By Maria Kalamatas | May 7, 2025 Frankfurt, GERMANY — For over a decade, speed was king in global supply chains. But in 2025, the race for velocity is being replaced by a new obsession: resilience. “Companies aren’t asking how fast they can deliver,” said Lars Neubauer, VP of Global Operations at Euronet...
By Maria Kalamatas | May 7, 2025 Lagos, NIGERIA — As trade volumes surge across West Africa’s emerging markets, major ports from Lagos to Abidjan are struggling to keep pace, creating a container bottleneck that is reshaping regional maritime logistics—and forcing global carriers to recalibrate. The Port of Lagos, one of the region’s...
By Maria Kalamatas | May 7, 2025 Panama City, PANAMA — A year after climate-linked droughts began restricting ship traffic through the Panama Canal, global shipping firms are being forced to reconfigure routes, renegotiate contracts, and absorb mounting costs—all with no clear end in sight. In April, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced...
By Maria Kalamatas | May 7, 2025 Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS — Despite a decade of promises, blockchain technology in logistics is still struggling to move from proof of concept to industry standard—and according to insiders, the problem isn’t the tech. It’s the people. “We’ve built the systems. The missing link is trust,” said Anja...
By Maria Kalamatas Rockville Centre, NY — In an era where logistics companies rise and fall with geopolitical tides and market disruptions, Sobel Network Shipping Co., Inc. stands out—for having not just survived, but thrived, for 75 consecutive years. Founded in 1949 in New York as a family-run customs brokerage, Sobel has evolved...
By Maria Kalamatas London, UNITED KINGDOM — British manufacturers are reporting their steepest drop in export orders since May 2020, as fears over a second wave of U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump’s administration disrupt transatlantic supply chain planning. According to the latest S&P Global/CIPS Manufacturing PMI, released on May 3, the UK’s...
By Maria Kalamatas Brussels, BELGIUM — Starting April 1, 2025, the European Union has mandated Entry Summary Declarations (ENS) for all road and rail cargo entering the bloc—a move designed to modernize customs enforcement but one that has left freight forwarders scrambling to comply. The regulation, part of the EU Customs Reform Package,...
By Maria Kalamatas Leipzig, GERMANY — Alibaba Logistics has officially launched its first 100% automated fulfillment center in Europe, a 50,000-square-meter facility located in Leipzig, Germany. The move is part of a broader effort by the Chinese tech giant to establish itself as a dominant logistics force on the continent. Operational since late...
By Maria Kalamatas Nairobi, KENYA — Kenya and Turkey have formalized a landmark bilateral agreement to co-develop logistics infrastructure across East Africa, with the centerpiece being a rail link between Mombasa and Kisumu, fully equipped with Turkish rail technology. Signed on May 1 in Ankara, the agreement includes provisions for technical assistance, equipment...
By Maria Kalamatas Copenhagen, DENMARK — Shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk has announced the global launch of a predictive AI platform designed to anticipate port delays up to seven days in advance, potentially redefining how shippers and freight forwarders manage disruption risk in volatile trade lanes. The tool, called PortSight, uses real-time satellite data,...
