The Loadstar Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Loadstar Media Ltd
The Loadstar Podcast adds nuance and depth to The Loadstar's coverage of the global supply chain.
Each episode we interview the world’s leading freight, shipping, air cargo and logistics executives and analysts about the forces making markets tick and the challenges that lie ahead. Host and Creator Mike King also discusses the stories that matter with The Loadstar’s global team of journalists.
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In Part 1, host Mike King and guests analyse the ongoing bidding war for DB Schenker, the increasing demand and rate spikes for Asia-Europe rail freight, and the impact of union disputes on logistics operations in Canada, Germany, the US, and India.
They also discuss the reasons behind soaring air freight rates ahead of the traditional peak season, examine new US air cargo security rules, and explore the alarming threat posed to EU freight companies by incendiary devices.
In Part 2, attention turns to port operations, exploring how ports might enhance supply chain transparency and reduce risks for shippers. Representatives from Hamburg Port Authority and IKEA Supply discuss the role of ports in managing data, fostering collaboration, and improving cargo traceability.
Guests:
Ingrid Boqué Sastre, Global Strategic Networks Officer, Hamburg Port Authority
Stefan Krattiger, Business Development Leader Global Ports, Supply Chain Operations , IKEA Supply AG
Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer, Xeneta
Alex Whiteman, News Editor, The Loadstar
Credits: Created, produced and edited by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
She is joined by maritime consultant Mike Wackett who recaps last week’s ocean freight rates and discusses the current global equipment shortage, as well as why Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are banking on increased feeder ship demand.
Ms Goldstone then gives a brief update on the current labour strike situations in Germany, Canada, India and the US East and Gulf coast. She also touches on a new challenge that a booming airfreight market has presented and how a security change to US customs regulations on airfreight put pressure on foreign airlines.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized but jam-packed news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 11 minutes!
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including the latest on Canada’s rail strikes, and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
She is joined by maritime consultant Mike Wackett who recap’s last week’s ocean freight rates and discusses how the Red Sea diversions are contributing to an active charter market and low-available tonnage.
Mr Wackett also summarizes Zim’s H1 financial results and why the ocean carriers might be secretly hoping for US East and Gulf Coast port strikes come October.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized but jam-packed news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 12 minutes!
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
Ms Goldstone takes on last week’s ocean freight rates and explains why the market is at ‘tipping point’ as contract and spot market rates converge. She also recaps ONE’s recent results and why it and Maersk have increased their full-year guidance.
Ms Goldstone then looks into the recent announcement of Sennder buying CH Robinson’s subsidiary EST. Finally, she discusses a high-flying airfreight market but warns that that too is not without disruption.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized but jam-packed news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 12 minutes!
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including cargo insurance, extreme weather and an insight into Farnborough air show. She also offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, reveals the latest ocean freight rate movement and discusses what impact the Red Sea crisis has had on forwarder’s H2 financial results.
The Loadstar’s publisher, Alex Lennane, talks about DB Schenker’s disappointing Q2 results and what this could mean for its upcoming sale. She also speaks about the current backlogs in air and seaports across Bangladesh.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 12 minutes!
In this episode, The Loadstar Podcast examines the pivotal freight stories and trends shaping 2024.
Host Mike King and guests identify the winners and losers of the year so far and attempt to predict what will be the key market drivers over the rest of 2024 and into 2025.
They also explore the dynamics driving air and ocean markets, especially the evolving Red Sea situation, as they seek to explain the challenges currently facing those charged with designing freight procurement and inventory management strategies.
But with so much at stake for the world of logistics, the analysis begins with the looming US presidential election and its potential ramifications for global trade and geopolitics, not least due to the threat of new tariffs on US imports.
The discussion then moves on to analyse how e-commerce demand is restructuring air cargo dynamics, who is still in the running to buy DB Schenker, looming changes to the container shipping alliance system, and the financial challenges SMEs face when they use IATA's CASS payment system.
Mike and guests also consider whether it’s justified for commentators to compare current supply chain challenges to those encountered during the Covid pandemic.
Guests:
James Hookham, Director, Global Shippers Forum
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Credits: Created, produced and edited by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including strike updates from Europe, Asia and North America. She also offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, recaps the latest ocean freight rates and discusses how there might be some hope for shippers' wallets on the horizon.
The Loadstar’s publisher, Alex Lennane, details her latest scoop of IATA's cargo payment system, CASS, and how forwarders have reacted. She also updates the latest in Schiphol's ongoing noise reduction plight.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 15 minutes!
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, recaps the latest ocean freight rates, chats peak season problems, and looks at what ceasefire talks are doing to the market.
The Loadstar’s publisher, Alex Lennane, details why produce shippers and national postal services are looking away from air freight and what's going on with Shell's proposed SAF facility. She also divulges a scoop on Russian sanctions possibly being bypassed at a large US airport.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 15 minutes!
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including MSC's market-share milestone, and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, details incessant ocean freight spot rate rises, and the details of Maersk's exit in the bid for DB Schenker.
The Loadstar’s publisher, Alex Lennane, discusses the restructuring rumours swirling round Ceva logistics after its Bolloré integration.
And in his podcast debut, news editor Alex Whiteman gives the latest updates in the HMM versus Samsung FMC case.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 12 minutes!
In this episode of the Loadstar podcast, we explore the complex interplay between politics and global supply chains against the backdrop of the UK's upcoming elections on July 4th.
The conversation spans across several critical areas, starting with a freight rate update and moving on to an analysis of how elections in major economies, including the United States, Mexico, Indonesia India, and South Africa, will impact global trade.
The episode also examines what the UK elections could mean for the logistics sector, focusing on ports, planning, and investment. Insights into potential changes in trade policies and their implications for UK industry and consumers are shared.
Additionally, the podcast reflects on the effects of Brexit on UK trade and logistics, exploring the challenges that have arisen and identifying opportunities for improvement in the post-Brexit landscape.
Guests:
Richard Ballantyne. Chief Executive, British Ports Association
Nichola Mallon, Head of Trade & Devolved Policy, Logistics UK
Dionne Redpath, Group COO, Europa Worldwide Group
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Where next for freight rates (3.21)
Modi’s shipping dilemma (10.05)
Opportunity in Indonesia (16.32)
State capture in South Africa (19.09)
Mexico’s border challenge (22.48)
Tariffs as US election looms (25.59)
ILA threat (28.51)
UK elections: what’s at stake (30.56)
Low hanging logistics fruit (36.56)
What UK ports need (39.31)
Reforming planning regulations (44.13)
Brexit and EU trade (50.45)
An operator’s view (58.40)
The UK’s lost distribution status (1.04.28)
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar* this week.The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, details back-to-back rises in ocean freight rates, and how the market is adapting to increased demand.The Loadstar's* publisher Alex Lennane discusses airfreight rates, boosted transpac services, UPS' sale of Coyote logistics and the recently announced bankruptcy of US Logistics Solutions. So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in just 10 minutes!
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including the latest updates to strike action looming in Europe and North America. She also offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, details yet another rise in ocean freight rates, and how he thinks the US East Coast strikes could affect the upcoming presidential elections.
The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, discusses the impact, if any, Chinese ecommerce crackdowns have had on airfreight, and speaks on the turbulent times at Atlas Air.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings.
This episode, hosted by Mike King, dives deep into the challenges currently rocking the container shipping and logistics industries and driving up shipper costs.
Red Sea diversions, unpredictable demand signals, new tariff regimes, possible union strikes, and space shortages are all making the management and forecasting of ocean supply chains increasingly difficult. Port congestion is also building, and container availability is tightening.
The net result is freight rates which are now threatening to reach Covid-era peaks. But, this episode asks, is this an early peak season, or is more chaos in store during Q3?
Guests:
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Christian Roeloffs, co-Founder & c0-CEO, Container xChange
Peter Sundara Swamickannu, Head of Global Ocean Freight Product, Visy Global Logistics
Episode in more detail:
The foundations of chaos (1.20)
Singapore: epicentre of congestion (3.14)
Congestion and delays spread (6.40)
Visibility key for shippers (9.19)
Cargo rollovers (11.43)
Will capacity additions help or hinder? (13.20
Peak or no peak? (17.14)
Container availability in China (20.03)
Box shortages (22.57)
Container orders and possible over-supply (24.51)
Where next for freight rates (26.16)
Current rate movements and challenges (30.48)
Unpacking demand (36.16)
What else is muddying the container shipping outlook? (39.48)
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
This week's episode of News in Brief is a special edition 'Multimodal in Brief', with a surprise celebrity guest!
Host and news reporter, Charlotte Goldstone, spent her time at this week's Multimodal exhibition in Birmingham recording 'brief' interviews with visitors and exhibitors from all across the supply chain to hear why their company attended the event and what they thought of it.
And at the awards gala Charlotte got to chat with footballing legend Kevin Keegan, the after-dinner speaker, about the years he spent in major port cities and his experience with the logistics industry...
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including the latest in Canada's rail strike saga and what's got stakeholders annoyed at Schiphol airport. She also offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, discusses how GRIs and surcharges have contributed to yet another rise in ocean freight rates, and what, if any, silver linings there are in the very disrupted container shipping market.
The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, details the latest on Chinese ecommerce crackdowns in both the US and the EU, and shares her calculations on which freight forwarders have had the most run-ins with the law.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings.
In this sponsored episode, host and producer Mike King is joined by Andrew Bowen, Chief Operating Officer for UK Ports & Terminals at DP World, to discuss groundbreaking developments and sustainability initiatives at London Gateway and DP World Southampton.
Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, London Gateway is set to unveil its new fourth berth later this summer, a £350m project that will increase the port's capacity by a third. This berth will be the world's first all-electric berth, powered by cutting-edge technology including electric straddle carriers and automated stacking cranes. These advancements mark a significant leap towards DP World's sustainability goals and push towards full electrification by 2050.
Bowen also highlights the success of the Modal Shift Programme (MSP) at DP World Southampton. Since its launch in September 2023, the MSP has dramatically increased the share of freight moved by rail, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 4,500 tonnes. The introduction of new train services has played a pivotal role in this shift, underscoring DP World's commitment to sustainability.
Bowen also explains how these initiatives are integral to DP World’s end-to-end logistics offer, enhancing resilience and flexibility for customers.
Guest:
Andrew Bowen, Chief Operating Officer, UK Ports & Terminals, DP World
This podcast is sponsored by DPWorld.
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including the Royal Mail sale, and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, discusses how ocean freight rates might be levelling out and what the realisation of an early peak season has meant for shipping.
The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, details her exclusive scoop of Atlas Air and Amazon parting company after eight years, and why a sudden crackdown on Chinese imports could cause congestion at US airports, affect customs brokers and result in lots of nervous ecommerce shippers...
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings.
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain news, including the latest in Canada’s rail strike saga, and offers a preview of stories that might appear on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marl, discusses how and why ocean freight rates have risen yet again and what the general reaction of shippers and forwarders has been to these hikes. He also explains how container shortages, port congestion and schedule reliability are all intertwining to create the perfect storm.
The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, explains why airfreight might become more competitive in relation to sea freight and looks at how seasonal exports are boosting specific trade lanes.
So, what are you waiting for? In under 12 minutes, this bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings.
In this action-packed double-header episode, we go deep on supply chain and shipping strategy with two senior leaders from the logistics industry.
