The Rise of Freight Orchestration with GoodShip’s Derek Netelenbos
GoodShip, a freight orchestration platform, introduced Laney, the industry’s first AI Transportation Analyst, to transform logistics from reactive, manual processes to proactive, data‑driven decision making. The platform consolidates data from TMS, ERP, WMS and visibility tools, automates carrier scorecards, and streamlines RFPs into frequent mini‑bids, reducing cycle times and pricing risk. By supporting shippers, LSPs, and brokers and enabling rapid flat‑file deployment within weeks, GoodShip positions itself as a central hub for freight intelligence. Derek Netelenbos, VP of Partnerships, highlighted how mining historical freight data unlocks hidden efficiencies.
Can The US Really Offset Lost Persian Gulf Crude Oil Production?
President Donald Trump urged nations to buy U.S. oil after the Iran conflict began, but the United States remains a net importer of crude, taking in about 1.5 million barrels per day. In the week of April 17, 2026, U.S. exports of refined...
THE SILVER SQUEEZE IS INEVITABLE: The U.S. Imports 77%, China Sets Records, the 6-Year Deficit, & America's Critical Silver Vulnerability...
The United States now imports roughly 77% of the silver it consumes, even after the metal was officially labeled a critical mineral by the USGS. Meanwhile, China set a new record by importing 836 tons of silver in March—a 78% month‑over‑month...
What’s the Deal with Iran? The Asymmetric Energy Trade Markets Are Missing
The article argues that while the immediate price shock from the Strait of Hormuz disruptions has been absorbed—Brent briefly spiked toward $120—the real trade opportunity lies in a structural asymmetry within energy equities. Two macro scenarios, either prolonged regional tension...
In China, Battery Makers Bet Big on Sodium in Move Away From Critical Minerals – by You Xiaoying (Reuters –...
Chinese battery manufacturers are accelerating investment in sodium‑ion technology, a next‑generation alternative that draws sodium from seawater and promises rapid charging and superior low‑temperature performance. While lithium‑ion cells dominate today, China still imported about 60% of the lithium it refined...
Reveel Offers AI-Powered Shipping Intelligence for Shippers
Reveel has launched Reveel IQ, an AI‑powered shipping intelligence platform that lets shippers query invoice and shipment data in plain English. The solution connects directly to carrier accounts, ingesting package‑level data to provide real‑time modeling, scenario simulation, and transparent cost breakdowns....
Continental’s Radar Business Is Scaling Fast. Control Is Moving Elsewhere.
Continental is shipping record volumes of automotive radar as the sensor becomes standard across vehicle platforms. The rise of centralized compute means perception, fusion and decision‑making now occur in software, relegating radar to a data‑feed role. This shift squeezes pricing,...
Petro to Meet with Delcy
Colombian President Gustavo Petro will meet Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas to discuss border security and the prospect of Colombian gas imports from Venezuela. The talks mark the first high‑level contact since the U.S. military ousted former President...
JLMI – Call for Papers – Issue No. 1/2027
The Journal of Law, Market & Innovation (JLMI) announced its inaugural 2027 issue, slated for March release, dedicated to the securitisation of supply chains for critical raw materials. The theme links energy security with the green transition, examining how trade...
How Matrack’s Dash Cam with GPS Tracking Is Redefining Fleet Safety
Matrack’s integrated dash cam and GPS platform gives fleet operators real‑time video and location data on a single dashboard. The 4G‑connected cameras provide timestamped footage and precise GPS, enabling instant verification of deliveries, accidents, and driver behavior. AI‑driven coaching alerts...
UK Launches Inquiry Into Security Risks of Chinese-Made 3D Printing Equipment
Britain’s Defence Secretary has launched an investigation into the British Army’s use of Chinese‑manufactured Bambu Lab 3D printers, which were deployed during a training exercise in Kenya. The inquiry focuses on potential security risks stemming from the printers’ default cloud...
Comau and Automha Present Joint Logistics Automation Portfolio
At MODEX 2026, Italian firms Comau SpA and Automha SpA showcased a joint logistics automation portfolio that spans inbound handling, intelligent storage, order preparation, and synchronized shipping. The offering combines Comau’s robots and autonomous mobile robots with Automha’s ASRS shuttles,...
