The Loadstar Podcast

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

In this sponsored episode, Mike King, host and producer of The Loadstar Podcast, discovers that quantum physics is not merely relevant in 2023 because of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, one of the hit movies of the summer. Rather, it is the bedrock of the technologies now transforming the world of logistics. Mike is joined by Sean Tinney, Global Solutions Lead for Enterprise Computing Solutions at Unisys, a global technology solutions company that powers breakthroughs for the world's leading organizations. Mike and Sean discuss how quantum computing and AI are converging to create entirely new paradigms for the world of freight. The future of supply chains is here, and it’s called quantum logistics.   Episode in detail: The origins of quantum logistics (2.44) Quantum physics and Oppenheimer (3.55) Quantum computer and the supply chain (5.06) Practical logistics applications (7.27) Defining and deploying quantum logistics (9.56) How Unisys is harnessing technology (11.48) Quantum IQ (12.42) Advanced analytics and SC complexity (13.25) Optimising logistics management (15.43) Quantum logistics case examples (16.56) Cutting costs; boosting profits (19.29) Most suitable markets for new tech (21.15)   This podcast is sponsored by Unisys. Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com

In part 1, creator and host Mike King is joined by the Loadstar’s Alex Lennane and Xeneta’s Peter Sand. They examine the latest rate movements, decipher the peak season, discuss why forwarders are retaining their own air cargo capacity, and try and work out exactly what is going on at Flexport. Part 2 is an exclusive interview with possibly the world’s most powerful container shipping regulator: Daniel Maffei, Chairman of the US Federal Maritime Commission.  He outlines how competition authorities across the world cooperate, what the future of detention and demurrage charges looks like, and what the FMC will do with its extended range of post-pandemic powers. He also explains what President Joe Biden thinks of the world of box shipping and freight. Guests Daniel Maffei, Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission Alex Lennane, Publish, The Loadstar Peter Sand, Chief Analyst, Xeneta   Credits: Created, hosted and produced by Mike King   Episode in more detail: Part 1 What’s afoot at Flexport (2.26) Core freight vs ‘Amazonification’ (3.53) Container shipping rates (6.46) What happens after Golden Week? (7.55) Spot vs long-term contracts (10.47) Mixed picture for air cargo (13.17) Forwarders retaining air cargo networks (15.41) Container shipping outlook (17.13)   Part 2 Introducing the FMC (21.03) Refereeing the world of freight (24.12) Detention and demurrage fees (26.15) Sizing FMC fines (31.06) FMC power grab? (33.20) White House competition (35.37) Working on rules with the EU and China (37.42) More US legislation for container lines? (39.26) What say you Mr President? (42.38) Naming and shaming NVOCCs (45.46) The US view of shipping post-pandemic (49.23)   Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com  

In this sponsored episode, Mike King, host and producer of The Loadstar Podcast, explores how the evolving needs of shippers are being met by DP World’s ever-expanding portfolio of logistics assets offering port-centric supply solutions from its UK terminals, including the rapidly expanding London Gateway terminal complex. Mike is joined by Andrew Bowen, Chief Operating Officer of DP World UK, who also explains how the company is expanding its logistics footprint and adapting to the UK’s ever-changing trading opportunities and challenges. Episode in more detail Europe’s container trades and UK ports (1.54) The development of DP World London Gateway (4.00) Why the UK needs more box port capacity (6.42) End-t0-end port logistics in practice (9.26) Total logistics: DP World Group subsidiaries (11.41) Customer interface and tech deployment (13.18) Integrated logistics in action (14.30) The importance of logistics parks (17.18) Investing in a growing UK economy (19.31)   This podcast is sponsored by DP World. Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com

In this bumper post-summer episode of The Loadstar podcast, creator and host Mike King is joined by the Loadstar’s Mike Wackett and TAC Index’s Neil Wilson as they catch up on the big stories of late summer. They also dissect air and ocean freight rates, ask whether the shipping peak season has already been and gone, discuss the latest signs of yet more  consolidation, and examine if El Nino-induced lower water levels on the Panama Canal will disrupt ocean freight markets. In part 2, Mike gets the views of two of the world’s leading ocean freight forwarders when he’s joined by Stephanie Loomis, Head of Ocean Freight Americas, Rhenus Logistics, and Peter Sundara Swamickannu, Head of Global Ocean Freight Product, Visy Logistics. They look at Asia’s export outlook, US domestic intermodal costs, the threat of union action at USEC ports, and how best to define and manage supply chain risk.   Guests Stephanie Loomis, Head of Ocean Freight Americas, Rhenus Logistics Peter Sundara Swamickannu, Head of Global Ocean Freight Product, Visy Logistics Neil Wilson, Editor, TAC Index Mike Wackett, Sea Freight Correspondent, The Loadstar   Episode in detail: Part 1 – News, rates and outlook Hapag Lloyd & HMM: a new liner marriage? (4.14) Zim and MSC team up (8.33) Luftie: bucking the air cargo downturn (12.00) Air cargo rates with TAC Index (13.46) Xeneta box rates with Mike Wackett (15.52) Did peak season come early? (18.52) China macroeconomics (20.59) US/Europe demand and geopolitical risk (23.13) Panama Canal surcharges (25.24) Air cargo outlook (27.19)   Part 2 – Freight forwarder roundtable Is peak season over? (30.00) Carrier capacity cuts; too little too late? (33.05) Liner Golden Week plans and GRIs (36.10) US inventory levels weigh heavily (37.47) Panama Canal and false black swans (39.56) Asian exports forecast and China downturn (49.29) China+1 and near-sourcing (44.24) USEC labour action threat (48.49) Freight outlook - positives and negatives  (51.53)   Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King for The Loadstar www.theloadstar.com