Know What's Happening in Supply Chain
Know What's Happening in Supply Chain
Ningbo Ocean Shipping launches $390M fleet and container expansion
Ningbo Ocean Shipping's board approved a capital program exceeding $390 million to boost its fleet and container inventory. Up to $246 million will fund four 1,900‑TEU feeder vessels, while $145 million is earmarked for acquiring 64,500 TEU of new containers.
Also developing:
Lego reported that 52% of the raw materials it purchased in 2025 came from renewable or recycled sources, up from 33% in 2024. The company uses a mass‑balance accounting method, meaning the plastics in each brick are a blend of fossil‑based and sustainable feedstocks. Bio‑based sugarcane resin and recycled marble‑derived plastic contributed an additional 4% of the mix, exceeding its internal target. While Lego has no fixed percentage goal, it continues to evaluate over 600 alternative materials to accelerate the transition.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps halted the Pakistani container ship SELEN in the Strait of Hormuz, citing a lack of clearance and hinting at a possible $2 million transit fee. The incident coincides with Pakistan’s overture to mediate between Iran, the...
At the World Cargo Symposium, IATA Director General Willie Walsh and LATAM Cargo CEO Andrés Bianchi warned that geopolitical tensions and shifting trade lanes are compressing air‑freight capacity, which has fallen more than 20% due to regional constraints. Despite this,...
WCAworld announced that its long‑running SINO Conference will be rebranded as the WCAworld China International Logistics event. The 22nd edition returns to Shanghai from 20‑23 June 2026, expanding the audience beyond members to the global logistics community. The change underscores...
Japan’s JR East has converted a Shinkansen E3‑2000 series passenger train into a high‑speed freight carrier, removing seats and installing autonomous loading carts. The train completed a 540‑kilometre Tokyo‑Aomori run in 3 hours 15 minutes, traveling up to 275 km/h while hauling 1,000 boxes...
Elemica announced expanded AI-driven capabilities across its supply‑chain execution platform, adding agentic AI to its Launchpad onboarding service and new self‑service onboarding tools. The technology enables companies to onboard customers and order formats without heavy IT or data‑science involvement, reducing...
Asian airlines are increasingly hoarding jet fuel as the Iran‑Russia war drives crude prices above $120 per barrel. South Korea’s transport ministry is debating redirecting export‑bound jet fuel to the domestic market, while Philippine Airlines warns of imminent fuel rationing....
The European Union has committed €11 million (about $12 million) to two development projects along the Lobito Corridor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A €6 million trade‑facilitation programme will streamline customs and regulatory procedures, while a €5 million digital‑skills initiative will train...
AtkinsRéalis has secured a £98 million (≈ $124 million) design‑build contract from Network Rail to upgrade signalling and telecommunications on 43 km of the Wessex Line near Portsmouth over the next three years. The project will deploy the firm’s Advanced Signalling Method – the...
Transport for the North (TfN) sent a letter to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander warning that the current investment in the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is insufficient for rail freight needs. TfN outlined six priorities, including gauge‑enhancement works costing £55‑£60 million (approximately...
In this episode, Andrew Sharp and Bill Bishop dissect a federal indictment accusing Supermicro co‑founder Wally Lia of orchestrating a $2.5 billion scheme to smuggle AI servers with high‑end NVIDIA GPUs to China, exposing glaring weaknesses in U.S. export‑control enforcement. They...
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol for an additional coordinated release of oil stockpiles as Tokyo prepares for a potentially prolonged Middle East conflict. The request follows a prior agreement to release 400 million barrels—about 20%...
Iran's recent missile strike on Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port marks the first attack on the kingdom's designated "last exit" for oil shipments bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Yanbu was built as a contingency to reroute crude if Hormuz were blocked,...
IGD warns that prolonged Middle East instability could trigger an energy shock that pushes UK food inflation above 8% by June 2026. In its worst‑case scenario, the surge would add roughly $190 to the average household grocery bill, while even...
Flex LNG has secured a new time charter for its 2020‑built Flex Aurora LNG carrier with an unnamed supermajor. The agreement guarantees a minimum two‑year firm period and includes optional 2‑year extensions that could stretch the contract to eight years,...