Part 1: Hapag-Lloyd's ‘Strategy 2030’ (01.40-31.15)
First up, we take an in-depth look at Hapag-Lloyd's ambitious ‘Strategy 2030’. Can the German carrier retain its top 5 ranking among container lines? What are its ship and terminal investment plans? What does its ‘Pure Play Plus’ strategy mean for forwarders and shippers, and can it achieve its bold sustainability goals?
We also explore the potential schedule reliability impact of Hapag Lloyd’s Gemini Cooperation with Maersk and examine whether the partnership’s hub and spoke strategy with limited direct port calls can deliver the performance and services that customers want.
Answering these questions and more is Matthias Dietrich, Senior Director for Strategy at Hapag-Lloyd.
Part 2
In this action-packed double-header episode, we go deep on supply chain and shipping strategy with two senior leaders from the logistics industry.
Guests:
Matthias Dietrich, Senior Director Strategy, Hapag-Lloyd
Brian Bourke, Global Chief Commercial Officer, SEKO Logistics
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain and logistics news and offers exclusive insight into what will be appearing on The Loadstar this week.
Charlotte discusses how and why ocean freight rates have risen on the major trade lanes, why new sustainability regulations might put strain on European haulage companies and how recent US tariffs aim to suppress trade with China.
The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, explains how rising ocean freight rates correlate with airfreight demand, the highlights of her recent interview with Cargolux and how The Loadstar is using AI to write financial reports in the style of classic literary icons...
So, what are you waiting for? In just 12 minutes, this bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings.
In this episode of The Loadstar’s News in Brief Podcast, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain and logistics news and offers exclusive insight into what will be appearing on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, discusses exactly how the Red Sea crisis has caused complications along the Asia to Europe trade, and how this translated into last week's ocean freight rates.
And The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, explains how things are heating up in air cargo and what this is doing to air freight rates, as well as summarising the key points of a recent Flexport legal battle.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and put you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings, all in under 10 minutes.
In this episode, host Mike King and guests delve into the intricate puzzles of global supply chains amidst geopolitical turmoil, trade disputes, and unpredictable market conditions.
They cover Middle East supply chain disruptions, surges in the Asia-Mexico trade lane, evolving air cargo market dynamics in the wake of air space closures, and the rise of Chinese e-tailers.
They also consider how shippers can navigate multiple supply chain risks and ask whether some have shipped cargo early this year. If so, what does this mean for the traditional Q3 peak season?
Conversely, if demand increases substantially in the months ahead, can already strained liner networks cope?
Guests
Tom Crabtree, Managing Director, Trade and Transport Group
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor. The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Part 1 – Container shipping (00:00-38:00)
Key questions tackled:
How do you plan around ever-changing Middle East risk?
Has European trade decoupled from economic growth or is this an early peak season?
Why is Asia to Mexico the most dynamic trade lane in the world?
Why are Chinese exports seemingly outstripping demand? Is this dumping and will it result in more tariffs from importers?
Given record containership deliveries, what happens if the Suez Canal reopens?
If we have a traditional container shipping peak season, can stretched liner networks cope with a surge in demand?
Part 2 - Air cargo analysis (38:00-58:00)
Key questions examined:
Are we seeing a fundamental shift in e-commerce demand?
Will Chinese e-tailers new business models prove sustainable?
How are air space closures for some carriers impacting global freighter and bellyhold operations?
How is shipping disruption firing demand?
What impact will more (and higher) tariffs have on trade?
Air freight supply and demand – where next?
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this inaugural episode of The Loadstar’s ‘News in Brief Podcast’, host and news reporter Charlotte Goldstone recaps last week’s supply chain and logistics news and offers exclusive insight into what will be appearing on The Loadstar this week.
The Loadstar’s managing editor, Gavin van Marle, discusses how recent ocean freight rates and rising surcharges translated into last week’s ocean carrier Q1 results. And The Loadstar publisher, Alex Lennane, condenses the key points of our recent ecommerce series and explains what’s worrying air cargo players in the year ahead.
So, what are you waiting for? This bite-sized news podcast will catch you up on anything you might have missed last week and puts you ahead of the curve on this week’s happenings.
In this episode, host Mike King and guests examine what the latest escalation of conflict in the Middle East means for freight markets, who might be paying for the Dali tragedy at the port of Baltimore, and why e-commerce is driving air cargo demand.
Drewry’s Eirik Hooper explains how the de facto closure of the Suez Canal is impacting Mediterranean ports and shipping services. And Flexport’s Neel Jones Shah explains what’s next for him and his company.
And reporting ‘live’ from IATA’s CNS Partnership conference in Dallas Fort Worth, the Loadstar’s Alex Lennane asks the Airforwarders Association’s Brandon Fried about fentanyl, US infrastructure failings and why some airline executives still do not understand the importance of forwarding.
Guests
Neel Jones Shah, EVP, Global Key Accounts and Chief Customer Officer, Flexport
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Brandon Fried, Executive Director, Airforwarders Association
Eirik Hooper, Senior Analyst for Ports and Terminals, Drewry
Episode in more detail:
Dali: General Average declared (2.33)
Middle East erupts – no-fly zones, ship seizures and pirates (4.48)
IATA CNS (8.37)
Neel Jones Shah to leave Flexport (10.25)
More restricting at Flexport? (11.29)
Deliverr and the loss of Dave Clark
E-commerce and air cargo demand (15.35)
Fentanyl and resisting legislators (19.50)
US infrastructure failings (24.04)
Carriers vs air forwarders (26.07)
The future of the CNS Partnership (27.52)
Drewry’s Mediterranean update (29.25)
This episode looks at the supply chain and insurance fallout following the tragic Dali incident in Baltimore in March.
Host Mike King and guests also examine the decline of the port of Hong Kong, why air cargo demand is surprising analysts, and the latest detention and demurrage cases being filed with the US Federal Maritime Commission.
How the Red Sea crisis is currently impacting air and ocean networks, why trans-Pacific contract negotiations have stalled, and whether rejigs of the container alliance system will be beneficial for customers are also on the agenda.
Guests
Stephanie Loomis, Head of Ocean Freight, North America, Rhenus Logistics
Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer, Xeneta
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Baltimore’s ‘Dali’ disaster (3.13)
USEC capacity tightens (5.00)
Who pays and why no insurance? (9.12)
Shadow boxing on Transpac contracts (17.19)
Box rates and existential normalisation (20.26)
Air cargo demand ‘surprise’ (24.41)
Red Sea sea-air shift (26.46)
Where next for air freight markets? (29.24)
US import demand drivers – tariffs++(30.44)
The Loadstar, D&D and the FMC (34.13)
Gemini – the good, the bad and… (38.21)
The decline and fall of Hong Kong (40.21)
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King & Associates
In this episode, The Loadstar Podcast has recaps from the biggest trade shows of 2024 and all the latest breaking news, not least recent lurches in container shipping rates and surges in air cargo volumes. DP World’s ambitious plans to expand its forwarding operations are the subject of a major exclusive interview.Host Mike King and guests also unpack what a China/Russia deal with Houthi militias means for container markets, whether IATA is serious about air cargo, why sea-air and e-commerce volumes are surprisingly strong, and how US legislators are targeting the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.
Guests:
Glen Clark, CEO, DP World US/Mexico
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
A welcome Loadstar return to Hong Kong (2.56)
Is IATA taking cargo seriously? (5.56)
Steps to make air cargo more sustainable (7.39)
The Asia-Europe box trade (10.36)
Implications of China/Russia deal with Houthi militias (14.21)
Transpac contract negotiations update (16.51)
New Trump tariffs and shipping strategies (18.47)
The Mexico backdoor (20.57)
Air cargo markets outlook (23.46)
Is e-commerce sustainable? (24.39)
Container line financials (28.25)
US legislators target SSE (30.03)
DP World - US gateway options (32.20)
Stable supply chains in an unstable world (34.23)
Sourcing diversification (36.51)
Rolling out a new forwarding network (40.02)
Leveraging scale in logistics (43.14)
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
The Loadstar Podcast is live from TPM24 in Long Beach, California. In this episode host Mike King hears what the mood is like at the logistics and shipping event of the year, which speakers have really delivered insight, and what negotiating stances BCOs, forwarders and carriers are taking in ongoing trans-Pacific contract negotiations.
Mike and guests also discuss the latest on the realignment of container shipping alliances, including what two leading carrier CEOs divulged at TPM24. They also examine why cargo is being funnelled towards US West Coast gateways and how US shippers and forwarders are coping with a “perfect storm” of supply chain disruptions.
Guests:
Doug Smith, CEO, DP World Canada
Dennis Grady, VP for Ocean, Ascent Global Logistics
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Mike Wackett, Sea Freight Correspondent, The Loadstar
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
This episode examines why turning the temperature dial up on the cold chain makes a lot of sense, not least from an energy and emissions saving perspective. Host Mike King and guests also explore why collaboration in the supply chain is the best route to sustainability and look forward to TPM24 in Long Beach when the logistics world converges on California to discuss the latest supply chain challenges and negotiate those critical long-term trans-Pacific ocean freight contracts. The Red Sea crisis, Panama Canal water levels and the threat of union action at US East Coast ports will all be factors during this tendering season.
Mike and guests also discuss where container rates might go next, who might buy DB Schenker and why the Asia-Europe trade has settled into some kind of ‘new normal’.
Guests:
Piotr Konopka, Group Vice President Global Decarbonisation & Energy Programmes, DP World
Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor, Journal of Commerce
Dirk Hoffmann, Account Director, Reefer Supply Chain Services, DP World
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Created, edited and hosted by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
For more information about getting involved in DP World’s ‘move to –15C' iniative please contact Dirk Hoffmann, Account Director, Reefer Supply Chain Services, DP World, at: Dirk.Hoffmann@dpworld.com
Episode in more detail:
TPM24 (3.05)
Red Sea crisis and the Asia-Europe trade (4.23)
Freight rates and Europe (7.48)
Container shipping capacity (8.44)
Cargo shift: USEC to USWC? (10.55)
Who will buy DB Schenker? (13.29)
Maersk and DSV’s M&A strategy (15.16)
Sustainable supply chain innovations and frustrations (18.45)
Shifting the cold chain to -15°C (22.51)
Collaborating to cut emissions (37.02)
Zero Emissions Port Alliance (39.28)
Low hanging emissions-cutting fruit (43.48)
Host Mike King hears that freight rates are soaring, the Dutch air cargo community is in uproar, and shippers really are not happy with the transparency of liner surcharges, and not just those relating to the de facto closure of the Suez Canal to container shipping.
This episode also unpacks the details and implications of the new Maersk/Hapag Lloyd ‘Gemini Cooperation’. One guest believes the partnership’s promise to offer world-class service reliability is a ‘game-changer’ and will force the hands of rivals.
Meanwhile, one of those rivals, CMA CGM, is close to getting yet another major logistics purchase over the line. Is its strategy that much different to Maersk’s integrator ambitions?
