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New UK cyber bill to force logistics operators to rip out their tech?

A piece of legislation working its way through the House of Lords right now could hand British ministers the authority to order transport and logistics operators to remove technology from vendors deemed a national security risk. Most of those operators, if pressed, probably could not tell you exactly whose kit is sitting inside their operational technology stack. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill completed its passage through the Commons on June 16 and entered Lords committee stage on September ...

China set to open Pinglu Canal - its new shortcut to South-East Asia

China is plotting a shortcut for shipping from its south-west region to South-east Asia with the opening of the Pinglu Canal on 15 September. The $10.8bn waterway connects Nanning, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to Beibu Gulf, between China and Vietnam. South-east Asia is now China's largest trading partner, with $766bn of trade in the first seven months of 2026. China's Maritime Safety Administration today released a nautical chart covering the approaches to the Pinglu Canal, as navigation aids along the canal's seaward section were put in place, completing the maritime safety system covering both channel markings and charting. Described as a "project of the century," the 134.2 km canal is a key component of China's 'New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor'. It is also the first canal in China to have been planned at national level since the founding of the people's republic in 1949. The new nautical chart covers a 22km newly constructed coastal stretch from Qinjiang Bridge, on the G75 Lanhai Expressway, through the Longmen Bridge area, to the connection with Qinzhou Port, and is linked with the existing port charts, creating continuous coverage of the Qinzhou harbour area in Beibu Gulf. China hopes to accelerate cargo flows and decrease shipping costs to South-east Asia, and the canal's opening coincides with the 23rd China-Asean Expo, scheduled for 17-21 September, in Nanning. Currently, goods are trucked from Nanning to Qinzhou port and this costs around $387 per 40ft. Feedering or barging goods along the canal could halve the costs. To improve navigational safety, the South China Sea Aids to Navigation Centre, under the Ministry of Transport, has installed 127 navigation marks along the canal's coastal waters. These include lighted buoys, bridge navigation markers, beacons, and pipeline markers designed to provide vessels with clear and accurate guidance, particularly when navigating beneath bridges. The Pinglu Canal was designed to accommodate vessels weighing up to 5,000 tonnes.

Volcanic ash disrupts operations at Indonesian airports

The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau is disrupting Indonesia's airfreight network, with forwarders warning customers of delays, flight cancellations, and potential capacity constraints. The disruption has centred on Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia's principal international gateway, which was among nine airports forced to suspend operations over the weekend as ash from the volcano entered their airspace. More than 2,900 flights were cancelled, delayed, or diverted across the affected airports, according to Indonesian authorities. Soekarno-Hatta and four other airports have since reopened after ash was cleared, although aircraft inspections and operational recovery are still required. For airfreight operators, the disruption is significant, even though cargo flights represent only a fraction of the affected services. Only 10 cargo flights were among those cancelled, although many of the passenger flights had belly cargo. Market estimates put affected belly cargo volumes at around 2,000 tonnes. An LX Pantos' spokesperson told The Loadstar the forwarder expected the backlog to be cleared this week. Soekarno-Hatta's latest figures put its backlog at 461 domestic, 156 international, and seven cargo flights, and 3PLs have been advising customers to expect a slowdown in cargo handling, as airport reopenings will not immediately restore normal freight operations. French forwarder Logfret said the Jakarta disruption could affect particularly urgent, high-value, and time-sensitive shipments, and identified alternative Indonesian gateways, including Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, and Kertajati, as potential routing options, with some flights already being diverted to Kertajati. Logfret said: "Shippers should closely monitor flight status and cargo bookings, and consider alternative Indonesian gateways where operationally feasible. Time-critical shipments may require additional flexibility as airlines work through disrupted schedules and available capacity is redistributed." Forwarders explained that cargo already held at terminals must be processed, aircraft and crews repositioned, and backlogged shipments fitted into limited available capacity. UK-based 3PL Atlantic Pacific Global Logistics said: "This could lead to slower recovery times, reduced short-term capacity, and missed onward connections."