Guides
Plain-English explainers written by people who do the job.
Industry bodies & accreditations: who's behind the badge
IATA, FIATA, the CAA, IMO, BIMCO, P&I clubs, DVSA, RHA, Logistics UK, ADR, HMRC AEO, BIFA, CILT, the chambers, ICC, LEEA and ESTA: what each badge means and why it matters.
Read the guide →October 2026Float-on, float-off: how a jack-up gets onto a semi-sub
Ballast and weather windows, cribbing and seafastening, MWS sign-off, and wet tow vs dry transport, with recent rig moves.
Read the guide →October 2026The heavy-lift orderbook wave, 2028–2031
COSCO, SAL Orca, Jumbo L-class, Allseas Grand Tour and Cadeler: who is building what, and what it could mean for space and rates.
Read the guide →October 2026Rig Moves #1: four contracts and the moves behind them
Arabian Drilling/KJO, Noble/Tullow Ghana, ExxonMobil/Noble Guyana and Transocean Equatorial Guinea, and the logistics each implies.
Read the guide →October 2026Incoterms 2020 explained: all 11 rules, who pays what and where risk passes
The 11 Incoterms® 2020 rules in plain English, with a seller vs buyer chart and advice for containers and project cargo. Incoterms 2030 status included.
Read the guide →October 2026VGM explained: Verified Gross Mass under SOLAS, with a Method 2 calculator
Method 1 vs Method 2, the UK MCA rules and ±5% or ±500 kg tolerance (whichever is greater), cut-offs, flat racks and OOG, plus a free VGM calculator.
Read the guide →October 2026Dangerous goods by sea: the IMDG Code in plain English
The 9 classes, UN numbers, packing groups, the DG declaration and packing certificate, placards, segregation and training (Amendment 42-24).
Read the guide →October 2026Dangerous goods by air: IATA DGR, lithium batteries and the Shipper's Declaration
The current IATA DGR edition, passenger vs cargo aircraft only, lithium battery PI 965 to 970 and the new 30% state of charge rule, labels and training.
Read the guide →October 2026Importing and exporting from the UK: the basics
EORI (GB/XI), VAT and the £90,000 threshold, postponed VAT accounting, duty deferment, declarations and agents, and record keeping.
Read the guide →October 2026Commodity codes and tariffs: how they work
6-digit HS, 8 digits for UK exports and 10 for UK imports, with links to the UK Trade Tariff, Advance Tariff Rulings, the US HTS and the EU TARIC.
Read the guide →October 2026ATA Carnets and certificates of origin
Temporary export of equipment and samples with an ATA Carnet (costs, security, validity), plus non-preferential vs preferential origin.
Read the guide →October 2026Bunker surcharges explained: BAF, LSS, ETS and FuelEU on your freight invoice
What BAF, LSS, EU ETS, UK ETS and FuelEU Maritime surcharges are, how carriers work them out, why they move and how to check them on an invoice.
Read the guide →October 2026New ships: 24,000 TEU container ships, and geared vs gearless heavy-lift vessels
What the biggest container ships mean for ports, rates and congestion, plus a practical guide to geared and gearless heavy-lift ships and checking crane capacity.
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