Taiwan's AI Supply Chain Covers End‑to‑End Hardware
2/ Taiwan’s AI supply chain includes companies specializing in: *AI servers *cooling systems *testing equipment *chip packaging *compute racks & trays *fab construction *contract manufacturing
Pentagon's Neglect Angers US Merchant Marine
The easiest ways to infuriate the US Merchant Marine: Not give them advance warning on military action. Not provide naval protection for 🇺🇸 ships (5 are stuck in the Gulf) Refuse to thank them after multiple ships are attacked. Waive the Jones Act. The...
Iran Opens Hormuz to Indian Tankers, Shifts Trade Route
"Indian Source Says Iran to Allow India-Flagged Tankers Through Hormuz as First Tanker Arrives" Looks like the Strait of Hormuz will be the new Bab el-Mandeb 🍻 https://t.co/370QXTDJC2
Higher Fuel Costs Crush Carrier Margins, Boost Brokers
I agree with this analysis. The gross spot rate that brokers are paying is stable, but the calculated net minus fuel (i.e. carrier margins) is getting crushed due to the surge of fuel prices. Paradoxically, higher fuel costs are...
Hapag Lloyd Ship Hit in Hormuz, Crew Safe
The Hapag Lloyd container ship Source Blessing was hit by projectile fragments in the straight of Hormuz earlier today. Hapag reports that it was not a direct hit, all crew are safe, and they have extinguished the fire on...
Iran Conflict Threatens Global Economy Across All Sectors
The Iran War could trigger a global economic crisis and you won’t find a better summary of why than this one sentence from Rachel Ziemba below. Yes, this is about gas prices. But it’s also about: - the cost of food...
Unimpeded Tankers: Heading to China or Beyond Seiz
Would like to understand why these tankers are sailing unimpeded. Is it that they are going to China? Is it physically impossible to commandeer these ships like with Venezuela?
Carriers Redefine Red Sea Disruption as Permanent Shift
Maersk. Treating the Strait as a long-term situation. The length of the war. How it ends? Iran’s position? Undoing the ship mess in the Strait and Persian Gulf?
AI Boom Fueled by Hundreds of Hidden Taiwanese Suppliers
Everyone talks about Nvidia and TSMC. But the AI boom is actually powered by hundreds of Taiwanese companies most people have never heard of. I built a massive list of the Taiwanese suppliers riding the AI wave. Only at Culpium. https://t.co/KUpxDMev6I
Korea’s March Exports Show Semiconductor Supply Still Robust
Korea btw posted strong exports for the first 10 days of March, so the semi-trade is NOT disrupted yet, and this notion that Helium is running out for Hynix and TSMC is so far 100% BS as they have 5-6...
Binary Labels Mask the Strait’s Complex Phases
At some point (idk when) "the Strait is closed/open" is going to be a bit like "we shut down/reopened the economy for covid" -- a binary that glosses over various phases of the process.
Iran War Threatens Fertilizer Flow, Spikes Food Prices
My take on the CONSEQUENCES of the WAR IN IRAN: "About 33 percent of the world's fertilizer goes through the Strait of Hormuz. Some people realize this is a BIG DEAL." UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF WAR = HIGHER FOOD PRICES. My latest with @JanetOnTheMoney on...
AI Simplifies EU Procurement Rules Under New Accelerator Act
#tradeXpresso: the proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act triggered a lot of reactions, as it may impact access to public procurement. Navigating international rules on public procurement is not always simple. But we can easify things. 👇 “AI meets IAA” https://t.co/5QdEEcLoAS https://t.co/SMUwtZTxrj
Intermodal’s Cycle Persists, Yet Remains Freight Backbone
Intermodal is cyclical — but still essential. On Talking Transports, I speak with @stglogistics' CEO Geoff Anderman about restructuring, rail trends, the UP–NS merger, cost discipline & preparing for freight recovery. 🎧 Listen: Apple: https://t.co/BFGLBPxVbm Spotify: https://t.co/qSsGXCEHTb iHeart: https://t.co/t1eLhkFXoB https://t.co/eCb5WV066Z: https://t.co/eA06OJWsu4 Bloomberg Terminal: https://t.co/Ju1Vv2LsIE #Freight #Intermodal #Rail...
