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Greg Knowler

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor EuropemailLinkedin

Greg Knowler is senior Europe editor, covering transportation and logistics issues in Europe and the Asia-Pacific. He joined the Journal of Commerce in 2014, following stints as editor of Cargonews Asia and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. A native of South Africa, his journalism career started at several daily newspapers in Durban.

Read Greg's Latest Coverage

Continued volatility to keep container line profits on course in 2025

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Despite a glut of capacity on the water, Suez Canal diversions and healthy volumes will keep container shipping vessel supply tight, analysts predict.
Container linesTrans-AtlanticForwardingAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Restabilized trans-Atlantic facing dual strike, tariff threats

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The market’s normal tranquility is threatened by President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to raise imports tariffs, as well as a potential second strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticContainer Shipping News

Red Sea to dominate Asia-Europe ocean trade again in 2025

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Carriers have penciled in a return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal for the second half of the year, and some analysts are also using that as a baseline for their market outlooks, but the reality is that no one knows.
MaritimeContainer linesAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Tight capacity, high demand expected to push air cargo costs higher in 2025

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
As the supply-demand imbalance drives air freight rates to levels not seen in two years, forwarders are trying to balance the contractual requirements of airlines while securing capacity at reasonable rates for customers.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder NewsAir Cargo Carriers News

Trans-Atlantic carriers cue fresh surcharges for early 2025 risks

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Shippers on the Europe-US trade lane are facing significant rate increases in January as the potential for disruption grows from labor uncertainty and new operating alliances.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Late vessels drive delays across North European ports

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Handling large container exchanges with vessels arriving late and bunching outside import gateways is leading to bottlenecks at some of the region’s largest hubs.
MaritimeForwardingAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Ocean carriers outline new trans-Atlantic services from Feb. 1

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Holes in the Atlantic port network are being plugged as ONE, the Ocean Alliance and HMM prepare for February’s launch of the new container shipping groupings.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticContainer Shipping News

Carriers roll out new fuel surcharges as EU emissions rules tighten

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Customer advisories from Maersk, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd show the carriers plan to “simplify the process” by merging compliance with the EU ETS and FuelEU regulations into one fuel surcharge.
MaritimeTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Capacity shortage, aging fleet to clip air cargo wings in 2025: IATA

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
While cargo volume is expected to grow 5.8% next year, the airline association is warning that aircraft supply chain issues will raise costs, possibly limiting that growth.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder NewsAir Cargo Carriers News

Trans-Atlantic air cargo rates take off as capacity shifts to Asia

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Airlines repositioning freighter aircraft from the trans-Atlantic to the more profitable Asia market combined with a seasonal decline in belly cargo on the Europe-US route have pushed rates on the trade lane near a two-year high.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder News

New Maersk warehouse in France expands European e-commerce coverage

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The facility’s launch customer is known to be Amazon, which will use the strategically located warehouse to provide fulfilment services across the region.
MaritimeLast Mile NewsIndustrial Real Estate NewsContainer linesForwarding

Potential shortage of green fuels ‘keeps us awake’: Hapag-Lloyd CEO

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Fears that methanol will not be available in the coming years at the scale required to power a growing and thirsty ocean fleet are pushing the order book deeper down the LNG pathway.
MaritimeTransport, Trade and Regulation NewsContainer linesContainer Shipping News

Ongoing Red Sea effect reaches deep into Asia-Europe trade lane

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
While carriers can offset some operating costs by raising rate levels, reducing carbon emissions on voyages that are taking two weeks longer is becoming increasingly important as decarbonization regulations tighten.
MaritimeContainer linesAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Air freight users forced to better manage heavily imbalanced market

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Air cargo is seeing a greater volume of non-essential products to get around container shipping challenges, a move that comes at a substantial cost to shippers.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder NewsAir Cargo Carriers News

High demand leads to end-of-year surge in Asia-Europe ocean rates

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Strong bookings out of Asia require more capacity than carriers can provide, which, according to Hapag-Lloyd, is having the predictable impact on prices.
MaritimeForwardingAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Europe rolls out its advance cargo filing ICS2 program

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The regulation is designed to enhance security across global supply chains and brings the EU in line with other major exporting countries.
MaritimePort NewsTransport, Trade and Regulation NewsTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

‘Peak’ of peak season lifts rates, demand in global air freight market

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The first week of December is traditionally when demand for air cargo reaches its highest level, and this year a wide imbalance between demand and available space is pushing up already elevated prices.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder NewsAir Cargo Carriers News

Schedule reliability remains key challenge for China-Europe rail

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
A host of factors can raise transit times on the 11,000-plus-kilometer rail network, undermining the trust of cargo owners that is a crucial selling point of the Asia-Europe connection.
SurfaceRail NewsForwardingInternational rail

Booming Central Asian economies lend lifeline to China-Europe rail

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Rising regional trade along the old Silk Road between China and Europe is driving up containerized rail volume on the middle corridor and the logistics infrastructure is struggling to keep up.
SurfaceForwardingInternational railIntermodal providers

Hapag-Lloyd joins Maersk in Chinese methanol supply deal

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Hapag-Lloyd has contracted with a Chinese energy producer for green methanol to power five 10,100-TEU chartered ships with methanol dual-fuel propulsion systems.
MaritimeContainer linesContainer Shipping News

