I am reclaiming the title of this column which I hosted under the same name in the Straits Shipper, a weekly newspaper, that I started 21 years ago. It was a sort of “blog”.
I wrote the weekly column for seven years before it ended when matters were outside my control. Although I tried to fade away, I could not, as anyone deeply familiar with shipping would tell you that ancient seafarers don’t fade away.
It was after some deep thinking that I decided to be back in the saddle because I just could not fade away. I decided to launch this publication because of the yawning gap in need for informed news and information on policy issues affecting or influencing the development of the freight logistics industry in the country. It is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy though this is not widely known or given its due attention compared with other sectors of the economy.
I decided there is a need for an industry-specific publication for the industry practitioners and professionals. Not surprisingly I found good support and strong encouragement from many of my old friends and acquaintances that I had built up over my entire working career in writing.
The inspiration to launch this journal came when I was researching on logistics, the height of which was when I was engaged by the government as one of the consultants for the study on The Roadmap on the Development of the Freight Logistics Sector in Malaysia. There was dearth of published information and data on the status and development of the freight logistics industry which I felt could be addressed, even by a small measure, with the Journal of Freight Logistics.
The Journal of Freight Logistics is with a cause. This Journal reflects the need for an effective and efficient medium that should devote itself to the cause of highlighting developments taking place in the freight logistics. It will provide unbiased views, news, profiles and features as well as offer itself as a forum of the freight logistics public in the country.
 It is my fervent hope that The Journal of Freight Logistics – the first and only such publication of its kind in Malaysia – will emerge as the forum of the freight logistics public and generate more ideas and views and help play a positive role in the initiatives by the government and the private sector to develop a safe, efficient, viable and sustainable freight logistics industry in the country. This can only be achieved with all your support.

G Durairaj

Editor