Newsletter – January 18, 2021

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Carriers cancel fewer services over Chinese New Year period

seanews.com.tr
FIGURES from liner database eeSea’s Blank Sailings Tracker indicate that container carriers are expected to provide more deepsea capacity out of Asia over the Chinese New Year holiday, beginning February 12, than in any other year.
Announced blank sailings for what is normally shipping’s slack season are far fewer this year than previously. Read more here.

Hapag-Lloyd drops west coast call as congestion continues

lloydsloadlinglist.com
Hapag-Lloyd is dropping one of its calls to Long Beach due to the ongoing congestion problem faced by the US west coast port.
The carrier’s Mediterranean Pacific Service, which connects ports in the western Mediterranean to Long Beach, Oakland and Seattle on the west coast via the Panama Canal, will no longer make a backhaul call at Long Beach. Read more here.

OOCL profits are surfing the wave of soaring rates and demand

theloadstar.com
A very strong fourth-quarter 2020 operational update from OOCL is an indicator of the rich vein of profitability enjoyed by the liner industry since the middle of last year, despite the pandemic.
The liner barometer data released by the Hong Kong-based carrier’s parent, OOIL, reported Q4 revenue up a substantial 51.2% on the same quarter of the previous year, to $2.42bn. Read more here.

Singapore eyes rebound in intermodal traffic after 2020 box volume dips

theloadstar.com
Singapore is looking to enhance intermodal connectivity following a slight dip in container volumes last year.
Terminal operator PSA International reported 36.6m teu throughput at the port, down 0.9% year on year, but in comparison, the group’s international volumes rose 3.7%, to 50m teu.
Tan Chong Meng, PSA group CEO, said: “2021 continues to give us the opportunity to reset and reform, as a business and as individuals. The way companies and consumers engage, transact and collaborate has evolved at lightning speed. Read more here.

Why empty shipping containers are piling up in Australia

shippingaustralia.com.au
Unfortunately, right now, empty container parks and empty container holding spaces in New South Wales have become chock-a-block with empty boxes. Even port precincts have become extra-busy and port operator NSW Ports has quite rightly imposed control measures to preserve safety. Empty container management is also becoming an issue elsewhere around Australia. Read more here.

Suspension of barge service ahead of festive period clogs up South China ports

seanews.com.tr
THE suspension of barge and feeder services in the Pearl River Delta during the busy shipping season ahead of Chinese New Year has left carriers struggling to meet the import and export demand from South China’s busiest ports.
Feeder and barge services were suspended earlier this month to allow staff time to quarantine before travelling home for China’s most important holiday that begins February 12. Read more here.

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Push on vaccine delivery in Canada not expected until April

insidelogistics.ca
Canada’s vaccine deliveries are getting bigger almost every week but there won’t be enough doses shipped to provinces and territories to “ramp up” the vaccination program for another few months, Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin outlined on Thursday.
Fortin said deliveries of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will hit one million doses per week starting in April. Read more here.