Newsletter – January 14, 2021

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Inside California’s colossal container-ship traffic jam

freightwaves.com
In the movie “Falling Down,” the character played by Michael Douglas is stranded in a Los Angeles traffic jam. He abandons his car, starts walking with briefcase in hand and ultimately has a mental breakdown. Cargo shippers trying to get their containers through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach can relate. Read more here.

New Challenges for Shippers in 2021

mfame.guru
Scheduling ‘slidings’, ad-hoc port omissions and short-notice network structural changes are replacing blankings as the new challenges for shippers in 2021, says an article published in the Loadstar. Read more here.

Performance Updates: Port of Montreal, Port of Halifax

ciffa.com
The Port of Montreal has posted its December intermodal scorecard. Read more here.

The Port of Halifax welcomes in 2021 with a continuation of:

Terminal dwell time fluidity. Read here.
No vessel delays and open berth windows at its terminals, including recently expanded terminal capacity to handle the world’s largest container vessels. Read here.

South Korean container lines set to launch K-Alliance on Asia trades

theloadstsar.com
The post-Hanjin evolution of South Korea’s shipping industry took another step forward last month with the formation of the K-Alliance.
Comprising HMM, SM Line, Pan Ocean and recently merged Sinokor Merchant Marine and Heung-A Line, the alliance will strengthen the carriers’ competitiveness in South-east Asia, according to Korea’s ministry of oceans and fisheries (MOF). Read more here (login required).

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

ATSG and Air Canada agree conversion deal

aircargoweek.com
Air Transport Services Group today announced that its Cargo Aircraft Management subsidiary has agreed to purchase two Boeing 767-300ER aircraft from Air Canada of Montreal, convert them from passenger to freighter configuration, and lease them back to Air Canada. This is the first sale-leaseback agreement between ATSG and Air Canada. Read more here.

US border closure extended to Feb. 21

freightwaves.com
The land borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico will remain closed to nonessential travel until at least Feb. 21.
U.S. Homeland Security announced the U.S.-Mexico-border closure extension on Tuesday. Commercial trucks will continue to move freely across the borders, as the movement of essential goods remains exempt from the restrictions. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Post-Brexit red tape hitting UK-EU trade

lloydsloadinglist.com
Despite no signs of massive queues of trucks in the first two weeks since the UK left the EU’s single market and customers union, various sources indicate that post-Brexit red tape is hitting UK-EU trade, with indications of significant disruption to the flow of goods crossing the Channel, especially those involving products of plant or animal origins. Read more here.