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Newsletter – March 19, 2020
AIR FREIGHT UPDATES
Air Canada Update on COVID-19 Response
ciffa.comAir Canada said yesterday that it will gradually suspend the majority of its international and U.S. transborder flights by March 31. Subject to further government restrictions, the airline intends to continue to serve a small number of international and U.S. trans-border destinations from select Canadian cities after April 1.In order to support the essential movement of needed goods and cargo during the crisis, Air Canada intends to continue to operate a limited number of international “air bridges” between one or more of its Canadian hubs and the cities of London, Paris, Frankfurt, Delhi, Tokyo and Hong Kong from April 1 until at least April 30. This will reduce its international network from 101 airports to six.As to U.S. transborder services, from April 1, Air Canada will reduce its transborder network from 53 airports to 13, subject to further reductions based on demand or government edicts. The cities with continued service will be: New York (LGA and EWR), Boston, Washington, D.C. (IAD and DCA), Chicago, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
A Positive Coronavirus Update—Life In China Returning To Normal—As Flights To London Resume
forbes.comFor anyone looking for some positive headlines regarding the most talked about topic online, they may seem few and far between.Just one new case of COVID-19 was reported on Monday this week in China domestically as parks restaurants and even domestic tourism begins to recover. Read more here.
Porter Airlines Suspends Operations Until June – Here’s Why That’s Significant
simpleflying.comCanadian independent carrier Porter Airlines has announced this morning that it will suspend its operations until June 2020. Flights will remain operational as per the schedule until March 20th, but then staff will be put on immediate long term unpaid leave. Read more here.
OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES
Port of Montreal COVID-19 Update
ciffa.comFreight transport operations at the Port of Montreal are running at full capacity. No cancellations have occurred, and rail transport continues as scheduled. Road transport and terminal operations are ongoing.Since March 16, the vast majority of administrative staff are working from home, if and when appropriate, until further notice.
Chinese Port Restricts Ships From Virus-Hit Nations for 14 Days
ttnews.comThe port of Fuzhou in eastern China is restricting vessels arriving from nine countries including the U.S. and Singapore in efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus by visiting ships and their crew. Read more here.
As the World’s Borders Close, Crew Changes Become a Serious Challenge
maritime-executive.comNumber-one ocean carrier Maersk has suspended all crew changes aboard its container ships through April 14, the company said in a letter to crew Tuesday. Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Canada, Denmark and the 27 nations of the European Union have temporarily closed their external borders to most foreign nationals, and the list is growing rapidly. Read more here.
Carriers pull back on installing scrubbers as price of low-sulphur fuel drops
theloadstar.comOcean carriers are cancelling scrubber retrofits for their ships due to the huge delays at Chinese shipyards and a slump in oil prices, which has raised questions about the economics of the technology. Read more here.
GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES
Trucking demand surges as retailers restock
supplycahindive.comDive Brief:Demand is spiking for inland trucking capacity as grocers and retailers look to restock their shelves with critical goods amid the COVID-19 outbreak. DAT’s load-to-truck ratio, a measure of demand, was up 31% for vans and 33% for reefers between March 9 and March 15. Read more here.