MCL Global Forwarding

15/09/2026

Commercial furniture is one of the more awkward categories to move well.

Bulky, often irregularly shaped, easy to damage in transit and hard to pack efficiently into a standard container. Which is exactly why a lot of forwarders quote it high and hope, rather than planning it properly.

MCL handles commercial furniture freight for retailers and importers bringing in stock at volume. Working out the right container mix, packing methods that hold up over a multi-week sea voyage and timelines that account for how much space furniture actually needs versus what a generic quote assumes.

If your current freight arrangement is costing you more in damage and wasted space than it should, worth a conversation.

mclglobal.com.au

13/09/2026

In 2025, global port throughput crossed 1 billion TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) for the first time on record, according to UNCTAD's shipping data.

Put another way: somewhere between 80–90% of everything traded in the world, by volume, travels by sea at some point.

The container ship is the least glamorous, most load-bearing piece of infrastructure most people never think about.

Yours is in there somewhere too.

Stuart.
Director, MCL Global Forwarding
mclglobal.com.au

10/09/2026

China's Golden Week (1 - 7 October) is a few weeks away and it always does the same thing to Asia-Oceania capacity: earlier vessel cut-offs, tighter space and a higher chance of rolled cargo for anyone booking late.

Base ocean freight rates are already sitting firm. The Drewry World Container Index was around US$4,473/FEU in late August (note that this is a base rate only, not an all-in figure, eg: fuel, war-risk and low-sulphur surcharges sit on top and should always be checked separately).

If you've got October cargo out of Asia that isn't booked yet, now's the time.

mclglobal.com.au

06/09/2026

The best freight move is the one you don't have to think about.

Your goods left a factory in China. They cleared customs, transferred through a transhipment hub, sailed 8,000 kilometres, cleared Australian biosecurity and arrived at a warehouse exactly when they need to be.

Nobody called. Nobody chased. Nobody had to chase.

Outcomes like these don't happen automatically. They happen because someone is watching the sailing schedule, monitoring the blank sailing announcements, checking the biosecurity requirements for the commodity, coordinating with the customs broker and making sure the delivery booking is confirmed before the vessel arrives.

That is what we do for our clients. The measure of good freight forwarding is not how well we handle problems... it's how rarely our clients have to know there was one.

Stuart.
mclglobal.com.au

03/09/2026

Most people know that freight exists. Fewer people appreciate the scale of it.

The global container shipping industry is the backbone of modern commerce. Almost everything manufactured in one country and consumed in another moves inside a steel box on a ship. Including the machinery, equipment, furniture and materials that Australian businesses import every year.

A few numbers that put it in perspective:
- 80% of world trade by volume moves by sea. Not most, more than eighty per cent.
- Global merchandise trade is worth approximately $14 trillion annually. That is not the value of the freight, that is the value of the goods inside the containers.
- A single ultra-large container vessel can carry upwards of 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent containers. Each box on that ship represents a separate shipment, a separate importer, a separate supply chain.
- Right now, Cape of Good Hope rerouting (driven by Red Sea and Hormuz disruptions) is adding approximately 30 extra sailing days on East-West routes. On a supply chain calibrated for Suez transit times, that is a significant buffer to absorb.

This is the industry MCL operates in every day. We help Australian businesses navigate it.

mclglobal.com.au

29/08/2026

People sometimes assume that because MCL is based in Perth, we are a local operation with limited reach.

The reality is the opposite. Being Perth-based means we are close to our clients, which matters enormously when things need to move quickly. But through our global partner networks, including LOGNET, Specialist Freight Networks and the Global Affinity Alliance — we have trusted relationships across every major freight corridor in the world.

Asia. Europe. North America. The Middle East. Africa. Wherever your goods need to go, we know who we are calling on the other end.

Local accountability. Global reach.

That is what MCL is built on.

mclglobal.com.au

25/08/2026

There is a version of freight forwarding that is entirely transactional.

You get a rate, you book a container, you wait. When something goes wrong (and eventually something always does) you find out who you are actually dealing with.

The part that cannot be automated, outsourced, or replaced by a platform is the relationship.
Knowing who to call at 11pm on a Friday.
Having a partner who already understands your supply chain before the problem starts. Working with someone who has a reason to care about the outcome.
That is what MCL is built on.

Not always the cheapest rate on the day, but the relationship that keeps your supply chain moving across the years.

Stuart McLintock
Director, MCL Global Forwarding

☎️ 1300 115 851
🌐 mclglobal.com.au
📧 [email protected]

MCL Global Forwarding is an international freight forwarder providing high-quality logistics solutions to local businesses and international network partners. Headquartered in Perth, MCL is ready to assist with your air, sea or land freight requirements.

18/08/2026

If your goods are moving through Shanghai, Ningbo, or Qingdao right now — or waiting to, here is what you need to know. Typhoon activity across North Asia is currently causing vessel delays of 7 to 10 days on affected service strings. These are not speculative risks, they are live disruptions affecting schedules right now, as reported in Helka's August 2026 Oceania market briefing.

For Australian and New Zealand importers, the practical impact is twofold: delayed vessel arrivals at origin, and knock-on effects at Australian ports as schedules compress and vessel bunching follows.

If you have time-critical cargo from East or North China in August or early September, our strong recommendation is to book now and to discuss whether air freight is the right contingency for anything that cannot absorb a 7 to 10 day window.

This is exactly the kind of disruption that is much easier to plan around than to recover from. If you are not sure how your specific shipment is affected, call us.

Stuart

☎️ 1300 115 851
🌐 mclglobal.com.au
📧 [email protected]

16/08/2026

MCL Global Freight Briefing: August 2026

Each month I share a short, honest read on what I see happening in global freight. Here is the picture for August 2026.

Rates are easing: but read that carefully
The Drewry World Container Index fell to $4,255 per 40ft container on 30 July, a third consecutive weekly decline after peaking at $4,639 in early July. Broadly positive for importers, but carriers are managing capacity carefully. Drewry is tracking 58 blank sailings on major east-west trades between early August and early September. The rate you see and the space you can actually book are two different things right now.

Fuel surcharges
Multiple carriers have announced Emergency Fuel Surcharges effective August 2026, linked to Hormuz uncertainty and Cape of Good Hope rerouting costs. Real, industry-wide charges (significantly smaller than COVID-era surcharges) but a genuine component of landed costs.

Australian ports
Congestion at Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne remains elevated, berth waits of up to five days reported. Estimated arrival dates and actual cargo release dates are not the same thing at the moment. Build buffer into delivery timelines for the next six to eight weeks.

The domestic picture
The Federal Government fuel excise reduction expired 3 August, adding upward pressure on domestic transport costs for the rest of the year.

The practical message
Stable does not mean simple. Blank sailings, active surcharges, port congestion, and rising domestic costs mean shipments need careful management right now. If you have cargo moving in August or September and want a clear read on your specific lanes, I am happy to have that conversation directly.

Stuart McLintock
Director, MCL Global Forwarding
mclglobal.com.au

16/08/2026

It isn't just what happens at sea that can affect your delivery timeline, it can also be what happens when your vessel arrives.

Australian container ports are currently experiencing elevated congestion at Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Berth waiting times of five days (or more) have been reported, driven by vessels bunching from Cape of Good Hope rerouting and sustained import volumes through peak season.

Estimated arrival dates and actual cargo release dates are not the same thing right now. When planning, consider building in an additional buffer into your delivery schedules and warehouse timings for shipments arriving in the next four to eight weeks.

Get in touch if you are unsure how this affects your specific cargo, because it's a much easier conversation before the vessel arrives than after.

mclglobal.com.au