From Crowded MATS Line to Modern Trucking Evolution
The line to get into MATS in 2000 The US trucking scene has evolved a lot in the past 25 years https://t.co/cIoMImK7Xe
Port Firefighters Quell Two Tanker Blazes at Once
Look at that, having proper firefighting capability in a port can actually extinguish not one, but two ship fires simultaneously.
Iranian Threats Freeze Hormuz Shipping, Spiking Insurance Rates
Last week, shipping ground to a halt due to the threat of attacks based on Iranian past actions. This caused insurance to reset and increase its levels. This week, it is the actual attacks and threats that are holding the ships...
Strait of Hormuz Blockade Halts Global Shipping
Good point. There s no viable workaround for the Strait of Hormuz. Ships and supply chains are at a standstill.
Flatbed Rates Surge While Reefer Cools, Van Stays Steady
Spot rate momentum is currently mode-specific: Reefer (slight cooling) - seasonality factors Van- stable Flatbed - very strong https://t.co/1SCZy23TF9
Flatbed Rates Surge Nationwide After Regional Spike
Flatbed rates continue to firm across the US. A few weeks ago, we saw the rate pops concentrated to the rust belt and Texas. Now we are seeing sharp flatbed rate increases take over most of the country. Map: shows...
True Supply Chain Strategy Unites Sourcing, Logistics, Technology
Think you have a supply chain strategy? Many firms really have disconnected decisions across sourcing, logistics and technology. That’s not strategy. Here’s how to fix it: https://t.co/fUqesUBg4h #SupplyChainStrategy #Logistics https://t.co/AAJT7UeiiX
PR Boosts Procurement Brand, Backed by Capability and Results
“Effective PR is a key part of raising Procurement’s brand profile in today’s organizational landscape. > It must be backed up by solid functional capability and delivering the right results.” 🔎 https://t.co/voeARTOsF0 #procurement #purchasing #supplychain
China Extends Ban, Halts BHP Iron Ore Purchases
China is expanding its ban on steel mills buying BHP iron ore again, adding another product to the blacklist. They've been negotiating for BHP for ~6 months now and there's no end in sight. This is the second ban in...
Middle East VLCC Indexes Hold, Atlantic Rates Plunge
Middle East VLCC indexes are still near peak but Atlantic rates are sinking ▶️Baltic Exchange’s Middle East Gulf indexes are down only 5%-7% vs wartime peak, while Atlantic basin indexes are down 35%-39% ▶️VLCC owner stocks reached multi-decade or all-time highs on...
US Initiates Trade Probe Targeting EU, China, India
US launches probe into trading partners including the EU, China and India https://t.co/JsVy4bXFEc Announcement: https://t.co/UgsOQ97Tzp
IEA Warns War Could Cause Unprecedented Oil Disruption
The IEA says the war in turning into the biggest oil disruption in world history https://t.co/UJZqGyrhUP
PTC Lands ISRO Titanium Ingot Order, Expands VAR/PAM Capability
PTC secures an aerospace-grade titanium ingot order for ISRO and scales VAR and PAM capability. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/aerospace-grade-titanium-ingot-order.html
Perception, Not Power, Determines War’s Endgame
Let me tell you the secret difference between a Navy and merchant ship captain that goes beyond the obvious. It’s 1AM & I feel sick to my stomach over this war and can’t sleep. I’m at a shipowner conference & I had...
Six Merchant Ships Attacked in Gulf Amid War
Six vessels attacked in Gulf, Strait of Hormuz as war puts merchant ships on front lines https://t.co/pAYt6WBG5O
Iran Continues Massive Oil Shipments to China via Hormuz
🚨Iran is still pushing oil through the Strait of Hormuz: At least 11.7 million barrels of Iranian crude have passed through the strait since February 28, all headed to China. Many tankers have "gone dark," switching off their GPS tracking systems...👇 https://globalmarketsinvestor.beehiiv.com/p/the-iea-has-proposed-the-largest-emergency-oil-release-from-strategic-reserves-in-history
Iran, Not Trump or Hegseth, Behind Ship Explosions
Who everyone I talked to at the shipowners conference today thinks is blowing up merchant ships: Trump & Hegseth Who is actually blowing up ships: Iran
US Navy Limits Signal Global Trade’s Fragile Future
We are witnessing the end of globalization If the US military with the massive armada assembled within 500 miles can’t protect ships in this region, we stand little chance of protecting our container shipments from Asia in the event of a...
