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Flexport’s ascent raises valuation and volume questions Tech startup Flexport’s rockstar status in the international logistics sector means it’s under the microscope concerning volume, whether it can produce a profitable business model or achieve a profitable exit for its investors, and what it actually does that represents a fundamental break in the forwarding industry. Photo […]

India firm’s interest in Sri Lankan port upgrade advances SKIL Infrastructure Ltd. has been interacting with Sri Lankan authorities and officials in New Delhi regarding a strategic collaboration between the two nations for the construction of a multipurpose harbor-cum-industrial zone at Trincomalee. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. SKIL Infrastructure Ltd., which developed India’s first multipurpose, private port […]

Goods distributors face upward climb to fully leverage freight visibility With enhanced visibility, the commercial side could more proactively reschedule shipments or substitute another shipment if the first one was going to be delayed too long. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. CHICAGO — Goods distributors, positioned between manufacturers and customers, wrestle with a number of cultural and technological […]

Acquisition bolsters GlobalTranz’s SCM arm The smaller brokerage focusing on shipper supply chain management is GlobalTranz’s first major deal since it was sold to a new private-equity owner in June. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. GlobalTranz, the 10th largest freight broker in North America, is moving further up the list with the acquisition Thursday of Chicago-based AFN […]

Extra-loaders keep lid on eastbound trans-Pacific spot rates “The extra-loaders for sure are taking pressure off the market,” said Ernie Kuo, senior vice president, Pacific International Lines, USA Agency Services. “My understanding is they are full,” he said Friday. (Above: The Port of Los Angeles.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Spot rates on US imports from Asia […]

Higher competition spurs Russian ports to expand services   According to Russian business professionals and shippers from the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, demand is growing for complex services at its ports — services that, when added, will help Russia compete against ports in nearby countries. (Above: Big Port of St. Petersburg, Russia.) Photo […]

Multipurpose market’s gradual recovery continues on demand Above: BBC Chartering’s Emerald ship. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. The multipurpose market is slowly improving from a demand and freight rate point of view, and the fleet also continues to evolve away from “simple” gearless or low-lift-capacity vessels to more specialized, high-lift-capacity ships, according to Susan Oatway, senior analyst, […]

Reading the trailer tea leaves One of US intermodal’s big surprises this year has been the strong growth in trailers, but what does it mean? Are trailers acting as a safety valve for lack of domestic container capacity? Is increasing e-commerce driving the trend? Both of these factors are contributing, but analysis indicates there may be a… […]

Trans-Pacific peak season chaos set to accelerate NVOs' share gain The message for ocean carriers is that they will not lose loyal customers if they treat them fairly. (Above: The Port of Los Angeles.) Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Having further increased their share of Asian imports to the United States, forwarders stand to gain an even […]

Maersk seeking more India transshipment volume   Above: A Maersk Line ship at sea. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com. Maersk Line, hoping to take advantage of India’s liberalized cabotage policy, and as an ocean carrier that already accounts for roughly 20 percent of India’s container transportation, has drawn up a program to transship 20,000 TEU annually at […]