Supply chain; a year in review
2023 was supposed to be the year that global supply chains bounced back from pandemic lockdowns and factory shutdowns, trade wars, tariffs and war in Europe, but now container shipping is disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea and restrictions on the Panama Canal.
The COVID pandemic and its after...
Read more Container shipping lines to avoid Suez Canal
Following further attacks on merchant shipping, entirely unconnected to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, container shipping lines have suspended sailings through the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea with immediate effect.
MSC announced on Friday, after the MSC Palatium III was attacked and suffe...
Read more Supporting sustainable fuel for air and sea freight
As we move into our second year of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) investment, with Air France, KLM, Martinair, it is great to see the successful transatlantic flight, greater SAF availability and increasing options for green sea freight transport.
The first transatlantic flight by a large pas...
Read more EU-ETS surcharge latest
From the 1st January 2024 the market-based mechanism to tackle greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union known as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) will be extended to shipping, triggering new emission linked surcharges.
EU ETS sets an annual absolute limit on greenhouse gas (GHG)...
Read more EU road toll increases start in Germany
Increases in HGV road toll charges in Germany, which includes an additional CO2 emissions tax of €200 per tonne began on the 1st December 2023 and for vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight of up to 40 tons, prices will increase by almost 86% – giving 35.4 cents per kilometre.
Th...
Read more HMRC export deadline and rogue hauliers
With the deadline fast approaching for export declarations moving to the Customs Declaration Service HMRC are highlighting a worrying trend at the border, with misuse of valid documents leaving innocent exporters potentially non-compliant and exposed to penalties.
In their latest Customs...
Read more Shipping lines get creative with charges
With sea freight rates so low, below cost on many important trade lanes the container shipping lines are looking to surcharges and all manner of ancillary charges to boost their cash flows.
Macro-economics continue to work against the shipping lines, with global demand suppressed and costs ris...
Read more The US market grows in size and opportunity
The United States of America is the UK's largest single trading partner, with the value of goods and services nearly five times the value of trade with Germany, the UK's second largest export market and hopes are growing of a breakthrough in US/UK trade negotiations.
Total US goods imported to...
Read more EU Emissions Trading Scheme surcharge
The EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) extends to container shipping from the 1st January 2024, with significant legal, commercial and financial consequences for carriers and a new surcharges for shippers.
Under the EU ETS carriers will purchase a capped number of permits, known as ...
Read more Container carriers may impose massive blanking programme
With 2024 just weeks away, scheduled container shipping capacity post-Golden Week on both the trans-Pacific and Asia to North Europe trade-lanes is up massively. Over 30% to the USEC and over 10% to Europe, raising fears of a massive blank sailing program between now and the end of the year.
J...
Read more Metro runner for Crohn’s & Colitis UK
Crohn's disease and colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases, with a wide variety of symptoms, which cause pain, inflammation, tiredness and weight-loss, and one Metro team member decided to do something about it.
Crohn’s & Colitis is a life-long condition which is often diagnosed in youn...
Read more Nature and demand pushing up airfreight rates
Airfreight spot rates continued to rise last week as weather conditions, volcanic activity and wars put capacity under pressure, with fears of a major eruption in Iceland growing - possibly within days.
With the airfreight sector preparing to benefit from a potential reduction in ocean shippin...
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