The Freight Buyers' Club

Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc says ports are to blame for the congestion hitting shippers this year. But ocean carriers now control nearly half the world's marine terminals, so how much of this is really down to a lack of port investment, and how much comes back to the carriers themselves? Mike is joined by Eleanor Hadland, who leads Drewry's ports and terminals research and runs her own advisory practice, Hadland Maritime. They get into whether Vincent Clerc's numbers on port underinvestment stack up, why carrier terminal ownership is only going to grow, and why congestion is arguably a supply chain problem, not just a port one. They then take a tour of the world's most disrupted trades: chronic congestion in Shanghai and Ningbo, low water and strikes hitting Europe's biggest hubs, the $15 billion scramble to build ports around the Strait of Hormuz after the closure that took Jebel Ali out of the world's top 30 ports, the Panama Canal's own water problems, and West Africa's paradox of huge investment alongside rising delays. Guest: Eleanor Hadland, Senior Analyst, Ports and Terminals, Drewry Maritime Research, and Director, Hadland Maritime. Thanks to Dimerco Express Group for supporting this episode. They are the best partner if you need a shipping or air cargo solution on the transpacific trades and beyond. Topics covered: Why Vincent Clerc blames a lack of port investment for global congestion. Whether carrier terminal ownership, now nearly 45 percent of global capacity, is part of the problem. Why Chinese ports are running at 85 percent stack utilisation with almost no buffer. Europe's low water, strikes and labour shortages. The Hormuz closure and the four country, fifteen billion dollar scramble to route around it. Panama Canal water levels and what they mean for routing decisions. Why West Africa keeps getting investment and still sees rising delays. What shippers should actually be watching over the next two years. 0:00 Maersk's Vincent Clerc blames ports for the shipping delays and congestion 1:00 Eleanor Hadland on Drewry's ports and terminals research and her career at Associated British Ports 3:00 Does Vincent Clerc's claim about 15 years of port underinvestment stack up 8:00 Ocean carriers own 45% of global marine terminals, are carriers profiting from the congestion they blame on ports 12:00 Port congestion in Shanghai, Ningbo and Southeast Asia, new terminals at Tuas, Port Klang and Pasir Panjang 14:00 Port congestion in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Europe, low water on the Rhine and labour shortages 18:00 Jebel Ali and the Strait of Hormuz closure, can Dubai's ports ever fully recover 19:00 The $15 billion race to build ports at Khorfakkan, Fujairah, Jeddah and Oman 26:00 US port investment at Savannah, Baltimore and Long Beach, plus Mexico's Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo 27:00 Panama Canal low water and how it is shifting container routing to the US East Coast 31:00 Port congestion in West Africa, Tema, Lome and the Durban Gateway Terminal in South Africa 34:00 Eleanor Hadland's three things shippers should watch over the next two years 35:00 Does chronic port underinvestment actually make Maersk more money #FreightBuyersClub #SupplyChain #Shipping #Ports #Maersk #Drewry #Logistics #ContainerShipping #Hormuz #OceanFreight

