Author: Paul Kelly

Even under social distancing, forwarders like Metro Shipping are the “Architects of Trade”, keeping fragile trade lanes open in the midst of a pandemic that has left the world economy reeling, according to Basil Pietersen, president of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associ... Read more

In today’s uncertain times, blank sailings and unreliable sailing schedules are becoming the new norm, underlining the importance of resilient, flexible and transparent supply chains and real-time information. The pandemic has highlighted the need for supply chain visibility and the need for... Read more

The extensive programme of cancelled sailings, by shipping lines on the Asia to Europe trade, will removed almost a third of capacity in the coming weeks and the impact is starting to be felt at origin ports across Asia The deteriorating global economic outlook has seen carriers make extensive... Read more

Technology is one of Metro’s four key service pillars - together with forwarding, supply chain and outsourcing - and a unique selling point for the business. As Technical Solutions Director, Simon George is in a critical role, leading the businesses technology strategy and driving the team that... Read more

Emirates is a national flag carrier airline and is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Dubai International Airport, to more than 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents. Emirates is the world's fourth largest passenger airline ... Read more

Despite the continuing lockdowns in the UK and overseas, blanked voyages and grounded aircraft, Metro Shipping is planning, uplifting and transporting medical, PPE and non-essentials cargo by air and sea. Globally Metro ship 350,000 teu containers (FCL) each year and have core carrier agreemen... Read more

Even with the continuing lockdown, we’ll be looking forward to the forthcoming May bank holiday in the UK, but have you considered the supply chain impact of China’s labour day holidays and the month of Ramadan, which may start this Friday. Every supply chain manager sourcing from China wi... Read more

With oil prices plunging to less than $20 per barrel, ocean carriers are coming under increased pressure to cancel their bunker surcharges, but lines are holding firm to emissions targets and cutting operating costs. Containership owners are continuing with their scrubber retrofit programs des... Read more

While UK ports continue to operate relatively normally, despite the closure of many importers, Bangladesh is running out of reefer plugs and US ports are preparing to offer temporary storage ahead of an anticipated May surge. It is looking likely that Bangladesh will be the pandemics next supp... Read more

Despite the global supply chain disruptions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, our project forwarding teams are finding ways to keep their project cargo moving. We get the lowdown from our joint venture partner, Fracht Like many operation personnel, Metro and Fracht’s project logistics team... Read more

While Asia-Europe container shipping lines are reducing capacity by idling vessels from May as volumes deteriorate with the collapse in demand, air freight rates have reached their highest ever levels, making our Sea/Air solutions even more attractive for time-sensitive shipments. Media report... Read more

In the build up to the earliest Brexit deadlines in 2019, HMRC announced a series of easements designed to simplify the movement of good from the EU into the UK. HMRC has announced changes that will see the flagship easement TSP, which was to be the responsibility for the importer, replaced with ... Read more