OPINION: Container Port Performance Index - srutinising the scrutineers
THE WORLD Bank Container Port Performance Index for 2025 has just been released and it is showing some interesting trends. For instance, our top performer, Bell Bay, with a total...
NAVIGATING 2026: Transport operators become the reluctant primary customer
THIS month, I want to focus on a topic that has been raised repeatedly in industry discussions and that several stakeholders have specifically asked me to investigate more deeply....
OPINION: AI is a tool, not an authority when it comes to customs broking
QUIET pressure is building across our profession. Customs brokers are being pushed, with increasing urgency, toward automation, digital platforms and AI-driven workflows. We are...
OPINION: MSIC price increases an affront
BURIED in the federal government’s 2026/27 budget papers was a decision that will have a significant impact on hard-working truck drivers who must have a federal security...
ANALYSIS: BYD ‘invasion’ - fact or PR flood?
NEVER underestimate the power of a saturation marketing and PR campaign. Any media-alert reader could hardly have missed the efforts by Chinese car manufacturer BYD (‘Build Your...
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NAVIGATING 2026: Eye of the storm and a world getting harder before it gets better
TEN WEEKS after the United States and Israel targeted Iran, which responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, the global oil market is surprisingly calm....
OPINION: Should shipping lines own and control the terminals?
THERE IS a growing battle happening behind the scenes in global ports right now, and it’s not just about moves per hour and container volumes anymore. It is about who controls the...
ANALYSIS: The state of Australia’s merchant fleet in 2026
IN THE increasingly important discussion surrounding Australia’s maritime resilience and the future of the Australian merchant fleet, there remains significant debate regarding...
OPINION: When GPS fails - why maritime needs resilient navigation
EVERY day brings new reports of GPS interference affecting shipping, particularly in regions like the Persian Gulf. Less visible are the collisions, groundings, and near misses...
OPINION: When a seafarer does not come home
THE TRAGEDY in Port Phillip Bay should force the Australia public to confront life at sea. Last week, a seafarer in his 30s lost his life in Port Phillip Bay after disappearing...
ANALYSIS: The obligation carriers cannot ignore under Part X
THE COMPETITIVE exemptions available under Part X of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) are not granted unconditionally. In exchange for the right to coordinate pricing...
OPINION: Understanding Part X in a disrupted market
Geopolitical disruption and liner shipping have always been uneasy companions. When conflict or instability affects a major trade corridor, the commercial consequences travel fast...
New Zealand Marine Pilots Association Conference 2026 – Tauranga, NZ
THE 2026 New Zealand Maritime Pilots’ Association (NZMPA) Conference in Tauranga opened in a way that immediately set it apart. Before any presentations or technical discussions...
OPINION: The legalised cartel - how Part X works for liner shipping
AUSTRALIA’S liner trades operate under a unique legislative framework that sets it apart from virtually every other industry in the country. Part X of the Competition and Consumer...
OPINION: Surcharges without scrutiny - Australia’s weak spot in supply chain resilience
THE RESURGENCE of large-scale shipping line surcharges linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict has once again highlighted the imbalance between shipping lines and cargo owners...