Guests
James Hookham, Director, Global Shippers Forum
Peter Sundara Swamickannu, Head of Global Ocean Freight Product, Visy Global Logistics
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail
CMA CGM’s integrator ambitions? (1.49)
Juggling air cargo expertise (3.55)
Air cargo CNY boost (6.27)
Red Sea crisis and ocean spot rates (8.22)
Shippers call for surcharge transparency (9.59)
ETS + Suez = confusion (14.05)
Pricing resilience (18.25)
Red Sea alternative routings (21.08)
How to manage supply chain uncertainty (23.58)
Equipment shortages build-up (26.03)
Suez domino effects (29.57)
Gemini could be a ‘game-changer’ (35.27)
Dutch air cargo uproar (40.41)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar
Host Mike King hears that the de facto closure of the Suez Canal to almost all container shipping traffic is creating mounting supply chain bottlenecks for global trade.
Cape of Good Hope diversions are throwing the supply-demand balance of the global container shipping fleet out of kilter, driving up freight rates and charter rates.
Added transit times are already leading to equipment and slot shortages in Asia as the market heads towards Chinese New Year factory closures in February. One guest predicts that disruption will last into the second of 2024.
The Loadstar expects air cargo demand to benefit as supply chain bottlenecks prompt expedited shipments.
Guests:
Jon Monroe, President, Jon Monroe Consulting
Rob Powell, MD, Miro Logistics
Mike Wackett, Sea Freight Correspondent, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Diversions around the Cape (2.25)
Excess boxship capacity sucked dry (3.25)
Suez drives freight rate spikes (5.23)
Asia-Europe contract season (7.36)
Container charter market (8.45)
Chinese New Year looms (9.50)
Red Sea crisis hits backhauls (11.48)
UK exporters over a barrel (15.38)
Carrier-shipper relations damaged (17.40)
Air cargo upbeat (22.57)
Asia asset imbalance (24.37)
Why US trades so impacted (26.30)
What shippers should expect next (28.34)
USWC’s perfect storm? (31.13)
Betting on trans-Pac contract levels (32.26)
Firefighting advice to SC execs (36.05)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar
The Suez Canal crisis is sending shock waves up and down global supply chains as container ships are forced to re-route vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid Houthi terrorist attacks near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. In this episode, host and producer Mike King finds out how much of the global container fleet has been effectively taken off the table due to diversions, and discovers what this is doing to freight rates, contract negotiations and transit times.
Mike and guests also look at how all this plays out in the lead-in to Chinese New Year factory closures during February and take a longer-term view on what might happen to ocean supply chains should disruptions continue. Is ‘Suez’ the biggest shock to global logistics and trade since Covid-19?
Mike is also joined by senior executives from Hapag-Lloyd and Nexxiot to discuss the latest giant leap in container monitoring and tracking. And finally, as part of a wide-ranging discussion on logistics technology, he asks The Loadstar’s Charlie Bartlett exactly what shippers want from the latest cargo monitoring technology.
Guests:
Olaf Habert, Director of Container Operations, Hapag-Lloyd
Stefan Kalmund, CEO, Nexxiot
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, at Xeneta
Charlie Bartlett, Technology Reporter, The Loadstar
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode of The Loadstar Podcast, host and editor Mike King is joined by three of The Loadstar’s finest journalists to analyse how global trade and shipping are being affected by the Suez crisis.
In this final episode of the year, Mike and guests also look at the winners and losers of logistics, air freight and shipping in 2023, and predict what the biggest trends and stories will be in 2024.
Guests
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Gavin Van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Mike Wackett, Sea Freight Correspondent, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King & Associates
In this sponsored podcast, Mike King, host and producer of The Loadstar Podcast, finds out that one of the world’s largest and most renowned shipping companies is taking its transformation into a fully fledged logistics integrator very seriously, not least via its substantial investment in air cargo.
Annette Kreuziger, the recently-appointed regional head of airfreight for Europe at AP Moller-Maersk, tells Mike the company has big plans for air cargo. She also explains how its expanding operations will help it best meet the varied needs of its shipper customer base.
Episode in more detail:
Transferring global strategies into a regional roadmap (1.33)
Air cargo and Maersk’s transformation (3.14)
Key customers (6.32)
A hub with purpose (7.59)
A world of black swans (10.21)
Technology = the glue (13.05)
Air freight opportunities (14.36)
E-commerce growth curve (16.05)
Benefits of asset ownership (18.29)
2023 peak season (19.59)
Plans for 2024 (21.28)
Aimed for net-zero (22.28)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this Loadstar podcast, host Mike King and guests examine the implications of the big shake-up of port ownership underway in Germany.
Why are owners so interested in selling stakes in key ports, and why are container lines queueing up to buy them?
How will this impact forwarders and shippers?
What do the latest deals say about Germany's and Europe's approach to foreign ownership of maritime and shipping infrastructure, especially ownership by companies linked to the Chinese state?
And what do changes to port ownership and EC regulations mean for liner networks and the alliance system in 2024?
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
Guests
Jan Tiedemann, Head Analyst, Alphaliner
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Sebastian Reimann, Editor in Chief, DVZ (Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung)
This episode is all about air cargo as host Mike King and his guests dissect the peak season, freight rate trends and what happens in 2024.
They also explore how snowstorms in Alaska have been impacting trans-Pacific traffic, what global-to-global trade is exactly, and whether forwarders have finally cracked the code to the e-commerce business.
How capacity is sold is in the crosshairs, as The Loadstar unpacks how Ceva Logistics and its owner CMA CGM Group manage their relationship, and why Flexport and WestJet are now working together.
And last but not least, Mike and Loadstar Publisher Alex Lennane examine how PR companies and the media interact, and why TIACA Chairman Steve Polmans came under severe pressure at his organisation’s latest executive summit for controversially getting stuck in the middle of the two.
Guests
Steffen Treiber, SVP Airfreight, DHL Global Forwarding
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Yossi Shoukroun, CEO, The Challenge Group
Charlotte Goldstone, News Reporter, The Loadstar
Neil Wilson, Editor, TAC Index
Episode in more detail:
TIACA media controversy (3.52)
Polmans, Pollock and Burt Reynolds (6.46)
Air cargo peak season (10.43)
TAC Index rates update (11.56)
It’s snowing in Alaska (16.54)
DHL: demand outlook (21.23)
Defining global-to-global (24.29)
Shorter routes, smaller freighters? (28.37)
Forwarders vs e-commerce (29.43)
WestJet shares Flexport load (31.01)
CMA whistle-blower (32.11)
What next for Polar Air Cargo? 34.00)
Shipping and carbon credits (33.23)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In a more divided and fractured world, the logistics landscape is rapidly changing, and the future of trade and globalisation is getting ever cloudier. In this episode, host and editor Mike King speaks to global thought leaders about where geopolitics - and conflicts about ideas, ideology and forms of government - are directing the very concept of globalisation.
If China is a less trusted location to do business, where does that business go? And if manufacturing moves closer to home, what does that mean for the long-term investment decisions being made by forwarders and carriers as they seek to serve their shipper customers?
And finally, if supply chains are regionalising and global institutions that foster collaboration are losing their power, what does this mean for the ability of those in the business of trade to decarbonise supply chains?
Guests
Michael Every, Global Strategist, Rabobank
Marc Levinson, author, historian and journalist
Luisa Rodriguez, Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Lars Jensen, CEO, Vespucci Maritime
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Neil Johnson, Co-Founder, TNETS
Description
In this episode host Mike King and his guests dissect the end of container line consortia exemptions in the EU and the impact of the awful events taking place in the Middle East.
They also cover the latest redundancies at Flexport, implications for digital forwarding, the latest rates news, the container ship orderbook, why some container lines will post losses in Q4, and what impact the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) will have on carriers and shippers.
Guests
Lars Jensen, CEO, Vespucci Maritime
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Neil Wilson, Editor, TAC Index
Episode in more detail:
EU to end liner shipping consortia exemption (2.20)
The end of alliances? (3.16)
Shipper reaction (5.04)
War in the Middle East (6.07)
TAC Index air freight rates update (10.16)
Flexport redundancies (11.27)
The demise of digital forwarders? (14.52)
Xeneta on ocean rates (16.16)
Blanks to hit Euro port volumes? (18.26)
How the EC’s Emissions Trading System will impact shipping (20.07)
Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime (25.15)
Lars on the EC’s liner exemption ruling (25.50)
Will other regulators follow suit? (33.09)
How will ETS impact shippers? (35.12)
ETS vs port competition (40.04)
The current container market (44.00)
Liner profitability outlook (45.37)
Is vertical consolidation saving carriers? (50.52)
Lars, geopolitics and China +1 (54.29)
Why carriers may not have over-ordered (57.39)
ETS and ferry competition (1.00.41)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this sponsored episode, Mike King, host and producer of The Loadstar Podcast, discovers that quantum physics is not merely relevant in 2023 because of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, one of the hit movies of the summer. Rather, it is the bedrock of the technologies now transforming the world of logistics.
Mike is joined by Sean Tinney, Global Solutions Lead for Enterprise Computing Solutions at Unisys, a global technology solutions company that powers breakthroughs for the world's leading organizations.
Mike and Sean discuss how quantum computing and AI are converging to create entirely new paradigms for the world of freight. The future of supply chains is here, and it’s called quantum logistics.
Episode in detail:
The origins of quantum logistics (2.44)
Quantum physics and Oppenheimer (3.55)
Quantum computer and the supply chain (5.06)
Practical logistics applications (7.27)
Defining and deploying quantum logistics (9.56)
How Unisys is harnessing technology (11.48)
Quantum IQ (12.42)
Advanced analytics and SC complexity (13.25)
Optimising logistics management (15.43)
Quantum logistics case examples (16.56)
Cutting costs; boosting profits (19.29)
Most suitable markets for new tech (21.15)
This podcast is sponsored by Unisys.
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In part 1, creator and host Mike King is joined by the Loadstar’s Alex Lennane and Xeneta’s Peter Sand. They examine the latest rate movements, decipher the peak season, discuss why forwarders are retaining their own air cargo capacity, and try and work out exactly what is going on at Flexport.
Part 2 is an exclusive interview with possibly the world’s most powerful container shipping regulator: Daniel Maffei, Chairman of the US Federal Maritime Commission.
He outlines how competition authorities across the world cooperate, what the future of detention and demurrage charges looks like, and what the FMC will do with its extended range of post-pandemic powers. He also explains what President Joe Biden thinks of the world of box shipping and freight.
Guests
Daniel Maffei, Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission
Alex Lennane, Publish, The Loadstar
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King
Episode in more detail:
Part 1
What’s afoot at Flexport (2.26)
Core freight vs ‘Amazonification’ (3.53)
Container shipping rates (6.46)
What happens after Golden Week? (7.55)
Spot vs long-term contracts (10.47)
Mixed picture for air cargo (13.17)
Forwarders retaining air cargo networks (15.41)
Container shipping outlook (17.13)
Part 2
Introducing the FMC (21.03)
Refereeing the world of freight (24.12)
Detention and demurrage fees (26.15)
Sizing FMC fines (31.06)
FMC power grab? (33.20)
White House competition (35.37)
Working on rules with the EU and China (37.42)
More US legislation for container lines? (39.26)
What say you Mr President? (42.38)
Naming and shaming NVOCCs (45.46)
The US view of shipping post-pandemic (49.23)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this sponsored episode, Mike King, host and producer of The Loadstar Podcast, explores how the evolving needs of shippers are being met by DP World’s ever-expanding portfolio of logistics assets offering port-centric supply solutions from its UK terminals, including the rapidly expanding London Gateway terminal complex.
Mike is joined by Andrew Bowen, Chief Operating Officer of DP World UK, who also explains how the company is expanding its logistics footprint and adapting to the UK’s ever-changing trading opportunities and challenges.
