Newsletter – July 15, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Teething problems in the US for new cargo screening requirements

aircargonews.net
Air cargo is facing delays in the US after stricter screening requirements were implemented for freighter shipments at the start of the month.
New International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules mean that United Nation member states will be required to screen 100% of cargo before it is loaded on freighter aircraft, as they are currently required to do with belly freight. Read more here.

US Supreme Court Rejects Bid To Drop Airline Mask Mandate

simpleflying.com
The United States Supreme Court has dismissed an application to void face mask-wearing rules on public transport, including airlines. The fast-tracked application was brought by Lucas Wall, 44, of Washington DC. He wanted to fly to Germany with this weekend but says he suffers from panic attacks when wearing a face mask. Read more here.

India Wants Canada To Drop Its Flight Ban

simpleflying.com
The Indian High Commission in Canada has officially requested the federal government to drop its flight ban. Currently, travelers from India cannot fly directly to Canada since the country does not recognize testing in India. This has led travelers, including hundreds of students, to break their journey in third countries to get their test and fly onwards. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Canada – Service Interruption – BC Interior Fires – Update #3

hapag-lloyd.com
With reference to the previous update published on July 13th, 2021.
Rail operations are currently suspended in BC wildfire areas. Both CN Rail and CP Rail main lines are again shutdown due to new wildfires that crossed both railways 6 miles east of Lytton BC.
The BC Wildfire Service has requested CP/CN temporarily suspend operations in the affected area. Several of the fires are east of Lytton BC and in a number of areas, the fires are near mainline rail tracks.
For the safety of rail crews, trains between Kamloops and Lytton, BC are not running. Read more here.

Maersk revamps network in west and central Asia to get cargo to market faster

theloadstar.com
Maersk is redesigning its network in west and central Asia to “improve [cargo] speed to market”. The aim is to help customers suffering from the immense supply chain disruption plaguing the region. The announcement from the Danish carrier comes just two weeks after it said it was launching two standalone services on the transpacific “to help normalise the network for our contracted customers”. Read more here (login required).

Los Angeles port braces for Yantian catch-up, peak season combo

freightwaves.com
The Port of Los Angeles announced its best June numbers ever on Wednesday, capping off its best quarter ever. Volumes are even higher in July and the number of container ships at anchor in San Pedro Bay — the so-called “parking lot” — is on the rise yet again.
“Cargo continues to move at a record pace. There’s no lull in the action, no half-time intermissions,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. Read more here.

Durban and Richards Bay ports suffer major disruption over violence

splash247.com
Operations at South Africa’s major ports, Durban and Richards Bay, and a freight rail line connecting Durban with the Gauteng province have been severely disrupted after days of violent protests in response to the government’s recent arrest of former president Jacob Zuma. The South African logistics group Transnet said in a statement that force majeure had been declared on the NATCOR rail line. Read more here.

Cosco, ONE, Yang Ming and Maersk all tipped to order in next great wave of boxship expansion

splash247.com
The stunning amount of boxships ordered so far this year is set to continue with big names such as Cosco, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming and Maersk all tipped to be in discussions with Asian yards.
More than 300 boxships were ordered in the first half of the year, according to data from Alphaliner. Combined with a healthy number of newbuilding contracts signed in late 2020, the 2021 order frenzy has gone from a low of 2.29m teu a year ago to 4.94m teu as of June 30. Read more here.

Port of Vancouver congestion mounts despite resumed rail service

freightwaves.com
The Port of Vancouver is continuing to feel the domino effect from the disruption caused by wildfires in British Columbia even as CN and Canadian Pacific rail service resumes. As of Wednesday morning, 39 ships were at anchor at Canada’s largest port.
Trains began running again on Sunday via a CP (NYSE:CP) rail line that has been shut down because of the fires. CN (NYSE:CNI) is also using CP’s tracks through an agreement since its line remains out of service, according to an operations update from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Scams endure even as COVID retreats

freightwaves.com
As most readers know all too well, scammers actively look to take advantage of any unfortunate situation in order to make a quick buck. This was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses found themselves needing to acquire personal protective equipment, otherwise known as PPE, for their employees only to be conned, losing their money to bad actors and still without the desperately needed supplies. Even at TCA, we regularly find ourselves the targets of phishing emails, and we are constantly on high alert for these types of attacks. Read more here.