Newsletter: February 21, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Supply chain issues hold back pace of freighter conversions

theloadstar.com
Boeing wants to turn more used passenger planes into freighters, but supply chain issues could impede those ambitions.
Over the course of the pandemic Boeing has drastically ramped up its freighter conversion programme. Since March 2020 the number of conversion lines it is running globally has jumped from 12 to 22. The majority – 17 of them – are turning out 737 cargo planes, while the other five are working on 767s. Read more here. 

Record revenues for Air Canada Cargo

aircargonews.net
Air Canada Cargo saw all-time high cargo revenues of nearly C$1.5bn in 2021, compared with C$920m in 2020.
The cargo arm’s record annual revenue exceeded C$1bn for the first time, reaching C$490m in the fourth quarter of 2021. Read more here.  

Lutfhansa suspends flights to Kyiv

aircargoweek.com
From today, Lufthansa and Swiss Air Lines have suspended flights to the Kyiv, Ukraine amid fears of a Russian invasion.
Last week, KLM also announced it was suspending flights to the Ukrainian capital.
“The safety of our passengers and crew members is our top priority at all times,” said Lufthansa. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Empty container avalanche predicted to cause chaos later this year

splash247.com
When global supply chains snap back to some form of normality – widely tipped to be in the second half of the year – transport operators will have to brace for a new headache, with an avalanche of empty containers predicted to cause some chaos.
The delays in the supply chain during the pandemic have led to the need for additional containers to be used. Read more here.

Firefighters struggle with burning electric vehicles aboard Felicity Ac

splash247.com
The 6,400 ceu Felicity Ace continues to burn off the coast of Portugal’s Azores islands with thousands of cars on board.
The Panama-flagged ship caught fire last Wednesday while on its way from Emden, Germany to Rhode Island, US. The drifting ship remains stable, and no pollution has been reported, MOL Shipmanagement Singapore said in an update. All of the crewmembers were evacuated safely. Read more here. 

Box spill off the Netherlands

splash247.com
The Dutch coastguard spent the weekend trying to find 26 empty containers which fell off the 6,350 teu teu Marcos V near the Wadden Islands during high winds encountered from Storm Eunice which battered much of northern Europe last week.
The Panama-flagged ship was heading from Bremerhaven to Rotterdam when it ran into difficulty. The ship was bought by Euroseas late last year. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

Blizzard conditions this week from Mountain West to Midwest

freightwaves.com
A pair of low-pressure systems will generate plenty of moisture and energy to make the weather messy for truckers across a broad part of the country, especially Monday and Tuesday.
Periods of heavy snow and high winds will likely cause intermittent delays from the Cascades, Rockies and Sierra Nevada to the northern Plains and Great Lakes. Read more here. 

INTERNATIONAL  BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

CJ Logistics strike in Seoul intensifies, with rally, siege and hunger strike threat

theloadstar.com
Industrial action by sub-contracted workers of South Korea’s largest logistics company, CJ Logistics, continues to drag on.
The militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is staging a rally today, in defiance of Covid-19-related restrictions on gatherings. Read more here.