ifw at 40


Welcome to the 40th birthday issue of IFW. As we mark what is indeed an historic milestone in the history of IFW, we reflect on the incredible changes of the past four decades, as well as look ahead at the future for the industry.


Were they really “the good old days?” Four decades have passed since John King left school for a ‘glamorous’ career in the world of shipping and forwarding


A promise of automation never fulfilled While it might seem as if everything has changed, fundamentally, say air cargo veterans, nothing has altered in the past 40 years, writes Alex Lennane


A career in logistics? Many school, college or even university leavers may have already decided on a career. Stephen Maskell wonders if logistics was in the mix


Forty years of modern maritime piracy Dr Risto Talas on the rise of violent pirate attacks in South-east Asian waters


Spot the difference


What’s changed in the past 40 years in the logistics industry? A lot, says Larry Woelk


A world evolving beyond recognition Macro-economics is just one area that’s evolved beyond recognition in four decades, writes Rob Riddleston


A watching brief as history was made How IFW has charted the evolution and revolution of an industry


New horizons for ports and terminals?


Container terminal operators have been warned that the coming years could prove crucial for the industry, write Katerina Kerr & Julian Stephens


Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose David Cheslin on the development of shipping over four decades


The role of women in logistics


Clare Bottle explains how things have changed during her lifetime and what the future might hold


Maintaining their pivotal role Forwarders are still up for the challenge, just as they were in 1971, says Peter Quantrill


28 31 35


6 8 11


12 16 18


20 24


It is impossible to predict what challenges and opportunities the years ahead will bring. But one thing is certain: the key to weathering the vicissitudes of the years to come will lie in our innate ability to adapt. In 1971 we lived in a world very different from the one we find ourselves in today. In the early 70s the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency began asking how thegovernment could continue to communicate in the wake of a likely Soviet nuclear attack. The answer they found was to develop protocols that would allow networked computers to talk to each other. This was called the Inter-netting project – the system that emerged was of course the internet. Across the Atlantic another momentous occasion was being marked. In 1971, the first issue of International Freighting Weekly rolled off the printing press. Its mission: to provide timely, relevant, impartial and insightful coverage of the global freight industry. In the years following, the world experienced


a period of transformation unlike anything we could have envisioned. In the world of freight and logistics, household names came and went, unlikely alliances were forged. Trends and fads grabbed the headlines and then vanished into the embrace of obscurity.


International Freighting Weekly also


changed. Growth means change, and change involves risk. But it also brings opportunity. Embracing the unparalleled benefits of new


media, IFW as a weekly publication evolved into an online daily news service, continuing to deliver timely, relevant, objective and engaging content to a globally diverse readership. But the IFW our readers receive today is just as likely to offer multimedia, in the shape of audio and video content, as well as news produced by our specialist journalists and features contributed by our online community. We are no longer a freight and logistics publication. We are THE freight and logistics publication. With the unwavering support of its readers, IFW has evolved into an online brand at the heart of a dynamic, interactive community.


We’re looking forward to the next 40 years.


Kizzi Nkwocha , Editor IFW 3


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