Episode in more detail
Europe’s container trades and UK ports (1.54)
The development of DP World London Gateway (4.00)
Why the UK needs more box port capacity (6.42)
End-t0-end port logistics in practice (9.26)
Total logistics: DP World Group subsidiaries (11.41)
Customer interface and tech deployment (13.18)
Integrated logistics in action (14.30)
The importance of logistics parks (17.18)
Investing in a growing UK economy (19.31)
This podcast is sponsored by DP World.
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this bumper post-summer episode of The Loadstar podcast, creator and host Mike King is joined by the Loadstar’s Mike Wackett and TAC Index’s Neil Wilson as they catch up on the big stories of late summer. They also dissect air and ocean freight rates, ask whether the shipping peak season has already been and gone, discuss the latest signs of yet more consolidation, and examine if El Nino-induced lower water levels on the Panama Canal will disrupt ocean freight markets.
In part 2, Mike gets the views of two of the world’s leading ocean freight forwarders when he’s joined by Stephanie Loomis, Head of Ocean Freight Americas, Rhenus Logistics, and Peter Sundara Swamickannu, Head of Global Ocean Freight Product, Visy Logistics. They look at Asia’s export outlook, US domestic intermodal costs, the threat of union action at USEC ports, and how best to define and manage supply chain risk.
Guests
Stephanie Loomis, Head of Ocean Freight Americas, Rhenus Logistics
Peter Sundara Swamickannu, Head of Global Ocean Freight Product, Visy Logistics
Neil Wilson, Editor, TAC Index
Mike Wackett, Sea Freight Correspondent, The Loadstar
Episode in detail:
Part 1 – News, rates and outlook
Hapag Lloyd & HMM: a new liner marriage? (4.14)
Zim and MSC team up (8.33)
Luftie: bucking the air cargo downturn (12.00)
Air cargo rates with TAC Index (13.46)
Xeneta box rates with Mike Wackett (15.52)
Did peak season come early? (18.52)
China macroeconomics (20.59)
US/Europe demand and geopolitical risk (23.13)
Panama Canal surcharges (25.24)
Air cargo outlook (27.19)
Part 2 – Freight forwarder roundtable
Is peak season over? (30.00)
Carrier capacity cuts; too little too late? (33.05)
Liner Golden Week plans and GRIs (36.10)
US inventory levels weigh heavily (37.47)
Panama Canal and false black swans (39.56)
Asian exports forecast and China downturn (49.29)
China+1 and near-sourcing (44.24)
USEC labour action threat (48.49)
Freight outlook - positives and negatives (51.53)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com
In this episode, The Loadstar Podcast examines the biggest stories and trends of 2023 including analysis of container line strategy and air cargo markets.
Host Mike King and the Loadstar team and guests also spotlight the latest shipping regulations and carrier decarbonisation benchmarks and look forward to what the rest of the year holds for freight, shipping and logistics stakeholders. Is there any reason for peak season optimism? How many container ships are due to be delivered? And will a bear market prompt more consolidation? Find out here.
Guests:
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Charlie Bartlett, Technology Correspondent, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
2023 so far (2.25)
Container line strategy; transformation efforts (4.45)
Air cargo rates and strategy (8.44)
Corruption in air freight (10.45)
The latest regulations from IMO explained (12.04)
Benchmarking liner emissions (15.59)
Decarbonisation: A watershed moment for freight media? (20.43)
2024 forecasts – any sign of peak season? (25.15)
Not all container trades are in the red (26.39)
But record deliveries are due (30.07)
Air cargo sentiment (35.15)
Inventory, inflation and employment levels (37.27)
M&A outlook and when will freight rebound (43.24)
Credits: Created, produced and edited by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In Part 1, host Mike King and Loadstar Publisher Alex Lennane look at the ‘tentative’ US west coast docker contract deal: is this the end of the dispute that has dogged US logistics for over a year or could talks still break down? They also examine the highlights and lowlights of the recent CNS Partnership air cargo conference in Miami and are joined by TAC Index’s Peyton Burnett to discuss the latest air cargo trends, appointments and rate movements.
In part 2, the Loadstar looks at the air cargo industry’s daunting task of rapidly cutting emissions. Currently there isn’t enough Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) available and it’s too expensive, but that needs to change – and quickly. But who is going to pay, what is holding up production, and will more regulation really speed progress?
Guests
Kathrin Brost, Global Head of GoGreen Program, DHL Global Forwarding
Peyton Burnett, Managing Director, TAC Index
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Simon Holt, Manager, Emerging Energy Europe, Phillips 66
Chris Gilbert, Manager, Humber Decarbonization Projects, Phillips 66
Episode in more detail
Part 1
‘Tentative’ US West Coast docker contract agreed (3.00)
Xeneta shipping rate update (5.20)
Air cargo outlook – the view from CNS (6.15)
Air cargo rates with TAC Index (8.35)
Personnel changes in Middle East air cargo (15.28)
Women in freight– get it right guys! (17.02)
Sniffing out lithium risks (19.43)
US SAF initiatives
Part 2 – Special report
The global Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production and procurement challenge (22.23 – 44.00)
Credits:
Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Evan King – sound engineer
www.theloadstar.com
In Part 1, the focus is on Munich, the host city of Transport Logistic 2023. This gargantuan event attracted the great and the good of global shipping, air cargo and logistics. Host Mike King explores the biggest stories and key discussions points that emerged during the show with his co-host Nick Savvides, Loadstar News Editor.
In part 2, Mike and his guests explore container line strategy, upcoming blank sailings, and rate movements on the major East-West trades.
Guests
Tim Scharwath, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding
Dan March CEO, World Cargo Alliance
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Sean Crook, Director, Neolink
Nick Savvides, News Editor, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Part 1 – Transport Logistic 2023
News and themes from Munich (3.26)
China +1 with DHL (5.05)
Sustainability - who pays? (8.04)
Cutting cold chain waste (10.58)
Air cargo sentiment (13.03)
Shippers vs lines (16.35)
Part 2 - Container markets (18.30)
Transpacific GRIs (19.02)
West coast escape routes (22.58)
Slow steaming rationale (22.28)
Asia-Europe (26.57)
The trans-Atlantic (29.14)
The carrier box of tricks (30.58)
Importing Down Under (33.24)
China-Australia trade imbalance (35.19)
High inventories (37.13)
Surcharges on the horizon (38.34)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In this episode host Mike King talks to industry heavy hitters about all things Europe.
The European economy is currently struggling with low economic and trade growth prospects. High inventories and soaring inflation are dampening freight demand. Strikes by unions are plaguing supply chain planning. And Asia-Europe ocean and air freight rates have collapsed, at least compared to a year earlier. And on top of that, war in Ukraine continues to take a sickening economic and human toll on the continent and the wider world.
However, for those in the business of supply chain, there is hope of a recovery later this year. And things really aren’t as bad as they might have been. Rates could have fallen further, for example. The growth outlook could be worse. Most of the pandemic era supply chain bottlenecks have now evaporated. And demand for intra-Europe rail cargo is holding up rather well.
Guests
Mads Drejer, Global Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Scan Global Logistics
Hans Nagtegaal, Director of Containers, Port of Rotterdam Authority
Conor Feighan, Secretary-General, European Rail Freight Association (ERFA)
Mike covers all these topics and a lot more in this European special.
Episode in more detail:
European economy and freight 2023 (1.42)
Scan Global’s optimism (4.51)
Ocean rates (7.23)
Air cargo outlook (12.47)
Big disruptor in ’23? Strikes (15.40)
Ports now versus 2022 (20.13)
Rotterdam volume decline (25.37)
Ukraine and northern Europe trade (29.57)
New terminal investments (34.02)
How sanctions have hit Asia-Europe rail (39.11)
Western operators pull out (41.35)
Making European rail more competitive ( 45.11)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In this sponsored episode, Nick Savvides, Loadstar News Editor, explores how a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and shipper demands for more sustainable maritime supply chains are pushing terminal operators to cut emissions.
Nick is joined by Steve McCrindle, DP World’s Port Operations Director at Southampton, who explains how the deployment of green fuels is now helping the company dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of its quayside operations.
Episode in more detail:
Removing diesel from ‘green corridors’ (2.19)
Managing lithium batteries (4.40)
Getting to net zero (6.26)
The benefits of HVO (8.22)
Who pays for renewable fuel? (9.35)
A sustainable, sustainable fuel (11.45)
Cutting emissions across DP World (13.22)
From road to rail (15.56)
Brexit and Southampton’s cold chain (16.48)
This podcast is sponsored by DP World
Credits:
Created, edited and produced by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In part 1 Mike King and guests discuss slowing demand for container shipping, the challenging macroeconomic environment, heightened inventories, how union dockworker negotiations on the US West Coast are impacting the contracting season, and whether there will be a peak season this year.
In part 2 the focus turns to air cargo markets - how additional bellyhold capacity is affecting freighter operators, whether insurers are profiteering from humanitarian aid efforts in earthquake-stricken Syria, and where next for freight rates?
Guests
John McCown, Founder, Blue Alpha Capital
Emily Stausbøll, Market Analyst, Xeneta
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Peyton Burnett, MD, TAC Index
Episode in more detail:
Bearish container shipping demand (3.00)
Rates update (6.55)
Capacity cuts vary by trade (9.50)
The trans-Pacific contracting season (11.13)
PMA vs ILWU (17.01)
Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act (23.31)
Insurers profiteering in Syria? (29.37)
Hong Kong air cargo boost (33.15)
Air freight rates (34.10)
New entrants (36.18)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In this bumper episode, Loadstar journalists report on the key sessions and share exclusive interviews from the biggest container shipping and logistics event of the year: TPM23 held in Long Beach, USA, February 26 – March 1.
This is followed by an in-depth discussion of 3PL financials, global rankings and M&A activity when host Mike King is joined by Evan Armstrong, CEO of Armstrong & Associates.
Guests
Carl Bentzel, Commissioner, U.S. Federal Maritime Commission
Evan Armstrong, CEO, Armstrong & Associates
Gordon Downes, Co-founder and CEO, NYSHEX
Adrian Gutierrez, Global Client Manager for Agricultural Commodities, A.P. Moller - Maersk
Mike Wackett, Sea Freight Correspondent, The Loadstar
Nick Savvides, News Editor, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
Back to normal at TPM (2.22)
MSC CEO Soren Toft – out of the shadows, briefly (5.54)
NYSHEX and liner-shipper contracts (8.33)
Maersk, seeking backhauls (13.45)
Exporter dissatisfaction (20.00)
New maritime data system from the FMC (22.30)
Snippets and West Coast port talks (26.40)
3PL financials, global rankings and M&A forecasts (31.40 onwards)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In Part 1 of this episode host Mike King and his various guests discuss the latest news including the latest on ocean and air rates, what next for MSC and Maersk, why the legal fallout from cyber-attacks is increasing, and where and why container lines are cutting capacity.
In Part 2, Mike speaks to two thought leaders whose business is understanding the link between more severe weather patterns and logistics risks. They explain how much more volatile storms are already adding to the cost of trade and the price of new port infrastructure.
