Newsletter – January 18, 2019

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Call for forwarders to use UK airports outside of London

seanews.com.tr
MANCHESTER Airports Group, the operator of the East Midlands, Manchester and Stansted airports, has sounded the alarm that there is the ‘real potential’ for the UK to lose its standing as an international gateway if it relies too heavily on London Heathrow airport for its air freight needs.  Read more here. 

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

ZIM, Maersk, MSC team up on four services

seanews.com.tr
ZIM and the 2M Alliance of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) plan to cooperate on four more services – two on routes between East Asia and the Pacific northwest and two between ports in Asia and the Mediterranean. Read more here. 

Evergreen opens Colombia office to ship fresh produce from Latin America

seanews.com.tr
EVERGREEN Line is continuing to open more offices at main service locations in Latin America in a bid to ‘improve its capability to react to market opportunities, optimise the efficiency of its network routing and enhance its competitiveness in the area. Read more here. 

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT ISSUES

U.S. Shutdown Poses Risk of ‘Truck Misery’ on Border Delays

bloomberg.com
A protracted government shutdown threatens to add backups at U.S. borders that would boost freight rates, adding to costs for consumers and commodity shippers already coping with tariffs, according to the chief of a logistics firm. Read more here.

CP probed by transport watchdog for Vancouver cargo service ‘issues’

transportweekly.com
Canadian Pacific says it “takes great exception to being included in a far-reaching Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) investigation into possible freight rail service issues in the Vancouver area.”  Read more here. 

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Blockchain start-up OpenPort goes into liquidation as cash for new tech companies runs dry

theloadstar.co.uk
Blockchain logistics start-up OpenPort has notified shareholders it is out of funds and intends to proceed with liquidation.
In an email sent to shareholders last week and seen by The Loadstar, founder and chief executive Max Ward said the Hong Kong-based company had failed to raise enough capital to continue trading. Read more here.