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For retailers, preparing for international holidays requires significant preparation to ensure they can deliver the best service for their customers. Not only is demand higher, but the potential for various members of the workforce to be on leave, combined with the risk of weather-related delays or port congestion can lead to significant supply chain disruption if thorough planning is not completed.

In our fourth and final episode, our industry experts, Pedro and Matteo, debunk the myth that Short Sea Shipping is slow and explain how it can be competitive in terms of transit times when compared to other forms of cargo transport.

The applications of big data in the shipping industry are considerable. These voluminous data sets can provide invaluable insights and analytics into trends and customer behaviour, enable predictive modelling and improve operational efficiency. From equipment maintenance and risk management to route and fuel optimization, big data can empower businesses to make informed, impactful decisions that drive excellence and success.

So, what is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? AI is a technology that enables machines to complete repetitive or time-consuming tasks by simulating human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning and problem- solving. In international shipping, this technology is already transforming everything from inventory management and supply chain logistics to fleet management and route optimization.

Short Sea Shipping in Europe can significantly reduce your costs. As well as saving on costs, you can also save on emissions with Short Sea Shipping, potentially cutting your carbon footprint by over 75%.

It's easy to fall prey to the myth that Short Sea Shipping (SSS) is fraught with complexity, given its involvement with multiple modes of transport, distinct loading techniques, and what may seem like a labyrinth of documentation.

The rise of e-commerce has unlocked unprecedented opportunities for businesses and consumers alike. With the click of a button, consumers can browse, buy, and receive items from anywhere in the world, making shopping more convenient, accessible, and hassle-free than ever before.

In episode one we explore the perception that Short Sea Shipping in only port-to-port. This commonly held belief is understandable at first glance because, as we know, ships cannot travel on land.

Smart containers are equipped with internet-enabled devices that collect and transmit data about the container’s location, temperature, humidity, and other conditions. This data is accessible to stakeholders in your supply chain via system integration, allowing more efficient tracking and management of cargo.

Omnichannel logistics is a multi-channel approach to interacting with customers and delivering goods. The approach emphasizes the synchronization of inventory, order management and distribution so that customers can access services across multiple channels interchangeably and seamlessly.

In recent years, e-commerce has experienced a meteoric rise, empowering consumers by providing them with personalized recommendations based on browsing and purchase history. Not only has this enhanced how people shop, but also transformed the retail landscape, by reducing reliance on physical storefronts and instead encouraging more people to browse online.

As they are significantly larger than most container ships, megaships have the capacity to carry an extraordinary number of shipping containers, often exceeding 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). These giants of the shipping world have been on the rise, impacting not only those who work directly in the industry but also different businesses operating in various sectors due to their effects.

In some cases, the impact of global events means there has been a shift from ‘just in time’ management to ‘just in case’ supply chain management, which involves companies holding larger inventories as a precautionary measure to safeguard against potential disruptions. While this can help to create a greater assurance of product availability, ‘just in case’ supply chain management brings its own additional challenges, including higher holding costs and a reduced capacity to adjust to fluctuations in demand.

Having a strong logistics network is vital to the success of businesses. As more and more goods need to travel greater distances to reach their final destination, the various elements of logistics networks have to link up efficiently. With next day consumer expectations and ‘just-in-time’ manufacturing operations becoming increasingly popular, the planning and execution of the transportation process has become even more important in helping set companies apart from their competitors.

From pulpy grapes, nutrient-dense blueberries and tangy mandarins to healthy avocados, exotic mangoes and creamy bananas, the global demand for fresh, high-quality fruit continues to soar. Superfoods like blueberries and avocados are particularly sought after for their health benefits and rich nutrient content. With their vibrant colours and zesty flavours, these fragile commodities demand careful preparation and packaging processes to maintain their integrity and freshness.

Also known as flexitank shipping, liquid cargo exports are becoming increasingly prominent in Belgium. One of the major industries involved in liquid cargo exports is non-harmful chemicals such as petroleum products, rubbers, latex, and oils which are shipped from Antwerp port. From the Flanders region, edible and natural liquid cargo, including line seed and rape seed is being increasingly shipped. As these commodities are used worldwide in numerous ways, it’s vital to ensure that they are transported as safely as possible to avoid loss of cargo.

