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:
Higher oil prices and fresh U.S. tariffs are inflating logistics costs for small firms in America, while Southeast Asian economies confront fuel shortages, 30‑40% price spikes and higher freight rates, threatening regional supply‑chain stability.
Heard on Bloomberg podcast: “Wars spiral out of control even if they are meant to be contained. This is a historical fact.” WOW. This is the most dangerous statement I’ve seen from any media. And it’s false. Do NOT believe the media when...
Gulf oil producers are urging the United States to confront the Hormuz blockage directly, warning that temporary "oil‑on‑water" licences aid Iran while constraining regional exporters. They cite roughly 140 million barrels of Iranian crude stranded at sea and argue that without...
The Port of New York and New Jersey logged 749,906 TEUs in January 2026, a 4% year‑on‑year increase. Export volumes jumped 13.9% to 112,426 TEUs, while imports slipped 1.5% to 372,973 TEUs. Rail activity rose 11.5% with 58,522 containers moved,...
The News Items Podcast featured a candid interview with retired Lt. General Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe and current NATO logistics mentor. Hodges, co‑author of *Future War and the Defence of Europe*, critiqued existing security structures and...
This map tracks trucking spot rate momentum by market over the past 4 days. It tracks the percentage of lanes out of a market that are experiencing rate increases vs. decreases. If more than 50% have increases, the market will...
The Port of Valencia is the Mediterranean’s busiest container hub, handling millions of TEUs each year and serving as Spain’s primary gateway for global trade. Modern terminals equipped with advanced cranes and automation enable rapid cargo movement across rail and...
SBI Research warns that an expanding West Asia conflict could reignite global inflation by disrupting energy markets, trade routes and supply chains. While the immediate price impact may be modest, prolonged hostilities risk broader macro‑economic fallout. India appears relatively insulated...
In 2012, Amazon acquired Kiva. One year later, it had around 1,000 robots. Today, that number exceeds 1 million. This kind of growth didn’t happen by simply adding more machines. Amazon reorganized its warehouses around automation. Robots handle movement, positioning, and flow of goods,...
The European Commission has asked EU member states to cut their natural‑gas storage target to 80% of capacity, ten points below the official goal, and to begin refilling reserves gradually. The request follows a sharp 35% surge in European gas...
SITC signed a cooperation agreement with Dalian Maritime University on 18 March 2026, overseen by Chairman Yang Xianxiang and attended by the Hong Kong Shipowners Association and the Maritime Talent Cultivation Alliance. The pact seeks to fuse industry practice with academic research,...
Explosion hits Chinese rare earth producer Baogang, raising uncertainty over safety checks and rare earth supply. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/explosion-hits-chinese-rare-earth.html
Sadly it’s not just TSA The USCG licensing office is closed and can’t issue US Merchant Marine licenses while 5 🇺🇸 ships remain in the Persian Gulf. Is it time to move USCG and USMM to the Department of War?
Iran has effectively sealed the Strait of Hormuz, slashing daily oil‑tanker traffic by roughly 95% since early March 2026. The closure has pushed crude prices above $100 a barrel and disrupted about 20% of global oil and LNG flows. Despite...
The US is removing sanctions from shadow fleet ships to ease energy prices while France increases seizures. Hard to tell how much of this is politically motivated.
If you missed this week's Freight Forward, here you go. A new one goes out on Monday. Freight Forward: Rising Rates and Surcharges https://t.co/STgoACMPfw
On 21 March 2026 CERN performed the world’s first road transport of antiprotons, moving roughly a hundred particles in a compact, vacuum‑sealed trap aboard a truck. The demonstration used the BASE‑STEP transportable trap system, a filing‑cabinet‑sized container that weighs slightly less than...
Jillian is an expert in transportation cybersecurity. The trucking industry is facing an unprecedented safety, security, and economic crisis because we don't know who is driving our trucks.
Despite the headlines, global container trade volumes are largely unaffected by the Iran War (CNY is the reason that China and Vietnam are down MoM). https://t.co/YplrKgSLTc
Iran has signaled willingness to permit Japanese‑flagged vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global oil shipments. The offer follows phone talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Japanese officials amid heightened tensions from the...
Trucking volume rally continues to firm. With west coast container volumes finally showing up, market volumes should sharply increase in coming weeks. https://t.co/8OE3jShFEz
Postmaster General David Steiner said during a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing last Tuesday that USPS must pursue heavier, more profitable shipments in order to better compete with FedEx and UPS. https://t.co/byidPtNYaz
U.S. metalworking machinery orders rebounded in 2025, reaching $5.74 billion—a 22.5% increase over 2024—and added roughly 1,700 units, up 8.5%. While overall machinery spending recovered, inspection equipment displayed a persistent value‑unit divergence, with prices climbing even as unit orders fell. 2025...
Rejection levels out of LA nearly double over the past week, shooting above 7% overnight. The role of Southern California in the psychology of shippers can not be understated. This "overnight flip" of LA will signal to shippers to...
Rick Rieder of BlackRock told Unhedged. 👉 “This is one of the largest supply shocks we’ve seen in a generation, 👉markets have had to react quickly, 💥 when markets move quickly, they overreact.” https://t.co/RRf6LgSI91
NANO Nuclear Energy announced it has completed the conceptual design of a proprietary HALEU transport package, partnering with Germany's GNS. The milestone clears a major hurdle for safe logistics of next‑gen nuclear fuels, a bottleneck for advanced reactors and SMRs.
