Maersk Line and Hamburg Süd are ranked as the two most reliable container shipping carriers, according to performance rankings in the new online version of the Carrier Performance Insight (http://cpi.drewry.co.uk) published by shipping consultancy Drewry.

LPG exports are so dependent on the severity of winter in North America that all eyes are on the weather, as it hit demand for very large gas carriers (VLGCs) last year, according to the latest edition of the LPG Forecaster, published by shipping consultancy Drewry.

Carriers can still make money despite falling freight rates, according to Drewry's latest Container Annual Review & Forecast 2014/15. Surprisingly, some medium-sized lines retain unit cost advantages.

The global logistics and shipping industry's top technology priority is improving supply chain visibility capabilities to integrate higher quality data, according to a survey conducted for INTTRA, the multi-carrier e-commerce network for ocean shipping.

It's fair to say that some mouths dropped in some quarters when word got out that the vice president of supply chain for McDonald's in the UK said he had handshakes rather than formal contracts with key suppliers. In dispensing with the written word, the fast-food chain formed long-term relationships with its partners in food, packaging and distribution, and included them in planning – even helping to set prices and volumes. Said Warren Anderson, "We don’t have contracts, but we do have our very assured supply partnerships with our food and paper suppliers," he said. "A gentleman’s handshake is just as powerful here."