Mike King and Neel Jones Shah are joined for the whole episode by Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association, who has announced his retirement after two decades leading the organisation. This month: how the AI data centre build-out is reshaping air cargo demand, and the fallout from the EU's de minimis change on volumes through Liège. Cargo theft losses hit $725 million last year across US and Canadian freight, and an Airforwarders Association survey found 83% of forwarders reporting reduced shipping volumes due to tariffs. We also dig into the fight over IATA's revised Direct Air Waybill framework, the rules governing who's liable when cargo is misdeclared or mishandled, which forwarders say could shift liability onto them. Plus the best rates analysis in the business from Neil Wilson at TAC Index, a tribute to Jan Krems as he steps down as President of United Cargo, and a look back at Brandon Fried's nearly 25 years leading the Airforwarders Association as he hands over the reins. Many thanks to Brandon Fried for joining us for the whole episode, to Neil Wilson for his rates analysis, and to TAC Index and the Baltic Exchange for their continued support of Air Cargo Unpacked. For more from the Freight Buyers' Club, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Container carriers are pulling sailings on purpose, missing their own reliability targets, and posting some of their strongest profits in years. Mike King is joined by Nils Roche, Founder of Solvens Advisory and a former liner executive with senior roles at CMA CGM, Maersk and PIL, and Mark Chadwick, President of the Global Shippers' Association, representing some of the world's biggest cargo owners. He's one of the largest buyers in the industry, purchasing shipping capacity from both forwarders and carriers on behalf of his members. Topics include: carrier Q2 results, the gap between carrier reliability data and what shippers are actually experiencing, a 215% rise in blank sailings on some Asia lanes, the latest on Hormuz and Red Sea routing, a forecast "Godzilla" El Niño, record-low Rhine water levels, Panama Canal draft restrictions, and the current US tariff picture. This episode is sponsored by Dimerco Express Group ( https://dimerco.com/ ), your trading partner connecting Asia with the US and beyond. Big thanks to Xeneta for sharing their exclusive reliability data. Notes Links to Nils Roche, 2025 prediction on The Freight Buyers’ Club: https://youtube.com/shorts/-xxM1JS3mOU Link Hapag-Lloyd Vs US Retailers: Container Rates, Tariffs, ZIM And What Happens Next featuring Torsten Hartmann from Hapag-Lloyd and Jon Gold is VP for Supply Chain and Customs Policy at the National Retail Federation. https://youtu.be/HAeb1TjRupE Articles: Asian port congestion forcing container lines back to the Red Sea https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/asian-port-congestion-forcing-container-lines-back-to-the-red-sea Rhine cut in two as European drought cripples inland shipping https://splash247.com/rhine-cut-in-two-as-european-drought-cripples-inland-shipping/ #ContainerShipping #SupplyChain #FreightBuyersClub #OceanFreight #Logistics #PeakSeason #Reliability #RedSea #ElNino #Tariffs

Mike King speaks with Adrien Thominet, Chairman and Founder of AERION, about why the GSSA model at the heart of air cargo is being reinvented from the ground up. Thominet explains how AERION has moved beyond the classic GSSA structure, building out dedicated arms for pharma (Healthcare), e-commerce (Mail & More), total cargo management (TCE) and digital transformation (CargoTech), all under one corporate umbrella. He makes the case that airlines are increasingly comfortable outsourcing more of their commercial and operational activity, and why AERION believes there's a limited window to lead that shift before the air cargo industry consolidates around a smaller number of players. The conversation covers: Why AERION thinks the GSSA concept needs to evolve into something closer to a "general logistics agent" How network scale let AERION pivot capacity from Dubai to Lebanon within weeks during regional disruption Where air cargo trade lanes are shifting, from China-to-Brazil e-commerce growth to hyperscaler demand out of Asia Dynamic pricing, shrinking planning windows, and why shippers are being pushed toward shorter-term commitments Which region Thominet flags as air cargo's most fragile market right now A hint at two acquisitions AERION plans to announce in the coming months This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia with the world: https://www.dimerco.com/ Guest: Adrien Thominet, Chairman & Founder, AERION LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrien-thominet-48585371/ Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-are-aerion/ #AirCargo #FreightForwarding #GSSA #Logistics #SupplyChain #AERION #AirFreight #GlobalTrade #Aviation #CargoIndustry

Aytekin Saray, CEO of Global GSA Group, joins The Freight Buyers Club at Air Cargo China in Shanghai to explain where he sees air cargo's next growth, and why much of it sits in markets the GSA sector has underserved. Saray describes Africa as a major gap, with the Indian subcontinent, South America and the Middle East close behind, and says even competitors are thin on the ground in some of these regions. He talks through the group's moves into Egypt and Pakistan, an imminent Pakistan announcement, and his interest in Saudi Arabia. He argues that political tension, which he sees as more US and Western in origin, keeps re-engineering trade routes, and that the cargo industry feels the impact first. The conversation also covers the case for consolidation among GSAs, Saray's warning that too many unregulated players are undercutting rates, the shift from selling capacity to total corridor management, the role of CargoTech and automation in a more integrated GSA model, and what Amazon, UPS and e-commerce mean for the business. Saray predicts most of the market will still rely on GSAs. Guest: Aytekin Saray, CEO, Global GSA Group. Recorded at Air Cargo China, Shanghai. This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, your freight forwarder for connections from Asia to the rest of the world: https://dimerco.com/ #AirCargo #AirFreight #GSA #Logistics #SupplyChain #FreightForwarding #Cargo #AirCargoChina #GlobalGSAGroup #CargoTech #Ecommerce #Africa #India #MiddleEast #TheFreightBuyersClub #Dimerco

