News & Insights

Matthew Weight with 30 years’ experience and a specialist background in automotive logistics has joined Metro as Automotive Director. With responsibility for automotive services, Matthew will establish Metro as the first choice global logistics partner for finished vehicle, automotive component... Read more

While there has rightly been much focus on driver shortages and spiking fuel costs, it is a shortage of engine oil and lubricants that is currently the biggest threat to the road transport of freight. Road transport is an inherent component in almost every freight movement and the critical col... Read more

Container volumes at eight of China’s top ports surged 25% to 16.8 million TEU in April, largely driven by consumers in Europe and the US, but manufacturers are anticipating weakening demand. According to figures released by China’s Transport Ministry, only Shanghai recorded a decline in s... Read more

As COVID lockdown measures are gradually relaxed in Shanghai it is uncertain how quickly export sea freight volumes will rebound, but many experts are anticipating a strong and sustained spike in demand creating a backlog of shipping containers, which could once again result in oce... Read more

In the 70 years that Queen Elizabeth II has been our monarch, her reign has heralded the transformation of international trade and the beginning and spread of a new global economy. When Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952, at the age of 25, Britain had lost two-thirds of her pre-war exp... Read more

As the country prepares to celebrate the Queen’s record-breaking reign, with an extended bank holiday, we consider the potential penalty traps waiting to catch out the unwary shipper during the break and how you can avoid demurrage, detention and port charges. Shipping lines and po... Read more

A members survey by freight trade association, Logistics UK, found that 40% of respondents had experienced transport costs rising by 25% or more and with margins typically very low, particularly for road freight, many will not be able to absorb these increased costs. In the survey 71% rep... Read more

Strict border controls amid China’s zero-COVID policy is creating a shortage of foreign expertise, with some suggesting the development could become a permanent feature, with ramifications for supply chains and an accelerating factor for consideration of production moving to alternati... Read more

The demand for lithium-ion batteries is developing at a rapid pace, as virtually every type of Electric Vehicle (EV) overtake diesel units in the new car market, but their presence on ships and planes are a concern for insurers. While the UK new car market declined 15.... Read more

After the PM’s trip to Northern Ireland this week failed to trigger any progress in the dead-locked political situation, the government has announced plans to table legislation that will scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, in spite of fears that it could initiate a trade war with the ... Read more

Shanghai is aiming to reopen the city and business operations, with normal life resuming from the 1st June, as all 16 city districts report acceptably reduced ‘zero-COVID’ cases. At a press briefing on Monday, Shanghai’s Vice Mayor announced that 15 of Shanghai’s 16... Read more

Across the major shipping trade lanes a total of 56 sailings have been blanked over the next four weeks - so far - representing an 8% cancellation rate. The halting of factory production, following the continuing lockdown in Shanghai, is resulting in a drop in export bookings from China, ... Read more