In the case of critical minerals, China did not take our lunch – we left it on the table #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/uaCC7MtyTC https://t.co/EiINT5rfwB
I think it would behoove Jensen & Nvidia to quickly and publicly cut Super Micro from its supply of chips. What’s the upside from keeping them as a customer? There’s plenty of others who’d take the allocation, without the security and...
President Donald Trump announced that U.S. operations against Iran are nearing completion and that the United States will step back from directly policing the Strait of Hormuz. He said the waterway will be guarded by nations that use it, with...
So, just to be clear. 1️⃣US & Iran sever ties 2️⃣US sanctions Iranian oil 3️⃣US attacks Iran 4️⃣Iran attacks shipping cutting off the flow of oil 5️⃣The US approves the sale of Iranian oil in the US https://t.co/USz8VfvQGc
Nebraska’s Cottonwood Fire has scorched more than 800,000 acres, displacing roughly 35,000 cattle and destroying grazing land. The state, together with the Nebraska Trucking Association and the Department of Agriculture, is recruiting truckers to haul hay, feed and fencing, offering...
The Compliance Crackdown has eliminated approximately 12k drivers from trucking over the past year. Rates and tender rejections have recovered to the same levels they were before the Great Freight Recession. Dalilah’s law could eliminate 200k+ drivers and deliver the biggest capacity...
Canadian developer BMI Group has assembled five former industrial sites in Ontario and Quebec into a “Critical Minerals Corridor” aimed at bolstering the North American battery supply chain. The repurposed pulp and paper mills now serve as deployment‑ready hubs equipped...
QatarEnergy announced it will invoke a multiyear force majeure on several long‑term LNG contracts after two of its export trains were struck by Iranian missile attacks. The suspension affects key offtakers across Asia and Europe, potentially curtailing deliveries for years....
QatarEnergy's Golden Pass LNG, its first liquefaction plant outside the Middle East, is slated to begin shipments from Texas next week. The plant could help narrow the global LNG shortfall caused by the unexpected shutdown of Qatar's flagship Ras Laffan export...
Industrial tenants are moving large‑scale distribution from coastal port markets to cheaper inland logistics hubs, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Port‑proximate markets captured only 19% of U.S. industrial net absorption in 2025, the lowest share in 15 years, while overall...
The Texas Transportation Commission approved $160.4 million for rail‑grade‑separation projects across the state. Funding, sourced from the Off‑System Rail Grade Separation State Fund, will support five initiatives in San Antonio, Houston, Laredo and Amarillo. The projects aim to eliminate road‑rail conflicts,...
U.S. resin exporters are seeing a surge in container bookings as the Iran‑Israel conflict disrupts the Middle East’s dominant plastics supply chain. On March 16, Vizion recorded 6,191 daily export bookings, nearly double the 3,500‑4,500 range typical for 2026. The first...
We don't use it? Five ships: APL Eagle, Alliance Fairfax, CS Anthem, Stena Imperative and Maersk Yorktown with 100+ American mariners are stuck in the Persian Gulf right now. No communication with the military or navy about escorts or when...
E‑commerce fulfillment centers that own automation hardware face severe risk from equipment failures, especially during peak seasons. The article outlines a practical framework for conducting a component criticality audit, prioritizing single‑point‑of‑failure parts, and building a targeted spare‑parts inventory costing $5,000‑$25,000....
BWXT, a nuclear‑technology firm, secured a $1.6 billion federal contract to expand a munitions plant on the outskirts of Jonesborough, Tennessee, to refine depleted uranium for nuclear weapons. The project, which would emit up to 250 pounds of radioactive dust per year,...
Iraq has instructed international oil companies operating in the country to curb output, invoking force majeure retroactively to March 3 because export routes through Basrah are effectively blocked. The loss of roughly 3.4 million barrels per day of export capacity follows a...
FREIGHT BROKER SUED OVER CARGO THEFT: "Zurich American Insurance Company filed suit on March 18, 2026, in the US District Court for the Central District of California, targeting TForce Worldwide, Inc., a licensed freight forwarder it accuses of ignoring its...
In 2025, the US imported 246,895,000 barrels of oil from the Persian Gulf, which is about 3%. https://t.co/myiJiErvdR
RailTechnology has launched its Silent Track (ST) rail‑grinding system, a spark‑free, water‑efficient solution designed for confined urban tunnels. The electric‑powered unit uses oscillating, water‑cooled abrasive stones to achieve full rail coverage in a single pass, eliminating diesel engines and hydraulic...
Monumental Friday news dump Trump Signals Endgame in Iran, Says Hormuz Security Will Fall on 'Nations Who Use It' https://t.co/VWow7wkOmP
Non-compliant motor carriers have thrived, while compliant motor carriers have suffered untold economic hardship. This is the travesty caused by eliminating the barriers to entry.
Indian spice exporters are confronting a sudden halt in US buyer outreach after the Iran war erupted, threatening a $500 million annual trade stream. The suspension of early‑year call‑ons has stalled order flow, while soaring freight, insurance and war‑risk surcharges inflate...
🤣 We’d have a bottomless pit of capacity and trucking spot rates would be trending towards a dollar
This is the US Flagged UMX/MUS/MECL service that calls the port of Jebel Ali. The service originates in Savannah before going to Norfolk, New York, and then across. It is a very popular service for US Exports as well as USGOV...
