Newsletter – September 21, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Lack of air capacity out of HK and Shanghai sparks peak season concerns
theloadstar.com
With regular airfreight capacity from China and Hong Kong still “missing” because of Covid restrictions, the industry is turning to charters to get through peak season.
Cathay Pacific released its August traffic figures yesterday, revealing a 9% month-over-month bump for cargo, but volumes were still only 66% of August 2019 levels. Read more here (login required)

European Airlines See Bookings Surge As The US Plans To Reopen
simpleflying.com
Europes airlines have seen a surge in booking overnight as the United States of America revealed that it would reopen to fully vaccinated tourists. The news will be extremely welcome by airlines who have been campaigning for the US to reopen to their passengers for months. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Truck strike across Bangladesh sees Chittagong port come to a standstill
theloadstar.com
Container handling at Chittagong came to a near-halt today, as the owners and drivers of trucks, covered vans, and ’prime movers’ began a 72-hour strike this morning to press home various demands.
The strike has also suspended the transportation of goods across the country, and handling at other sea and river ports. Read more here.

Long Beach and Los Angeles ports extend hours of landside operations
lloydsloadinglist.com
The US West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are extending the hours during which trucks can pick up and deliver containers.
Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, announced that Long Beach will take the first step towards a 24/7 supply chain by maximising night time operations. Read more here.

Record number of ships forced to drift off southern California
splash247.com
With all anchorages full, and the view from the Californian coastline a vista of steel hulls and laden boxships, record amounts of vessels are being forced to drift off San Pedro Bay. MarineTraffic snapshots of the traffic (see below) require further zooming out to deeper seas as each day breaks new ship queue records. Read more here.

CBP shuts down Texas port of entry, reroutes commercial traffic
freightwaves.com
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shut down a port of entry in South Texas in response to a large influx of migrants attempting to cross the Mexico border into the United States.
CBP closed the Del Rio port of entry late Friday and began diverting both commercial and passenger traffic 57 miles east to the Eagle Pass port of entry.
The closure was in response to a massive surge of migrants who had arrived at the Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge connecting Del Rio, Texas, with Ciudad Acuna in Mexico. Read more here.

GROUND & RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

CN slammed with $2.5 million fine
insidelogistics.ca
CN Rail has been fined $2.5 million for violating the Fisheries Act.
The railway pleaded guilty in Prince Rupert Provincial Court to a charge in relation to the deposit of pesticides in or around waters frequented by fish. The fine will be directed to the federal government’s Environmental Damages Fund. Read more here.

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

What the Canadian election could mean for freight
freightwaves.com
Canadian voters went to the polls on Monday in a national election that has boiled down to a tight, two-horse race: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals and a Conservative Party led by Erin O’Toole. The outcome will affect freight and the supply chain – even if they haven’t loomed large in the campaign or either party’s platform. Much of that will come from how the next government spends billions of dollars to help the country recover from the pandemic. Read more here.

Inflation rate spikes to 4.1% in August, highest since 2003
cbc.ca
Canada’s consumer price index touched its highest level in almost two decades last month, as the price of just about everything is up sharply compared to the lows of a year ago.
Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that the inflation rate hit 4.1 per cent in August, the highest level since 2003. That’s up from 3.7 per cent in July, which was already the highest rate in a decade. Read more here.