Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) has standardized the code for all the container facilities it uses globally, the first carrier to use a facility code format developed in part by the Digital Container Shipping Association.

project44 is moving beyond freight visibility into booking through a new product that uses carrier location data to identify when truckload capacity is soon to be available for freight brokers to book.

Vendorflow, a new platform to harmonize communications between logistics providers and the carriers they use, has secured funding from a range of venture capital investors with previous logistics expertise.

Beacon’s $50 million funding round, backed in part by notable investors like Jeff Bezos and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, continues venture capital’s fascination with the digital forwarding model.

A Chicago-based trucking platform focused on cross-border freight has launched a contract board for small carriers to find repetitive, complementary loads from large shippers.

Logistics software vendor Cargobase has expanded its reach into the transportation management system market, driven by demand from its spot procurement technology customers.

A demurrage dispute between a New York customs broker and Mediterranean Shipping Co. unmasks the degree to which key communication of shipment milestones is overly reliant on email.

Visibility provider FourKites has worked with consumer packaged goods customers to develop a way to connect orders to in-transit freight and yard data to improve supply chain planning.

Consolidation on one end of the forwarding software market is creating openings on the other end, especially for systems that provide lightweight tools for small forwarders.

Portchain has turned traction for its berth planning software into a cash injection intended to fuel its ability to help terminals better utilize resources as they grapple with port congestion.

Transfix’s announcement that it is going public will serve as a comparison against incumbent brokers and a reference point for other digital brokers and technology providers with public aspirations.

project44 continues its active 2021 with the $255 million acquisition of last-mile visibility platform Convey, the Chicago-based company’s largest purchase to date.

Investors have backed technology provider Altana AI’s vision of building a map of trade network to underpin solutions for shippers, logistics providers, and customs agencies.

NVOs controlled more than half of total eastbound trans-Pacific volume through the first eight months of 2021, indicating a shift toward reliance on spot rates in the midst of widespread vessel and equipment shortages stemming from a massive spike in consumer demand.

A huge funding round for Utah-based digital customs technology provider Zonos shows that online cross-borders sellers new to international trade struggle to accurately calculate the cost of duties.

A consortium of container industry heavyweights has enlisted three banks in Asia to advise it on development of trade finance solutions to tether shipping data to new financing opportunities.

Private equity fund Bridgepoint has funneled capital into supply chain technology provider Blume Global, which has customers in nearly every segment of the global logistics industry.

TrueCommerce’s acquisition of competitor DiCentral gives it a deeper roster of supplier and transportation partner connections for its now 18,000-strong customer base.

Google Cloud is using project44 to boost the visibility prowess of its supply chain solutions, as cloud-hosting giants target the logistics industry.

A new funding round into London-based forwarding automation specialist Vector.ai highlights the need for forwarders to offload administrative tasks to keep up with industry growth and complexity.

Taking aim at a lack of proof-of-delivery certainty in global logistics, Clockwork Logistics Systems has received financial backing from a range of logistics-focused investors.

Container visibility data specialist Vizion’s latest funding round adds more fuel to a market searching for quality, real-time ocean freight milestone information to execution systems.

Magaya’s acquisition of two forwarding technology providers lets customers manage instant quoting and customer service through a unified platform to compete with digital forwarders.

More funding has flowed into container visibility solutions to address a growing need for shippers and their logistics providers to predict where and when disruptions are likely to occur.

As shippers and forwarders deal with limits on their ocean freight capacity allocations from carriers, software provider Slync.io has released a product that tethers booking activity to space allocations.

Port executives need to adopt best practices for preparing for responding to cybersecurity attacks, according to a new set of guidelines from the International Association of Ports and Harbors.

The responses of two major carriers to an importer’s complaint to the US Federal Maritime Commission underscores the difficulty in using a regulatory avenue to settle contract disputes.

Acquisitions and large funding rounds have catapulted standalone multimodal platforms to market-leading positions, but the growing list of global and domestic visibility providers signals ongoing demand for different approaches to freight visibility.

Carriers expect another increase in profit in the second half of the year as a lack of available vessel capacity and port and landside congestion, particularly in North America and Asia, continues to push rates up.

Rate increases on the Trans-Pacific vary because of what benchmarking platform Xeneta described as a “whole series of different markets” for different shippers.

Maersk is building on the mutually enforceable aspects of its Spot product through a new flexible contract that it believes will reduce reliance on unreliable allocation demand forecasts.

A new digitally focused ocean freight consolidator believes it can piggyback on demand in India for less-than-container load (LCL) services with a transparent approach to pricing.

Consolidation in the global logistics sector continues with DHL’s parent company acquiring compatriot forwarder JF Hillebrand, which specializes in beverage and bulk liquid logistics.

A month after grabbing its first North American customer, Portchain has added a new Mediterranean transshipment terminal to its growing footprint of container ports using its berth planning software.

Trucking load board DAT’s partnerships with a range of small carrier software vendors signify the importance of aggregating small carrier demand in a market in which brokers are hungry for capacity.

Early-stage logistics marketplace FreightMango will use container visibility data from Vizion to bolster its offerings to shippers, part of a wider trend of forwarding platfoms needing better tracking information.

The acquisition of parcel consolidator Access Worldwide by startup cross-border shipping platform Passport is likely targeted at cost-conscious shippers needing to fulfill small package orders.

Shypple has acquired a perishables competitor that it says will expand its geographic presence in Latin America and Asia, while giving it a leg up on other digital forwarders.

Leaf Logistics has carved out a niche by enabling shippers to tie up forward truckload contracts, but is now aiming to help them move more volume away from static contract rates.

Freightify, formerly known as FreightBro, has landed $2.5 million in funding to support a global expansion of its vertical approach to online ocean rate management software.