The highly profitable container market benefited all shipping lines this year, but for Pacific International Lines it has enabled the debt-stricken carrier to pull back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Maersk’s joint venture with Durban-based forwarder and terminal operator Grindrod — along with other recent purchases and partnerships — could be the start of a splurge of similar deals as a cash-rich Maersk strengthens its global logistics footprint.

Transport associations, unions, and other industry groups have made an urgent call to the United Nations to lift restrictions that limit the cross-border movement of supply chain workers.

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.