Latest guides
Everything I write here comes from real questions importers ask me every week. No fluff — just the numbers and rules that matter.
French port strike 30 October: reroute before the window closes
France's CGT dockers plan a nationwide stoppage on 30 October. Even if you don't ship to France, the spillover hits Rotterdam, Antwerp and UK gateways. Here is the rerouting window.
Read the guide →The EU ETS carbon line is now permanent on your freight quote
The EU Emissions Trading System now reaches ocean shipping, recovered as a carbon surcharge on your invoice. How importers should model the permanent line in their 2027 budgets.
Read the guide →Booked ≠ sailing: why your container can still miss the boat
Your booking is confirmed — but a mid-voyage port omission can still stop your container sailing. The difference between a blank sailing and a port omission, and how to protect China–Europe cargo.
Read the guide →No MRN, no loading: the ICS2 check that decides whether your container sails
From 30 September, EU-bound cargo can be refused at loading without a valid MRN. What ICS2 requires, why ENS filings get rejected, and the pre-cut-off checklist to run on every shipment.
Read the guide →EU steel imports: where was your metal melted?
From 1 October, steel entering the EU needs traceable evidence of the originating melt — and CBAM default values were revised retroactively. What machinery, fastener and parts importers must do now.
Read the guide →Missing coordinates will stop your cargo: getting ready for the EUDR deadline
From 30 December, coffee, wood, rubber and palm-oil goods need a due diligence statement with plot geolocation — before the customs declaration. The bottleneck is upstream, in China.
Read the guide →Importing into Germany: the customs details that decide your delivery date
EORI, invoice consistency, importer of record and ATLAS declarations — the four things that decide whether your container leaves Hamburg or waits.
Read the guide →Golden Week 2026: fewer sailings, earlier cut-offs, higher roll risk
Carriers have already blanked Asia–Europe sailings across weeks 39–41. What to check, what to book, and where to add buffer for October.
Read the guide →When the port stops: an importer's playbook for North European strikes
Two days of industrial action can cost a fortnight of schedule. A practical playbook for Hamburg, Rotterdam and Amsterdam disruption.
Read the guide →EU customs reform: what actually changes for importers
Platforms become importer of record, one Data Hub replaces 27 national systems, and the new Trust and Check status rewards clean data. What changes, and when it bites.
Read the guide →Port congestion is back — and your ETA is a guess
Global schedule reliability has fallen to 46%. What is clogging Hamburg, Rotterdam and Bremerhaven — and the three moves that protect your Q4 deliveries.
Read the guide →The map of China–Europe shipping is being redrawn
Four major carriers are sailing through Suez again. What that changes for your lead times — and the one question to ask before you book.
Read the guide →Your container cleared the port. Then the river got in the way.
Near-record low water on the Rhine is squeezing barge capacity into Germany and the Netherlands — right where your inland leg begins.
Read the guide →How to calculate your landed cost from China to Germany
The freight rate is only the start. Customs duty, 19% import VAT and handling can add a third on top of the goods value — here's the formula importers miss.
Read the guide →Sea vs air vs rail freight: choosing the right mode for China→Europe
How to balance cost, speed and volume when picking between ocean, air and rail.
Coming soonIncoterms 2020 for EU importers — EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP explained
Who pays for what, where risk transfers, and why your Incoterm changes your landed cost.
Coming soonGerman import VAT, EORI and customs duty: a plain-English guide
How Einfuhrumsatzsteuer, EORI numbers and HS codes actually work when you import into Germany.
Coming soonDutch Article 23: how to defer import VAT in the Netherlands
The postponement rule that lets you avoid paying import VAT upfront on goods into the Netherlands.
Coming soonDemurrage & detention: what they are and how to avoid paying more
Two of the most common surprise charges in sea freight — and the process habits that prevent them.
Coming soonLet's talk
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