Newsletter – January 11, 2023

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

“No evidence of a cyberattack” after FAA grounds all US flights over computer outage – White House
aircargoweek.com
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has stated that “there is no evidence of a cyberattack” after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was forced to ground all US flights due to a computer outage.
Posting on Twitter, Jean-Pierre stated that “the President has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation” on the situation. While there is no evidence of a cyberattack, according to the White House, the Press Secretary said President Biden has directed the Department of Transportation “to conduct a full investigation into the causes.” Read more here.

MSC Air Cargo to add South Korea-US flights
aircargonews.net
Recently-launched MSC Air Cargo has added a new service between Incheon International and Indianapolis in the US as it continues to roll out operations.
The service will operate twice per week on one of the company’s B777-200Fs operated under a five-year ACMI agreement with Atlas Air. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

MSC ship grounds at mouth of Italy’s largest container port
splash247.com
Nearly 24 hours on from becoming wrapped around a breakwater, the 339 m long MSC Elaine boxship remains grounded at the entrance of one of Italy’s premier maritime gateways.
Five tugboats are attending to the grounded 8,566 teu ship, owned by Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), but have yet to dislodge it. The vessel turned late on the exit from the port of Gioia Tauro yesterday morning, and grounded alongside a breakwater. Read more here.

‘Surge finally over,’ US imports back near pre-pandemic levels
freightwaves.com
The “new normal” is looking a lot like the old normal as U.S. imports continue to fall. Volumes began declining sharply in September and were already close to 2019 levels by the end of last year. They’re expected to pull even with pre-COVID numbers this month and next.
The “pandemic-driven surge [is] finally over,” said the National Retail Federation (NRF). Read more here.

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Tsunami of small business owners planning to exit, putting $2 trillion on the line
financialpost.com
More than three-quarters of small- and medium-sized business owners plan to exit their companies in the next decade, adding urgency to the need for solid succession plans, according to a new report.
Seventy-six per cent of owners plan to exit their businesses within 10 years, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said in its Succession Tsunami report released on Jan. 10. That leaves more than $2 trillion at stake if owners do decide to sell. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone to launch cargo tracking service
aircargonews.net
Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone will begin to track air cargo shipments to help automate processes and improve cargo visibility.
The free trade zone partnered with software firms Champ Cargosystems and Sita after it was mandated by the Shanghai municipal government to set up a cargo tracking service platform to track shipping information of offshore trade transactions. Read more here.