DIANA Initiative Aims to Transform Naval Logistics With On-Demand 3D Printing
Italian printer maker ROBOZE is spearheading the DIANA initiative to overhaul naval logistics with on‑demand, high‑temperature 3D printing. The project will create a full‑stack system that detects damaged components, reverse‑engineers replacements, validates designs, and produces parts in decentralized, containerized hubs...
Freeport East Transport Masterplan's Rail Vision for Key Freight Gateway | Rail Technology
Freeport East has unveiled a 2026 Transport Masterplan that prioritises a sweeping rail investment programme across the Felixstowe‑Harwich‑Stowmarket freight corridor. The plan highlights the long‑awaited Ely and Haughley Rail Improvement Package, including a new double‑track junction at Haughley and capacity...
Vietjet’s COMAC Deal Is Politics With Wings
Vietjet announced a finance lease for ten Chinese‑made COMAC C909 regional jets, timed with Vietnamese President To Lam’s state visit to Beijing. The signing ceremony at the Vietnamese embassy bundled the aircraft deal with five new Vietnam‑China routes, signaling a diplomatic...
March Truck Tonnage Shows Strongest Annual Growth Since 2022
U.S. truck freight activity rose in March 2026, with the ATA For‑Hire Truck Tonnage Index increasing 0.3% month‑over‑month to 117.0 and 3% year‑over‑year, the strongest YoY gain since October 2022. First‑quarter tonnage was up 2.1% YoY, marking the best Q1...
Zebra Showcases New Supply Chain Solutions
At MODEX 2026, Zebra Technologies unveiled a suite of new wearable and mobile computers designed to boost supply‑chain visibility and frontline productivity. The flagship WS501‑R wearable merges barcode scanning and voice‑directed picking into a hands‑free device, while the TC501 and...
Guam and the Practical Impact of Climate Change
Guam serves as the United States' premier forward base for projecting power across the Asia‑Pacific, but climate change is amplifying super‑typhoon activity that threatens its operational viability. The island has endured two class‑4/5 typhoons within seven years, and rising sea‑level...
5 Big Energy Stories - 4.23.2026: Y'all Calm Down
A wave of viral videos showing refinery fires has sparked conspiracy theories that a coordinated plot is cutting Middle‑East oil supply. The author counters this narrative by noting roughly 825 operating refineries worldwide, plus hundreds of smaller “teapot” plants, where...
The Daily Feather — Chocolate Is to Peanut Butter as Loads Are to Trucks
The Daily Feather likens the freight market to a kitchen spread, saying chocolate is to peanut butter as loads are to trucks. Recent charts show a persistently tight market where demand outpaces truck capacity, driving spot rates upward. At the...
UPS Picks Profitability Over Volume, and The Teamsters Push Back
UPS is slashing its Amazon parcel volume by roughly two million packages per day, a move aimed at shifting the carrier’s focus from sheer volume to higher margins. The strategy is expected to generate $3 billion in cost savings from the...
AD Ports Group and New York University Abu Dhabi Partner on AI for Smarter Ports
AD Ports Group has entered a multi‑year partnership with New York University Abu Dhabi to create a high‑fidelity AI intelligence engine for port operations. The system will combine stochastic AI models with spatial analytics to improve vessel arrival forecasts, berth...
Worse Things Happen at Sea
Iran escalated maritime pressure by seizing two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, pushing Brent crude back above $100 a barrel, while the United States intercepted three ships in the Indian Ocean. The abrupt departure of Navy Secretary John Phelan,...
Amazon Opens First Distribution Center in Spain, Investing €100 Million in Zaragoza
Amazon is opening ZAZ8, its first dedicated distribution center in Spain, investing roughly €100 million ($108 million) in La Muela, Zaragoza. The 30,000‑square‑meter hub will serve as a regional inventory buffer for high‑velocity essentials and is slated to start operations in September 2026,...
