Newsletter: March 21, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

VDG confirms suspension of AirBridgeCargo and Atran operations

aircargonews.net
The Volga-Dnepr Group (VDG) has confirmed that it has taken the decision to temporarily suspend operations at its AirBridgeCargo and Atran Airlines subsidiaries.
VDG said that it had taken the decision in response to sanctions affecting lessors and the decision of Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCCA) to suspended all airworthiness certificates for Russian aircraft on its registry. Read more here. 

Shenzhen-Hong Kong freighter launched as locksdowns hit supply chains

aircargonews.net
The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has launched a freighter service to Hong Kong to meet a lack of trucking capacity as a result of Covid-19 outbreaks.
According to the Xinhua news agency, the service will operate six times per week utilising a B767 freighter operated by SF Airlines.  Read more here. 

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

East Coast ports about to get slammed by a lot more ships

freightwaves.com
There were 63 container ships waiting off East and Gulf Coast ports on Friday morning, plus another eight off the transshipment hub in Freeport, Bahamas — and it looks like it’s about to get worse.
The number of liner services calling in East Coast ports from Asia will surge to a new record high in the coming months as more cargo is diverted away from the Pacific gateway in Los Angeles/Long Beach. Read more here. 

Supply chain congestion builds at Colombo port as economic crisis heats up

theloadstar.com
With transport companies in Sri Lanka hit hard by large-scale fuel stockouts – in the latest sign of a worsening economic crisis facing the island nation – Colombo Port is facing major truckload service disruptions.
This could put further pressure on container lines already experiencing record-low schedule reliability as Colombo is the key transhipment hub for South Asia. Read more here (login required).

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

Canadian Pacific Railway work stoppage begins

splash247.com
While Canadian Pacific Railway and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference disagree on which side initiated the work stoppage at the railway, it began on Saturday, with both sides saying they are disappointed with that outcome. The stoppage began several hours ahead of the deadline established when CP issued a 72-hour notice of its plan to lock out Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC)-Train & Engine employees at 00:01 Eastern Time on March 20 if the union leadership and the company were unable to come to a negotiated settlement or agree to binding arbitration. Read more here. 

Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to collect Clean Truck Fund fee starting April

splash247.com
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will begin collecting a fee on April 1 with two purposes. The fee, to be charged at the rate of $10 per teu on loaded import and export cargo containers hauled by drayage trucks as they enter or leave container terminals, is intended to incentivise a change to cleaner trucks and to generate funds to accelerate the development of zero-emissions technology. Read more here. 

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

As Shenzhen lockdown ends other regions are hit by new Covid restriction

theloadstar.com
China’s tech hub city of Shenzhen resumed normal work and production today after a seven-day lockdown, but it could take weeks for cargo flows to recover.
Following three rounds of testing, deputy secretary general of the Shenzhen municipal government Huang Qiang said that Covid-19 prevention in the city was “under control”. Read more here (login required).