With global warming, supply chain networks face considerable risks due to climate disasters, severe weather, and the threat of future pandemics. When wildfires rage, ice covers the roadways, and high winds howl, many businesses are forced to shut down operations. Supply chains have to do the exact opposite and find alternative ways to ship commodities. […]

Logistics companies are increasingly faced with a shortage of commercial truck drivers due to a combination of global economic downturn, Covid-19, and the Brexit. Driver shortages have been a global problem even before the start of the coronavirus crisis but recent studies predict a 25 percent increase across all EU member countries. A combination of […]

Dry bulk and tanker shipping for outbound and inbound trade to India have become expensive due to the recent coronavirus outbreak in India. The country is one of the major exporters of dry bulk commodities and refined products such as salt, steel, pellets, and iron ore. India also imports significant volumes of crude oil, vegetable […]

2020 has been a challenging and difficult year for global populations. The changes in how we live, work, and connect with others have been fundamental, with a shift to digital and the proliferation of Internet commerce. Other areas such as economic growth and fighting global poverty took a step back. The logistics industry has been […]

Warehouse automation is a major trend amidst a coronavirus pandemic that already entered its second year. The resulting global recession and lockdowns across the world brought industrial activity to a near halt. As manufacturers began to gradually reopen and resume operations, forwarders throughout Europe found themselves faced with multiple challenges – e-commerce logistics, a growing […]

It is a strong name in the Norwegian Transport and Forwarding industry, which in 2021 looks back on 75 years of operation. We are quite proud, still being a family owned business in a market consisting of major constellations. Nevertheless, the Hakull-group is a strong brand looking back on 75 years.    Today owners are […]

The number of coronavirus vaccine shipments is steadily increasing as rollout begins in more countries and more products become available. While the jabs are mostly transported by land and air, ships are also expected to join the race against the global pandemic. According to Financial Times, ships will get involved in vaccine distribution so that […]

Every stage of the global supply chain is facing a shipping crisis and forcing forwarders to make significant changes to their operations. Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions have already resulted in additional operating expenses for businesses and reduced customer satisfaction. The main issue is the higher freight rates due to the difficulty of booking shipping slots, […]

Commercial road transport has been hard hit due to traffic restrictions and the economic downturn. The global economy fell into recession last year and is not expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Social and economic recovery from the global crisis depends on road transport which accounts for more than 80 percent of the […]

Being a perishable, temperature-sensitive commodity, vaccines are normally shipped by air. Amidst an ongoing pandemic in its second year, global rollout is the key to controlling the virus but airlines have been forced to scale down operations. This is mainly due to a significant decline in passenger traffic and flight restrictions. With hundreds of planes […]

For most people logistics companies are simply in the business of shipping cargo and goods from point of origin to final destination. While this is certainly true, they are also involved in data collection, analysis, and processing. Safe and efficient shipping requires data from a variety of sources such as analytics and transport management solutions, […]

The slow circulation of containers, together with increased cargo volumes, has led to supply chain disruptions and reduced capacity, resulting in significant delays and rate increases. Box shipping rates have spiked due to strong demand and container shortages and are projected to continue going up. Reasons for Slowdown in Circulation The slow circulation of containers […]

Rail freight is a cost-effective alternative to air freight for shipping cargo from China to Europe. Air delivery is expensive for both consignees and shippers while ocean freight transit times are slower, making rail transport a solution that sits in between. Why Use Rail Freight for Shipments from China As the borders between Europe and […]

The parcel marketplace is facing serious challenges due to Covid-19, including difficult service conditions and lack of capacity resulting from a huge surge in B2C shipments. This has already led to increased operating and shipping costs for freight forwarders because carriers have implement peak surcharges. This trend has been ongoing since the onset of the […]

The EU recently threatened to impose export controls on Covid-19 vaccines manufactured in Europe. This move came after AstraZeneca announced a significant reduction in the number of dozes it could deliver by March. As a result, a political crisis followed, with debates to block the export of vaccines to the North. In case the bloc […]

Air freight is expensive compared to other modes of transportation and thus is limited by cost. Freight rates vary between €1.25 and €3.75, which makes it 12 – 16 times more expensive than sea transport and 4 – 5 times more costly than road freight. For this reason, it is usually used for items that […]

New border measures have been implemented across Europe, with the potential to cause significant supply chain disruptions. Experts warn that the restrictions introduced by Germany at its border crossings with the province of Tyrol, Austria and the Czech Republic may result in delays in freight delivery across the EU. Other countries that introduced such measures […]

Merchant ships come in two varieties, charter or tramp vessels that transport cargo based on demand and linear vessels that have fixed schedules and operate on fixed routes. Trampers include bulk carriers and tankers operating in charter markets and shipping cargo from any port to any port. Linear vessels such as RoRo and container ships, […]

Tankships, also known as tankers, carry a wide selection of gases and liquids as well as cargo such as wine, molasses, and vegetable oils. They are built to ship commodities in a way that minimizes risks, including fungal and bacterial growth, spoilage of foods, and volatile behavior. Other ships are used to transport livestock, including […]

The cost of transporting cargo from China to Europe has skyrocketed in the past two months because of a significant shortage of empty containers amidst the pandemic. Long waiting times at airports forced airlines to charge extra for container shipping which also contributed to rate hikes.    Why Rates Soared This is due to global […]