Guests
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Peyton Burnett, MD, TAC Index
Michael Page, Certified Broadcast Meteorologist
Jasper Verschuur, Author/Postdoctoral researcher, Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Episode in more detail:
PART 1
2M divorce fallout (3.24)
Cyber-attack legal action (5.25)
VC redundancies (9.26)
Air cargo update (10.30)
Container shipping rates (18.40)
Blank sailings and lay-ups (22.50)
Ranking liner emissions heroes and villains (24.30)
PART 2
Trade and port costs from severe weather (28.40)
Why so many boxes overboard? (32.15)
Forward risk and port infrastructure (36.00)
Are we taking any of this seriously? (39.10)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
In this sponsored episode Nick Savvides, Loadstar News Editor, tackles some of the big issues in European logistics, including the current economic downturn, the challenges of recruitment and new regulations, and how multi-modal solutions are providing some of the answers as the continent migrates to more sustainable supply chains. To explore these topics, Nick is joined by Timm Niebergall, CEO of P&O Ferrymasters.
Episode in more detail:
The P&O Ferrymasters European network (1.05)
Navigating war, Brexit and recession (5.13)
Driver shortages (7.34)
Shippers drive sustainability push (9.40)
Multimodal options (11.25)
New services and investments (14.20)
This podcast is sponsored by DP World
Credits:
Created, edited and produced by Mike King
This is a Loadstar podcast: www.theloadstar.com
This episode focuses on Europe where war, Covid, inflation and a cost-of-living crisis are taking a heavy toll on economic growth and the outlook for international trade.
Nomura now expects western Europe’s real GDP to contract by 0.4% this year. In Germany and Britain, the two large economies most affected by current economic headwinds, real GDP is expected to contract by 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer prices in western Europe rose 8.5% last year and are expected to increase a further 5.9% this year.
However, despite the many challenges facing Europe, host Mike King hears there is cause for optimism as he talks to senior executives at two of the continent’s leading ports and the Loadstar’s Mike Wackett.
Guests:
Doug Bannister, CEO, Port of Dover
Axel Mattern, chief executive, Port of Hamburg Marketing
Mike Wackett, sea freight correspondent, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail:
A challenging year at Germany’s biggest port (4.27)
Covid demand to recession – learning lessons (6.18)
Clearing away congestion (12.50)
China to the rescue? (15.44)
Ocean and air freight rates update (22.18)
Trans-Atlantic bonanza (27.55)
UK port update (29.15)
The density of UK-EU trade via Dover (32.25)
The Brexit challenge (41.15)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
The Loadstar podcast www.theloadstar.com
Chinese New Year traditionally sees a spike in air and ocean demand - and freight rates - ahead of factory closures for the Chinese New Year holidays which start on 22 January. But will tradition mean a thing in this inflation-ridden start to the year? How long will factories stay closed? And what does the unwinding of China’s zero Covid policy mean for manufacturers, international travel, air cargo and shipping supply chains in the coming weeks and the year ahead?
Host Mike King and his guests also explain what air freight markets are doing ahead of Chinese New Year and look at the outlook for ocean freight rates after the spot market collapse of 2022.
Guests:
Steve Saxon, Partner, McKinsey & Company
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Neel Jones Shah, EVP of Air Strategy and Carrier Development, Flexport
Episode in more detail:
China opens for business; Covid let rip (1.28)
Chinese carriers ready to fly (8.34)
China + 1 (11.32)
A CNY boost for air cargo demand? (14.10)
How long will factories stay closed (16.00)
Air cargo supply-demand (17.57)
US demand (22.15)
Shipping freight rate analysis (25.00)
GRI failures (27.40)
More blanks to come (30.11)
Carrier gloom forecast (30.11)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
The Loadstar podcast www.theloadstar.com
If 2022 taught us anything, it was to expect the unexpected. It was the year that shocked us with war in Ukraine, endless Chinese Covid lockdowns, soaring inflation and the devastation of tighter fiscal and monetary policies. Extreme weather affected supply chains from India to the Mississippi, Australia to the Rhine. Freight rates collapsed and peak season was a non-event.
But, on the other side of the ledger, in most parts of the world 2022 also saw the emergence of the spring shoots of a post-Covid world with all the freedoms that entails.
This episode examines the biggest stories of the last year and what a post-Covid world means for M&A activity as well as for shippers, forwarders and carriers. A gaggle of Loadstar hacks also pick out their biggest winners and losers of 2022.
And we look forward to what happens next. Who will be spending their Covid treasure troves and who will be tightening their belts? And where are the biggest market risks and opportunities in this new economic and geopolitical landscape? All is revealed.
Guests
Alex Lennane, The Loadstar Publisher
Gavin Van Marle, The Loadstar, Managing Editor
Mike Wackett, The Loadstar, Sea Freight Correspondent
Episode in more detail
War in Ukraine and the impact on air cargo (3.44)
Exactly what happened to ocean freight in 2022? (7.59)
M&A deals in 2022 (12.19)
Maersk Skou retires – his legacy (15.44)
Winners & Losers 2022 (18.26)
The biggest takeaways and lessons from the Covid era (26.00)
What to expect in box shipping in 2023 (30.22)
Air freight forecasts for 2023 (34.52)
The new business environment/M&A (37.54)
Risk and opportunities in 2023 (48.10)
Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King
Mike can be contacted at mikeking121@gmail.com
www.theloadstar.com
In part 1 we examine what one express executive calls the ‘modest’ 2022 peak season. We look at companies such as Shopify and TikTok which are now investing heavily in their supply chains. We discuss integrator price hikes, US logistics challenges and the looming threat of labour strikes. And finally, we ask what Covid protests and lockdowns in China mean for global logistics, and whether a post-Covid ‘normalisation’ of supply chains will see a welcome return to more emphasis on human rights and procurement diversification.
Part Two is a deep dive with Xeneta’s Peter Sand into ocean shipping markets and how to manage contract renegotiations with carriers.
Guests
Greg Hewitt, CEO, DHL Express US
Emma Cosgrove, Senior Reporter covering logistics at Insider
Brian Bourke, Global Chief Commercial Officer, SEKO Logistics
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Episode in more detail:
Part 1
The supply chain in mainstream media and stock markets (2.25)
New market entrants – Shopify to TikTok (6.20)
DHL Express exclusive (11.39)
2022: The modest peak season (15.19)
Pricing: DHL vs FedEx vs UPS (22.13)
DHL invests (24.50)
Labour costs and last mile bankruptcies (27.19)
Protests in China (31.03)
Forwarding in Q4 – SEKO Logistics (35.20)
The threat of labour strikes (38.54)
Risk and opportunity in 2023 (40.40)
Human rights and a more diversified supply chain (46.05)
Part 2 – Ocean shipping rates focus (49.20)
Blanks ahead (51.40)
Renegotiating long-term (53.45)
Forwarder plight (58.10)
Declining demand (1.00.50)
Surging deliveries (1.04.28)
Shipper advice (1.07.50)
Created, editing and produced by Mike King
Mike can be contacted at mikeking121@gmail.com
www.theloadstar.com
Ever wondered how the largest shippers manage vast supply chains, draw up contracts with favoured carriers or deploy the latest tech? If so, this episode has you covered. Swedish multination Electrolux’s annual Full Container Load volumes average around 175,000 teu, while its annual air freight tonnage totals some 6,000 metric tonnes. Tia Mohan, Ocean and Air Transportation Planning Director, joins host Mike King for an in-depth interview.
This episode also includes reports from TIACA’s Air Cargo Forum in Miami from Loadstar Publisher Alex Lennane and Freightwaves’ Air Cargo Editor Eric Kulisch.
And Mike also examines the latest economic and freight rate trends with Peyton Burnett, MD of TAC Index.
Mike can be contacted at: mikeking121@gmail.com.
Guests
Tia Mohan, Ocean and Air Transportation Planning Director, Electrolux
Peyton Burnett, MD, TAC Index
Alex Lennane, Publisher, Loadstar
Eric Kulisch, Air Cargo Editor, Freightwaves
Episode in more detail:
The scope of Electrolux’s supply chain challenge (1.44)
The pros and cons of tech (7.37)
Pricing platforms (11.12)
Navigating chaos amid a seller’s market during Covid (13.30)
Geopolitics and sourcing (19.17)
Contracting strategy and KPIs (24.41)
Enforcement: If you can’t do port-to-port, forget door-to-door (27.01)
The emissions journey (30.05)
Supply chains in 2023 (33.40)
TIACA Air Cargo Forum – Loadstar and Freightwaves report (36.57)
Signs of optimism (40.26)
China’s zero-Covid policy (42.51)
The state of US air freight (45.33)
Freight rate update (49.24)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
www.theloadstar.com
Over the last year we have heard so much about the need for more UK port capacity. In this Sponsored Podcast The Loadstar explores one project that will deliver just that. Managing editor, Gavin van Marle examines DP World’s decision to construct a fourth berth at its London Gateway complex in the UK.
Gavin gets answers about why this is so important for UK plc and European shipping and logistics from his guest Ernst Schulze, UK CEO of DP World and the company’s ambitions to transform itself into an end-to-end supply chain operator.
Episode in more detail:
The investment rationale (1.45)
Investment size and timeline (6.05)
Customer benefits (9.09)
Rail outlook (10.19)
Innovations and decarbonisation (13.30)
The logistics of ports (17.03)
UK Free Ports (20.29)
E-commerce demand driver (22.18)
Job creation (24.27)
Digitalisation and supply chains (26.39)
DP World’s vertical integration (28.58)
Post-Covid supply chains (32.38)
Website: www.theloadstar.com
If you think East Coast versus West Coast is all about rappers, think again. In Part 2 of this episode the Loadstar examines cargo shifts in the US this year from a global perspective and from a port operator’s viewpoint. Host Mike King speaks to Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, and Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of Virginia Port Authority.
Part 1 of this episode also asks if the slowdown in e-commerce is overstated and examines the limited achievements and many failings of IATA’s hosting of its World Cargo Symposium in London. We also preview COP 27 and ask where next for the EC’s liner consortia competition rule exemptions.
Guests
Mirja Nissen, Director, eCommerce Solutions, International Bonded Couriers, Inc.
Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and Executive Director, Virginia Port Authority
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Nick Savvides, News Editor, The Loadstar
Also featuring:
Olivier Casanova, deputy CFO, CMA CGM Group and former CEO, CMA CGM Air Cargo
Vassilios Demetriades, Shipping Deputy Minister to the President, Republic of Cyprus
Episode in more detail
Part 1 – news update
IATA’s London fail (2.25)
CMA CGM’s air reveal (6.50)
Air freight rates (10.58)
E-commerce now and in future (12.13)
‘Parcelisation’ (21.55)
EU liner regulation update (22.39)
COP27 preview (26.18)
Part 2 US Cargo Wars: East Coast vs West Coast (27.44)
Virginia Port Authority CEO on cargo wins and investments (30.15)
Xeneta numbers on West coast cargo transition eastwards (33.47)
Congestion bites (36.17)
Hinterland bottlenecks (45.49)
Fixing US infrastructure (49.47)
Demand outlook (54.41)
Transatlantic trade bonus (56.54)
Long-term cargo wins? (58.40)
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Website: www.theloadstar.com
In this Big Interview, Loadstar Podcast editor and producer Mike King gets the view of the freight and shipping world from the perspective of shippers as he interviews James Hookham, Secretary General of the Global Shippers’ Forum.
