Logistics Trends 2026: How Global Turbulence Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Logistics 2026: How Global Turbulence Is Rewriting the Rules — Evicor’s Perspective

Maersk’s Logistics Trend Map 2025 highlights the priorities that will shape logistics strategies in 2026 — from end-to-end visibility and IoT to diversification and organisational agility.

As we enter 2026, one message is clear for everyone involved in global trade: the old world of logistics no longer exists.

The scale of global transportation is enormous — maritime trade alone exceeded 12 billion tons back in 2022.
But the scale of challenges is even greater: tariff wars, escalating geopolitical tensions, regulatory barriers, high energy costs, and rising freight prices.

For Evicor, a company operating at the intersection of analytics, trading, and technology-driven logistics, such research serves as navigation in a world where the map changes every month.
The Maersk Logistics Trend Map 2025 is one of the clearest indicators of where the industry is heading.

Maersk’s Key Conclusion: Survival Belongs to the Most “Antifragile”

Based on a survey of more than 570 logistics executives worldwide, the top trends for the coming year are not about “beautiful long-term visions,” but about hard operational realities.

Key priorities by relevance (Top-2 ratings on a 5-point scale):

• Supply Chain Visibility — 86%
• Internet of Things (IoT) — 85%
• Supply Chain Diversification — 78%
• Financial Resilience — 76%
• Digital Transformation — 68%

These are not just trends — they are foundational requirements without which supply chains can no longer withstand pressure.

Trend 1: Supply Chain Visibility — Transparency as a Superpower

In an era where logistics operates under constant stress, supply chain visibility has become not just a tool, but a survival mechanism.

According to Maersk, modern visibility enables:

• risk forecasting,
• immediate response to disruptions,
• real-time supply chain management.

Evicor sees the same demand from clients: the more complex the market, the higher the value of information.
In trading oil products, LPG, and raw materials, every delay or idle hour translates directly into losses.
That’s why investments in visibility systems will continue to grow in 2026.

Trend 2: Internet of Things — Sensors as the Nervous System of Logistics

According to the report, IoT is one of the most anticipated technological drivers:
74% of companies want their logistics partners to implement IoT within the next two years.

IoT is not a buzzword — it is a practical tool to:

• reduce fuel costs,
• optimize routes,
• minimize operational errors.

Trend 3: Supply Chain Diversification — From Strategy to Standard

78% of logistics leaders consider diversification a key strategy for 2026..

This comes as no surprise: reliance on single suppliers is a thing of the past.

Diversification is the response to:

• geopolitical shocks,
• regional instability,
• price volatility,
• technological constraints in specific markets.

Maersk notes that diversification is no longer an innovation — it is an industry standard.

At Evicor, this trend is visible every day: continuous redistribution of petrochemical and oil product flows between Turkey, the Balkans, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Asia.
Flexibility has become a decisive competitive advantage.

Trend 4: Financial Resilience — Stability Comes First

Rising transportation and energy costs are cited as one of the main challenges by 47% of companies.

Today, financial resilience in logistics includes:

• risk insurance,
• flexible contracts,
• price hedging,
• reducing exposure to freight rate volatility.

Evicor actively advises clients on these issues:
the financial architecture of supply chains has changed fundamentally, and businesses need new protection mechanisms.

Trend 5: Digital Transformation — Digitalization as Core Infrastructure

Digital transformation underpins all other trends — without it, visibility, AI, and IoT simply cannot function.

Maersk emphasizes that data is the “circulatory system” of logistics.

Analytics, system integration, and automated planning are no longer improvements — they are prerequisites for competitiveness.

AI Takes Center Stage: From Buzzword to Decision-Making Tool

According to the report, over 73% of companies see technological progress as the primary driver behind AI adoption in logistics.

This is not about abstract innovation, but concrete use cases:

• demand forecasting,
• route optimization,
• risk modeling,
• automated decision-making.

At Evicor, AI is already used for market forecasting, regulatory analysis, and calculating optimal logistics scenarios for clients.

Why Businesses Are Shifting Focus from ESG to Survival

Maersk highlights an important shift: environmental trends no longer appear in the top-10 priorities, as companies are forced to focus on operational resilience and risk reduction.

This does not mean abandoning decarbonization — it means that priorities are shifting toward challenges that directly impact survival here and now.

What This Means for Companies in 2026 — Evicor’s Recommendations

Based on Maersk’s insights and our own operational experience, we highlight three practical steps:

1. Invest in Supply Chain Visibility

It reduces uncertainty and enables faster response to force majeure events.

2. Diversify Everything

Suppliers, routes, warehouses, delivery methods — reducing concentration lowers vulnerability.

3. Treat AI and Digitalization as a Necessity

AI has become a survival tool, not a luxury.

Conclusion: 2026 Belongs to Those Who Can Adapt

Maersk presents an industry in transformation — and Evicor sees this transformation daily while working with oil product markets and complex logistics chains.

Success in 2026 will depend on three factors:

• speed,
• flexibility,
• transparency.

These qualities will determine which companies merely react to turbulence —
and which ones use it as a point of growth.