Croatia’s state rail operator HŽPP announced the rollout of six hybrid diesel‑electric multiple units for the Zagreb–Split corridor, funded by a €57.3 million (≈$62 million) European Investment Bank loan. The first unit will enter service in July 2026, with monthly deliveries through...
The U.S. Navy has approved a $15.38 billion contract modification for General Dynamics Electric Boat to accelerate production and long‑term support of its Columbia‑class ballistic‑missile and Virginia‑class attack submarines through 2035. The funding, drawn mainly from the National Sea‑Based Deterrence Fund,...
French tubular solutions maker Vallourec announced a five‑contract win in Indonesia, covering roughly 36,000 tons of premium OCTG products. The orders, signed across February and March, will support about 140 offshore and deep‑water wells. All pipes will be heat‑treated and threaded...
Thread Factory, a B2B fashion‑supply platform, secured a pre‑seed round of about $180,000, led by AJVC. The funding will boost its technology stack, expand the team, and grow its retailer‑manufacturer network across India. The startup reports an annual recurring revenue...
Kenya’s flower industry is losing up to $1.4 million each week since the Iran war began. The Kenya Flower Council reports over $4.2 million in losses across three weeks, with export volumes dropping by more than half. Freight costs have surged to...
Ukraine’s armed forces escalated their campaign against Russian energy infrastructure by launching drone strikes on the Baltic Sea port of Ust‑Luga. The attack sparked a large fire and video footage released by the Leningrad region governor shows significant damage to...
In this episode, Kevin Lawton interviews Dave Gutierrez, VP of Sales at Olymp Warehousing, about their on‑demand warehousing marketplace that connects shippers needing immediate storage or freight services with 3PLs and warehouses. Olymp’s platform automates RFQ submissions, rapid bidding, and...
SLN stabilised with fresh funding, but New Caledonia nickel supply still faces deep structural risks. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/new-caledonia-nickel-supply-gains-time.html
Hitachi Rail announced at NVIDIA’s GTC conference its AI‑driven HMAX for Rail platform, which fuses data from trains, signalling and infrastructure using edge computing on NVIDIA IGX Thor. The suite enables automated onboard functions, predictive maintenance and energy‑consumption reduction, aiming to...
eHub, a leader in carrier orchestration, unveiled three platform upgrades—eHub Pack, eHub Inventory, and the eHub Orchestrate API. Pack adds dynamic cartonization that blends real‑time carrier rates, packaging constraints and shipping rules to select optimal packaging, cutting costs and boosting...
HD Hyundai announced a strategic shift to commercialize its shipyard expertise, adding digital engineering and manufacturing platforms to its corporate purpose. The company will offer end‑to‑end shipyard construction services and smart‑factory solutions, including AI‑driven design tools, real‑time monitoring, and robotic...
India's air‑conditioner makers are confronting a sharp LPG shortage that is disrupting the brazing process essential for unit assembly. To keep lines running, firms have shifted to oxy‑acetylene, a fuel tied to Middle‑East limestone imports, raising exposure to geopolitical volatility....
South Korea’s flagship carrier HMM celebrated its 50th anniversary and announced a long‑term strategy that hinges on artificial intelligence and environmentally‑friendly vessels as it looks toward its centenary in 2076. The company, which began as Hyundai Merchant Marine in 1976,...
The February 2026 closure of the Strait of Hormuz after an Israeli‑Iran clash halted 97% of maritime traffic, sending Brent crude toward $120 a barrel and triggering a 32% jump in urea fertilizer prices to $683 per metric ton. The...
CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports Company has expanded its International Chamber of Commerce arbitration claim against the Republic of Panama to over $2 billion following a Supreme Court ruling that declared its container‑terminal concessions in Balboa and Cristóbal unconstitutional. The Panamanian government...
Acumatica unveiled its 2026 R1 release, adding AI Studio—a no‑code framework for building AI‑driven workflows—alongside a Shop Floor Kiosk and enhanced omnichannel commerce tools. The upgrades target manufacturers, distributors and retailers coping with volatile demand and fragmented supply chains. Market...
