Chief of Navy for Singapore, Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han, told local news sources that Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are in discussions to increase patrols in the lower areas of the South China Sea, the areas most affected by the recent influx of maritime piracy.
European officials want to make it easier for companies to offer e-commerce across the continent, and are asking whether some firms are putting barriers in the way of that happening. Among the actions they announced is an antitrust inquiry to investigate "possible competition concerns" put in place by some Web companies.
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is returning to normal levels as officials prepare to count votes on ratification of a new West Coast labor agreement that ended months of uncertainty, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
Total intermodal shipments rose 2 percent over last year's Q1 volumes, according to the Intermodal Association of North America, despite port congestion issues that impacted international container traffic. Domestic intermodal loads grew 4.5 percent, buoyed by domestic containers, which rose 6.5 percent in a quarter-over-quarter comparison.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global airfreight markets, showing a modest 1.6 percent rise in volumes in March compared to a year ago, measured in freight tonne kilometers.
A roof-raising trade gap in March highlighted concerns that the rise of the dollar against other currencies was weakening the economy, chipping away at the ability of American manufacturers to compete abroad while encouraging more imports to fill retailers' shelves.
The global contract logistics market grew by 5.4 percent in 2014, to reach 177.6bn euro ($199bn), according to a report from Transport Intelligence. If prices and exchange rates were held constant at 2013 levels (real growth), then the market would have expanded by 4.4 percent. Overall, contract logistics growth of 5.4 percent compares favourably to growth of 2.8 percent in 2013.
BNSF Logistics, LLC, a global multimodal transportation and logistics service provider, has acquired the wind-energy-related assets and contracts of Vectora Transportation, a Chicago based third-party logistics provider specializing in bulk commodities and dimensional cargo transport solutions.
China is one of the fastest-growing markets, and small business owners shouldn't be intimidated by perceived complexity around regulations or not being able to connect with a new culture and customer base. By thoughtfully making small changes to business and marketing methods as well as taking advantage of the myriad resources available, entrepreneurs can easily navigate these international waters.