Tightening Europe decarbonization measures will raise shipper costs: carriers

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Carrier compliance with European regulations targeting the reduction of carbon emissions will increase in 2025, and the rising costs that result will be passed on to customers through higher surcharges, liners say.
MaritimeContainer linesContainer Shipping News

Asia-Europe ocean rates up sharply ahead of carriers’ Dec. 1 price hikes

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Average spot rate levels on the Asia to Europe trade lanes have continued to increase through November as an early start to the Lunar New Year pushes up bookings, forwarders say.
MaritimeContainer linesAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Maersk’s methanol ship conversion tests retrofitting business case

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Converting an existing vessel to be able to operate on methanol requires major engineering work and could cost more than building a new ship with a shorter time to depreciate the investment, according to the carrier.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Global ocean volume in Q3 beat pandemic record: Blue Alpha Capital

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Frontloading and Red Sea diversions pushed volume and rates higher in the third quarter, and ongoing geopolitical disruption will allow carriers to extend their robust financial health into next year, according to the founder of the global equity firm.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Global shippers’ alliance to launch pioneering e-fuel ocean tender

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The urgent creation of new e-fuel markets for the most scalable net-zero solutions is essential if global cargo owners are to achieve their 2030 and 2040 climate goals, according to ZEMBA.
MaritimeContainer linesContainer Shipping News

Green ocean corridors hitting ‘feasibility wall’: Global Maritime Forum

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
A lack of action at the government level is now the number one bottleneck facing green corridor projects, according to a new report.
MaritimePort NewsContainer linesAsia-EuropeInternational portsContainer Shipping News

Gemini says will use London Gateway for shared network vessel calls

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The move comes as the DP World-operated hub is making large investments in berths and supporting infrastructure with a plan to grow its throughput and attract volumes from other UK ports, including top rival Felixstowe.
MaritimePort NewsContainer linesInternational portsContainer Shipping News

‘Calm’ trans-Atlantic ocean trade shrugs off market disruption

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
There are no signs of any rush to frontload ahead of potential tariff increases on European imports by the new US administration or to get cargo moving before a possible second strike by the ILA.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-Atlantic

Hapag-Lloyd makes $4 billion move down LNG path with 24-ship dual-fuel order

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The carrier has been restrained with its order book up to now, but the order for 312,000 TEUs of capacity comes as pressure to meet 2030 interim decarbonization targets intensifies.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-Pacific

Air cargo peak season elevates as Chinese export rates hit 2024 high

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Volume and rates on the Asian export corridors to the US and Europe have been high all year and online shopping promotions in November are further stoking the market.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder NewsAir Cargo Carriers NewsTransport, Trade and Regulation NewsForwarding

Scrapping, slow steaming, demand will limit capacity overhang: Clerc

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
A series of factors are bending the capacity curve back in favor of carriers and could lead to an improved supply-demand balance next year despite a large capacity overhang, believes the Maersk CEO.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Gemini faces 13-week phase-in before 90% reliability promise is tested: Clerc

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The new network will have a grace period for about three months as the first full port rotations are completed but must then quickly prove it can raise on-time performance to the promised levels, says Maersk’s CEO.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Maersk’s existing fleet size sufficient to handle short-term demand growth: CEO

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Fewer port calls in the Gemini network will allow the carrier to move greater volumes with the same number of ships, Vincent Clerc said while reporting a highly profitable third quarter.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

Asia-Europe shippers sail into contract talks with Red Sea top of agenda

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
There is no way to predict when carriers will return to the shorter route between Asia and Europe, and cargo owners want to factor that uncertainty into their long-term rate agreements for 2025.
MaritimeAsia-EuropeContainer Shipping News

Maersk secures long-term methanol supply in China production deal

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
With this latest deal, the combined methanol offtake agreements Maersk now has in place will meet half the demand from its fast-growing dual-fuel fleet in 2027.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

CMA CGM shores up West Med transshipment capacity with Moroccan JV

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
It is the second major port investment the Marseilles-based carrier has made recently after paying $1.2 billion last month for a majority stake in Brazil’s largest terminal operator.
MaritimePort NewsInternational ports

Asia-Europe air cargo demand jumps while ‘de minimis’ scrutiny hampers trans-Pac

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The recent rise in volume to Europe contrasts sharply with China-to-US tonnage that in the second half has fallen far below year-over-year levels following greater scrutiny by US authorities on e-commerce imports.
Air CargoAir Cargo Forwarder NewsAir Cargo Carriers NewsTransport, Trade and Regulation News

Value of Schenker takeover will manifest in expanding services: DSV CEO

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Jens Lund this week emphasized the earnings potential of the takeover, pointing to greater scale and a wider portfolio of services that would increase the combined entity’s reach.
Supply chainAir Cargo Forwarder NewsForwarding

Hapag-Lloyd raises full-year forecast on ‘stronger than expected’ Q3

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The first signs of solid third-quarter performances are being reported by ocean carriers, and with greater visibility over the rest of the year, they are ramping up their profitability expectations.
MaritimeContainer linesTrans-AtlanticAsia-EuropeTrans-PacificContainer Shipping News

DSV, K+N post solid Q3 revenue gains, but profit margins under pressure

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
Rising competition and tough negotiations with customers are believed to be behind the narrowing profit margins that were plainly displayed in the financial results of the two forwarders.
MaritimeAir Cargo Forwarder NewsForwarding
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