US fears over Chinese ‘Trojan horse’ ship-to-shore cranes

US fears over Chinese ‘Trojan horse’ ship-to-shore cranes Imported Chinese ship-to-shore cranes could potentially be used to spy on the country’s import and export movements in ports and on its military operations, the US Department of Defence has warned.The Wall Street Journal reports that US officials have raised fears that the ship-to-shore cranes could be […]

Don’t invest in technology to raise your logistics game

Don’t invest in technology to raise your logistics game   Yes, you read correctly. Don’t. We’ve already done so to help our customers raise their logistics game because we’ve invested in a plug-and-play solution for you. No doubt you’ve been thinking about how to digitise or better digitize your logistics. What better news than discovering […]

Bumpy ride ahead for air cargo

Bumpy ride ahead for air cargo Airfreight operators are being warned to brace themselves for a challenging year ahead, as analysts predict that 2023 could be a bumpy ride for the industry. Despite a slight recovery in the latter part of 2022, the global airfreight market continues to face significant turbulence, with capacity outpacing cargo […]

Bolt to invest over R9.6bn in Africa for further expansion

Bolt to invest over R9.6bn in Africa for further expansion Mobility app Bolt has announced plans to invest €500m ($9.bn) in its operations on the continent over the next two years. The funds will be used to expand Bolt services in Africa and create opportunities for over 300,000 new drivers and couriers to join the […]

African airlines see cargo volumes decline by 9.5%

African airlines see cargo volumes decline by 9.5% The International Air Transport Association’s (Iata) latest released data for January 2023 on global air cargo markets show that air cargo demand declined as economic headwinds persist. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), fell by 14.9% compared to January 2022 (-16.2% for international operations). Capacity (measured […]

Container production to slow amid oversupply

Container production to slow amid oversupply Maritime and shipping industry research and consulting service Drewry has predicted a decline in the production of shipping containers for the second consecutive year. The decline follows a massive drop in container production in 2022 due to sluggish growth in consumption caused by increasing consumer prices. However, the sector […]

Sluggish demand causes Chinese exports to stay low

Sluggish demand causes Chinese exports to stay low The shipping industry in China and Southeast Asia is facing a challenging period, with dropping container rates and weak demand caused by global inflation and restricted demand. The long-term forecast for the shipping industry is uncertain, with low consumer demand in northern Europe and slow market pickup […]

Big fuel price hike expected in March

Big fuel price hike expected in March A higher global oil price and a weaker rand could lead to yet another fuel price increase in March, economists have warned. Bureau for Economic Research (BER) economists flagged the likelihood of rising fuel prices on Monday, noting that a move by Russia to cut oil production in […]

Ramaphosa’s investment czar says South African infrastructure in dire state

Ramaphosa’s investment czar says South African infrastructure in dire state The head of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s infrastructure and investment office warned that the nation’s power, rail and water reticulation systems are in a dire state and that fixing them will take years even if immediate action is taken. In a paper entitled South […]

In 2023, supply chains must anticipate disruptions and have processes to manage them

In 2023, supply chains must anticipate disruptions and have processes to manage them The disruption of the last two and a half years has demonstrated that traditional and historic supply chain processes are insufficient. Companies have increasingly discovered that their current practices were unable to keep up with the constantly changing environment and new challenges. […]

Air Cargo Industry ended 2022 with ‘glass half full’

Air Cargo Industry ended 2022 with ‘glass half full’ According to weekly market analysis by CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta, a turbulent 2022 for the global air cargo market ended in December with a ‘win/win’ outcome for airlines, forwarders, and shippers as chargeable weight fell -8% year on year and the general airfreight spot […]

6 Tips for reducing Logistics Costs

How to reduce your logistics in South Africa

Digital platform aims to improve SADC rail efficiency

Digital platform aims to improve SADC rail efficiency A substantial percentage of all rail wagons in South Africa are empty when moving between destinations. In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, only a small percentage of rail capacity is being fully used. That is a huge amount of wasted and expensive space, says South […]

Africa Well Placed To Take Advantage Of Demand

Africa Well Placed To Take Advantage Of Demand According to Simon Flowers, chairman and chief analyst at Wood Mackenzie, the protracted energy crisis has highlighted the global economy’s reliance on fossil fuels. “Much has happened in the global economy over the past 12 months. Oil prices have all but doubled and gas prices in Europe […]

Container Shipping Rates Still Sinking With No Sign Yet Of Market Floor

Container Shipping Rates Still Sinking With No Sign Yet Of Market Floor As the year draws to a close, and ongoing declines in the Asia East Coast lane – as well as weakness in other trades such as Asia-North Europe – global composite indexes are continuing to sink.  So much for the assumption that container […]

Transport Forum highlights need for multimodal logistics to remain competitive

Transport Forum highlights need for multimodal logistics to remain competitive Freight, logistics and transport industry experts have called for the restoration of South Africa‘s roads network, the restoration and development of the rail network and efficient ports and border posts, arguing that the country can only remain competitive if its logistics networks and supply chains […]

Transnet Boost Local Manufacturing Capacity

Transnet Boost Local Manufacturing Capacity It’s peak season and everything will be arriving for December’s shopping influx, paired with that, it is also Black Friday month, so there will be a mad rush all around. With Transnet slowly getting back to normal and having their normal workforce back at work, MSC shipping line won a […]

No Peak Season In Sight For Air Freight Industry

No Peak Season In Sight For Air Freight Industry According to new weekly market data from industry analysts CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta, volumes declined -8% year over year (y-o-y) in October and offered no current signals to indicate an upturn in 2023, as y-o-y demand fell for the eighth consecutive month. This means […]

South African transport infrastructure needs to be prioritised, panel states

South African transport infrastructure needs to be prioritised, panel states Infrastructure in South Africa’s logistics sector needs to be a priority, alongside a regulatory framework that has a “no nonsense” approach to criminality, if the country’s roads, rail and transport industries are to thrive and be considered safe again, says professional body Railway Safety Regulator […]

Public pressure crashes Gauteng’s e-tolling system

Public pressure crashes Gauteng’s e-tolling system Public pressure and protests against e-tolling led to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s effective scrapping of the system as a funding mechanism for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), civil society organisations said as they celebrated the victory for Gauteng motorists this week. Godongwana effectively ended e-tolls on Wednesday, tabling […]