Newsletter – August 24, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

PVG quarantines pile pressure on air cargo supply chains

aircargonews.net
An increasing number of Covid cases at Shanghai Pudong International Airport are piling on extra pressure to strained airfreight operations from China, according to forwarders.
Seko Logistics reports that handler PACTL suspended cargo operations on Friday after two members of staff tested positive for Covid. This has resulted in the cancellation of several freighter flights. Read more here.

‘Air still LA’s biggest export’ as more boxes leave port empty than loaded

theloadstar.com
Exports from the top ten US container ports slumped by 8.3% in July, compared with the same month of 2020, to 763,619 teu, while imports gained 14.3% to 2,096,076 teu, according to data from Blue Alpha Capital.
The New York-based consultant said the divergence between import and outbound volumes at US ports had widened last month to a new record ratio of 2.75x, compared with a 2.19x average in 2020 and 1.85x for 2019. Read more here (login required).

Air Canada sees cargo advantage in Canadian hubs amid logjams in U.S.

leaderpost.com
Air Canada sees a “strategic advantage” for its cargo business in Canadian hubs like Toronto as shippers seek to bypass logjams at some U.S. gateways.
Lifted by e-commerce demand, cargo-only flights emerged as a lifeline for carriers during the pandemic when commercial traffic slumped. Half of air cargo normally travels in the belly of passenger jets. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Ships Resume Berthing At Ningbo

gcaptain.com
By Ann Koh (Bloomberg) Ships have resumed berthing operations at a halted container terminal in Ningbo, China, adding to optimism that full activity at one of the world’s busiest ports will be restored shortly after a two-week shutdown to quarantine dockworkers.
At least five container ships have left the Meishan terminal at Ningbo in the past few days after berthing there, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg. While container collection services were still halted on Tuesday, some ships have been allowed to berth at the terminal, an official from the Ningbo-Zhoushan port said.  Read more here.

New analysis shows the fierce fight between alliances for market share on the main east-west trades

splash247.com
While competition authorities and shipper bodies allege collusion among carriers in today’s record, sky high freight rate environment, new analysis from Sea-Intelligence shows the fierce competition for market share between the world’s three global east-west alliances.
Since the start of 2020, 2M, the Maersk, MSC grouping, has lost capacity market share to the Ocean Alliance on Asia-North Europe and to both the Ocean Alliance and THE Alliance on Asia-Mediterranean. Read more here.

Alibaba unit sets up China to South Korea ocean freight service

splash247.com
Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba, is setting up a direct sea freight route between China and South Korea, which will be operated at least six times a week.
The direct line between Shandong province in China and South Korea will see ships arrive in 12 hours. The goal is to deliver products from AliExpress to South Korean customers within five and three days, with shipping costs reduced by 30%. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Back-to-school shopping will never be the same

freightwaves.com
After a year of going to class behind a camera wearing nice shirts with sweatpants, children across America are finally beginning to go back to school, for real. Even as COVID-19’s delta variant picks up steam, parents are gearing up to send their kids back to the classroom, and it’s showing in their shopping behavior — back-to-school spends for 2021 are expected to reach all-time highs when all is said and done. Read more here.

‘Greenflation’ to soar as environmental hysteria mounts worldwide

seanews.com.tr
THE European Union will levy taxes for transport and factories, ditch sales of gasoline-fuelled cars, and slap carbon levies on trade partners – to some, it is called ‘greeninflation’, reports Reuters.
Aluminum, electricity, and fertiliser are among sectors targeted, with others such as aviation in the EU crosshairs. Read more here.