The Cargo Desk
Australian freight intelligence

The Cargo Desk

Daily freight risk, rates, port conditions, tenders, capacity references and tools for Australian operators.

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Australia Shipping Risk Score

Today's risk to ship into Australia

Updated 2026-05-06
Daily, 06:00 AEST
5
/10
Elevated·
No change vs yesterday
12345678910

Risk 5.0/10 - AU + PNG congestion is manageable but needs watching. Sydney and Melbourne are at 3 days, Brisbane and Adelaide at 2 days, Fremantle at 1 day, Port Moresby / Motukea is 2 days, and Lae is 2 days. Jebel Ali/Dubai remains retained as the main transshipment risk pending a clean source refresh.

Australian Freight Pulse

Updated 2026-05-06
Risk Watch
5/10ElevatedPartial refresh today

Risk 5.0/10 - AU + PNG congestion is manageable but needs watching. Sydney and Melbourne are at 3 days, Brisbane and Adelaide at 2 days, Fremantle at 1 day, Port Moresby / Motukea is 2 days, and Lae is 2 days. Jebel Ali/Dubai remains retained as the main transshipment risk pending a clean source refresh.

As at 2026-05-06
WCI
1d old
$918
pendingDrewry
Global container rate benchmark. Signals where ocean pricing pressure is heading.
As at 2026-05-05
pending source refresh
FBX
Fresh today
$2282.40
pendingFreightos
Spot market pulse. Useful for checking whether contract rates are above or below current market.
As at 2026-05-06
SCFI
8d old
755
0%Shanghai SE
Early signal from export markets out of China. Often leads Asia-origin pricing moves.
As at 2026-04-28
pending source refresh
Diesel AU
1d old
$2.29/L
pendingAIP (TGP)
Directly affects cartage, linehaul and last-mile freight costs across Australia.
As at 2026-05-05
pending source refresh
AU + PNG Port Status
<1d: green · 1-3d: amber · >3d: red
Brisbane
2d delayFresh today
Moderate
GoComet Australia shows 2 days average delay. Keep a delivery buffer on time-critical cargo.
moderate
Sydney
3d delayFresh today
Moderate
GoComet Australia shows 3 days average delay. Sydney is one of the two highest AU watch ports today.
moderate
Melbourne
3d delayFresh today
Moderate
GoComet Australia shows 3 days average delay. Melbourne remains a main Australian port watch today.
moderate
Fremantle
1d delayFresh today
Moderate
GoComet Australia shows 1 day average delay. Operations broadly normal.
moderate
Adelaide
2d delayFresh today
Moderate
GoComet Australia shows 2 days average delay. Keep a small planning buffer.
moderate
Darwin
0d delay1d old
Clear
Darwin is retained from the prior verified clear state because it was not exposed in the current visible GoComet Australia list.
clear
Port Moresby / Motukea
2d delayFresh today
Moderate
Port Moresby and Motukea are the same operating port area for dashboard purposes. GoComet lists Port Moresby at 0 day and Motukea at 2 days; the dashboard uses Motukea's terminal-specific 2 day delay as the working watch value.
moderate
Lae
2d delayFresh today
Moderate
GoComet Papua New Guinea shows 2 days average delay for Lae. Add buffer for PNG import/export cargo routing through Lae.
moderate
Transshipment Ports
<1d: green · 1-3d: amber · >3d: red
Singapore
1d delaySource current
Moderate
GoComet Singapore shows 1 day average delay. Heavy relay exposure on Australia-bound cargo; watch connection timing.
Source: GoComet - As at 2026-05-06
moderate
Port Klang
1d delaySource current
Moderate
GoComet Malaysia shows Port Klang / North Port at 1 day average delay. Common lower-cost relay option with limited timing risk today.
Source: GoComet - As at 2026-05-06
moderate
Tanjung Pelepas
1d delaySource current
Moderate
GoComet Malaysia shows Tanjung Pelepas at 1 day average delay. Mainline relay port currently moving smoothly.
Source: GoComet - As at 2026-05-06
moderate
Busan
1d delaySource current
Moderate
GoComet South Korea shows Busan at 1 day average delay; Busan New Port is higher at 3 days and should be watched for service-specific connections.
Source: GoComet - As at 2026-05-06
moderate
Colombo
2d delaySource current
Moderate
GoComet Sri Lanka shows Colombo at 2 days average delay. Monitor for connection slippage on relay services.
Source: GoComet - As at 2026-05-06
moderate
Jebel Ali / Dubai
29d delaySource current
Disrupted
Prior verified value retained at 29 days. The UAE GoComet page loaded but did not expose a clean Jebel Ali row in this run, so the prior disrupted state remains until reverified.
Source: GoComet - As at 2026-05-05
disrupted
Exports by Sea
1,558M
tonnes (FY23-24)
Dominated by iron ore, coal, and LNG.
Exports by Air
434K
tonnes (YE Apr 2025)
Growing at ~5% annually. Perishables and high-value goods.
Imports by Sea
111.6M
tonnes (FY23-24)
Up 3.6% YoY. Refined petroleum is largest category by volume.
Imports by Air
667K
tonnes (YE Apr 2025)
~60% of total international air cargo. E-commerce driving growth.
Trade Highlights
Largest Export by Volume
Iron ore - ~900 Mt/yr (58% of sea freight tonnage)
Largest Import by Volume
Refined petroleum - ~40+ Mt/yr (80-90% of domestic fuel)
BMSB INACTIVE
BMSB season closed
Season ends 2026-04-30 · Next season 2026-09-01
Source: DAFF

Core Desk

Data refreshed daily at 06:00 Brisbane time

Daily Freight Report

A concise operational brief covering risk, ports, rates, weather, fuel and key actions for the day.

Freight Pulse & Rates

Container benchmarks, diesel reference data, port conditions and carrier surcharge tracking.

Logistics Map

Weather, incident and logistics network signals that can affect Australian freight movements.

Tender Pipeline

A structured watchlist of major freight, logistics, transport and procurement opportunities.

Capacity Guide

Reference dimensions and loadability for trucks, containers, air ULDs, freighters and breakbulk vessels.

Freight Tools

Working calculators and document tools for practical freight tasks as the platform grows.