Anchorage keeps growing while air cargo from Asia to Europe falls away. Same freight, opposite directions. Mike King and Neel Jones Shah unpack a freight market pulling apart, with Sean Dolan of NorthLink Aviation on why Ted Stevens Anchorage is booming, and Neil Wilson of TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices, on rates and jet fuel. Also this month: war and tariffs reshaping the map, the end of EU de minimis, the AI and semiconductor boom filling Asian carriers, Farnborough's order book, Dimerco's survey of 57 Asia-Pacific shippers, and Glyn Hughes handing over the top job at TIACA to Mammen Tharakan. Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, your partner for Asia sourcing, manufacturing and China-plus-one supply chains. https://dimerco.com/ 00:00 Welcome and coming up this month 01:00 Two disruptions: war and tariffs 02:00 Houthis blockade Saudi Arabia, Red Sea at risk 04:00 Neel on the Middle East and the tariff scramble 08:00 Asia-Europe volumes collapse after de minimis 11:00 Anchorage: the world's third-busiest cargo hub 12:00 Sean Dolan: what's driving Anchorage's growth 13:00 Sean Dolan: the route picture and peak season 14:00 Neel: e-commerce, AI, and the transpacific boom 16:00 Neel: the debt behind the AI cargo boom 18:00 Rates: Neil Wilson, TAC Index 22:00 Seoul and Taiwan: the semiconductor lanes 24:00 Jet fuel: why it's not feeding through yet 29:00 Farnborough: MSC's order and DHL's converted freighter 32:00 Dimerco's shipper survey and ocean volatility 36:00 TIACA: Glyn Hughes hands over to Mammen Tharakan #AirCargo #Logistics #SupplyChain #Freight #AirCargoUnpacked

US container imports are heading for a record month, and then four months of decline. Mike King puts that to both sides of the transpacific: Torsten Hartmann, who runs the trade for Hapag-Lloyd, and Jon Gold of the National Retail Federation, representing America's retailers. They discuss where contract rates landed, why Hapag-Lloyd's long term rates are barely breaking even, what the ZIM deal would mean for the transpacific, and what happens to importers as one tariff expires and several more line up behind it. Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group. https://dimerco.com/ 00:00 Welcome 02:00 2026 in three words 03:15 Hormuz and uncertainty 05:50 Spot rates and contracts 08:55 Hapag-Lloyd's profit upgrade 10:50 Surcharges and the FMC 13:40 Capacity and blank sailings 17:15 Hapag-Lloyd's transpacific outlier 18:58 The ZIM deal 20:20 Consolidation and the regulator 21:15 A record month, then the drop 23:10 Imports against the consumer 24:45 The tariff queue 27:45 Forced labour tariffs 30:10 Tariff refunds 31:55 Sourcing and investment 33:00 De minimis and e-commerce 36:40 The shift to Southeast Asia 37:30 Planning around policy 38:40 As good as it gets? 39:55 One ask each 42:30 Terminal handling charges

Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, joins the Freight Buyers Club at Air Cargo China in Shanghai to talk through the two highest value, fastest growing industries in air freight: semiconductors and pharma. She walks through why a single chip can involve up to ten separate air freight movements, how semiconductor manufacturing has shifted from the US and Europe to Asia over the last 30 years, and why radioactive cancer treatments are now flight critical logistics, needing to reach a patient within 24 hours. The conversation also covers sustainability pressure from customers, AI and real time tracking, and how Lufthansa Cargo's network adapts to geopolitical disruption. This episode is sponsored by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Find out more at https://dimerco.com/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Pharma and semiconductors: the growth outlook 01:56 How semiconductor demand has shifted to Asia 02:56 Why semiconductors aren't a one size fits all business 03:57 Building a consistent modular offer across the supply chain 04:41 China plus one and the shift in manufacturing origin 06:04 Lufthansa Cargo's role across the supply chain 06:41 Pharma: the second largest growing industry 07:38 Blockbuster medicine versus specialised, individualised medicine 08:52 Cold chain, speed and flight critical logistics 09:24 Sustainability and AI driven tracking 10:59 Geopolitics, tariffs and network adaptability 12:14 Compliance, certification and the GDP/CEIV framework 13:37 Where semiconductors and pharma go next

Recorded at Air Cargo China in Shanghai, Mike sits down with Cédric Millet, President of CargoTech, for an exclusive look at how one company is pulling air cargo's software under a single roof. CargoTech is a holding company, backed by the same owner as ECS Group, the world's largest cargo GSA. It brings together specialist software companies, each focused on its own domain. Millet's pitch is a simple one: "we know cargo." He argues that because the portfolio's leaders came out of airlines, forwarders and GSAs, their software is built to solve cargo's real pain points, a claim he draws in contrast to the wave of generic tech newcomers now entering the space. What Mike and Cédric get into: Millet's case for why a group of specialists beats one do-everything platform The "we know cargo" argument, and why he thinks domain expertise wins How the group aims to cover the airline's full commercial chain, from capacity and revenue management to forecasting, distribution and charters His claim that CargoTech covers around 75% of airline needs today, and plans to expand into cargo operations, compliance and sanctions checks The 105 airlines and 20,000+ forwarders he says are connected The new Kuala Lumpur hub Why he sees clean data as the foundation Where AI actually fits, with Millet framing co-pilots and agentic automation as tools rather than the headline This episode of The Freight Buyers Club is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, your forwarding partner for transport from Asia to the rest of the world. Big thanks to Dimerco for supporting independent journalism. Find out more at https://dimerco.com/ Guest: Cédric Millet, President of CargoTech, and Chief Strategy & Digital Officer, ECS Group

Mike King is in Shanghai for Air Cargo China, and he sat down with Kathy Liu, VP global sales and marketing at Dimerco Express Group, for a fast read on what is really moving across ocean and air. Container rates have climbed since March, and Kathy explains the mix behind it: vessels tied up by Middle East disruption, a shortage of empty boxes at key Asian origins, and shippers front-loading ahead of tariff deadlines. Peak season has arrived early on the transpacific, though underlying demand is flat, so it may fade early too. She maps where congestion has moved, from an automated Shanghai that is coping to multi-day berth waits at Nhava Sheva, Colombo and Singapore. On air cargo, the AI and data centre boom is rewriting the map. Taiwan to US capacity is tight and rates are high, a run Kathy expects to last three to five years. Components are being pulled towards AI builds ahead of laptops and PCs, which points to a consumer electronics squeeze later in the year. She closes on the sourcing shift into Mexico, Vietnam and West Africa, and why Chinese companies still hold most of the freight decisions. Her advice for shippers: stay agile, and watch the market daily. #Shipping #AirCargo #SupplyChain #Freight #ContainerShipping Timestamped show notes 00:00 Live from Dimerco's Shanghai office, ahead of Air Cargo China 01:00 Dimerco's China footprint: 70-plus offices, air, ocean, customs and bonded 01:30 Why ocean rates have soared since March 02:30 The empty container shortage at Asian origins 03:30 Fuel surcharges, transit times, and shippers switching to sea-air and cross-border trucking 04:30 An early peak season, but flat underlying demand 05:30 Port congestion: Shanghai coping, Nhava Sheva, Colombo and Singapore not 06:30 The Red Sea and Hormuz knock-on for congestion 07:00 Carrier consolidation and what shippers actually care about 08:00 EU de minimis ends, and why e-commerce volumes are holding 09:30 The AI and data centre boom driving air cargo 11:00 Taiwan to US capacity crunch, and components diverted from laptops 13:00 Is this structural or a spike? Kathy's three to five year view 14:30 Sourcing shifts into Mexico, Vietnam and West Africa 16:00 Why Chinese companies still control the freight 17:00 Kathy's advice for shippers in a black swan market

