Category: Retail

New shipping alliances for 2025

With the dissolution of the 2M partnership between MSC and Maersk in February 2025, new partnerships and slot-sharing agreements are emerging, positioning shipping companies in a transformed global market. One of the key developments is the formation of the Premier Alliance, which will replace... Read more

Air cargo under pressure as peak season looms

With capacity already strained and further challenges expected from potential labour strikes and reduced belly capacity in the final quarter, shippers are under increasing pressure to secure cargo space ahead of the peak season. Strong demand According to IATA’s latest figures global air ca... Read more

Ongoing labour disputes threaten global supply chains

While recent developments in India and Canada suggest some relief from labour disputes, the threat of strikes continues to loom over port operations and global supply chains. The situation remains precarious, especially with the added complications from Red Sea diversions, which could magnify the... Read more

Bangladesh’s garment industry determined to rebuild global confidence

As factories reopen, truck movements increase, and key logistics operations resume, Bangladesh’s garment industry is determined to recover and win back their customers’ confidence. Rail freight operations resumed on Monday, 12th August, and airports, container freight stations, terminals, ... Read more

European market review and group developments

The European freight market continues to face a complex landscape, characterised by fluctuating demand and evolving capacity challenges. In this review, we examine the current state of the road freight market and highlight recent group developments, including the acquisition of a Portuguese inter... Read more

Rising lorry thefts prompt calls for government action

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged the government to establish a specific offence for freight crime and to develop more secure truck stops. This call comes in response to organised crime gangs (OCGs) increasingly targeting cargo, with over £1 million worth of goods stolen in a single i... Read more

Bangladesh Lockdown Easing

Peaceful protests by university students against a government job quota system favouring relatives of war veterans escalated into nationwide violence last week, resulting in over 150 deaths, communication blackouts, and curfews. Today, Bangladesh began to gradually lift the curfew imposed last Th... Read more

Record volumes raise concerns for peak season

Global demand for ocean freight container shipping has surged to unprecedented levels, surpassing even the peak during the Covid pandemic and comes when available capacity is already strained due to diversions around Africa, leading to concerns that any peak season demand could be calamitous. ... Read more

Global IT outage disrupts supply chains

On Friday, a faulty update to Microsoft software by cyber-security firm Crowdstrike, saw global supply chain operations significantly disrupted, with the fallout expected to take weeks to fully resolve. Thousands of flights were grounded or delayed at major air freight hubs in Europe, Asia, an... Read more

Peak season impact on container freight rates

The last week of June saw further gains on sea freight spot rates from Asia into Europe and North America, as a series of peak season surcharges (PSS) were imposed and new FAK levels from 1st July creating double-digit increases in spot freight rates. With spot and FAK rates across all three c... Read more

A New Government – a New Britain; Strengthening UK Supply Chains for Economic Resilience

The Labour party’s manifesto outlines a commitment to bolster the resilience of supply chains in key sectors, a task that Transport Secretary Louise Haigh will spearhead. Recent global events, such as the war in Ukraine and pandemic-induced disruptions, have underscored the necessity of this... Read more

Air Cargo Demand Grows Strongly in Q2 2024 – and will continue for the rest of the year

Robust growth in global air cargo markets for April 2024 marks a strong start to the second quarter, with airfreight rates on key trades out of Asia remaining “firm” in June, despite the market entering the traditional quieter summer period or ‘slack season’. Quite simply there isn’t on... Read more