Newsletter – August 23, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Cargo logjam building after Covid disrupts handling at Shanghai Pudong Airport

theloadstar.com
Covid-testing has disrupted cargo operations at Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) today, with widespread delays and flight cancellations expected over the weekend.
Ramp handler Shanghai International Airport Services (SIAS) suspended activities after a positive case was detected, and all staff were sent for testing or quarantine, according to forwarders. Read more here (login required).

Airlines Issue Travel Waivers As Hurricane Henri Hits The Northeast

simplflying.com
As Hurricane Henri prepares to make landfall today, airlines have begun issuing emergency travel passengers. Much of the Northeast United States is covered by the advisory, giving passengers the option to cancel or rebook flights. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in New York before crossing Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and possibly more areas. Here is an overview. Read more here.

Retailers eye more air cargo as COVID lockdowns intensify in Vietnam

freightwaves.com
Big apparel and footwear merchants are increasingly trying to switch from ocean to air transport to make up for huge production slowdowns in Vietnam due to COVID and ensure seasonal imports arrive on time for holiday shoppers. Airfreight rates from the country are rapidly escalating because of the spike in demand for all-cargo charter capacity, according to logistics companies that manage freight movements. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Covid detected in two vessels in Chittagong in a week – Fears of the virus spread

container-news.com
The risk of spread of coronavirus among the crew and staff of Chittagong port is rising as the presence of the deadly virus was detected in the body of crews of two vessels in a span of one week period.
The unloading of goods from a vessel namely MV Serene Juniper remained suspended at Chittagong port after seven crew members of the vessel found Covid-19 positive out of 21 crews onboard. Read more here.

Peak season: Let the chaos commence

freightwaves.com
Freight markets have entered their second year of extreme dislocation, brought on by record consumer spending and a transportation network that doesn’t have the labor or equipment to fill the need.
A lack of openings on ocean sailing schedules, ships waiting longer to berth at the ports and delays unloading the freight once it has landed are some of the front-end issues facing the transportation industry. Once freight is routed inland, a chicken-and-egg scenario is playing out between container/chassis scarcity and slow rail service, with each causing further detriment to the other. Read more here.

Port of Long Beach Completes New 3.3 Million TEU Capacity Container Terminal

gcaptain.com
More than 10 years after construction began, the Port of Long Beach has announced the completion of the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor, one of the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable cargo facilities in the world.
With an annual capacity of 3.3 million TEUs, LBCT by itself would rank as America’s sixth-busiest seaport, capable of moving twice the cargo with less than half of the air pollution of the two terminals it replaces. Read more here.