How Maersk grew its shipping empire and how it’s evolving

Each year about 90% of world trade is transported by ship, according to the World Economic Forum. While commodities like oil and grain make up 40% of that cargo, large steel containers, filled with appliances, smartphones, and couches, make up the remainder. With its fleet of over 670 vessels, Maersk, one of the world’s largest … Read more

Biden admin is expanding an effort to track supply chain in real time

The Biden administration is expanding a freight data partnership with major U.S. companies to track the movement of goods in real time. On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation is announcing that its digital platform for supply chain monitoring, Freight Logistics Optimizations Works (FLOW), is being expanded to capture and publish data on inland freight ports, … Read more

Demand for shipments has risen since Red Sea attacks

A China-Europe freight train returning from Russia arrives at a railway container freight center on September 20, 2023 in Manzhouli, China. Liu Wenhua | China News Service | Getty Images Shippers are scrambling to find alternative ways to transport goods from China to Europe in light of the disruption caused by attacks on the Red … Read more

Red Sea crisis could jeopardize inflation fight as shipping costs spike globally

A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt.  Sayed Hassan | Getty Images U.S. shipping costs are spiking as attacks in the Red Sea disrupt global trade, raising fears that inflation might pick up again if the disruption persists. The diversion of container ships from the … Read more

Chinese shipper Cosco reportedly stops trips to Israel amid Red Sea tensions

A container ship from China-owned Cosco Shipping on Aug. 7, 2023. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images Chinese state-owned shipping giant Cosco suspended shipping to Israel through the Red Sea as tensions in the strategic shipping lane continue to rise, Israeli state media reported. The specifics of Cosco’s decision remain undisclosed, according … Read more

Container prices hit $10,000, freight inflation soars in Red Sea chaos

With the Red Sea diversions by shipping companies including Maersk continuing amid the risk of attacks by the Houthis, global logistics managers are faced with a two-front storm of rising ocean and air freight prices and stranded cargo. Both are threats to the global supply chain after three tumultuous years of inflationary pressures and delays … Read more

Ikea warns of product delays

Ikea warned of delays on some products due to the mass diversion of shipping containers from the Red Sea over safety concerns. “The situation in the Suez Canal will result in delays and may cause availability constraints for certain IKEA products,” a spokesperson said by email Thursday. They added that the safety of staff working … Read more

Maersk begins rerouting via southern Africa

Danish shipping giant Maersk confirmed on Tuesday that its vessels due to transit the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden would take the Cape of Good Hope route around the south of Africa after a spate of attacks by Houthi militants from Yemen. Along with a host of other firms, the company had previously announced … Read more

How Houthi attacks in Red Sea threaten global supply chain

A container ship sails through the new section of the Suez Canal in the Egyptian port city of Ismailia, 135 kms northeast of the capital Cairo on October 10, 2019. Khaled Desouki | AFP | Getty Images Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea have already rocked global trade. And there … Read more

Global supply chains face another major hit as ships avoid Suez Canal

Tihama, a Maltese Flag container ship of shipping line Hapag-Lloyd, at a European dock on August 13, 2022. Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty Images BP has become the latest firm to pause travel through the Suez Canal following a series of attacks on vessels by Houthi militants from Yemen. In a statement Monday, BP said … Read more