Capital kept moving through the supply chain this morning. Logistics real estate funds filled up, a record port deal landed in Brazil, and carriers pushed methanol and CO2 shipping a step further. Here is what mattered in the last 24 hours.
Operations & 3PL
Bridge Investment Group, an Apollo affiliate, closed a fund of nearly $1.4 billion aimed at acquiring logistics properties. Warehouse and distribution assets remain a magnet for institutional money even as rents cool in parts of Europe and the US. Source: FreightWaves
Open Road Ventures bought intermodal freight broker Double-Stack Logistics. The private equity firm is betting on intermodal as shippers look for cheaper alternatives to long-haul trucking. Terms were not disclosed. Source: FreightWaves
Cargo-partner, part of the Nippon Express Group, widened its European road transport network. The expansion centres on trade corridors linking Slovakia with neighbouring markets, reinforcing the forwarder’s overland reach across Central Europe. Source: Container News
Target opened a $367 million food distribution centre in Colorado. The site backs a broader push to expand in-store grocery selection, and it signals that big-box retailers still see fresh and food categories as worth the capital. Source: American Shipper
Technology & Automation
C.H. Robinson rolled out Lean Engineer AI, which it describes as the first tool to actively run a shipper’s global supply chain while flagging optimisation opportunities. The 3PL has been stacking AI features quarter after quarter. This one targets continuous, hands-off tuning of network decisions. Source: Logistics Management
Zebra Technologies launched a “super app” that consolidates the tangle of applications running on warehouse handhelds. Workers who scan barcodes and manage tasks often juggle a dozen separate tools. Zebra wants one interface to replace the clutter. Source: DC Velocity
A new analysis argues the next layer of enterprise supply chain architecture sits above ERP, TMS and WMS, not inside them. Orchestration and intelligence layers would coordinate across systems of record rather than replace them. The systems stay; the decision-making moves up a level. Source: Logistics Viewpoints
Descartes posted record revenue of $194 million for its fiscal first quarter, up 15% year on year. CEO Ed Ryan tied demand to a volatile trade environment, with customers leaning on the network to manage tariffs and the refund process. Source: FreightWaves
Sustainability & Energy
Hapag-Lloyd and Seaspan finished the first vessel conversion under their joint methanol retrofit programme. The Seaspan Yangtze returned to service with its main engine upgraded to run on methanol, a template the pair plans to repeat across more ships. Source: Container News
Northern Lights awarded a long-term charter for a new 12,000-cubic-metre liquefied CO2 carrier. The vessel goes to a consortium of Japan’s “K” Line and Malaysia’s MISC, extending the carbon-shipping fleet that underpins Europe’s carbon capture and storage ambitions. Source: gCaptain
Deloitte promoted Smruti Naik-Jones to chief sustainability officer for its new Europe, Middle East and Africa business. The move folds sustainability strategy into a single EMEA structure, a sign that advisory firms are consolidating how they sell and govern ESG work. Source: ESG Dive
International Markets
AD Ports Group agreed to buy Brazilian agri-bulk terminal operator CLI for AED 3.1 billion, or about $835 million. It is the Abu Dhabi group’s largest acquisition yet and pushes its footprint deeper into South American grain and bulk flows. Source: Container News
MSC reportedly took a majority stake in Ukraine’s Transinvestservice container terminal at the port of Yuzhny. The deal widens the carrier’s European port network and places a bet on Black Sea capacity despite the region’s risks. Source: The Loadstar
The US Trade Representative proposed new Section 301 tariffs covering 60 countries, timed as the White House’s 10% Section 122 duties approach their late-July expiry. Importers now face a fresh round of uncertainty heading into peak season. Source: Logistics Management
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Updated daily — your morning briefing on global supply chain.
