Newsletter – July 9, 2018

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Few clear signs of tariff-related freight surge

source: lloydloadinglist.com
Air freight volumes and rates ex-Asia were given little support ahead of new US import tariffs, which will be enforced by the Trump administration on Chinese exports to the US from today onwards.  Read more here.

Acute pilot shortage and fewer available freighters likely to drive faster drone adoption

source: theloadstar.co.uk
Drones may be hauling cargo in the air much sooner than widely expected.
The worsening shortage of pilots and concerns about available freighter capacity down the road are adding a sense of urgency to the deployment of drones to fill the gaps. Read more here (login required).

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Cosco secures US security clearance for OOIL takeover

source: splas247.com
China Cosco Shipping Holdings has announced that it has received appproval by the Committe on Foreign Investment in the US for the deal to take over Hong Kong’s OOIL, the parent of contianerline OOCL, after it reached an agreement wit the US government to divest the Long Beach container terminal business to an unrelated third party.  Read more here.

MSC in removing tonnage from the transpacific

source: lloydsloadinglist.com
The Alliance has become the latest carrier grouping to reduce services on the transpacific ahead of the peak season.
The group’s members — Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express and Yang Ming — are merging the Pacific northwest PS8 service with the PS5 service. Read more here.

Higher ocean freight rates expected from H2

source: lloydsloadinglist.com
Assuming an escalating trade war does not further slow container demand growth, investment analyst Jefferies still anticipates an ‘inflection point’ from the second half (H2) of 2018 in which capacity growth slows to 4% later this year, 3% next year, and 2% in 2020 – “likely leading to higher freight rates”.  Read more here.

Container rates stable, but carriers still cutting capacity despite peak season

source: theloadstar.co.uk
Container shipping spot freight rates on the main deepsea east-west trades largely remained stable over the past week.
The composite Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) slipped just 0.5% on the week before.  Read more here (login required).

Market Insight: An opportunity for APMM to entice Hapag-Lloyd to join the family

source: theloadstar.co.uk
We witnessed the typical ‘long squeeze’ on Friday, when the shares of Hapag-Lloyd collapsed 20% soon after the German carrier announced its revised guidance. Read more here (login required)

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

China’s government eyes complete scrap import ban

source: recyclingtoday.com
Scrap recyclers around the world are scrambling to figure out what China’s State Council means when it says it seeks to “ban importing solid waste” permanently by the end of 2020.
The nation’s media began reporting Monday, June 25, that a State Council policy or directive released the previous day, intended as a roadmap to combat pollution, included the notion of a complete ban on imported scrap materials. Read more here.