Newsletter – January 17, 2019

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Cockpit fire forces Cargolux aircraft to make emergency landing

aircargonews.net
Cargolux flight CV7303 was forced to make an emergency landing at Kuala Lumpur airport on January 16 when crew reported the presence of fire and smoke in the cockpit. Read more here. 

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Maersk starts random box checks in latest bid to stamp out scourge of misdeclared cargoes

splash247.com
In a bid to stamp out misdeclared cargoes, Maersk has started carrying out random container checks in North America. This is the latest measure by the Danish carrier as it attempts to find solutions to the spate of fires that have broken out on boxships in recent years, including its own 15,000 teu Maersk Honam last year, which resulted in the loss of five lives. Read more here. 

Maersk warns on phishing scams

splash247.com
Maersk Line is being targeted by phishing hacks. The carrier revealed on January 8 that its Malaysian operations were hit by a phishing scam where a third party contacted its customers pretending to be working for the carrier. The con artists requested clients to change their bank accounts for payment. Maersk quickly contacted the email accounts and was able to identify who may have been recipients of this email. Read more here. 

US shipper fury as container lines announce ‘insane’ street turn fees

theloadstar.co.uk
US agricultural shippers and forwarders have lashed out at “insane” and “appalling” “huge mistake” by shipping lines, which will impose a “street turns” fee next month. Read more here. 

Crowded Hong Kong details new go slow areas for ships

splash247.com
Hong Kong is making more efforts to improve ship navigation safety in its crowded waters, with plans to add eight more speed limit areas. Read more here. 

Containership scrapping set to spike as IMO 2020 looms

theloadstar.co.uk
The containership demolition market is set to rebound this year as owners weed out the oldest and dirtiest vessels from their fleets ahead of the IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulations. Read more here. 

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

France facing serious shortage of customs brokerage staff ahead of Brexit

lloydsloadinglist.com
France is facing a serious shortage of customs brokerage personnel as it gears up for a ‘hard’ Brexit and the re-introduction of border controls from 29 March. Read more here.