Newsletter – December 7, 2017

AIR FREIGHT

Weight loadfactors a poor way of showing utilisation, Project Selfie confirms
source: theloadstar.co.uk
Project Selfie: measuring capacity utilisation in the air cargo industry needs an overhaul; the current standard poorly reflects how full planes really are. The results are in. Read more here (login required).

OCEAN FREIGHT

US East Coast Labour Talks Break Down Over Automation in Ports
source: splash247.com
Contract talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) broke down on Wednesday over union concerns about potentially job-killing automation. Read more here.

EC regulators approve Cosco takeover of OOCL, despite market share fears
source: theloadstar.co.uk
The EC competition directorate has formally approved the takeover of OOCL by China’s Cosco, despite investigators finding it would hold a “very significant” market share of transatlantic trade. Read more here (login required).

Autonomous Shipping All the Buzz at Marintec China
source: splash247.com
Whether spread across its vast exhibition halls or at myriad press events or industry conferences, the topic of autonomous shipping has been a central theme at this year’s Marintec China event in Shanghai. Read more here.

MOL Shows Off Revolutionary Gas-Powered Coal Carrier
source: splash247.com
Mtsui OSK Lines (MOL) along with fellow Japanese companies Tohoku Electric Power and Namura Shipbulding have jointly earned an Approval in Principle (AIP) from Lloyd’s Register for the design of an LNG powered coal carrier. Read more here.

Maersk still leads as biggest box carrier with Hamburg Sud buyout
source: shippingonline.cn
DENMARK’s Maersk Line has now retained its lead in world container shipping from a challengers now that it has taken over Germany’s No 2 shipping line Hamburg Sud. Read more here.

Containership fleet tops 21 million TEU mark, reports Alphaliner
source: shippingonline.cn
THE world’s cellular containership fleet reached a new high of 21 million TEU in November, according to Paris-based research house Alphaliner. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Bangladesh starts WTO pilot scheme to cut port congestion
source: shippingonline.cn
BANGLADESH is introducing a system of Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) to speed freight flow and reduce congestion in ports and on highways, reports IHS Media. Read more here.