News & Insights

The UK left the European Union on January 31, 2020 with the transition period ending on December 31, 2020 and while the recent easements announced by the government will ensure continuity of import flows from 1st January there will be abrupt and major changes for exports to the EU, unless there i... Read more

Andy is “relishing the opportunity that Brexit brings” because, working with our IT development team, he is pioneering the automation of EU and UK customs declaration requirements, to streamline freight movements into and out of the EU. Andy joined Metro nine years ago, as import manager, ... Read more

Rail freight services from China to Europe have seen a massive increase in volumes, as PPE driven demand for air freight resulted in congestion, lengthier transits and disrupted air cargo supply chains. Rail cargo throughput from China to Europe during the recent peak increased by 40% over the... Read more

The bane of many a shipping manager, the Bunker Surcharge, BAF or Bunker adjustment factor, refers to a floating part of sea freight charges which represents additions due to oil prices. Which, on the petrol station forecourt, have fallen off a cliff - but not, apparently in shipping. With the... Read more

As an EU member, the UK was automatically part of 3 trade agreements (FTAs) with 37 partners that have come fully into force, FTAs with 43 partners, that are provisionally applied and FTA negotiations with another 19 countries. Whilst the deadline for requesting an extension is officially 30th... Read more

As the Coronavirus pandemic has spread globally, deep supply and demand shocks have severely disrupted international trade. Marine Traffic a data solutions provider is hosting a series of digital sessions on the future of shipping and what container movements may tell us about our return to prosp... Read more

The transport of personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential medical products, particularly from China, may be less frenetic than at the pandemic’s peak, but it remains continuous and is just as critical, with Metro already successfully importing and distributing over 200 million units th... Read more

Just weeks after we reported on the Digital Container Shipping Association’s (DCSA) initiative to enable the collaboration necessary for achieving full eBL adoption, India is set to allow bills of lading to be filed over a blockchain platform. India’s efforts to digitise its maritime suppl... Read more

The government confirmed on Friday that it will not request or accept an extension to the Brexit transition period and is replacing full post-Brexit border controls, with new import easements that defer customs declarations and tariff payments until July 2021. Despite their protestations that ... Read more

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the desperate need for PPE, the air freight services delivered by Mike Quish and his team have never been more critical. The transport of PPE and essential medical products, primarily from China, began in late March, as airlines began grounding passeng... Read more

Whether or not a trade agreement is reached with the EU, there will be new customs processing, declarations and EUVAT/Duty payments from the 1st January 2021. The Brexit transition period ends on 31st December 2020, with major alterations to trade procedures, that you should be prepared for, t... Read more