Newsletter – July 20, 2022

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Hapag-Lloyd to Omit Vancouver from PN2 Service in August

ciffa.com
Because of congestion on North America’s northwest coast, Hapag-Lloyd is adjusting two of its transpacific services for weeks 33 to 37.
•    The Pacific North Loop 2 (PN2) service, starting with MV YM TipTop sailing from Singapore, will omit the port of Vancouver and simultaneously add an eastbound call at Shanghai. During this time, the carrier’s PN3 and PN4 services will provide alternatives for cargo to and from Vancouver.
•    The Pacific North Loop 3 (PN3), starting with MV Seaspan Beacon sailing from Hong Kong, will not have vessel calls at Tacoma. You will have the option of routing your cargo from Tacoma through the PN2 and PN4 services.
Westbound calls at Tokyo and Kobe, Japan will be shifted from the PN2 service to the PN3 service.

Carriers ‘Reschedule’ Schedules as German Ports Get Back to Work, Temporarily

theloadstar.com
Ocean carriers are busy adjusting their networks in North Europe, after a two-day ‘warning strike’ by German port workers ended on Saturday.
Employers failed to get the third, and longest, warning strike stopped by the courts, but the courts did ban further industrial action until August 26, for further rounds of negotiations between the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS) and the union, ver.di.  Read more here. Ocean carriers are busy adjusting their networks in North Europe, after a two-day ‘warning strike’ by German port workers ended on Saturday.
Employers failed to get the third, and longest, warning strike stopped by the courts, but the courts did ban further industrial action until 26 August, for further rounds of negotiations between the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS) and the union, ver.di. Read more here.

Cart before horse: Terminal to open in Bangladesh without an operator

splash247.com
A first ship will dock at the brand new Patenga Container Terminal tomorrow, despite the fact that the Chittagong Port Authority has yet to land an operator for the facility.
With the port, Bangladesh’s largest, already operating at full capacity and regularly subject to congestion, the new 450,000 teu terminal cannot come soon enough. Construction has run into delays of more than two years. Given the lack of a confirmed foreign operator, to begin with the port authority has decided to prioritise geared ships to its new terminal while it holds urgent negotiations with global terminal operators to find someone willing to take on the lease. APM Terminals, Red Sea Gateway Terminal and DP World are tipped to be in the running to win the concession. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

Another Round of COVID Testing in China Means Drayage Delays Coming

freightwaves.com
Logistics managers are feeling far from “dynamic” about the latest COVID spread being reported in the Chinese cities of Gansu, Shanghai, Guangxi, Guangdong and Henan.
The highly infectious BA.5 variant has been detected in seven cities and many areas are implementing the requirement of having two nucleic acid testing within three days under China’s “dynamic zero-COVID” policy, which aims to eliminate outbreaks as soon as they appear. In a note to clients, Worldwide Logistics wrote, “It seems that the high temperature in summer can’t stop the virus spreading. China is still facing a critical COVID situation.” Read more here.