Newsletter – September 13, 2023

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Korean Air to fully transition to electronic air waybills

aircargonews.net
Korean Air is beginning to move towards electronic air waybills (e-AWB) for all shipments to create efficiencies in the shipping process.
The carrier said that initially e-AWBs would replace paper documents for general cargo departing from Korea bound for North America, Europe, Japan and “other select markets”. Read more here. 

Fowarder focus: LA’s long-awaited air cargo development

aircargonews.net
After much industry anticipation, Los Angeles World Airports is set to construct and implement its new Cargo Modernization Program at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
This initiative is a welcome development, as forwarders know that LAX’s current cargo facilities are outdated and no longer compatible with industry standards. Read more here.

Hong Kong International invests in cargo

aircargonews.net
Last year, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) was ranked as the world’s busiest air cargo hub, despite its volumes falling by 16.5% to 4.2m tonnes.
The fall was the third largest amongst the world’s leading 20 cargo hubs – Shanghai PVG and Dubai DXB were the only ones to report bigger drops – as Covid restrictions on travellers and workers limited airline operations. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

MSC wants Hamburg as ‘global hub’ and bids for 49.9% of port operator

theloadstar.com
MSC said today it intends to make Hamburg the “central hub” of its global network, and is committed to raising its annual throughput at the German port to one million teu.
It is part of the deal that sees Aponte-led MSC enter a binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the city of Hamburg to acquire a 49.9% holding stake in the port terminal, transport and logistics business of HHLA Group, majority-owned by the city. Read more here (login required).

Box tracking takes off – but who owns the data?

theloadstar.com
Last year, Hapag-Lloyd partnered with Orbcomm and Nexxiot to equip its dry containers with tracking devices. Each Orbcomm tracker, costing around $100, features GPS and accelerometers to check the whereabouts of each container. And, although Hapag Lloyd did not opt for this level of functionality, the system could also be used to measure the internal temperature of each box, potentially saving seafarers’ lives, “for a few dollars more”, according to EVP Christian Allred. Read more here (login required).

Panama Canal Authority: Vessel transits may be reduced if drought persists

freightwaves.com
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has suspended bookings for super vessels through Sept. 30 in its latest measure to remove a drought-related backlog waiting to traverse the canal.
The largest backlog is in the super category, vessels that carry 4,000-5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, because they do not qualify for the authority’s reservation system. Suspending these bookings enables the super vessels without reservations and the longest wait times to travel through the canal on a first-come, first-served basis. Read more here.