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Amazon seller Bernie Thompson shifted half of his production out of China to reduce his business risks and still found himself in the crosshairs of logistical chaos besetting the movement of goods around the globe.A surge in demand for furniture, exercise equipment and other goods for shoppers sheltering at home in a worsening COVID-19 pandemic has upended normal trade flows.That has stranded empty cargo containers in the wrong places, spawning bottlenecks that now stretch from factories to seaports.

Disruption to shipping from the long-anticipated switch to more environmentally friendly marine fuels has finally arrived, exacerbated by logistical problems as much as any shortage of the cleaner fuel.New International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules, referred to as IMO 2020, aim to stop ships from using fuels containing more than 0.5% sulphur unless they are equipped with exhaust-cleaning systems known as scrubbers.From the start of January ships must load very low sulphur…

With the North American ECA (Emission Control Area) now in force, Hans Staal, Branch Manager, OW Bunker USA explains the lessons that must be learned and why collaboration within the shipping supply chain is going to be key to meeting new regulatory challenges. Since the outset, the introduction of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA) in August 2012 has been an issue of some concern for many ship owners and operators. Concerns over price, technical issues, supply and demand, as well as the practicalities of enforcement, have been widely debated.