Only Hormuz Reopening Can Avert Global Oil Crisis
Trump has a few days to finish the war before oil finishes him, says @JavierBlas That's wrong. This was finished on March 1 when tankers stopped moving through the Hormuz Strait. Trump has a few days to find a way to get...
Quarter‑billion Barrels Lost From Hormuz Shutdown
We've already lost roughly a quarter *billion* barrels in cumulative oil supply thus far in the Strait of Hormuz stoppage.
Paper Recycling Depends on Critical Imported Chemicals
As a member of the UAE’s Financial Advisory Council (2008–2014), I made many friends. Here's what an old friend just texted me from Dubai: "Our paper recycling plant is still running because 95% of the raw material is collected locally. But...
Supply Shocks and Politics Won’t Push Oil Prices Down
exploding tankers, the us releasing 40% of its remaining oil reserve, and trump bragging about how well things are going: not indications for low oil prices.
Crackdown Clears Riff‑Raff, Qualified Truckers Return
Nature is healing. Qualified and compliant truck driver applicants are starting to increase substantially as the government crackdown happens. Proof that if you get rid of the riff-raff, the good guys will come back.
SPR Buffer Brief; Hormuz Delay Drains Reserves Fast
A 400M barrel release can cushion the shock, but only briefly. If Hormuz shipping isn’t restored by late March, losses outpace the reserve fast—about 80M barrels per week. The SPR buys time, not supply. #OilMarkets #SPR #EnergySecurity #Hormuz #EnergyCrisis
Shipping Execs Unprepared for Upcoming Carrier Market Revenge
This is true. A lot of the shipping and procurement execs have never lived through a carrier's market and are unprepared for Carrier Revenge.
Merchant Ships Face Turbulent Day in Hormuz Strait
It Was a Bad Day for Merchant Mariners in the Strait of Hormuz | March 11, 2026 Video: https://t.co/dY5IeBnvWF https://t.co/5AFou3YOMp
Hormuz Closure Disrupts Global Energy, Food, Metal Supplies
Good morning from Hong Kong. Day 13 of the Iran War. Hormuz effectively closed, impacting not just global energy supply chain but also food and metals. https://t.co/yXfDXHwzMN
UN Security Council Condemns Iran's Attacks on Gulf Civilians
UN Security Council Condemns #Iran Attacks Against Gulf Neighbors The resolution, proposed by Bahrain on behalf of GCC, decried Iran’s retaliation against civilian targets, including energy facilities, as an international law violation. @Magdalena_971 https://t.co/P9t8JHNDMg
Iranian USVs Ignite Two Oil Tankers, 400k Barrels Threatened
The Malta-flagged 50k ton Greek-owned tanker and Marshall Is-flagged 74k ton American-owned tanker is on fire in the anchorage off Iraq. It is suspected the ships were hit by Iranian unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The ships were involved...
Carriers Regret Dumping Dubai Cargo in Salalah
Ocean carriers have been leaving containers bound for Dubai in the port of Salalah, Oman until the Strait of Hormuz reopens. They're regretting that decision right now.
Cargill Halts Brazil Soybean Shipments to China Over New Inspections
🇧🇷Cargill has paused soybean exports from Brazil to China due to the implementation of stricter sanitary inspections at the request of the Chinese government. https://t.co/75cYy0TIFX
Shipping Industry’s Small World Sparks Surprising Ship Recognition
The crazy thing about the shipping industry is how small it can be. At a shipowners conference right now and a guy is telling a crazy story about what happened to his ship in Oman. I say, “Was it this...
Hidden Threats May Already Be Arriving in Shipping Containers
What if they’re already here on a ship, in a shipping container, or being pulled by a truck? https://t.co/qpp4JjjVPz
US Iran Ops Reveal Global Economy’s Fragile Bottlenecks
3 terrifying reasons the US military operations in Iran expose the fragility of global economics. Mainstream theory assumes a world of abundance and perfect competition. The reality is that our global supply chains rely on massive physical bottlenecks. From the single...
Rapid Deep Dive: Reopening Hormuz Strait Energy Implications
So much energy geopolitics, a weekly show is not enough. Check out our new rapid response deep dive on key Iran-related energy questions like this episode’s look at what it would take to reopen the strait of Hormuz. Great...
No Strategic Urea Reserve; Buffer Storage Nearly Nonexistent
Not only is there no strategic urea reserve, if you listen to today's episode, you'll see there really isn't much buffer storage anywhere at all https://t.co/niRvIF7txf
