Category: International Trade

This summer, a number of large-scale sporting events are likely to create some supply chain disruption, with the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Paris between the 26th of July to the 11th of August, and the 28th of August to the 8th of September. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, whic... Read more

The UK, which ranked 7th in 2021, leapt up to become the world’s 4th largest exporter in 2022, according to new data published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). But it may not be all good news and there’s plenty to consider within the data. The UK’s rise to become t... Read more

Container shipping lines have announced significant rate hikes on all ex-Asia trade lanes, due to increased demand and increasing equipment challenges in more origins and it would be prudent to expect more of the same. Effective capacity to North Europe has decreased by 5% compared to a year a... Read more

For years India has been looked to as the next global manufacturing powerhouse and it now appears to be finally becoming the manufacturing power and sourcing alternative to China that it has long promised to be. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inherited an economy that was teetering on ... Read more

The effective closure of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to container ships is adding around two weeks to supply chain transit times and creating a backlog of manufacturing components, late shipments and inventory replenishment, with critical consignments reliant on air solutions. While Iran's att... Read more

The West says China makes too much, but many manufacturers have moved production to other countries to cut costs, leaving once prosperous manufacturing hubs like Dongguan struggling to adjust. In recent years workers began to demand higher wages, while companies began cutting prices in order t... Read more

After the longest period of attack-free shipping in the Red Sea since December, the situation in the region is escalating, with an increase in Houthi attacks, fears that the ‘danger area’ may be expanding into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean and an Iranian vessel hijack off the Gulf of Oman.... Read more

The last three months of 2023 were some of the worst for liner shipping’s finances in recent years, while early volume indications for this year suggest the coming months could bring stronger trading conditions for shipping lines, especially with the Red Sea diversions and capacity management t... Read more

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after the container ship, Dali, collided with it last Tuesday. The eventual cost of the disaster is expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars and shippers with cargo aboard the Dali could ultimately be responsible for the ship's damages and... Read more

Organised by the Journal of Commerce, TPM (Transpacific Maritime Conference) is the premier global shipping and supply chain conference, attracting senior executives from all areas of the industry. Held annually in the port city of Long Beach, California, TPM brings together shippers, carriers... Read more

The post-COVID environment, geopolitical uncertainty, protectionism, climate-change events and now the Red Sea crisis have all put pressure on global supply chains and as we discovered at TPM, companies are increasingly considering the evolution of their global supply chains to minimise risk and ... Read more

New research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has found that over half of importing manufacturers and retailers (53%) have been impacted by the disruption to shipping caused by the Red Sea crisis, with over half of exporters (55%) also experiencing increased costs and delays. The issu... Read more