Monthly Archives for February 2018

Kuehne + Nagel volumes rise in 2017, but margins narrow Containers at the Port of Hamburg. (Photo credit: Shutterstock.) Global freight forwarder Kuehne + Nagel (K+N) suffered a fall in earnings from ocean freight last year, but the impact on its overall results was offset by higher profits from air freight, overland transport, and contract […]

Europe's rail freight can better connect ports to the hinterlands A major focus has been placed on the Belt and Road initiative in 2017, with a significant emphasis put on China-Europe train shipments. Rail freight was almost described as the new “El Dorado” in the European logistics landscape, with many logistics service providers and shippers being […]

Analysis: China-Europe rail growth belies EU rail challenges An EU commission set up clear objectives in 2011: transfer 30 percent of the current freight tonnage above 300 kilometers (186 miles) from road to rail/barge by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050. Photo credit: Shutterstock. A major focus has been placed on the Belt and Road […]

Biopharmaceutical cold chain best practices Ensuring product integrity and security throughout the supply chain has always been a top priority for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. However, a convergence of new forces — intense cost pressure and competition, a changing product portfolio, stricter regulations, rapid growth in emerging markets, and increasing risk — is raising the stakes significantly. […]

As US truck capacity tightens, reefer shippers board the rails In another electronic logging device ripple, the US truck transport capacity shortage is creating an opportunity for cold-chain train transport, and the railroads may be able to seize the day. Photo credit: Union Pacific Railroad. Tight US truck capacity and rising rates marked the first […]

US recyclable exporters find new markets after China ban The volume of US recyclable exports to alternative destinations picked up sharply in the months from August through December, after China’s import ban. One market that registered a large increase: Vietnam (above). Photo credit: Shutterstock. Exporters of recyclable material in the United States quickly began to […]

Tight air cargo capacity challenges Seattle crab exporters Freighters and widebody belly carriers allocate based on a five-month season but this year it started six weeks late when early harvests netted crabs that did not meet industry minimum weight requirements, a US forwarder noted. Photo credit: Shutterstock. Seattle forwarders are facing a shortage of space […]

Where are refrigerated container rates headed? Despite the nature of the reefer trade with its seasonal swings in commodities and trade lanes, reefer container rates in 2017 did not reflect any slack or off-peak dips. Photo credit: Shutterstock. In January 2017, Drewry Supply Chain Advisors launched its Global Reefer Freight Rate Index. According to Stijn […]

Chicago intermodal rail delays ‘unprecedented’ since January The congestion in Chicago is so bad some drayage providers are refusing to take on new customers. Photo credit: Shutterstock Major delays are plaguing shippers and logistics providers in Chicago because of a perfect storm of winter weather, intermodal rail yard delays, chassis shortages, and tighter truck capacity […]

Reefer container shortage to persist in 2018 Amid a strengthening global economy, reefer containers are in demand in 2018. Photo credit: SeaCube Container. The consensus among those in the reefer shipping sector is that a shortage of reefer containers continues to negatively impact the sector. A closer look at the problem, however, reveals some underlying […]