A typical supply chain might start with agricultural produce being harvested at a farm. It is then transported to a storage warehouse in the country of origin, prior to being dispatched to a food processing facility overseas, which makes it into a consumable product that is transported to a retailer. Every stage in this process, including the means of transport, is a link in the supply chain.

The rapid advancement of maritime technology is enabling greater efficiency but also significantly improving the overall safety of the shipping industry. By adopting increasingly innovative digital solutions, such as remote monitoring, big data usage, AI integration, or the use of VR or AR, shipping companies can proactively manage risks.

One of the most impactful requirements recently implemented is the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) VGM (verified gross mass) regulation, which was introduced by the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) to enhance maritime safety. This regulation states that shippers must provide the accurate gross mass of a packed container before it is loaded onto a ship to prevent incorrect vessel stowage decisions, prevent container stack collapse or the loss of cargo overboard due to instability.

Everyone knows the sea is unpredictable, with anything from extreme weather to piracy, to accidents at sea can have an impact on cargo transportation. Equally, however, being able to ship internationally is vital for businesses looking to transport goods to a global market place. Therefore, to mitigate financial loss in the face of disaster it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to safeguard their supply chains by investing in cargo insurance with experts like MSC.

Depending on the type of commodity, the size of shipment, or the size of the cargo, different types of dry shipping containers may be used in order to preserve the integrity of your cargo and maximise space efficiency. Certain dry cargo freight containers, such as flat rack containers (used for project cargo), can also help facilitate specialised handling for cargo that doesn’t fit the dimensions of standard containers.

As the types of food consumed worldwide become ever more varied, there has been an increasing pressure on businesses to consistently deliver top quality, fresh produce year-round. To meet this consumer demand, the transportation of perishable goods has had to become increasingly efficient and reliable, necessitating the use of refrigerated shipping containers worldwide.

Like many, the shipping industry needs to continuously adapt and innovate to overcome different hurdles and reduce the impact these challenges can have on operations, efficiency, and profitability. All of this is alongside the work that shipping companies put in to improve operational efficiency, customer service, and sustainability practices.

In today's rapidly evolving global economy, efficient and cost-effective freight transportation is essential for businesses to thrive. One approach that has gained significant traction over several years is the integration of ocean and intermodal freight. This strategic combination of transportation methods can improve supply chain efficiency, help reduce costs, enhance sustainability, and extend your overall market reach.

Requiring close coordination and collaboration between producers, logistics providers and retailers, cold chain logistics is a vital part in ensuring that perishable products, including medicinal or pharmaceutical are transported and stored under optimal conditions. Because of the challenges that come with keeping cargo cool, refrigerated or frozen during transportation, cold chain logistics has had to continually evolve in order to meet the specific needs of the various industries that require it.

Driven by factors like increased trade volumes, larger vessels, and global supply chain demand developments, international port development is vital. Port expansions play a crucial role in enhancing a region's economic growth, trade efficiency, and connectivity. Beyond this, a new port infrastructure can pave the way for implementing new equipment, and technology, and ultimately helps ensure further or enhanced connectivity.

In an ever-changing global marketplace, numerous businesses have benefitted from the flexibility, and cost-effectiveness that having multiple cargo transportation routes or carriers brings. Depending on your cargo type and final destination, the available combination of ocean, road, rail, or air transportation ensures your cargo will be transported by the most efficient means possible.

With the ability to transport thousands of containers in a single ship, ocean transport has become a vital part of modern global logistics and a crucial for numerous global supply chains. The rapid increase in the popularity of shipping containers, as well as technological advancements now means that most ocean transportation is conducted by large vessels with the ability to carry multiple containers and container types. Not only is this more efficient, but also enables a greater variety of cargo to be transported from anywhere in the world.

As a manufacturer, it’s vital that your products can reach your customers whenever and wherever they need them. Providing reliable deliveries to your customers is the easiest way to build a strong reputation for your company, and ensure you continue to get new and returning business.

More and more emphasis is being put on the importance and benefits of ensuring end-to-end supply chain visibility for businesses. With so many different organisations and individuals involved in the overall supply chain, it can be difficult for companies to have total clarity and visibility at all stages. In turn, this makes it more challenging for businesses to ensure optimum efficiency at every point in the supply chain.

