February data shows that air cargo maintained the modest improvement in demand that began in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the International Air Transport Association.

During the past few years much has been reported about the transfer of manufacturing from Asia to countries located closer to western markets, but much of it appears to be hype over substance.

Challenge: Port Jersey Logistics provided fulfillment services for a Korea-based skincare product manufacturer, who soon landed a trial-run with one of the country's largest retailers. The unknown brand ran the risk of going unnoticed by consumers, so the skincare company promised the retailer "Buy-One, Get-One-Free" dual packs. A hurdle: the products were manufactured and packaged in South Korea and it was impossible for newly-packaged 2-for-1's to reach the retailer in time for their test run.

Drewry's research shows that the average size of vessel deployed between Asia and North Europe now exceeds 10,000 TEUs for the first time. Orders for Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) have been quiet recently, but the pace of growth in vessel sizes will continue to outstrip cargo growth for the foreseeable future.