News

Stevedoring Services and Charge Increases

When an importer’s landed costings keep increasing, there are only two choices: pass the increases on to your end customer by imposing price hikes, or try to absorb them and allow these costs to erode your profits. Last year, stevedoring profits rose for the fifth year in a row, reaching historical highs across most metrics […]

Preparing to Receive Your Import FCLs

It is worthwhile preparing in advance for the delivery of Full Container Loads (FCLs) to your warehouse, especially if it is not a regular occurrence, or if you operate from a small premises. If the delivery and unpacking take too long or, worse still, if the cargo is unable to be offloaded, the result will […]

Export Ready: 2026 Checklist for Australian Businesses

For Australian exporters, 2026 is shaping up to be another year where preparation defines performance. Peak seasons are no longer confined to Christmas alone. Global demand now surges repeatedly across Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Eid, Boxing Day sales, and a growing calendar of international retail and cultural events. In recent […]

Importers: Plan for the Year Ahead in 2026

If you thought international freight felt tight in the lead-up to Christmas 2025, you were far from alone. Space constraints, rising rates and declining reliability converged at the least convenient time. As we look toward 2026, one lesson is clear: early planning is no longer optional. It is the single biggest factor separating smooth import […]

Suez Canal Awaits Resumption of Sailings

It has now passed two years since the beginning of what has become known as the Red Sea Crisis. After Yemen’s Houthi militants started targeting cargo vessels in the waterways around the Suez Canal in late November 2023, most of the major containership operators moved to divert their sailings around Africa. This adds distance, time, […]

Long Beach—Pivotal Port for US-Australia Traffic

If you are engaged in shipping to or from the USA, chances are that your cargo is passing through the Port of Long Beach on the west coast—outside Los Angeles—at some phase of its journey. The Port of Long Beach is one of the premier seaports in the United States and a major gateway for […]

Smooth Sailing in the Pacific Islands

Our Pacific Island neighbours have been in the news lately on matters of climate change and defence but, as always, the issues closest to our heart concern imports and exports. There are trade opportunities in both directions which are facilitated by a number of regional agreements, but it is important to make sure you have […]

Optimism for Free Trade Opportunities

Our Import and Export clients know that international trade is the lifeblood of our country. One in four of Australia’s jobs depends upon trade. And Australia has proved masterful at forging Free Trade Agreements around the globe. The CPTPP Summit in Melbourne Melbourne has just hosted the largest meeting of trade ministers and representatives in […]

Shipping Across the Indian Ocean

There are abundant trade opportunities between Australia and South Africa, especially in sectors like mining and resources, agriculture, and automotive manufacturing. But make sure you are prepared—when doing business with South African companies or individuals for the first time, it is critical to understand their business culture. For example, they tend to be wary and […]

Finding Opportunities in South Korea

South Korea has been in the news recently as the host of the APEC Summit, which was attended by Australian PM Anthony Albanese, together with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. On the sidelines of APEC was a meeting of another group you might not be so familiar with: MIKTA. Along […]