For companies to remain profitable and successfully navigate variations in demand, they must have good supply chain management. Supply chain management is the supplier’s effort to develop and implement supply chains that are as efficient and economical as possible. Businesses can ensure they have good supply chain management by keeping control of internal inventories, such as internal production, distribution, and sales.

Having good customer and business relationships is crucial to the success of any business. The ability to communicate effectively with your customers and collaborate with other businesses will transform your company and help you stand out from your competition.

Businesses need to bridge continents and cultures in a fast and reliable manner, and working with certified companies like MSC is a fantastic way to do that. Achieving ISO certification is ensuring that proper processes and due diligence are being followed. These certifications also help us to build strong relationships between us and our customers, who know we are compliant with all ISO standards that are important to them and their business.

A freight broker acts as an intermediary or contact point between a shipper and a carrier. With so many moving parts involved in the shipping and logistics process, in some instances , for example when establishing alternative routes, it can be helpful for carriers and shippers to work with a freight broker in order to facilitate a smooth handover of cargo.

Shipping goods across the world can be a complicated business. To manage the whole process yourself could be fraught with difficulty. That is the role of freight forwarders. They essentially act as middle-men, dealing with shipping companies, logistics experts and port authorities. A freight forwarder is an agent who acts on behalf of cargo owners to arrange the transportation of goods. One of their chief responsibilities is to process customs documentation, and all the paperwork and administration that is involved in international cargo shipping.

Before hiring a BCO, it’s important to understand their contract, and what this means for your shipment. A BCO contract specifies the transportation of cargo through either a direct or indirect channel. A beneficial cargo owner or BCO refers to an individual or company who acts on behalf of the importer by taking possession of the cargo when it reaches its destination.

Transit time, or the amount of time taken for goods to get from one destination to another is hugely significant in a company’s overall supply chain management process. In some instances, depending on the type of commodity being transported, the length of transit time can also impact the overall wellbeing of the cargo itself.

Transshipment cargo describes the process that requires cargo to be unloaded from one vessel and reloaded onto another in a different port during transportation. To put it simply, the cargo is shipped from point A to point B via point C where it is unloaded and reloaded. It is from point C that the cargo’s journey to its final destination is made.

Within this globalized landscape, three commodities stand out: corn, wheat, and seeds. As the most produced grains globally, corn and wheat are dietary staples. However, their utility extends beyond food consumption, with these grains also being used for biofuel, biodegradable packaging, textiles, livestock feed, and food processing. Seeds, as the starting point of production, are fundamental to the agricultural industry. These kernels of potential lay the groundwork for successful crop production, harvest, and distribution. Beyond their agricultural significance, seeds are being used more and more in health-conscious diets as great sources of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.

In our fast-paced modern lifestyles, frozen ingredients have become indispensable household essentials, offering consumers unparalleled convenience, variety, and freshness. From ocean fresh salmon to freshly picked cherries, juicy pork joints to crunchy green beans, consumers expect nothing less than the best produce– regardless of season or location.

With strong and bold flavours, the Vietnamese coffee bean has propelled itself into economic importance, as one of the country’s most significant agricultural exports and one of the world’s most sought-after coffee varieties. With concerns around infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and the delicate balance between high production volumes and quality standards, the Vietnamese coffee market is not without its challenges.

Because they can store up to four times more energy per unit of mass than other batteries, lithium batteries carry a much greater fire risk. While larger EV batteries can catch fire much more easily compared to smaller lithium batteries used in phones and tablets, all appropriate safety measures and regulations must be followed throughout shipping.

The UN Model Regulations separate dangerous or hazardous substances into nine classes all of which can pose a threat to human and animal life, material property, or the environment if they leak or are mishandled in any way. These classes are not ordered in terms of severity but by substance type. Each class of hazardous goods determines how the cargo can be shipped and what measures need to be in place throughout transportation.

Classified as any products susceptible to spoilage or decay, or with a limited shelf life after harvest or production, perishable goods are found in much of our everyday life. From delicious baked goods and eggs eaten at breakfast to the cosmetics products you may use to get ready, to the meat, fish, or dairy products you might enjoy at dinner, these commodities are an inherent part of everyday life.

