The Felicity Ace – which has not sadly sunk – was en-route from Germany to the USA, with 4,000 Volkswagen AG vehicles aboard, when it caught fire near the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean last week. The Portuguese Air Force were the first to arrive at the stricken vessel, air-lifting off the crew and leaving the Felicity Ace to …
When global supply chains finally start to return to some form of normality, which many hope to see in the second half of the year, carriers face more headaches, with an avalanche of empty containers predicted to cause chaos. Who would have thought it? Full year 2021 demand for sea freight growth was 6.5% compared to …
We are taking all necessary steps to secure capacity, to protect our customers’ air and sea freight needs through expanded carrier relationships and selected charter deals. Even against the background of low capacity and record-breaking spot rates, airlines and shipping lines, for a variety of reasons, have often failed to come through with the solutions …
With global shipping schedule reliability at a six-year low and just 33% of ships arriving on time, during a chaotic year for container shipping, Metro Shipping is enhancing its MVT supply chain platform, with even greater scrutiny of real-time vessel tracking. The ability of vessels to hit their port berthing window impacts shippers and other carriers …
Leading shipping line, Maersk, has decided to focus on its largest volume customers, in a move that jeopardises the future of SME forwarders and leaves many shippers potentially exposed. It is widely reported in the trade press, that small and medium-sized freight forwarders fear for their survival, following Maersk’s decision to offer them only its web-based …
The lockdowns and restrictions that China’s zero-Covid strategy risk, may create greater disruption than earlier waves of the pandemic, threatening already stretched global supply chains. Beijing’s strict zero-Covid policy has curbed local outbreaks with mass testing, snap lockdowns, vigilant surveillance and extensive quarantines, but new variants such as Omicron have seen outbreaks intensify since the …
The suspension of trucking services in several parts of China’s Zhejiang province, followed a COVID outbreak just over a week ago and has slowed the movement of cargo through one of China’s biggest and most important ports, Ningbo. Strict controls were imposed on lorries moving goods to or from the Beilun district in Ningbo after …
All around the world, companies have been impacted by supply chain challenges in 2021. With the pandemic’s disruption exacerbated by ‘Black Swan events’, from Brexit, to the Suez Canal blockage, we have been working tirelessly to help our customers overcome these challenges and share critical information, so that they are always informed of what lies …
With supply chains battling through overwhelmed transport systems, material shortages, and infrastructure disruptions for close on two years, we asked our partners in seven key markets to share their thoughts on critical operational elements, including demand, capacity and rates. BANGLADESH | CHINA | DUBAI | INDIA | PAKISTAN | SRI LANKA | USA AIR In …
Delays in receiving and turning vessels around, apparently due to continuing land-side operational disruptions, has prompted 2M partners Maersk and MSC to extend Felixstowe’s omission from the AE7/Condor loop until next March. The world’s largest container shipping alliance, 2M, has announced the removal of the Port of Felixstowe from its AE7/Condor service’s rotation until March …