Trade wars used to be something economists told you to avoid. Nobody wins one, so you don't fight. That argument is over. In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King talks to trade economist Chad Bown about why the old rules-based system has gone, and what that means for anyone who sources, ships or moves cargo for a living. Chad Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, host of the Trade Talks podcast, and a former chief economist at the US State Department. With Soumaya Keynes he has written How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy. We get into China's drive for one-way dependence, the weaponising of rare earths, the squeeze on developing economies, and why Europe is suddenly on the front line. Then we bring it back to the people listening. Where do you source when the map keeps changing? How do you find the hidden risk in your own supply chain? And what did companies like Apple do early that the rest are now scrambling to copy? If you buy freight, run a supply chain or decide where the factories go, this one is about the decade ahead. Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. Trade wars used to be something economists told you to avoid. Nobody wins one, so you don't fight. That argument is over. In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King talks to trade economist Chad Bown about why the old rules-based system has gone, and what that means for anyone who sources, ships or moves cargo for a living. Chad Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, host of the Trade Talks podcast, and a former chief economist at the US State Department. With Soumaya Keynes he has written How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy. We get into China's drive for one-way dependence, the weaponising of rare earths, the squeeze on developing economies, and why Europe is suddenly on the front line. Then we bring it back to the people listening. Where do you source when the map keeps changing? How do you find the hidden risk in your own supply chain? And what did companies like Apple do early that the rest are now scrambling to copy? If you buy freight, run a supply chain or decide where the factories go, this one is about the decade ahead. Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. Notes: Shoumitro Chatterjee and Arvind Subramanian, “ China’s mercantilist squeeze on developing countries ,” PIIE Working Paper, May 2026. Arvind Subramanian talks to Chad Bown. https://tradetalkspodcast.com/podcast/215-how-chinas-trade-is-holding-back-developing-countries/

Richard Broekman, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability at Atlas Air, joins Mike King and Neel Jones Shah for the June episode of Air Cargo Unpacked. Atlas flies 113 widebody freighters, around 13% of the world's widebody freighter fleet, so few people have a better view of where this market is heading. Richard gives a first-hand account of how Atlas managed the US de minimis shock in 2025 - which came on top of ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs - by redeploying capacity to Latin America almost overnight, and what it tells us about the EU's de minimis deadline coming on July 1. We also dig into why freight rates are soaring even as IATA cuts its 2026 demand forecast to 0.7%; the hyperscaler data centre boom reshaping the transpacific; the charter surge through the war in Iran; Atlas Air's record Airbus A350 freighter order and the lingering Boeing 777X question; the Air Atlanta investment; and an honest take on sustainable aviation fuel. Rates analysis from Neil Wilson, editor of TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices. A Freight Buyers' Club production, brought to you by Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.

China's exports to the US have fallen, but China hasn't slowed down. It has redirected. In this clip from the latest episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Nigel Pusey, CEO of Container Trades Statistics, walks through where the cargo is going now: Sub-Saharan Africa up 33% in Q1 2026, South and Central America up 17%, India up 17%. He explains why this started before the latest round of tariffs, and how a logistics revolution in West Africa, with 20,000 TEU ships now calling Lagos, is making it possible. Watch or listen to the full episode for the complete picture, including the European trade imbalance, the Strait of Hormuz, and Nigel's predictions for the rest of the year. Links on the channel. Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group. #ContainerShipping #GlobalTrade #SupplyChain #ChinaTrade #Logistics