Iran Releases Footage of Seized Container Ships in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released video showing the IRGC Navy seizing two civilian container vessels, the Liberia‑flagged EPAMINONDAS and the MSC Francesca, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22. The ships were immobilised earlier that day before Iranian...
Shipments Stranded in Strait of Hormuz as Security Risks Halt Vessel Movements
Escalating security threats in the Strait of Hormuz have halted vessel movements, leaving several container ships stranded. Maersk reports that cargo bound for and from South Africa is transshipped at Jebel Ali, while the CMA CGM Antonio remains anchored off Dubai. Shipping lines...
Curious Timing: Ukraine Declares Druzhba Pipeline Repaired After New Hungarian PM Elected
Ukraine announced on Tuesday that it has completed repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline, allowing Russian crude to flow again to Hungary and Slovakia. The restoration comes just days after Peter Magyar was elected prime minister of Hungary, ending Viktor...
China Is Expanding Its Trade War Toolbox
China has enacted a sweeping industrial and supply‑chain security law that establishes an early‑warning system to monitor disruptions and empowers the government to retaliate against foreign firms perceived as threatening Chinese interests. The regulation gives Beijing the authority to prohibit...
How the Shadow Fleet Keeps Outrunning Its Regulators
The Container News investigation reveals that the illicit "shadow fleet" of vessels is increasingly using registries in Nicaragua and Equatorial Guinea to mask true ownership and tonnage. In the latest quarter, fraudulent ship registrations rose 17%, indicating a rapid expansion...
Can Iran Keep Pumping? The Blockade’s Impact on Oil Production, Exports, and Storage
The United States has instituted a naval blockade of Iranian ports to halt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran can maintain its current production level for roughly two months before onshore storage fills, after which output must be...
India’s Maritime Ambition: Rewriting the Bay of Bengal
India is accelerating its maritime strategy in the Bay of Bengal to counter China’s growing port network across the Indian Ocean. The government has announced plans for multiple deep‑water ports, a new naval base at Sagarika, and a strategic partnership...
Huboo Acquired Sorted Group to Unify Fulfilment, Shipping, Returns, and Delivery Analytics Into One Platform for E-Commerce Brands
Huboo, a tech‑enabled fulfilment provider, has acquired Sorted Group, a delivery‑management platform, to build an end‑to‑end logistics solution for e‑commerce brands. The combined entity handles over 100 million parcels a year for more than 400 retailers across sites in the UK,...
Lean Manufacturers: You’ve Implemented Dynamics 365 F&SCM, Now Unlock Its Full Value with a Fabric Lakehouse
Lean manufacturers using Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management can now amplify their data capabilities with Microsoft Fabric lakehouse. The lakehouse consolidates ERP transactional data with shop‑floor signals, quality metrics, and operational feeds into a single, clean data environment....
CMA CGM Announces FAK Rate Increase From Asia to Mediterranean Routes
CMA CGM announced a temporary increase in its Freight All Kinds (FAK) rates for shipments from major Asian ports to the Mediterranean, effective May 15‑31, 2026. The new pricing sets 20‑foot container rates at $3,300‑$3,500 across most Mediterranean sub‑regions, with...
Tesla Isn’t Joking About Building Optimus at an Industrial Scale: Here We Go
Tesla’s Q1 2026 update confirms that a first‑generation Optimus production line is now operating at its Fremont factory, with a pilot capacity of one million robots per year. The company also unveiled plans for a massive expansion at its Gigafactory...
Ethiopian Airlines Is Plotting a 100-Jet Fleet Expansion Even as It Weathers Oil Shock
Ethiopian Airlines is preparing to order more than 100 new jets, targeting a fleet size roughly double its current level by 2040. Deliveries are slated to begin after 2032, with the next order wave expected within the next two years....
Jet Fuel Import Flows Collapse
The onset of the Middle East war and the near‑shutdown of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have slashed global jet fuel exports by roughly half. Persian Gulf shipments, traditionally the largest source, have virtually stopped, while China’s de‑facto ban...
Canada Signs over 20 Critical Mineral Deals but Faces $12-Billion U.S. Challenge to Turn Diplomacy Into Mines – by Staff...
