The Strait of Hormuz has been closed to commercial shipping since the end of February. One month on, the world is still counting the cost. Freight rates are rising, bunkers and jet fuel are running short, and the risk of escalation into the Red Sea and beyond is growing.

In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King is joined by two of the most respected voices in the industry:

Lars Jensen, CEO, Vespucci Maritime

Greg Knowler, Europe Editor, Journal of Commerce

Together they cover:

✅ Is the Middle East conflict actually a global shipping crisis — or a regional one?

✅ Container shipping rates: are we heading for a Red Sea-style spike or not?

✅ Bunker fuel shortages in Asia — why availability is becoming a bigger problem than price

✅ Jet fuel shortages and the collapse of air cargo capacity through Gulf hubs

✅ The intermodal alternatives: Saudi Red Sea ports, Khorfakkan, Salalah — and their limits

✅ The danger of escalation: Houthis, Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the eastern Mediterranean

✅ What US importers are facing on top of the existing tariff chaos

✅ Why supply chain resilience always loses out to efficiency — and what shippers can do about it

✅ Lars Jensen's forecast for container shipping rates in the weeks ahead

Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, leading Asia-Pacific freight forwarder and logistics provider. https://dimerco.com

#MiddleEastConflict #ContainerShipping #GlobalTrade #SupplyChain #Freight #ShippingCrisis #Hormuz #AirCargo #BunkerFuel #FreightRates #SupplyChainResilience #FreightBuyersClub #LarsJensen #GregKnowler #Dimerco #OceanFreight #Logistics #Intermodal #RedSea #TradeDisruption

Recorded live at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru, Mike King sits down with Andres Bianchi, CEO of LATAM Cargo, the cargo arm of the largest airline group in South America.

Andres breaks down LATAM Cargo's network across North America, Europe and intra-South America, their fleet of 19 Boeing 767 freighters, and why 65% of their cargo is special cargo, dominated by perishables like Chilean salmon, Ecuadorian flowers and Peruvian fruit.

We cover the structural changes hitting e-commerce and de minimis exemptions across Latin America, how LATAM Cargo planned for multiple tariff scenarios without having to implement most of them, and how the Middle East conflict is sending shockwaves through supply chains.

Andres also explains how LATAM Cargo handles fuel surcharge transparency with customers in a volatile pricing environment, and outlines plans for 5 to 7% belly capacity growth in 2026, with a focus on cargo-heavy European routes including Amsterdam and Brussels.

Topics covered:

• IATA World Cargo Symposium 2025 takeaways
• LATAM Cargo fleet and network overview
• Perishables, pharma and lithium battery cargo
• US tariffs, trade war and de minimis changes
• Middle East conflict and supply chain disruption
• Fuel surcharges and price volatility
• LATAM Cargo 2026 growth outlook

This content is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group. Learn more at dimerco.com.

#AirCargo #AirFreight #LATAMCargo #IATAWorldCargoSymposium #FreightBuyersClub #SouthAmericaFreight #Perishables #ColdChain #LogisticsPodcast #FreightPodcast #SupplyChain #Ecommerce #DeMinimis #Tariffs #TradeWar #FuelSurcharge #CargoFleet #FreightMarket #AirCargoIndustry #Dimerco

Logistics technology promises a lot. But how do you know if a vendor is selling you reality or a roadmap? In this Freight Buyers' Club interview from TPM26 in Long Beach, Mike King sits down with independent logistics technology consultant Mike DeAngelis, who has worked across Maersk, INTTRA, WiseTech Global, project44 and FourKites, to get the questions every freight buyer and shipper should be asking before they commit.

From clean versus dirty data to the risks of automating AI workflows on unreliable sources, Mike DeAngelis cuts through the sales pitch to give shippers a practical framework for evaluating any logistics tech platform.

LogTech Industry veteran, ex - Maersk, INTTRA, WiseTech Global, p44, FourKites

In this interview:

• Why the sales pitch and the software are often two different things
• What clean data actually means and why it matters for AI
• How to structure a vendor conversation around your use cases, not their features
• Why you should always ask for a live demo, not a PowerPoint
• The importance of getting your actual users in the room
• Why reference customers are one of the most valuable and underused evaluation tools

Whether you are assessing a visibility platform, a TMS, or an AI-driven workflow tool, the framework here applies across the board.

This content was brought to you by Ontegos Cloud, freight forwarder profitability specialists.

#FreightBuyers #LogisticsTech #SupplyChain #FreightProcurement #AI #ShippingTech #FreightBuyersClub