Category: 4PL

Blank Sailings, GRIs and a Typhoon Disrupt Asia Shipping

Shippers moving goods out of Asia are bracing for the tightest space and schedule disruptions as the major container shipping lines accelerate blank sailings in the lead-up to China’s extended Golden Week holidays. Following weeks of tentative planning, lines have now confirmed broad capacit... Read more

Ex-China Airfreight: Turbulence and Transformation

For shippers moving goods by air into Europe and the US, the peak season has arrived with a complexity not seen in recent years. As flights are cancelled and rates trend sharply upward, a fundamental reshaping of the marketplace is underway. In September, a powerful typhoon swept through south... Read more

US Targets Tariff Evasion

The White House has launched a revitalised Trade Fraud Task Force to clamp down on tariff evasion and customs violations. This coordinated cross-agency initiative is set to bring sharper enforcement tools and greater scrutiny to a trading environment already complicated by regulatory uncertainty ... Read more

EU Deforestation-Free Product Law Faces Further Delays

The EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), which defines compliance obligations for businesses trading with the European market, is facing further implementation delays. Designed to prevent the sale and export of goods linked to deforestation and forest degradation, EUDR applies ... Read more

Growth Sustained, But Reliability and Policy Risks Loom for Air Freight

Air cargo volumes surprised on the upside again in August, rising by around 5% year on year, the second consecutive month of growth at this pace. Capacity also increased by 4%, though yields came under pressure as rates softened. Despite the stronger demand, the outlook for Asia–Europe and A... Read more

Road freight prices edge higher in August

Stronger August demand lifted UK road transport prices, with both haulage and courier markets firming despite fresh capacity entering the system. The latest TEG Price Index shows overall prices rising nearly 2% month on month and sitting 2.4% above August 2024 levels. Haulage led the gains, up... Read more

Resetting UK–EU trade

Five years on from the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and with the 2026 review fast approaching, the UK and EU have a chance to move beyond firefighting and design a trading relationship that works in today’s economy. A new Parliamentary report from the Chartered Institute of Export &... Read more

Carriers Sustain Transpacific Rate Momentum with Strategic Blanking

Transpacific carriers have achieved notable success this September in upholding spot freight rates despite softer volumes and ongoing market pressures. Through a mix of strategic blank sailings and well-timed general rate increases (GRIs), the main carriers have sustained a robust rate environmen... Read more

Asia Pacific Freight Markets Reshape as Tariffs Shift Trade Flows

Air and sea freight in the Asia Pacific region is at the centre of global freight realignments, as eCommerce and feeder shipping operations are reshaped by recent policy changes in the US.  Adjustments to tariff rules and the elimination of duty exemptions have pushed shippers to reconsider s... Read more

Managing an Oversupplied Sea Freight Market

Unpredictable scheduling, blank sailings and overcapacity continue to unsettle the major east–west, transatlantic and transpacific trade lanes. But with tools such as late-stage blanking, slow steaming and selective vessel deployment, carriers are actively managing capacity to protect pricing a... Read more

Gold’s Record Surge Amid Falling Dollar: A Global Signal for Trade and Transport

On the 2nd September Gold surged past $3,500 per troy ounce, setting a historic high that resonates beyond financial markets. While often seen as a safe-haven asset, this dramatic rise reflects deep global economic shifts, alongside the depreciation of the US dollar, which underpins much of inter... Read more

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Season 2025

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is an agricultural pest native to China, Japan and the Korean peninsula. Each year, Australia and New Zealand enforce strict controls from 1 September through 30 April to prevent the introduction of this invasive pest through international trade. Accidenta... Read more