Unwrapping the Plastic Packaging Tax
From the 1st April 2022, importers, will be expected to pay tax on any plastic packaging over 10 tonnes, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic, with penalties for those that fail to pay, declare, or register for the tax.
Not a lot of people know that. But there is a potentially h...
Read more Out of position empty containers may cause further supply chain impact later this year
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 freigh...
Read more Post-Brexit changes and demand driving up customs brokerage costs
New post-Brexit customs rules mean extra processes around declaring goods, which is increasing demand for scarce brokerage resources and pushing up the price of imports to the UK.
Despite the UK government investing over £700 million in border infrastructure and additional technolog...
Read more Valuable automotive RoRo vessel abandoned mid-Atlantic – and it is fully loaded
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 of...
Read more Fears grow over new post-Brexit border checks
Post-Brexit border checks have been introduced in stages since last January and the latest, which come into force in July, may cost UK companies millions of pounds, as widely reported in the national press.
Full checks and controls on imports of live animals and food at the GB border - which h...
Read more New Russia sanctions threaten automotive supply chains
Tensions have soared in recent months in Eastern Europe as Russia massed soldiers and heavy weapons at its border with Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion and the potential to cause even more global supply chain disruption.
High-stake talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to d...
Read more Protecting our customers supply chains – future proofing during a tough time
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 ...
Read more The air cargo capacity challenge
Air freight has been hit particularly hard by the spread of COVID and the more recent Omicron variant, with governments shutting down routes at short notice and schedules in disarray as flight crews and ground staff are unavailable because of infection, or quarantine.
The most significant and ...
Read more Winter storm disruption for US shippers
In yet another headache for shippers to and from the United States a widespread winter storm hit the central US and East Coast last week adding a new layer of disruption to supply chains beset by labour shortages, delays moving imports inland, and a general lack of warehousing and storage space.
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Read more Making the new normal better
As we move into the post-coronavirus workplace, we are striking a balance between what worked before and what will succeed in the new future.
From thinking about the next normal to making it work: we considered what to stop, start, and accelerate, because the old ways of working are defunct in...
Read more The World’s biggest container line freezes out small shippers
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 thei...
Read more China’s continued zero-Covid challenge for supply chains
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, vigil...
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