Newsletter – March 23, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

A year of coronavirus and cargo-only passenger flights

aircargonews.net
It has now been more than a year since the air cargo sector first began to feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A quick search through the Air Cargo News archive reveals that the first reports of the outbreak having an impact on the industry were in January.
At that stage reports centred on airlines cutting services to the city of Wuhan — the epicentre of the outbreak — and wider Hubei Province and the effect this would have on supply chains. Read more here.

Airport Authority Hong Kong extends relief package

aircargoweek.com
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) is extending the relief package for the airport community for another two months to the end of May 2021, in view of the prolonged impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The continuing waiver or reduction of various fees for the aviation industry from April to May 2021 include full waiver of parking charges for idle passenger aircraft and airbridge fees; reduction of passenger aircraft landing charges; fees reduction related to ramp handling, maintenance and airside vehicles; as well as rental reduction for terminal tenants covering lounges and offices; fees waiver for terminal licenses including ancillary passenger services, commercial services counters and cross-border transport operators; and concessions on fees for aviation support services such as into-plane fueling, aircraft maintenance and inflight catering services. Read more here.

March Has Set 4 Pandemic-Era US Passenger Count Records Already

simpleflying.com
People want to travel, and warm weather and outdoor leisure activities are beckoning spring break travelers unlike any other before. A week-or-so out from the end of the month and March has already set four pandemic-era passenger count records in the US. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Bangladesh / Sri Lanka Capacity Crunch Update

hapag-lloyd.com
Please be informed that due to an increase in vessel waiting period at Chittagong Port, there is capacity crunch for incoming cargo into Bangladesh. Currently, there is a waiting period of 5-6 days for feeder berthing, expected to increase in the coming weeks. This in turn is causing transshipment in Colombo to take longer than usual.
Therefore, please note that Chittagong cargo discharged in Colombo will take approximately 21 days to connect due to the ongoing situation and is expected to increase further. Read more here.

Evergreen confirms plans to build 20 boxships

splash247.com
Taiwanese liner Evergreen has announced that it will order twenty 15,000 teu containerships as part of a major fleet expansion plan, confirming a Splash report last month.
The company said it will choose the best suitable shipyards from Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding, Jiangnan Shipbuilding, Imabari Shipbuilding, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries to construct the ships. Read more here.

No jab, no job threat could provoke next crew crisis

splash247.com
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has warned that lack of access to vaccinations for seafarers is placing shipping in a ‘legal minefield’, while leaving global supply chains vulnerable.
A legal document due to be circulated to the global shipping community later this week by ICS highlights concerns that vaccinations could soon become a compulsory requirement for work at sea because of reports that some states are insisting all crew be vaccinated as a pre-condition of entering their ports. Read more here.

Canada – Montreal – Potential Industrial Action – Vessel Deviations

hapag-lloyd.com
With the risk of potential industrial action at the Port of Montreal, we expect that terminal performance in the port will be severely impacted. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

Truck driver availability tightens to three-year low, ACT says

dcvelocity.com
Driver availability in the trucking sector in February tightened to another new low point for the past three years, a shortage that could constrain any significant additions to freight capacity despite high demand, according to a report today from transportation industry analysis firm ACT Research. Read more here.

U.S. analysts think CP deal will be approved

insidelogistics.ca
Wary regulators have not approved a major railroad merger since the 1990s, but industry analysts say Canadian Pacific’s proposed $25 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern has a good chance of getting the green light because there is little overlap between the two lines.
The deal is also set to capitalize on growing trade across North America by creating the first railroad that would link the United States, Mexico and Canada. Executives at the companies say those opportunities should help the combined railroad generate more revenue. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

6 charts show how a pandemic upended retail supply chains

supplychaindive.com
he energy inside of stores in March 2020 was rushed, strained and infused with the weighty gaze of shoppers and workers that asked, “Should we even be here? Are we going to be OK?” At that point, a lot was up in the air. Sports, shopping, supply chains and society at large were changing — adapting — to the coronavirus pandemic.
Soon, stores temporarily shuttered as the result of lockdowns. And consumers flocked to digital buying channels. Read more here.