Mike asks why do shippers still want reform of the liner industry even as rates declines? Also discussed are the impacts Covid disruptions and soaring freight rates have had on SMEs. Why container lines need more regulation. How carriers and shippers can build trust so they can cooperate more fully on critical challenges including how to decarbonise supply chains. And why more action needs to be taken to stop bugs getting into boxes.
Episode in more detail
Logistics now: The shippers’ perspective (1.24)
The outlook in Europe (4.14)
China as a manufacturing centre (5.33)
Brexit and Truss (8.04)
Shippers view of container lines and EC regulations (13.34)
The dangers of bugs in boxes (26.00)
Building more sustainable supply chains (31.00)
2023 challenges (35.10)
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Website: www.theloadstar.com
In Part 1, Mike King and guests explore freight technology take-up and the latest M&A activity. They also ask if we are now seeing the normalisation of freight rates, and if the scaling back of ocean and air ambitions by some integrators and carriers are the sign of things to come.
Are you trying to decarbonise your supply chain without partnering with stakeholders. If so, in Part 2 of this podcast you’ll hear why you should think again.
Guests
Bryn Atherton, Liner Development Director, Allseas Shipping Company
Alex Lennane, Publish, The Loadstar
Peyton Burnett, Managing Director, TAC INDEX
Dr. Mikael Lind, Adjunct Professor in Maritime Informatics and Senior Strategic Research Advisor Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and Chalmers University of Technology
Wolfgang Lehmacher, Investor and Board Member, and former Head of Supply Chain and Transport Industries at the World Economic Forum
Gavin Van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Eric Johnson, Technology Editor, Journal of Commerce
Episode in more detail:
Part 1
Tech uptake challenge (2.23)
FedEx & Amazon pullback (6.13)
Air freight rates and challenges (8.00)
Ocean rates normalising? (11.40)
Blank sailings (finally) (14.48)
Allseas interview/UK port strikes (17.35)
Chartering market as spot market falls (19.58)
M&A activity (25.46)
Part 2 (28.22) – Partnering to decarbonise
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Mike can be contacted at mikeking121@gmail.com
In this Deep Dive Loadstar Podcast, Mike King and guests explain the traditional container shipping peak season and its role in the ebb and flow of global trade.
They also examine how the last two years of Covid-driven supply chain disruption have impacted box trade seasonality.
And they consider whether parts of that transformation will be permanent, or whether a return to normality is now underway in the shape of a 2022 peak season that has faltered in the face of economic headwinds.
Guests:
Lars Jensen, CEO, Vespucci Maritime
John McCown, Founder, Blue Alpha Capital
Kathy Liu, Director, Global Sales & Marketing, Dimerco Express Group
Jason Haith, Manager, OEC Group
Stephanie Loomis, Vice President for Procurement, CargoTrans
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Bruce Chan, Director & Senior Analyst, Global Logistics & Future Mobility Equity Research, Stifel
Josh Brazil, VP for Supply Chain Insights, Project44
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Mike can be contacted at: mikeking121@gmail.com
In part one, Mike King and his guests from around the world of freight, shipping and logistics explore if the US peak season is already over, why forwarder profits peaked in the second quarter and how port congestion is set to continue and could act as a break on freight rate declines.
In part two, Mike speaks in depth to Paul Stoddart, the former Formula 1 team owner and chairman of fast-growing freighter operator European Cargo. They cover the global economy, why the cost-of-living crisis will curtail bellyhold capacity, the challenges of air cargo for a newcomer, and why regulators and politics are threatening to sink UK aviation.
Guests
Paul Stoddart, Chairman of European Cargo
Stephanie Loomis, Vice President for Procurement, CargoTrans
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta
Bruce Chan, Director & Senior Analyst, Global Logistics & Future Mobility Equity Research, Stifel
Josh Brazil, VP for Supply Chain Insights, Project44
Episode in more detail:
Part one
Ocean and air freight rates update (3.39)
Trans-Atlantic trade soars (5.00)
Forwarder returns peak (7.49)
Predictions from Stifel (11.48)
M&A outlook (15.49)
US bottlenecks (20.47)
Has the peak season been and gone? (25.16)
Xeneta: Where is the box freight rate floor? (34.42)
The impact of port congestion (37.35)
Part two – Interview with Paul Stoddart, Chairman of European Cargo
Formula 1 – a teething ground for air cargo (48.53)
European Cargo – story so far (52.48)
Belly returns and the air cargo outlook (56.30)
Still room for expansion? (1.00.45)
Preighters vs freighters (1.02.28)
War in Ukraine and air ops (1.05.57)
Sweet home Bournemouth (1.11.19)
Brexit and the failures of regulators (1.14.39)
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Mike can be contacted at: mikeking121@gmail.com
In part one of this bumper summer episode, Mike King and guests from around the world explore the current state of play in global logistics, shipping and air cargo. This section analyses the biggest news stories of the summer including industrial unrest at European ports, the latest from China and why US West Coast port congestion has shifted East. It also includes a full briefing on air and ocean freight rates.
In part 2, Mike deep dives on the macroeconomic environment buffeting the freight industry. How are soaring logistics and shipping costs feeding global inflation? And what does inflation, recession and slowing global growth mean for the logistics industry?
Guests:
John McCown, container shipping veteran and Founder of Blue Alpha Capital
Kathy Liu, Director Global Sales & Marketing of Dimerco Express Group
Rob Subbaraman, Nomura Head of Global Macro Research and Co-Head of Global Markets Research
Jason Haith, Manager at Transpacific forwarding specialist OEC Group
Peyton Burnett, Managing Director of TAC INDEX.
Mike Wackett, Loadstar, sea freight correspondent
Credits: Created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Comments or thoughts on this podcast can be sent to Mike King: mikeking121@gmail.com.
Episode in more detail
Part 1 – Summer Catch-up
Shipping freight rates take a summer plunge (3.30)
Carriers step up blanks (5.00)
China military exercises hits air freight (9.00)
Alternative sourcing to China (9.39)
Slowing Asian exports, but autumn launch boost expected (12.05)
TAC Index: Air Cargo catch-up (14.20)
Shippers “rubbing hands” as power swings away from airlines (17.25)
Felixstowe/Liverpool dockworker strikes (18.16)
Sizzling temperatures hit European barge logistics (20.14)
German port strike threat (22.30)
EC regulators turn gaze on container lines (23.10)
How the US peak season is playing out (25.10)
US port congestion shifts to the East (26.31)
Retailers juggle inventory (30.40)
Container lines post bumper Q2 profits (37.24)
Part 2 – Special report: Economic Headwinds & Freight
IMF forecasts drastically cut (41.00)
Nomura’s take on recession (43.39)
Mixed picture on inflation? (46.16)
Global trade to slow; Asian exports bellwether (49.20)
Shipping costs drive inflation. (52.08)
Record Q2 for carriers says McCown (55.29)
The inelasticity shipping pricing? (57.10)
How the shipping/freight industry is adapting to rising inflation (59.11)
Why shipping costs might not fall when firms near-shore (1.03.54)
What next for container shipping rates and regulation as the macroeconomic clouds turn thunderous? Are carriers spending their pandemic windfalls wisely? Is deglobalisation on the agenda and, if so, what does this mean for box shipping? Who better to ask than one of the world’s leading analysts and former shipping executive, Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime.
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Episode in more detail
Why there is a precedent for today’s macroeconomic situation (3.01)
Where next for global box volumes (4.28)
What happens in peak season (7.51)
Port congestion could unravel (10.31)
Why contracts might not be honoured (17.07)
Should liner performance be better? (22.40)
OSRA and President Biden’s ‘intervention’ (26.59)
Liner investment strategies (31.10)
War, Covid and deglobalisation (35.08)
In part one, host Mike King and his guests examine why northern Europe’s hub ports are struggling to cope with container volumes, what Joe Biden’s forays into shipping policy mean for shippers and why predictions of a cargo surge from China have not materialised.
Contributors also discuss the air cargo supply-demand balance and the sector’s logistics challenges, what next for AirBridgeCargo and where (and when) container lines might spend their huge profits.
And in part 2, Xeneta’s Peter Sand makes some bold predictions for container shipping as the global economic picture deteriorates. Box volumes were originally expected to see healthy growth this year, but those forecasts are rapidly being revised. Could we even see a contraction in 2022 and, if so, what would this mean for spot and contract freight rates? In short, is winter coming for some trade lanes?
Guests
Erion Hormoviti, Executive Director, Air Freight Product at Ascent
Eleanor Hadland, Senior Analyst for Ports & Terminals at Drewry
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta
Alex Lennane, Loadstar Publisher
Mike Wackett, Loadstar Sea Freight Correspondent
Episode in more detail:
PART 1
Endless, constant disruptions (3.22)
European ports in disarray (5.19)
Drewry’s take on port congestion and the peak season (9.37 – 17.26)
Barge chaos (17.29)
Air cargo staffing shortages and challenges (18.53)
What next for ABC? (20.53)
Ascent’s take on global air cargo (23.00-32.41).)
Container lines eye the skies (30.41-36.00)
More M&A this summer? (36.53)
OSRA and more liner regulations (38.00)
PART 2 – Is Winter Coming for the container trades? An exclusive interview on all things shipping with Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst. (41.11)
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
As the freight and shipping industry waits for China to unshackle its people and global trade from Covid-19, creator and editor Mike King looks not only at what might happen on key trades lanes in the next weeks and months, he also explores whether global supply chains as we’ve known them are now finished? Is a fundamental reset on the way? And who will be driving it if so?
We also have the build-up to the peak shipping season, air cargo freight rate updates, a look at the preparedness of US surface transport, and the latest regulations covering the vast business that is the global illegal wildlife trade.
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Guests
Peyton Burnett, Managing Director of TAC INDEX.
Craig Fuller, Founder & CEO at FreightWaves and CEO at FLYING
Philippa Dyson, TRAFFIC's coordinator of transport sector engagement
Dennis Grady, Vice President for Ocean Product at Ascent.
Episode in more detail
The end of globalisation? (3.37)
Will China remain a reliable partner? (7.26)
The air cargo market (12.00)
Who is paying for spiking jet fuel prices? (16.56)
The re-regionalisation of supply chains (21.00)
A pre-peak season surge? (27.31)
Freight and WFH (37.33)
The winners from a trading reset (41.00)
Complicity and the illegal wildlife trade (45.00)
New IMO rules (52.49)
Air cargo steps forward on smuggling (57.02)
On its 175th anniversary, Loadstar Podcast editor and producer Mike King asks Hapag Lloyd, the world’s fifth largest container line, how the carrier is managing the chaos of the here and now? What is being done to help shipper customers? Where will the windfalls of the last two years be spent? And what does the future hold for container shipping over the next 175 years?
Mike interviews newly appointed Executive Board Member of Hapag Lloyd, Donya Amer, and Dr. Ralf Belusa, Managing Director Digital Business & Transformation.
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Episode in more detail:
175 years of challenges (2.22)
Unkinking container shipping now ( 6.21)
A reset for supply chains (9.40)
Any slots for an SME? (12.40)
Spending a treasure chest (14.45)
Scramble for Africa and investing in clean fuels (16.52)
Digitalisation and Covid-19 (22.35)
The next 175 years (25.10)
In this episode, Mike King examines what impact Covid lockdowns in China are having on exports from Asia. What do lower outbound volumes mean for the peak season, container shipping and the global economy? And, if lockdowns are eased in the coming weeks, are carriers and ports in Europe and North America ready to handle a Q3 surge better than they managed in 2021?
