Newsletter – February 12, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Gatwick Becomes Latest UK Airport To Introduce Forecourt Charges

simpleflying.com
Following in the footsteps of London Heathrow, neighboring Gatwick has announced it will be implementing forecourt charges. From March 8th onwards, the cost to drop off or pick up passengers outside of the airport’s terminals will be a minimum of £5. The move is motivated by the ongoing crisis but also in line with sustainability efforts, the airport says. Read more here.

Paris Scraps Charles De Gaulle Airport Expansion Plans

simpeflying.com
The plan was for airport operator ADP, of which the government owns a majority stake, to expand Charles de Gaulle‘s capacity by 40 million passengers per year through the addition of a new terminal. This would have meant an increase of over 50% of its current capacity.
In 2019, the airport welcomed 76.2 million passengers, making it the second busiest in Europe after London’s Heathrow. The cost of the project was estimated to land between €7 billion and €9 billion ($7.5-$10.9 billion). Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Over 1,000 containers stuck at Mundra port amid factory sealing checks: sources

spglobal.com
“This started nearly 7-10 days back when some discrepancies were found with a sandalwood cargo,” a custom broker based in Mundra said. “The authorities have now disallowed the pre-stuffed containers and mandated the inspection of cargo at the port.”
The concerned official in the Mundra customs department declined to comment when contacted by S&P Global Platts. Read more here.

New video shows massive scope of California box-ship traffic jam

freightwaves.com
Newly released U.S. Coast Guard video offers visceral proof of just how extreme the congestion has become at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The new view from above reveals a vast armada of container ships scattered at anchor across California’s San Pedro Bay.
As the Coast Guard footage paints the picture, the latest data from the Port of Los Angeles and from the Marine Exchange of Southern California tells the story behind those images. Read more here.

No end in sight to ex-China ocean freight challenges

lloydsloadinglist.com
As the new lunar year begins, the current shortages of ocean freight capacity and equipment, combined with exceptionally high spot rates facing containerised exports from China, look set to continue through and well beyond the lunar New Year holiday period, a number of logistics experts believe, although there may be some easing of the current critical issues. Read more here.

Antwerp and Zeebrugge will merge – creating a superport to rival Rotterdam

theloadstar.com
A new superport is set to be created in north-west Europe after the Belgian ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge announced today that they will formally merge.
Talks between the municipal authorities of Antwerp and Bruges began in 2018 and unification will put the superport within touching distance of nearby rival, Europe’s largest container hub, Rotterdam. Read more here.

No slack season, no easing of spot rates, as cargo pours out of Asia

theloadstar.com
Shippers are resigned to the probability that container spot freight rates from Asia will remain at their current high levels for some time after Chinese New Year.
Today’s beginning of the Chinese lunar new year would usually herald several weeks of downward pressure on freight rates, but so far there are no indications of a slack season developing in the first half of the Year of the Ox. Read more here (login required).

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Air Canada’s Air Transat Takeover Receives Government Approval

simpleflying.com
Air Canada’s proposed takeover of Montréal-based leisure carrier Air Transat has been in the works for quite some time. Yesterday, it reached a significant milestone that has brought the acquisition one step closer to becoming a reality. This saw the takeover receive approval from Transport Canada, a department of the country’s government. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS- GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Half of UK exporters reporting difficulties in goods trade with EU

lloydsloadinglist.com
Almost half of  UK exporters are facing difficulties in adapting to the changes in the trade of goods following the ratification of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on 1 January 2021, according to the results of a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce. Read more here.

More misery for Bangladeshi fashion houses as prices fall below cost

theloadstar.com
Bangladesh’s apparel makers are now working at below cost – or shutting their doors as lockdowns around the world continue to dampen demand,
The closure of just one apparel factory last week saw 6,000 Bangladeshi workers jobless, and others with no new orders are considering closure. Read more here.