The Loadstar Podcast

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, XenetaAlex 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