Newsletter – April 18, 2023

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

FedEx pilot strike woes continue
aircargonews.net
FedEx could soon be under pressure to keep its freighters in the air with pilots considering strike action.
FedEx Express pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have announced that the voting window for a strike authorisation ballot will open on April 18. Read more here.

Red Schiphol: Reducing flights at Schiphol Airport could deliver €13.6 billion blow to Dutch trade and tourism
aircargoweek.com
The decision by the Dutch government to limit the number of flights taking off and landing at Schiphol Airport will reduce the value of trade and tourist expenditure in the Netherlands by up to €13.6 billion, according to a new study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Container shipping sees signs of a bottom (at least, for now)
freightwaves.com
The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) — a closely watched measure of container shipping spot rates — has just risen for the third week in a row after nine months of continuous declines.
The SCFI came in at 1033.65 points on Friday, up 8% week on week (w/w). The China-U.S. West Coast route, which comprises 20% of the index weighting, jumped 29% w/w, to $1,668 per forty-foot equivalent unit. Read more here.

Green shipping looks expensive, but can be competitive, says ABS
theloadstar.com
Maersk recently released a video of the world’s first methanol/HFO dual fuel container vessel in the final stages of construction.
However, the 2,100 teu vessel was seen by some as an unlikely answer to the decarbonisation puzzle, its green methanol fuel, produced from renewable sources, was expected to be too expensive to compete with conventionally powered ships. Read more here (login required).

First Loblaw electric transport hits the road in Montreal
insidelogistics.ca
Loblaw Companies Limited has put its its first heavy-duty fully electric transport truck on the road.
The vehicle is a battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia manufactured by Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) – the first series production eCascadia handed over to a customer in Canada, and one of five Loblaw expects to put into service in the months ahead. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Slowdown dents warehouse construction and forces automation
theloadstar.com
Faced with an ongoing dearth of available capacity, warehouse operators will have to step up automation of their facilities to ease constraints.
New studies show construction has slowed sharply and inventories will remain bloated at least into the second half of this year, and likely well into 2024. Read more here (login required).