Trade friction in the Gulf kept its grip on ocean markets this week, while carriers and 3PLs pressed ahead with capacity and technology bets. Below, the moves worth your attention across operations, automation, energy and global trade.
Operations & 3PL
Kuehne+Nagel is building a new Container Freight Station in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, due for completion in June 2027. The site will offer more than 20,000 square metres of warehouse space and more than triples the group’s existing CFS capacity in the country. It sits close to Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the international airport and cross-border road links. Source: Container News
DP World posted first-half revenue of $12.7 billion, up 13.1% year-on-year, with gains across Logistics, Marine Services and its international Ports and Terminals portfolio. That growth offset softer activity at Jebel Ali as trade flows through the Middle East stayed volatile. A reminder that diversified networks absorb shocks better than single-hub operators. Source: Hellenic Shipping News
Acertus, the Kansas-based finished-vehicle logistics specialist, acquired Fisher Shipping. The deal widens its carrier and customer base and deepens ties with OEMs and dealers across transport, storage, titling and registration. Terms were not disclosed. Source: American Shipper
Bpost switched on its first Bbox City Network in Ostend, a dense grid of parcel lockers built with the municipality. The aim: handle rising e-commerce volumes without adding pressure on urban mobility and public space. Expect more city-led locker deals as last-mile density becomes a planning question, not just a logistics one. Source: Post & Parcel
Technology & Automation
Volvo Trucks says over-the-air software updates have cut unplanned stops by 24% and saved roughly $60 million. Drivers trigger updates overnight or during breaks, so trucks stay on the road. Chief Digital Officer Nicole Portello framed it as a shift in how fleets manage maintenance windows. Source: American Shipper
MapUp launched FuelGuru MCP, which it calls the first production Model Context Protocol server built for fleet fuel purchasing, tolls and truck routing. The pitch is simple: AI dispatch agents are good at finding loads but poor at pricing them. FuelGuru lets any agent, load board or TMS copilot ask what a specific trip actually costs for a specific truck. Source: American Shipper
Acepillar, a Qisda unit, moved its industrial computing platform into humanoid robotics, targeting high-compute, low-latency control. The company says its system passed overseas customer validation, reached mass delivery and now runs in humanoid robot deployments in Europe and the US. Source: DIGITIMES
Sustainability & Energy
The Port of Tanjung Pelepas commissioned Malaysia’s first electric prime mover fleet. The first 21 units entered service on 11 August, with 52 planned in total and the rest arriving in stages by end-September. Terberg Tractors Malaysia supplies the equipment under a December 2025 deal. Source: Container News
Lloyd’s Register’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping released a suite of safety and training resources for ammonia-fuelled vessels. The toxic fuel needs new competencies and safety management before it scales, and the guidance targets exactly that gap for owners and operators. Source: Hellenic Shipping News
A separate MMMCZCS study argues that FuelEU Maritime and the EU ETS should harmonise how they account for emissions. Misaligned accounting slows the uptake of low-emission drop-in fuels, the centre warns, at a moment when supply of those fuels is already tight. Source: Hellenic Shipping News
And a useful reframe on warehouse automation: treat sustainability as an input, not an afterthought. Smaller footprints, lower energy use and less packaging waste turn a heavy upfront outlay into long-run savings, argues SupplyChainBrain. Source: SupplyChainBrain
International Markets
The Strait of Hormuz disruption is cutting both ways for container lines. Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd report sharply higher operating costs alongside stronger rates, a paradox that has defined the last five months of Gulf risk. Source: gCaptain
In Korea, SK Shipping and H-Line Shipping, both owned by private equity firm Hahn & Co., will swap tankers and contracts to build one of the world’s largest LNG carrier operators. Consolidation in gas shipping continues as owners chase scale on long-haul routes. Source: gCaptain
Drewry’s World Container Index rose for a second straight week. Higher transpacific rates outweighed softer Asia-Europe pricing as carriers keep a tight hand on capacity. Shippers planning peak season should assume that discipline holds. Source: gCaptain
The proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern combination, already the most scrutinised merger in US transport history, hit another wall. Seven Republican attorneys general joined the coalition urging the Surface Transportation Board to reject America’s first transcontinental railroad, calling the competition remedy far too thin. Source: The Loadstar
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