It is estimated that electric vehicles (EVs) will represent over 60% of new global car sales by 2030. Many countries have also announced that they will ban the sales of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in the next decade. As the transportation of ICE vehicles and their parts has always been a major part of global shipping, companies shipping, or relying on ICE products will need to adjust their supply chains to accommodate this new development in the automotive industry.

There are innumerable products that can have a second, or even third life, simply by being recycled and reused. This includes everything from scrap aluminium and copper to used clothing and linen, all of which are frequently shipped around the world to be transformed into something new.

Globally, India is known for exporting several types of rice, with Basmati and Par-boiled being some of the most popular. Basmati rice, renowned for its long grains and aromatic fragrance, is a major export, with high demand in numerous markets. As such, facilitating successful rice exports from India is vital for businesses involved in the industry. To ensure all exports are as quick and easy as possible, all regulatory compliance and documentation must be handled effectively to avoid costly delays.

The tale of Ethiopian coffee traces back centuries to a goat herder in the misty highlands of Ethiopia. It was there, according to the legends, that coffee beans and their invigorating properties were discovered. Today this ancient brew is woven into the fabric of Ethiopian history and tradition, serving as a symbol of community and connection, and playing a vital role in the economy and cultural heritage of Ethiopia.

Because of the strong market demand for seafood from the states, businesses are becoming increasingly invested in ensuring that their seafood cargo arrives at its final destination as fresh and as tasty as possible. To do this requires meticulous planning, combined with stringent adherence to quality regulations, and innovative use of reefer technology to make certain that your cargo is kept safe and regulated.

One of the primary things retail businesses can do to ensure success is focus on making their retail logistics as efficient as possible. This means ensuring that everyone involved in the supply chain, from the retailers themselves to manufacturers, suppliers, and shipping companies are all working closely together to effectively manage the flow of products throughout the consumer journey.

When it comes to cocoa imports or exports, there is no time more important than the period before Easter. Chocolatiers from around the world eagerly anticipate the three-day period where chocolate and easter eggs are in high demand. Businesses involved in the cocoa and confectionary industries have their work cut out for them in the run-up to the Easter weekend. Not only does the production of Easter eggs require considerable planning due to the sharp rise and fall in demand, but their primary ingredient, cocoa is becoming an increasingly expensive commodity, with prices rising in recent years.

As the date draws nearer, everyone from florists to chocolatiers are dedicated to ensuring that all products are available when consumers need them. As some of the most associated gifts given on Valentine’s Day, such as chocolate and flowers often have specific shipping requirements, retailers will often choose to work directly with a shipping company experienced in Valentine’s Day commodities and the international transportation of this romantic cargo.

With $17.1 billion of its net trade attributed to the export of forestry products, Canada has established itself as a global leader in the forestry export market. Not only does Canada hold the largest share of the global NBSK (Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft) market, but they are also known as a major producer and exporter of softwood lumber.

In recent years vehicle manufacturers had to evolve their automotive supply chains in order to work with multiple suppliers to source all the different components required to construct each vehicle. This development has meant that the once reasonably simple supply chain has transformed into a ‘supply web’, with multiple threads all leading to the same end point.

As the Christmas supply chain is highly time-sensitive and requires precise coordination to ensure that products are available when consumers want them, any disruption in this complex system can result in delayed or missed deliveries, impacting both retailers and consumers during the holiday season. To meet the unique challenges of the Christmas supply chain, many businesses invest heavily in logistics and planning to ensure a smooth and festive holiday for all.

Dry cargo shipping is one of the most common types of shipping solutions and one of the most popular with MSC customers. Covering a wide range of commodities that vary from coal to non-perishable food and beverages, dry shipping can be a simple solution for customers looking to transport their cargo quickly and efficiently. Generally, these commodities can be transported as either a ‘dry bulk’ shipment or as a ‘container shipment’.

With an ever-increasing focus on sustainability, more and more attention has been turned to solar energy and solar power-based commodities. As such, there has been a major rise in solar exports, with commodities like solar batteries, PV modules, panels, and silicon Wafers being shipped globally.

From the moment we wake up, to the time where we’re getting ready for bed there are certain items that we always have on hand. Even if we don’t already have them with us, we expect to be able to purchase them quickly and easily in most supermarkets or stores. These items that are so ingrained in our everyday lives are known as ‘Fast moving consumer goods’ (FMCGs) and are things we purchase frequently and consume rapidly.