maintaining the momentum is unquestionably part of our strategy. Each day, we held our breath, waiting for the border to reopen, which after two nail-biting weeks, it did. Since then, the rail team has been working hard to rebuild the service, laser-focused on reclaiming their crown for speed and

16