News & Insights

The container shortage that is currently impacting Asia supply chains, has led lines to stop accepting shipment bookings from Ningbo, while the suspension of Southern China feeder operations, because of COVID, will impact key ports until after Chinese New Year 2021. Due to the severe lack of c... Read more

As Boris’ dinner with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, fails to end Brexit trade deadlock, the deadline for the end of the transition period is looming, and it’s looking likely that any deal needs to be struck by Sunday, or the UK is leaving the EU without one. ... Read more

After 31st December 2020, EU trade agreements will not apply to the UK, which is why trade negotiators are seeking to reproduce the effects of existing EU agreements, to ensure continuity of trading arrangements for UK businesses after the transition period ends. From 1st January 2021, if no t... Read more

As the Asia peak season rumbles on and the carriers struggle to meet demand, cargo rollovers are increasing at the busiest transhipment ports. After a global decline in rollovers during September, the average container rollover rate at leading transshipment ports rose in October. This time ... Read more

Members of the Unite union employed at Heathrow Airport commenced their first 24 hour strike stoppage on Tuesday 1st December, in a dispute over what they claim are savage wage cuts imposed on the workforce through a “brutal fire and rehire programme” Heathrow says the Unite strike ac... Read more

The United States Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the body responsible for the regulation of ocean carriers and intermediaries, is intensifying its monitoring of shipping alliance activity on the trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic trades. Citing market fluctuations, the FMC’s regulators are... Read more

While Joe Biden seemingly closes the door on any trade-deal for the time being, there is hope that EU trade negotiations are making some progress, but time is fast running out. The UK has been prioritising a US trade deal, which looked promising with the administration of Donald Trump, a fierc... Read more

The case for sustainability depends on debunking false mindsets around cost, outlining the value it brings to the business and clarifying the benefits to supplier relationships. Metro helps shippers reduce the environmental impacts of their logistics activities. One of the big myths to overcom... Read more

On 13th July 2020, the UK Government released the Border Operating Model (BOM), detailing how the UK will manage customs and border control obligations post-Brexit. On 8th October 2020, the UK Government released a comprehensive BOM update that will be effective from 1st January 2021.  Al... Read more

Reuters report shows how global container shipping rates have surged to record levels due to spikes in restocking demand in the United States and Europe, container scarcity at export hubs, and changes in freight flows because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Freightos Baltic Global Container I... Read more

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMTT) is urging the government to get a deal that avoids World Trade Organisation rules (WTO), or risk production losses of £55bn over the next five years. As Brexit talks enter the final stretch, the SMMT made a last call for negotiators to kee... Read more

The lack of container equipment at Asian origins is so severe that carriers are leaving export cargo on the quay, to ship empty containers back from Europe and the United States. The container shortages are so acute, particularly at the Chinese ports of Qingdao, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai, t... Read more