Zambia Freight Forwarding Services
Air & Sea Freight Between Zambia and the UK

The rise of $1.2bn HappyRobot - 'an uncomfortable mirror' for brokers

In case you missed it: HappyRobot's $150m Series C recently valued the freight AI startup at $1.2bn. But as CH Robinson's headcount drops and the industry races to automate, the real question is who controls the moat. Three Spanish founders, a failed computer vision tool, and a pivot that happened midway through their Y Combinator batch. That is the unlikely origin story of HappyRobot, the San Francisco-based company that last week became FreightTech's newest unicorn after raising $150 million ...

European air cargo demand continues to fall following EU's stricter import rules

Air cargo demand from China and Europe continued to fall last week partly as a result of the Euorpean Union's new rules around the import of e-commerce goods. The latest figures from data provider WorldACD show that in the week ending 2 August (week 31), volumes from China to Europe were down 5% compared with a week earlier, while from Hong Kong there was a 3% decline. The data firm said that for July as a whole, volumes from "e-commerce-driven" Hong Kong to are down 19% compared with June and 24% year on year. From China to Europe, volumes in July were less affected than Hong Kong drop-off but are still down 3% compared with June and 6% behind last year's levels. The drop-off comes after the EU ended its tariff-free exemptions on goods valued less than €150 by adding a €3 charge per item. "Spot rates from both China and Hong Kong to Europe during that same six-week period have also been in persistent decline," WorldACD added in a market review. The lower volumes are also affecting pricing, with average spot rates from Hong Kong to Europe falling from US$5.80 per kg in mid to late June to $4.96 per kg in week 31. From China rates are down from $5.43 per kg in week 25 to $3.86 per kg in week 31. Rates from both origins to Europe are higher than last year in week 31 - up 2% from China dn 7% from Hong Kong - but this is down on the 25% difference of the previous three months. Elsewhere, "spot rates from many parts of Asia Pacific to Europe remain at highly inflated levels compared with this time last year, including from Taiwan (33% year on year), Vietnam (39% year on year) and Thailand (32% year on year)", WorldACD said. "But the fall in spot rates to Europe from China and Hong Kong in recent weeks has narrowed the overall increase versus last year for Asia Pacific to Europe spot rates from 39% in week 25 to just 17% in week 31," it added.

Barge surcharges skyrocket as Europe's inland waterways struggle

Surcharges for Rhine barge transport have skyrocketed in the past few days as water levels continue to plummet, with forecasts only showing further falls as Northern Europe waits for rain. MSC, for example, has confirmed the following surcharges: €1,350 per teu for the Kaub gauge section of the river; and €895 per teu for the Koln gauge, which at 55cm is 1cm off requiring individual agreement, as is already the case on the Duisburg Ruhrort gauge. Sources on the waterway told The Loadstar that with the Kaub gauge measuring around 11cm of depth, it was essentially "non-navigable" for containers, as is the case with the Emmerich gauge. One barge owner told The Loadstar: "Mid-size container barges, those offering capacity of around 300 teu, are now only able to offer roughly 20% of their capacity, so 60 teu, but the larger barges, those with 400 teu of space, can no longer use the Rhine." Asked whether a surcharge of €1,350 per teu made it economically viable to take advantage of the limited capacity available, sources said it depended on the cost of turning to alternative modes of transport, "especially with congestion building on road and rail". MSC announced on Friday it had introduced a wave of "traffic congestion surcharges" for rail, trucking, and rail/truck transport from/to Antwerp and Rotterdam via Andernach, Frankfurt, Germersheim Munich, Nurnberg, Neuss, Strasbourg, Trier, and Woerth. The carrier noted additional fees would become applicable from 20 August and will be charged at a rate of €44 per container being moved by truck for all origins and destinations, with rail and rail/truck surcharges of €50 per container for Germany/Alsace origin or destined loads. Despite these trucking surcharges being markedly lower than those for barges, one barge source said they expected shippers to continue using the Rhine until it becomes "impossible" for any traffic to move on it. "That is the point when traffic will shift from barge to road, but whatever happens it needs to be understood that it will not be the shipper who pays these additional costs, it will be the cargo - read "consumer" - who pays," the barge owner added.