The first episode of FBC Opinion, a new series from The Freight Buyers' Club. One expert, one argument, straight to camera, no host. In 2019, Akhil Nair wrote that container shipping would consolidate from 22 carriers to 12 within four years. Not through mergers. Through game theory. Seven years later, the count is exactly twelve. In this opinion piece, Akhil audits his own 2019 thesis. What he got right, what he got wrong, and why the equilibrium that has held container shipping together for seven years is now starting to break. His argument is that the equilibrium rested on five load-bearing conditions, and all five are under pressure at the same time. Ownership consolidation is back, with Hapag-Lloyd's acquisition of ZIM. Geopolitical risk is biting, with Iran's controlled zone over the UAE gateway ports. The Red Sea remains diverted. The EU's Consortia Block Exemption Regulation has expired. And MSC's independence, which has quietly stabilised the whole system, might no longer be guaranteed. Take any one away and the system holds. All five at once is a different story. If you are a BCO, shipper or freight buyer structuring contracts for 2026 to 2028, the closing section sets out three things you should be doing now. Akhil Nair is Operating Officer and Global Head of Freight Forwarding at LOGISTEED, which operates across 27 countries with 474 locations and handles 400,000 TEU annually. FBC Opinion brings leading freight buyers, BCOs and supply chain figures to camera to make one strong argument on the issues shaping container shipping, air cargo and global trade. Subscribe for new episodes. This episode is produced with the support of freight forwarder profitability specialist Ontegos Cloud. https://www.ontegos.cloud/ #containershipping #supplychain #freight #oceancarriers #logistics Akhil Nair is Operating Officer and Global Head of Freight Forwarding at LOGISTEED. #containershipping #supplychain #freight #oceancarriers #logistics

Forget Trump's tariffs. The biggest story in container shipping isn't what's happening at America's ports. It's what's happening everywhere else. In the first quarter of 2026, the global container market grew 4.4% despite the Strait of Hormuz being shut, fresh war in the Middle East, and Cape of Good Hope sailings now stretching east-west trade to breaking point. But underneath the headlines, the trade map is being redrawn. Greater China's container exports to the United States fell 1.8 million TEU in 2025, and Container Trades Statistics is forecasting a similar net loss this year. Southeast Asia has picked up around a million TEU of that lost volume, but a net 800,000 boxes a year are now simply not going to America. China hasn't slowed down. It has redirected. In Q1 2026, Sub-Saharan Africa imports were up 33% on the same quarter a year earlier. South and Central America up 17%. India up 17%. These are the trades that will define container shipping for the rest of the decade. To make sense of where the container market is actually heading, Mike King is joined by Nigel Pusey, CEO of Container Trades Statistics (CTS) and a 30-year veteran of Maersk Line and P&O Nedlloyd. CTS produces the most comprehensive dataset in container shipping, drawing about 75% of its data direct from the lines' own manifests and invoices. In this episode, produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, Mike and Nigel cover: Why the Greater China-to-US trade is in decline and what's filled part of the gap How Vietnam absorbed half of the Southeast Asia growth into the US, with Thailand taking about a third and Cambodia 10-15% Why Far East to Europe imports surged 15% in Q1 2026, and whether it's genuine demand or defensive stockpiling The widening Asia-Europe imbalance, now 3.5 boxes inbound for every box out, and what it means for European manufacturing How the Strait of Hormuz crisis is reshaping container flows, with Saudi Red Sea ports and trans-desert land bridges emerging as the new winners Why the Cape of Good Hope routing looks increasingly permanent and why Suez may not reopen this year The container trades primed to keep growing through 2027 and beyond Why peak season may not happen this year, and what oil prices could do to global demand Why intra-Asia trade, the world's biggest container market at over 50 million TEU, keeps motoring If you buy, sell, plan or move freight, this is one of the clearest reads on where the container market is actually heading. Special thanks to Dimerco Express Group for supporting this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club. Find out more about their transpacific, Asia logistics and tariff compliance services at https://dimerco.com/ Notes: The Good, The Bad, and the ANC: South Africa’s Logistics on the Brink Watch here: https://youtu.be/POyM0kHGMeg #FreightBuyersClub #ContainerShipping #SupplyChain #GlobalTrade #Logistics #ChinaTrade #TrumpTariffs #VietnamManufacturing #ChinaPlusOne #Dimerco #CTS #ContainerTradesStatistics #MaritimeLogistics #FreightMarket #OceanFreight #StraitOfHormuz #CapeOfGoodHope

