Newsletter – August 18, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Kabul International Airport Reopens On A Limited Basis

simpleflying.com
Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport has reopened on a limited basis, according to reports. The civilian side of the airport had been closed until further notice after it was breached by desperate Afghanis seeking to escape the country as the Taliban claimed control of the country’s capital this weekend. Read more here.

Facial Recognition Boarding Trial Underway At Newark Airport

simpleflying.com
A biometric self-boarding e-gate trial is underway at Newark Liberty Airport. The trial will run until August 31 at Gate 62 of Terminal B. If all goes well, a wider rollout is anticipated. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), operator of Newark, says the facial recognition technology used is the future of boarding. Read more here.

IATA Net Rates welcomes Air Canada Cargo to its air cargo rates platform

aircargoweek.com
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today welcomed Air Canada Cargo to the association’s IATA Net Rates air cargo rates platform, allowing the Canadian carrier to expand its digital offering to provide an additional digital option to its customers. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Californian ports struggle to clear peak season boxes, brace for brutal September

splash247.com
The largest export out of America’s top container port is air, a stark reminder of the massively pressurised situation slamming US supply chains this peak season.
Giving an update on operations yesterday, Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles told reporters: “Our largest export commodity continues to be air as we reposition empty containers back to Asia.” Read more here.

Fully automated container storage system makes first successful trial

splash247.com
DP World has completed testing of the Boxbay fully automated container storage system at its Jebel Ali terminal in Dubai, accomplishing more than 63,000 container moves since the facility was commissioned earlier this year.
The facility, which can hold 792 containers at a time, exceeded expectations, delivering faster and more energy-efficient than anticipated, the Dubai-headquartered terminal operator said. Read more here.

Clock ticking for Christmas imports as West Coast congestion mounts

freightwaves.com
The Port Los Angeles — America’s largest container gateway — looks destined to max out this peak season. In fact, it may be maxing out right now.
The port’s throughput numbers for July were announced Tuesday. They were high, but not as high as previously predicted, likely due to supply chain headwinds. Read more here.

Empty Ever Given heading back to the Suez Canal?

theloadstar.com
The 20,000 teu Ever Given, which blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March, appears to be heading back to the waterway.
Owner Shoei Kisen Kaisha of Japan has so far been very circumspect about where the vessel is heading, following the last of the cargo being offloaded in Felixstowe, in the UK, on 4 August. Read more here (login required).

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Government of Canada announces new system to improve marine vessel traffic flow at the Port of Vancouver and in Southern British Columbia

canada.ca
Marine shipping plays a critical role getting our exports to global markets and providing Canadians with the goods we use every day. As Canada’s largest port, the Port of Vancouver provides a strategic gateway for Canada’s supply chain and economy. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Global Chip Shortage May Last Until 2023, Infineon CEO Says

ttnews.com
The global chip shortage that’s hampering companies from carmakers to computer manufacturers may linger for years, according to Germany’s biggest semiconductor company, Infineon Technologies AG. Read more here.

New Report Looks at What We Have Learned about Supply Chain Disaster Preparedness

ey.com
As part of The Economist Events’ Global Trade Virtual Week, a panel of business leaders gathered in June 2021 to discuss disaster preparedness in supply chains and what businesses fear could be next. Sponsored by EY, the session was chaired by Richard Wilding, professor of supply chain strategy at the Cranfield School of Management. Read the report here.