Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics
Global turmoil creates risks and opportunities for project forwarders
[ September 11, 2026 // Chris Lewis ]Geopolitical instability, unpredictable trade policies and evolving regulations are challenging project cargo logistics, but they also create opportunities for agile carriers, said panellists at The Heavy Lift Group’s (THLG) 74th Conference in The Hague, Netherlands.
A ‘Trade in Transition: Geopolitics, Regulation and Opportunity in Project Cargo and Heavy Lift’ session, moderated by Waterborne Technology Platform Secretary General, Jaap Gebraad, focused on wars, sanctions, tariffs and trade policies and their impact on the sector.
A panel of experts agreed that carriers who discern clients’ needs quickly, prepare flexible risk management plans and respond innovatively were most likely to match the events theme of moving from ‘Uncertainty to Opportunity’ in ‘The Next Era of Global Trade’.
Panos Patsadas, global chartering manager for Trans Global Logistics highlighted how service providers needed to factor in the potential for instability into their planning in a changed landscape. “We have to think of alternatives. We cannot just go to the client with one solution and say: ‘This is it and hope that it works.’ We need to have a plan B and plan C, and this is very different to how the market was 10 years ago.”
Rather than single black swan events or individual wars, Patsadas said carriers now face situations where multiple conflicts and disruptions are happening at the same time. As a result, traditional risk management for technical issues is no longer sufficient, with clients asking for multiple solutions that can adapt to events that may be months ahead – pricing that factors in volatile fuel costs.
Christian Buss, head of chartering at Briese Chartering agreed, explaining that the German shipowner’s risk assessment for its fleet of 30 tweendecker vessels also considers the port-to-port operational dimension, along with the wider challenges and uncertainties affecting the project cargo supply chain.
Clinton Eckersall, director of Australian forwarding and project freight company AAW Global Logistics said unfolding global events suggested it would be a mistake to expect things to go ‘back to normal’.
As a non-asset owning operator he said: “Project logistics is one of the most exciting businesses in our group at the moment with everything that’s going on. I think the environment we are now in will continue to be as it is – in flux.
Eckersall added: “I don’t think we are focused enough on the opportunities presented by the way the world is. The ability to be agile in these times is key; companies that can adapt quickly and respond effectively to change will be best placed to serve the sector.”
George Tzogopoulos, lecturer, European Institute of Nice (Cife), Fellow at ELIAMEP and the BESA Center, observed that a past where trade had been considered a key driver for geopolitics had given way to a present where geopolitics are shaping economics.
It remained extremely difficultto draw conclusions about what effect US-Iran relations would have on global shipping, he said, although it seemed clear that unilateralism would continue to define US foreign policy.
The recent visit by President Donald Trump to Beijing suggested moves towards resolving the trade dispute between the US and China. “Without such a modus vivendi, we cannot be optimistic about the future,” he observed.
Patsadas said that over time shipping and logistics have proven to be extremely flexible and adaptable industries – no matter what is thrown at them.
“I’ve learned over the years that difficult times like this present an opportunity to challenge the norm and come up with new ways of doing things,” he said. “If you can come up with a new solution or a different way to get goods moving, it can open a door for you to reach out to new business that was previously unavailable to you.”
Political impacts are also opening new trades, Buss added, citing new markets in the movement of fertilizers after sanctions were applied to traditional suppliers like Russia and Belarus because of the war in Ukraine as one example.
Once there is peace in Ukraine, other opportunities will emerge to ship building materials and steel, for example. “Whatever happens always has an impact somewhere. The people who adapt the fastest can do the business. It’s about speed and having the right ideas at the right time.”
Maintaining close relationships with clients is also critical, Patsadas reminded the audience. He said it was vital to listen to customer feedback.
“You can have the best solutions in your mind, but that might not be the solution your customer needs. In order to be agile, you need to be in front of your customers to understand what they truly want so you can build those solutions,” he said.
Tags: THLG