News & Insights

The supply chain challenges that have been driven by the pandemic and continue today with endemic congestion and disruption are significant and need attention, but preparation is needed for significant changes and challenges that are waiting just around the corner. For close on two years every... Read more

With rail workers striking tomorrow and Saturday nationally and the Felixstowe Port strike starting on Sunday, for potentially eight days, UK supply chain operations and infrastructure are facing the biggest industrial action challenge in decades. Two of the UK’... Read more

Europe’s heatwave forced the closure of the Rhine to barge traffic from last Friday as water levels fell 4cm below the depth necessary for operations, raising fears for container shipping and industrial disruption. The Rhine, the second-largest river in central and western Europe, runs 760 m... Read more

As we enter the traditional peak season for sea freight, demand for space from China is falling and the lines are taking action to counter over-capacity in the North Europe and Mediterranean trades, while transPacific demand in stasis. As Hapag-Lloyd published its Q2 2022 results, the impact o... Read more

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait are not good news for global supply chains, but after what has arguably been the most challenging 18 months ever, recent data suggests that supply chains could be returning to calmer conditions. Since early 2020 shippers, carriers and 3PLs have battled with a ... Read more

Deteriorating global economic conditions may prompt some shippers to turn their back on air cargo, but after successful charters over the last two years, we expect dedicated freighter and part charter capacity to remain a fixture for many of our customers. The numbers are n... Read more

Capacity from Asia to the West Coast will be 20% higher through September, than last year, but inland supply chain disruption is continuing and threatens to wipe out any benefit from the increased capacity. Carriers serving the US West Coast will have 20% more peak-season capacity from Asia, c... Read more

KPMG the respected business global consultancy and one of the Big Four accounting firms is expecting GDP growth to more than halve this year, with consumer slowing consumer spending and recession in 2023. In its latest UK Economic Outlook report KPMG said it expects GDP growth to more than hal... Read more

With around 80% of global trade transported by sea and three major shipping alliances controlling 95% of the critical trade lanes from Asia to North America and Europe, a handful of shipping lines have massive influence over the cost and effectiveness of international trade. The three major sh... Read more

Increasing COVID case numbers in China are cutting cross-border trucking capacity, prompting carriers to drop calls at Hong Kong, raising fears that the city is losing shipping line favour as a transhipment hub. With almost one million people in lockdown in Wuhan, where COVID was first detecte... Read more

Europe’s primary automotive ports have been investing in ‘cleaner’ operations, alternative fuels and better port operation strategies, but their main challenge for the last year has been fluctuating volumes caused by the semiconductor shortage’s impact on vehicle production. Manufactur... Read more

The vote in favour of strike action in August, in a dispute over pay, would bring Felixstowe to a standstill and cause major disruption to port operations and road haulage transport of containers to and from terminals. The Unite Union’s 1900 members at the port voted overwhelmingly in favour... Read more