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Guests
Lars Mikael Jensen, Head of Global Ocean Network at Maersk
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta
Jake Phipps, CEO of global manufacturer Phipps International
Josh Brazil, VP Supply Chain Insights, Project44
Rob Subbaraman, Head of Global Macro Research and Co-head of Global Markets Research, Nomura
Episode in more detail:
All eyes on China as lockdowns hit global supply chains (4.20)
View from a shipper (5.20)
Extended Transpac delivery times (.7.50)
Container spot and contract freight rates (10.21)
TAC Index update (13.50)
USWC versus USEC (16.33) – analysts and their numbers
European port delays (23.46)
Box shipping demand outlook (25.25)
The Economist – demand forecast and export concerns (30.40)
Could health policy trump trade in Xi’s China (35.43)
The container line. Exclusive extended interview with Lars Mikael Jensen, Head of Global Ocean Network at Maersk (37.26).
Episode Description
In Part 1 we hear about the latest M&A activity, what’s happening at ports and airports in China as Covid lockdowns bite, and what this means for rates and the peak season.
We also shed light on how rail services between Asia and Europe have been devastated by war in Ukraine and discuss why Lidl has set up a new shipping line.
In Part 2, we zoom in on air freight as we hear how the air supply chain can be improved, what war in Europe means for the sector and why TIACA is reinventing itself under the leadership of Director General Glyn Hughes.
Guests
Glyn Hughes, Director General, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA)
Conor Feighan, Secretary General, European Rail Freight Association (ERFA)
Peyton Burnett, Managing Director, TAC INDEX
Gavin Van Marle, Managing Editor, The Loadstar
Episode notes in more detail
Part 1
An old friend from Drewry and the Felixstowe quiz (1.23)
Lidl enters shipping (2.42)
China lockdowns and air load factor declines (5.20)
TAC Index market analysis (and plenty on China) (7.30)
War and air cargo analysis (10.37)
Xeneta shipping rates (14.48)
What happens in peak season? (16.20)
Does Asia-Europe rail freight have a future? (17.14)
M&A – the latest deals (25.59)
Part 2 – What next air cargo and TIACA
An exclusive interview with Glyn Hughes, Director General, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) (33.15)
Credits: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
In this Deep Dive Loadstar Podcast, Mike King explores how and why the acceleration in e-commerce trade due the Covid-19 pandemic is changing retail and the world of international freight. How are supply chains being transformed? What does this mean for planning and procurement? And, as integrators, trucking companies, forwarders, 3PLs and retailers seek out new supply chain profit centres, who will win this Battle Royale?
Guests:
Cathy Roberson, President of Logistics Trends & Insights
Tom Enright, VP, Retail Supply Chain, Gartner
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta
Lee Klaskow, Senior Analyst for Transportation and Logistics at Bloomberg Intelligence
Neel Jones Shah, Flexport Executive Vice President and Global Head of Airfreight.
Jason Miller, Associate Professor of Logistics, Department of Supply Chain Management, Michigan State University — Eli Broad College of Business
Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
The lesson of this Easter episode is do not put all your freight eggs in one basket.
Supply chain disruptions covered include the implications of more Covid lockdowns in China, port congestion and what war in Europe is doing to air charter markets.
We have the latest air and ocean freight rates, and we hear how SME forwarders are struggling to buy space from carriers. And, will Bollore and Gefco be the next acquisitions by Europe’s container lines?
Guests
Glenn Hogben, CEO of the Air Charter Association
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta
Chris Higgins, Commercial Director at AFS
Mike Wackett, Loadstar Sea Freight Correspondent
Episode in more detail
Gefco and Bollore up for grabs. Will lines snap them up? (1.00)
Lockdowns in China – implications (6.30)
Ripple effects; port congestion (9.20)
Carrier strategy in northern Europe (18.50)
War and the state of air charter markets (21.10)
How does air cargo get back to ‘normal’? (28.40)
SME forwarders: the forgotten liner customers (31.26)
The end of customer loyalty? (33.43)
Container charter markets (42.00)
P&O/DP World: the biggest PR fumble in history? (43.50)
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing significant supply chain issues as carriers, ports and forwarders cancel services due to the fear of carrying or handling sanctioned cargo or incurring reputational damage. The Black Sea, meanwhile, has been classified as a high-risk war zone by the Joint War Committee, a move that has hit imports and exports. Europe’s open skies have also been dramatically closed with all sorts of implications for airlines.
In Part 1 of this episode, we explore what War in Europe and sanctions regimes means on a practical level if you’re in the business of logistics and freight. We ask what next for air cargo and shipping operations and freight rates? And what does this invasion mean for rail services from Asia to Europe?
We also hear how logistics companies are helping the humanitarian effort and what we can all do to help. And we hear the traumatic story of one seafarer who was on the wrong end of Russian missiles in the Black Sea.
In Part 2, we look longer-term. Is this the end of the post-world War 2 rules-based order on which global trade and globalisation itself were built? And, if so, what does this mean for the supply chain landscape on which you all plan and compete?
Guests
Michael Every, Global Strategist at Rabobank
Ami Daniel, CEO of Windward
Adrian Batayen, seafarer on the Namura Queen, a vessel attacked by the Russian Navy off Ukraine in the Black Sea
Chris Weeks, VP, Humanitarian Affairs, Deutsche Post DHL
Alex Lennane, Publisher, The Loadstar
Nick Savvides, News Editor, The Loadstar
Episode in more detail
Part 1
Missiles and escape from the Black Sea (2.43)
Air space closures – impact on air cargo capacity and rates (8.32)
Rail to ocean? (13.20)
Sanctions explained (14.50)
Russia and reputational risk as carriers pull services (17.50)
How companies and governments are defining ‘Russian’ interests and scaling up due diligence (22.00)
The humanitarian efforts of the logistics industry and how to help (26.59 – 35.27)
Part 2 – The post-invasion geopolitical and logistics landscape
Exclusive interview with Michael Every, Global Strategist at Rabobank
The changing world order and history in fast-forward (36.00)
Sanctions and the weaponization of Western institutions (38.40)
The new trading environment and why it’s a zero-sum game (42.40)
What this new Cold War and the politicisation of supply chains mean for logistics professionals (45.21)
The end of Belt and Road? (48.50)
How to succeed in this new environment (51.32)
Credit: created, produced and hosted by Mike King
Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
In this inaugural episode of this Deep Dive Loadstar Podcast, editor Mike King explains why war in Ukraine is not the only global trade disruptor in March 2022.
Negotiations over a new labour contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) pose a threat to port productivity on the US West Coast where terminals, including those located at Long Beach and Los Angeles, are already bedevilled by port congestion and long vessel delays.
Already, shippers are sourcing products in Asia earlier than normal and directing more cargo to US East Coast and Gulf terminals. But do these facilities have the capacity available to receive more ships?
And what does all this mean for global inflation, container rates and the US economy?
Guests:
Brian Whitlock, Gartner Senior Director Research Analyst
Jon Gold. Vice President, Supply Chain and Customs Policy at the National Retail Federation
Lee Klaskow, Senior Analyst for Transportation and Logistics at Bloomberg Intelligence
Peter Tirschwell, Vice President, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit
Peter Sand, Chief Shipping Analyst, Xeneta
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
Ahead of TPM22 in Long Beach at the end of February, this episode of The Loadstar Podcast examines the key challenges facing those in the business of supply chain, and those wondering how much logistics costs will sever from their bottom lines.
This episode also examines freight rates across modes post-Chinese New Year and ahead of the Transpacific contracting season. The latter, of course, clouded by US west coast dockworkers negotiations that could hurt port productivity.
And in part 2, a Loadstar Special Report examines labour shortages across the global supply chain. Is this ‘Great Resignation’ a structural fault or simply a symptom of two years of Covid and all the labour and logistics stresses that have resulted?
Guests
Alex Lennane, Loadstar Publisher
Peter Tirschwell - Vice President, Maritime & Trade - IHS Markit
Peter Sand, Chief Shipping Analyst, Xeneta
Claire French, Air Sea & Road Freight Recruitment Specialist at Select Appointments UK
Jason Miller, Associate Professor of Logistics, Department of Supply Chain Management, Michigan State University — Eli Broad College of Business
Lee Klaskow, Senior Analyst for Transportation and Logistics at Bloomberg Intelligence
Episode in more detail:
Why lines and forwarders are investing in air capacity (3.20)
Ground handlers struggle with costs (4.50)
Competition authorities eye container lines (5.38)
Ocean freight rates bounce back (9.15)
Known Unknowns: China’s Covid containment policy, Ukraine and cyber risks (11.40)
TPM agenda and global trade challenges (14.25 – 30.30)
U.S. West Coast dockworker union negotiations threat to global trade, US port productivity and what happens next (20.45)
The state of US logistics and what it means for corporate America (30.45)
US road and rail outlook (30.40)
Ukraine crisis – implications (38.35)
Part 2 - Special Report: Labour Shortages & The Great Resignation. (40.45 to 1.05)
Post-Brexit labour blues for forwarders (55.05)
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
In this inaugural episode of the Loadstar Podcast Big Interview editor Mike King talks to AP Moller Maersk’s Morten Bo Christiansen, shipping’s Renaissance Man.
Over the last Morten decade has been tasked with finding solutions to some of the critical challenges facing both his company and the shipping and freight industry.
In his previous position as Head of Strategy he worked closely with CEO Soren Skou as Maersk ditched its energy business and started its bold ‘transformation’. This was designed to turn Big Blue from being a provider of commoditized port-to-port services into a fully-fledged container logistics integrator. A strategy which has not been without controversy, as this podcast explores.
If that wasn’t challenge enough, Morten has now stepped up once more to take on arguably an even greater undertaking. As Head of Decarbonization at AP Moller Maersk, his task is multi-faceted. While many shipping lines need to understand decarbonization in relation primarily to vessel design, new fuels and operations, Maersk now need to apply its decarbonization strategy to its extended global supply chains as it spends recent windfalls on everything from more warehouses to more freighters.
Maersk’ transformation rationale (1.53)
Parcels industry as inspiration (6.27)
Does Maersk still value smaller forwarders as customers? (8.15)
Why Maersk is taking decarbonisation seriously (10.21)
Regulators must step up (15.17)
Betting on methanol (17.48)
Maersk green pledge (23.53)
Why shipping needs a carbon tax (27.01)
Absolute zero vs net zero carbon emissions (29.15)
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
This jam-packed episode examines why container lines are getting increasingly picky about who they deem worthy of their servicesm and why the implications for forwarders are far-reaching.
We turn our gaze on cargo thefts and why they are being dragged into the cultural wars, and we consider if container lines will continue to buy airlines.
We also look in more detail at what is happening on the Asia-Europe trade, we examine how liner network reorganisations are impacting less lucrative trades and we hear the latest on air and shipping freight rates.
Guests
Emma Rowlands, Strategic Sales Director for Hong-Kong headquartered Kerry Logistics
Peyton Burnett, Managing Director of TAC INDEX.
