The U.K.'s Freight Transport Association (FTA) welcomed Prime Minister Teresa May's call last week for a transition period as a key priority for Brexit negotiations. But, as May's Tories grip on power continues to erode against an ascendant Labor party, the prime minister's pragmatic turn might be too little, too late, and the future of U.K.-E.U. trade remains unclear.

The International Union of Marine Insurance has called for better fire-fighting systems on board container ships, citing its concern that current provisions are insufficient given the growing size of container vessels and a recent spate of fires on board ships.

Fiji Airways reports that it has made in-cabin inspections of emergency equipment faster and more efficient across its fleet of 15 airplanes, with the use of radio frequency identification technology.

Despite some typically cautious warnings that the current growth cycle may be nearing a peak, industry-wide freight tonne kilometer (FTK) growth is at its strongest pace since 2010 - and global business and consumer confidence levels point to solid improvement at least through the third quarter, IATA said in its Q3 2017 "Cargo Chartbook."

A little white winged pod lifts itself off the ground and glides off into the distance. The whole movement looks effortless. It's like watching Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder - except we're in a nondescript airfield in Germany, not the planet Tatooine.

Shanghai International Shipping Institute recently published its Global Port Development Report for the second quarter of 2017, saying that cargo throughputs at major ports around the world continued to rise.

A light breeze blew against the enormous hangars that dominate the pastoral skyline of Bedfordshire, like Brobdingnagian relics in Gulliver's Travels. "The weather was fine," the post-accident report stated - perfect conditions for the Airlander 10's second test flight, scheduled for Aug. 24, 2016.

Many shippers were caught off-guard last August when the world's seventh-largest container line suddenly went into receivership. An estimated $14bn in cargo was left in limbo after two-thirds of South Korea-based Hanjin's fleet - some 93 vessels - were seized, stranded or denied entry into ports.