Canada has signed more than 20 critical‑mineral agreements, including 30 new partnerships that together unlock roughly US$9 billion in project capital. The deals cover India, Peru, Greenland, Italy, the EU and a domestic memorandum linking western provinces with northern territories. Despite...
6,000 Meters Under the Pacific, Japan Seeks Independence From China on Rare Earths – by Lorenzo Lamperti (Wired Magazine –...
Japan’s research team successfully extracted rare‑earth‑rich sediments from the seabed 6,000 meters beneath Minamitorishima, a remote Pacific atoll. The operation, carried out with the Chikyu deep‑sea drilling vessel, marks the world’s first sampling of rare‑earth deposits at such extreme depth. By...
Disneyland and the Rise of Automation: How Technology Created the Happiest Place on Earth
Roland Betancourt’s new book chronicles how Disneyland transformed post‑war industrial automation into immersive attractions. By repurposing technologies such as missile‑grade magnetic tape and automotive PLCs, Disney engineers created iconic rides like the Enchanted Tiki Room, Matterhorn Bobsleds and Space Mountain. The...
Priority Technologies
The edited volume "Priority Technologies" outlines a strategic roadmap for the United States to maintain security and prosperity in a volatile global landscape. It identifies six priority technology sectors—critical minerals, semiconductors, biomanufacturing, quantum computing, drones, and advanced manufacturing—as essential for...
Port of Oakland March Volumes Rebound
The Port of Oakland handled 198,667 TEUs in March 2026, up from 163,254 TEUs in February, as vessel calls rose to 86 from 72. Imports and exports were nearly balanced, each around 99,000 TEUs. Year‑on‑year March volume fell 8.6%, and...
The End of the Neutral Stack: Choose Your Ecosystem
The automotive industry is abandoning the long‑standing neutral stack model as OEMs begin locking in compute and software platforms early in the vehicle development cycle. Simultaneously, data‑sovereignty regulations are forcing a split between China and non‑China vehicle architectures. Suppliers that...
The 17-Year Orderbook Nobody’s Tracking — Inside Shipbuilding’s Quiet Supercycle
A veteran LNG shipping CEO warned in December 2025 that the global orderbook of 234 new LNG carriers for 2026‑2030 will fall far short of the 229 million tons of liquefaction capacity slated for completion by 2030, creating a 70 Mt shortfall....
CMA CGM Adjusts BAF on France–Tunisia Ro-Ro Service
CMA CGM will revise its Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for the ro‑ro South service linking France and Tunisia, effective May 1 2026. The new surcharge sets full rolling units at €649 (≈$708) per unit, empty units at €430 (≈$469), other rolling cargo...
Wednesday Afternoon News Updates: Iran Seizes Ships as Trump Flails — 4/22/26
President Trump’s approval rating slipped to 33% overall and 30% on the economy, the lowest levels since Nixon’s resignation. Iran demonstrated its naval reach by seizing two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and warned it could target undersea...
Rivian Begins Production of Second EV with R2 Deliveries Coming in Q2
Rivian has started production of its second vehicle, the R2 compact SUV, at the Normal, Illinois plant. The R2, positioned against the Tesla Model Y, delivers up to 656 horsepower, 0‑60 mph in 3.6 seconds and an estimated 345‑mile range....
Used-Truck Purchasing Heating Up: Pricing Offers Mixed Signals in Latest Data
Used‑truck purchasing accelerated in March, with same‑dealer Class 8 sales up 9.1% month‑over‑month, the strongest volume in nearly five years. Retail average price held steady at $55,591, flat from February but modestly lower year‑over‑year. Auction volume surged 25% MoM, outpacing retail...
The Strait Just Called His Bluff
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two container ships—MSC Francesca and Epaminondas—and disabled a third, the Euphoria, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026. The incident directly contradicts recent U.S. statements that Iran’s navy has been destroyed,...
UK Expected to Place Clyde Frigate Order to Plug Norwegian Gap
The UK confirmed that build slots for its Type 26 frigates are being transferred to Norway, creating a shortfall that must be covered by new orders. While the Royal Navy will still receive its eight anti‑submarine frigates, five additional ships will...