Hans-Henrik Nielsen, Global Development Director at CargoGulf
Stefan Verberckmoes, Shipping Analyst & Editor North Europe at Alphaliner
Mike Yarwood, TT Club’s Managing Director, Loss Prevention
Gavin van Marle, Managing Editor of The Loadstar
EP2 2022 in more detail
Are Maersk and other carriers snubbing forwarders? And does the market really want all-in services from lines given historical customer service performance? (2.30 – 11.00)
The latest shipping rates (11.00)
Air cargo rates go awry (13.00)
More carrier investments in air cargo as MSC makes its move? (17.10)
Asia-Europe forwarding focus – why shipping early makes sense. (19.45)
Trucking long-haul: Transit times from China to Europe (23.40)
Why stratospheric freight rates on the East-West trades are sucking capacity out of less lucrative lanes (27.15)
How the Middle East is coping with liner network recalibrations (34.20)
Cargo Thefts & Culture Wars (42.00)
Cargo Security and how to improve it (44.25)
Nusrat Ghani MP: A former UK Transport Minister who deserved better (49.40)
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
2022 is already shaping to be a year of daunting challenges for freight and shipping. Carriers by sea, air, ocean and rail can expect healthy profits. But for buyers, managing procurement and inventories has never been more important.
The lead-in to Chinese New Year factory closures at the start of February is the focus of this episode. Are we seeing the traditional mini-peak or is there a looming multimodal crunch on the horizon? And, what comes afterwards?
All is revealed as we hear the latest from China, and examine what’s happening in air freight markets and where container contract and spot rates are on the East-West trade lanes.
Guests:
- Peter Sand, Chief Shipping Analyst, Xeneta(Co-host).
- Akhil Nair, VP Global Carrier Management & Ocean Strategy at SEKO Logistics.
- Jason Haith, Manager at Transpacific forwarding specialist OEC Group.
- Neel Jones Shah, Flexport Executive Vice President and Global Head of Airfreight.
- Adam Compain, Senior VP for Product Marketing & Supply Chain Insights, project44.
EP1 2022 in more detail:
Ocean spot rates ahead of Chinese New Year (3.10)
- How Covid outbreaks are impacting logistics in China (5.40) – Seko Logistics viewpoint
- Can carriers use Chinese New Year to improve schedule reliability? (11.00)
- Q2 Shipping supply and demand imbalance? (13.30)
- Asia’s airports and airlines are struggling with zero-Covid policies (15.00) – Flexport
- Air cargo rates in January (19.00)
- US consumption still driving ocean freight markets and sucking in ships (19.50)
- Spotlight: The Transpacific (19.50), Xeneta, project44 and OEC Group
- US hinterland – port delays; trucking rates sky high on scarcity (25.10)
- Transpacific contract negotiations commence early (32.00)
- Will PMA/ILWU West Coast port dockworker negotiations prompt rush for East Coast deliveries? (34.40)
- US airport infrastructure as outdated as its ports (39.40)
- Global air freight demand in 2022 (42.30)
- Asia-Europe container trade analysis (45.15)
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
Our end-of-year special examines the biggest stories of 2021 and the narratives that have found traction in media far beyond the confines of logistics and shipping.
We pick out the winners and losers of pandemic supply chains. We analyse labour shortages, industry consolidation, the latest acquisitions, who has money to burn, and the biggest challenges facing forwarders and shippers.
And we look at rates and forecasts for 2022, what Covid means for the future of supply chain planning, and whether shippers and carriers can ever find common ground.
EP10 in more detail:
The Ever Given blockage of the Suez Canal (4.17)
Why it wasn’t a black swan event (6.36)
Why airlines are now taking air cargo seriously (7.46)
Air cargo peak season pricing – the last five years in perspective (9.00)
Greedy airlines? (10.00)
The winners from Covid supply chains (11.35)
High rates pull in new air freight entrants (15.40)
War chests for 2022 – who will buy what? (17.26)
Labour shortages cast shadow (19.36)
Loadstar journalists discuss their favourite stories of 2021 (21.14)
Coined here: Pure Play Contract Logistics Operators (23.52)
Regulators eye container shipping (25.57)
The biggest challenges in 2022 for forwarders and shippers (26.46)
John Pearson. DHL Express CEO – supply chain resilience (29.34)
Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime – why near shoring doesn’t work (32.15)
Air and ocean rate forecasts for 2022 (36.36)
Bjorn Vang Jensen, VP of Advisory Services at Sea-Intelligence – what Covid has taught carriers (39.23)
Can lines and shippers make peace? (42.50)
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: The world according to Michael Wax, Co-Founder and CEO of Forto (46.10)
Appearing in this episode:
Alex Lennane, Loadstar Publisher
Gavin Van Marle, Loadstar MD
Mike Wackett, Loadstar sea freight correspondent
Michael Wax, Co-Founder and CEO of Forto
John Pearson. DHL Express CEO
Bjorn Vang Jensen, VP of Advisory Services at Sea-Intelligence
Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
EP9 sweeps the length of global supply chains. From power cuts and factory shutdowns in China we swing across the Transpacific to the US where logistics networks are straining with final holiday season deliveries and pressure is mounting on the last mile. Then we jump to Europe where we’ll hear how terminal operators are coping with liner scheduling disarray. Or not as the case may be.
EP9 in more detail:
- What did OEM Q3 financials tell us about supply chains? (2.40)
- The latest on air and ocean freight rates (5.50)
- Cathay Pacific and FedEx react to Hong Kong lockdowns (8.15)
- Maersk’s China logistics strategy as electricity shortages and Covid lockdowns bite (from 10.00 mins)
- Disruption ahead as Chinese New Year and the Winter Olympics loom in February? (15.20 – 19.00 and 23.35-25.00)
- Spotlight on the Transpacific trade (19.50)
- US supply chain crunch explained (25.00)
- What rising sales to inventory levels mean for US demand (28.00)
- SEKO Logistics’ acquisition plans and Godfather III (30.20)
- The US last-mile crunch, post-holiday reverse logistics and union troubles at UPS (36.21)
- The port of Rotterdam’s plans to tackle terminal congestion (41.00)
- Could port congestion kill the love-in with 20,000 TEU container ships (50.00)
- Shipping’s underbelly: As the Omicron variant spreads worldwide and travel restrictions are reimposed, Frank Coles calls on governments to do more to protect the human rights of seafarers (52.45)
Guests:
Cathy Roberson, president, Logistics Trends & Insights
Caroline Wu, Area Managing Director for Maersk Greater China
Hans Nagtegaal, Director of Containers at the Port of Rotterdam
Brian Bourke, Chief Growth Officer at Seko Logistics
Sam Whelan, Loadstar Asia Correspondent
AND Frank Coles, EX-CEO of the Wallem Group and Strategic Advisor, Kariwa Maritime
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
EP8 of The Loadstar Podcast reports direct from Glasgow where world leaders are congregating for COP26, a meeting many believe is the last chance saloon for meaningful progress on climate change and one that could shape supply chain planning and investment for years to come.
EP8 also examines:
- How IKEA is coping with logistics and supplier bottlenecks (33.30 mins).
- Why US air cargo supply chains are at full stretch (19.30).
- Why climate change is increasing the likelihood of containers being lost overboard (6.40).
- Why airlines must do more on sustainability (15.45).
- Why decarbonised supply chains mean higher costs.
Guests in this episode:
- Susanne Waidzunas, IKEA Supply Chain Operations Manager
- Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association
- Peregrine Storrs-Fox, TT Clubs Risk Management Director
- Michael Page, broadcast meteorologist at Flawless Forecast
- Nick Savvides, Loadstar News Editor
- Alex Lennane, Loadstar Publisher
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
As the holiday season closes in, Episode 7 of The Loadstar Podcast looks at what one of our guests believes will be the “the mother of all peak seasons”.
We also examine:
- What next for air and ocean freight rates?
- What options are still available to shippers looking to restock inventories before the holiday season finishes?
- Why freight rates from South Asia have risen 50% in the last 2-3 weeks?
- Is there any chance that Chinese New Year 2022 will bring order to ocean shipping, or are we already turning to 2023 for some respite?
- What are the real economics of retailers chartering their own vessels?
- With bellyhold capacity in short supply, who is investing in freighter aircraft?
- And why is it only in the UK that a lack of truck drivers is causing acute shortages of everything, including fuel?
Guests in this episode:
- John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express
- Paul Page, Editor of The Wall St Journal’s Logistics Report.
- Loadstar Founders Alex Lennane and Gavin Van Marle
- Bryn Atherton, Commercial Director of UK-based forwarder Allseas Global Logistics
- Bjorn Vang Jensen, former Electrolux procurement veteran and current VP Advisory Services, Global Supply Chain, Sea-Intelligence
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
Episode 6 of The Loadstar Podcast turns its focus on the chaos currently affecting global container trades. Mike King is joined by a ‘who’s who’ of shipping and forwarding CEOs and analysts as they explore:
- When the container shipping pricing madness might end?
- What needs to change to unblock global trade?
- And, with regulators now turning their gaze on box shipping, do carriers truly appreciate the terrible optics of reporting record profits while customers are suffering woeful service levels and breath-taking surcharges?
Participants in this episode:
John Butler, World Shipping Council (WSC) president and CEO
Sarah Banks, Global Lead, Freight and Logistics at Accenture
Kelvin Leung, Asia Pacific CEO, DHL Global Forwarding
Soren Toft, CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
Nick Saviddes, Loadstar News Editor
Jon Gold, Vice President, Supply Chain and Customs Policy at the National Retail Federation
Paul Page, Editor of the WSJ Logistics Report
Daniel Maffei, Federal Maritime Commission Chairman
Lars Jensen, Vespucci Maritime CEO
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
In Episode 5 of The Loadstar Podcast, Mike King is joined by Loadstar shipping reporter Mike Wackett, Eric Reuter, Forto’s Vice President for Asia, and Happy Chau, a fashion logistics expert and Director of Sales with Transpacific specialist OEC Group.
They examine how shipping and logistics have become mainstream news, what impact Covid outbreaks are having on ports, airports and freight rates, and why carriers are increasingly favouring longer contracts and larger shippers.
Jefferies analyst Randy Giveans {from 22.30) explains how the markets are reacting to record carrier profits, and where all the extra cash will likely be spent.
And James Hookham (from 34.15), the outspoken director of the Global Shippers Forum, gives a freight buyers’ perspective on current markets in an exclusive Q&A.
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
- Mike discusses container freight rates and supply-demand with BIMCO’s Peter Sand
- Stifel’s Bruce Chan explains why he thinks structurally higher air freight rates are here to stay
- And a leading US SME shipper explains how his company is coping with lengthy shipment delays.
In the fourth Episode of The Loadstar Podcast, Mike King is jointed by The Loadstar’s news editor Nick Savvides as they examine the latest efforts of the Biden administration and the Federal Maritime Commission to tackle shipping costs,
They’re joined by Stifel’s Bruce Chan to explore why he thinks structurally higher air cargo prices might be here to stay.
And a leading SME shipper in the US explains the damaging impact of supply chain delays on his business.
Mike is then joined by BIMCO chief shipping analyst Peter Sand for an in-depth examination of freight rates and the demand and supply outlook for container shipping.
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
- What Pearl River Delta port congestion means for rates
- Can larger ships solve capacity shortages?
- AND, why everyone in freight and shipping should be paying more notice to the seafarer humanitarian crisis.
Credits: Created, Produced and Hosted by Mike King
EPISODE 1 - Transpacific chaos: what happens in the peak season? Why air cargo markets are going ‘nuts’ - and who is winning Suez fallout still hurting European logistics