3DMakerpro introduced Raven, an entry‑level LiDAR scanner that dramatically reduces cost and complexity compared with traditional metrology systems. The handheld device delivers up to 2 cm accuracy at 10 m, a 50 m detection range, and captures roughly 150 000 points per second. Weighing...
Renishaw has launched a new multi-degree-of-freedom optical encoder system that delivers true‑absolute position measurement across up to six axes. The solution pairs RXMA30 1.5D scales with RESOLUTE™ absolute readheads, providing direct X and Y measurement without homing and enabling real‑time...
A proof‑of‑concept platform now tracks bulk fertilizer shipments bound for Australian ports before they berth, using publicly available shipping data combined with commercial signals. Early trials have successfully identified vessel names, tonnages, arrival dates and end‑customers at ports such as...
TechRepublic’s 2026 roundup identifies the top inventory management platforms for businesses of all sizes, from enterprise‑grade NetSuite to free‑tier Zoho and Odoo. The guide highlights pricing structures, core features such as demand planning, multi‑location tracking, and API/webhook support, and rates...
German vice‑chancellor Robert Habeck compares Donald Trump’s Iran war to Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion, labeling both leaders as megalomaniacal and unpredictable. He notes the US lacks a coherent military plan, whereas Russia’s operation was pre‑planned and tied to an energy...
US copper smelters face rising strategic pressure as weak refining economics reshape the copper supply chain. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/us-copper-smelters-face-strategic.html
Indian steel producers are preparing for another price increase as U.S. attacks on Iran lift coking coal, ferro‑alloy and shipping costs. Domestic hot‑rolled coil prices have risen 23 percent to roughly $650‑$700 per tonne, up from about $566 a month earlier....
Saudi oil exports from its Western ports on the Red Sea represented the most immediate and largest mitigation of the Hormuz crisis. Logically, any oil transported via pipelines from east to west and loaded at the Red Sea ports must be...
In this episode of the Argus Crude Report, Lina Bullock and Mediterranean reporter Eleni Krak discuss how the Middle‑East Gulf War is reshaping crude supplies for European refiners. They explain that Europe faces a loss of roughly 600,000 barrels per...
Look at the number of oil and LNG vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz in the WTO's newly-launched tracker. It is based on "AIS-traceable vessels only" -- but I think that's a fair picture. Who in their right mind would think "dark...
And Trump just explained why there’s virtually no commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz right now. The Lincoln is ~600 miles off Iran’s coast. That gives it several minutes of warning time, plus an entire air wing, three destroyers, a...
The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have choked the Strait of Hormuz, causing severe port congestion that left more than 500 Japanese‑exported cars idle at sea before finally off‑loading in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port ten days late. Japanese firm...
Nations race to secure enough fertilizer and prevent a food crisis https://t.co/XNG35EquM6 via @parija_pratik @ilenapeng @ElThorn22 https://t.co/6wfySPHkym
#IndiaWatch 🇮🇳: As the Iranian war drags on, India takes an economic hit. Eighty percent of Indian gas imports, forty percent of Indian oil imports, and forty percent of India’s remittances depend on the Gulf. MODI SHOULD SEND TRUMP AND NETANYAHU A...
The FBI announced indictments against Shandong Believe Chemical Company, Shandong Ranhang Biotechnology and six Chinese citizens for exporting fentanyl precursors to the Gulf Cartel. The charges, part of Operation Box Cutter, highlight a new level of cooperation between U.S. and Chinese...
This is why there is so much focus on gas demand destruction 👇 Importers (particularly those in emerging Asia) will need to take less LNG to free-up more for Europe and other richer nations the longer Hormuz/Qatar is shut
Australia is RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. As the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, hundreds of gas stations across the country are running dry. THE GAS STATIONS SHOULD SEND A BILL FOR DAMAGES TO TRUMP AND NETANYAHU. https://t.co/9LMx4BprMq
US weighing deployment of a combat brigade to take Kharg, repair airfields Supply lines would follow That’s a blueprint for escalation into Iran’s oil heart MARKETS AREN’T READY FOR THAT OUTCOME #IranWar #Oil #Hormuz #Geopolitics #EnergyMarkets https://t.co/ekbkXerzjV
