Preparing for Chinese New Year: Avoiding supply chain disruption in 2025
Chinese New Year (CNY) is a time of celebration across China but presents significant challenges for shippers, and careful planning is essential to navigate the disruption effectively.
In 2025, the holiday officially runs from 29th January to 4th February, with its effects on production and lo...
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Air freight situation and outlook for 2025
Global air freight market continues to experience robust growth, driven by eCommerce and the peak season, but faces capacity constraints due to reduced belly cargo capacity and a limited supply of wide-body freighters, particularly on key trade routes.
Demand rose 10% year on year in November,...
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Road freight market update and Metro review
The road freight market in the UK and Europe is grappling with structural cost challenges, evolving regulations, and capacity constraints, while Metro’s road freight division continues to expand, delivering innovative solutions and outperforming market trends.
In the UK and Europe, road frei...
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Sea freight situation and outlook for 2025
With 2024 characterised by elevated freight rates and fluctuating dynamics, the container shipping lines have emerged as the primary financial beneficiaries, leveraging rate increases and stabilisation efforts to maintain profitability.
The outlook for 2025 presents a mixed landscape of opport...
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Shipping lines blank sailings from Asia to support rates
Container carriers operating between Asia, Europe, and the United States are leaning heavily on blank sailings to manage capacity and stabilise freight rates amidst ongoing market challenges.
With a significant proportion of scheduled sailings cancelled, this strategy has become a defining fea...
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The potential impact of the new US administration on global trade
As the United States, and the world, braces for potential shifts in trade policy, new tariff proposals and ongoing supply chain challenges are reshaping the global logistics landscape.
President-Elect Trump’s threatened trade tariffs, along with geopolitical and operational pressures, are dr...
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Maersk leave Felixstowe as shipping Alliances prepare for launch
The container shipping industry is undergoing significant realignments, with three major alliances and MSC operating independently, restructuring their networks to enhance efficiency and reliability.
These alliance changes represent a major shift in container shipping, affecting global trade r...
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FTSE 100 firms identify supply chain threats as a principal risk
A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group, reveals that 72% of FTSE 100 companies now identify supply chain threats as a principal risk to their operations.
This heightened concern follows significant disruptions such as the Suez Canal blockage, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Red Sea shipp...
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November: North American market update
The North American freight market faces a complex set of challenges as ongoing labour disputes, potential trade policy shifts, and evolving service offerings reshape the landscape.
Canadian port strikes strain supply chain
Labour disputes have disrupted operations at Canada’s east and west ...
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New alliances reshape East-West trade container shipping
Container shipping faces a transformative year in 2025, as key East-West and transatlantic shipping routes are set for substantial realignment, with the dissolution of existing alliances and the formation of new ones.
Carriers are optimising their networks to enhance competitiveness and meet t...
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North American Sea Freight Market Strained
The North American sea freight market faces ongoing challenges, with recent labour actions on the US East Coast fuelling local anxieties and adding congestion and capacity pressures on the West coast.
The three-day strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on the US East C...
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Air freight surges from Asia to Europe while trans-Pacific faces regulatory hurdles
As peak season ramps up, air cargo from Asia to Europe is experiencing strong growth, largely driven by rising demand for eCommerce, while new scrutiny on duty exemptions has led to a significant drop in air cargo volumes from Asia to the United States.
In October, tonnage from Hong Kong to Eu...
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