In this clip from The Freight Buyers' Club, three of the sharpest minds in logistics technology give three very different answers to the same question: in three years, which type of company wins? Zubin Appoo, CEO of WiseTech Global, says integrated platforms with AI at the core displace everything else. Wolfgang Lehmacher, former Head of Supply Chain at the World Economic Forum, backs the ecosystem orchestrators. Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce, thinks the industry stays fragmented, just in a new way. No consensus. No easy answers. Worth checking out. Watch the full episode here: YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX9C1d4HwNA Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/episode/7xPnfH2JgjCmIjhGiV1w7F Apple Podcasts : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-wins-the-ai-race-in-logistics-and-who-gets-left-behind/id1668766055?i=1000766413060 Website : https://www.thefreightbuyersclub.com/podcast/who-wins-the-ai-race-in-logistics-and-who-gets-left-behind/ #AI #Logistics #FreightTech #SupplyChain #FreightForwarding #CargoWise #WiseTechGlobal #LogisticsTech #FreightBuyersClub #SupplyChainTech

Is Amazon replacing the 3PL? In this episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and co-host Neel Jones Shah dig into Amazon Supply Chain Services and what it really means for third party logistics providers, freight forwarders and the air cargo market. Is this a genuine supply chain management revolution or just a repackaging of existing services? Also in this May episode: the Middle East capacity recovery -- Rotate's latest data on the Gulf region and what 74% recovery actually means for shippers. Neil Wilson, Editor of TAC Index and calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight indices, unpacks the rates picture -- including the extraordinary Europe-Dubai lane, up 140% year on year as Emirates capacity collapsed. Shantanu Gangakhedkar of Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific on air cargo demand in the region and the scenarios that frame what happens next, from the Strait of Hormuz to growing e-commerce volumes. Jet fuel up almost 100% -- what the supply chain logistics implications are for carriers and shippers paying surcharges. ULD market disruption. And the FedEx MD-11 -- back in the skies despite all predictions. Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. https://www.ontegos.cloud/ Co-host: Neel Jones Shah (ex-Delta, United, Flexport) Neil Wilson -- Editor, TAC Index Shantanu Gangakhedkar -- Principal Consultant and Aviation Lead, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Produced by Karen Ball and Tom Matthews #airfreight #3PL #supplychain #logistics #aviation #FedEx #MD11 #straitofhormuz #supplychainmanagement #aircargounpacked

The Trump administration’s tariff programme has suffered another legal defeat. The US Court of International Trade ruled 2-1 against the 10% Section 122 global surcharge, the replacement for the IEEPA reciprocal tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February. So which tariffs are actually still standing, and what comes next? Mike King is joined by Karen Kenney, founder and president of K2 Trade Solutions and Dimerco Express Group Trade Compliance Strategist, and Nancy O’Liddy, Executive Director of the National Industrial Transportation League, to map out the current tariff landscape, explain how the four remaining pillars stack, and look at what the $166 billion CAPE refund process means in practice for importers. They also get into tariff fraud, including transshipment evasion, the growing risk of refund interception through the CAPE portal, and double-brokering in US domestic freight. Plus: diesel prices up 60% year on year, carrier surcharges, the Federal Maritime Commission’s pushback, and what the war in the Middle East actually means for shipping costs. And Nancy O’Liddy on why the NITL is calling for the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger to be denied. A wide-ranging, practical episode for anyone managing freight costs or supply chain risk in 2026. Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com Contents 0:03:00 The Section 122 ruling: another legal defeat for Trump tariffs 0:06:00 Which tariffs are actually still standing? 0:08:00 The global tariff map: what it means by country and product 0:11:00 Tariff stacking explained: how 80% ends up on a tin can 0:15:00 The $166 billion refund: how the CAPE process is working in practice 0:23:00 Transshipment fraud: the $107 billion evasion problem 0:30:00 Refund fraud and the risk building around the CAPE portal 0:34:00 Double-brokering and domestic freight fraud 0:37:00 Fuel costs: diesel up 60% and what it means for shippers 0:47:00 Rail consolidation: why NITL is calling for the UP/NS merger to be denied Related episode Carrier consolidation, AI & freight fraud: Gebrüder Weiss North America CEO Mark McCullough https://youtu.be/N7kVfrHfAAo Data and press credits Data and graphics: TPC Tariff Rules Engine v1.6 | American Automobile Association Press coverage cited: The Guardian | The New York Times | Dow Jones Risk Journal (Liz Young, 28 April 2026) | The Washington Post (Linda Miller, 23 April 2026) | Journal of Commerce Research cited: Gaia Dynamics, “The Refund Trap: Why IEEPA Recovery Can Trigger Hidden Compliance Exposure”, 21 April 2026 | Altana AI, tariff evasion report, April 2026 Follow the Freight Buyers’ Club Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1mjDlZfKPFAnZwZeTNsiej?si=465c7c68316e4a0c Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-freight-buyers-club/id1668766055 Website: thefreightbuyersclub.com #TrumpTariffs #TradeWar #SupplyChain #FreightBuying #Logistics

