News & Insights

The EU introduced full import controls at the end of the Brexit transition period, while the UK government has now delayed full import control four times, with concerns rising that UK importers are not making appropriate declarations, risking fines and penalties. The UK government’s own... Read more

Despite talk of restarting manufacturing and a tiered reopening of Shanghai and the surrounding province, the situation remains challenging and delays are increasing in Ningbo as the volume of cargo diverted from Shanghai continues to grow. The Shanghai lockdown remains for a fifth week, ... Read more

The European Pallet Association (EPAL) and the European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) have warned of a shortage of wooden pallets and packaging that is already being felt. The war in Ukraine and the shutdown of production is having serious consequences for Eu... Read more

The UK government has again delayed the introduction of further border controls on goods from the EU, due for implementation from July, pushing them back until the end of 2023, suggesting it did not want to add more costs at a time of fast-rising inflation. New import controls, including on EU... Read more

Rapidly rising inflation, the cost of living crisis, plunging consumer confidence and rapidly cooling business activity have contributed to the pound sterling’s fall to new lows, which has effectively added a further 5% inflation to the cost of imported goods. The Bank of England and US Fede... Read more

Airlines across the European Union are no longer allowed to pack empty passenger planes with cargo as the aviation sector starts recovering from the pandemic. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is putting a stop to converted ‘preighter’ flights after the 31st of July 2022. ... Read more

The Customs Declaration Service (CDS) will become the only UK customs platform when HMRC starts to phase out its legacy CHIEF system later this year and businesses importing goods into the UK need to take action on the government gateway. Launched over 30 years ago the customs handling of impo... Read more

As Shanghai enters the fourth week of an indefinite lockdown, container shipping lines are skipping calls at main Shanghai terminals, with more blank sailings anticipated as vessels waiting at Chinese ports double. Until the lockdown situation is resolved, which appears challenging when puttin... Read more

Reacting to fears of labour disputes and disruption at west coast ports, many US importers diverted cargo from Asia to the east coast – only to find that Atlantic congestion may be worse than on the Pacific. Importers on the west coast are getting their cargo quicker than their peers on the ... Read more

China’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, expanding 4.8%, but the risk of a sharp slowdown over coming months has risen as Shanghai’s lockdown is extended indefinitely and further COVID-19 curbs may follow.  Nearly all of Shanghai is now under lockdown, with most res... Read more

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has added another obstacle for air cargo-reliant supply chains, already pressured by climbing rates and limited capacity. Trade news portal, Supply Chain Dive, has been following the adjustments air cargo carriers have made to sustain operations as the invasion unfold... Read more

Since the early days of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains, creating shortages of goods, even though ships, trains, trucks and planes continued to run, to the best of their ability. The infrastructure that supports global supply chain operations has struggled to abs... Read more