In this clip from The Freight Buyers' Club's latest AI and logtech special, Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce, gives freight buyers and logistics operators a practical framework for cutting through the AI vendor noise. He covers how he evaluates vendor claims as a journalist, why the compulsion to understand how AI works is the wrong instinct, what blockchain taught us about technology hype, and the specific questions every buyer should be putting to vendors before they commit. #AI #Logistics #FreightTech #SupplyChain #FreightBuying #LogisticsTech #ArtificialIntelligence #FreightForwarding #FreightBuyersClub #SupplyChainTech

On April 7th this year, Anthropic released an AI model called Claude Mythos. It was so capable at finding vulnerabilities in software that the company restricted access to around fifty organisations. The US Treasury summoned the biggest banks. The Pentagon had already stepped in. The Economist called it a watershed moment. In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King uses the Mythos moment as the way in to a much bigger conversation about AI and the future of logistics technology. Who controls the most powerful tools? What happens inside a company when AI actually lands? What does it mean for jobs, for compliance risk, for tribal knowledge, and for the competitive structure of the freight industry itself? Joining Mike are: Zubin Appoo, CEO of WiseTech Global, the company behind CargoWise Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce, part of S&P Global Wolfgang Lehmacher, former Head of Supply Chain and Transport Industries at the World Economic Forum In this episode: The Mythos moment and what gated AI access means for freight Fragmentation vs scale: the technology debate reshaping the industry What AI actually does inside a logistics company when it lands Tribal knowledge: what happens when the repetitive work disappears Digital twins, compliance risk and the case for optimism 00:00 - Cold Open: The Mythos Moment 00:01 - Meet the Panel 00:03 - AI as a Controlled Substance: Framing the Debate 00:04 - Eric Johnson: Manhattan Project and the Two-Tier Access Question 00:06 - Wolfgang Lehmacher: Palantir, Government Relationships and Structural Advantage 00:09 - Zubin Appoo: Where CargoWise Sits When AI Gets Gated 00:11 - Fragmentation vs Scale: The Concentration Risk Debate 00:13 - Inside the WiseTech Restructure 00:17 - Intelligent Logistics: How AI Changes What Platforms Can Do 00:20 - The Mid-Market Forwarder: Opportunity or Threat? 00:21 - Eric Johnson: Cutting Through the AI Vendor Noise 00:28 - Tribal Knowledge: What Disappears When the Repetitive Work Goes? 00:34 - Wolfgang Lehmacher: Data Sharing, Digital Twins and Resilience 00:44 - Compliance Risk: Where AI Actually Changes the Game 00:52 - Who Wins in Three Years, and Is There a Case for Optimism? #AI #Logistics #FreightTech #SupplyChain #CargoWise #FreightBuyersClub #WiseTechGlobal #ArtificialIntelligence #FreightForwarding #SupplyChainTech