Newsletter – March 7, 2018

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Solid start for air cargo but concern as trade war looms

source: aircargonews.net

Air cargo started 2018 with robust growth as demand drivers remained supportive, but a potential trade war could hinder growth in the future.

The latest figures from IATA show that cargo traffic in freight tonne km terms increased 8% year on year in January, up on the 5.8% improvement registered in December. Read more here.

Cathay Pacific links up with Kazakhstan’s Air Astana

source: shippingazette.com

HONG Kong’s Cathay Pacific and Air Astana have inked an agreement that will enhance travel options for Cathay Pacific customers travelling to and from Kazakhstan and for Air Astana customers travelling to and from destinations in Asia and Australia via the airlines’ hubs in Hong Kong and Almaty respectively. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Serious fire rips through new Maersk 15,000 TEU ship, four missing

source: splash247.com

A serious fire broke out on the 15,262 teu Maersk Honam in the Arabian Sea yesterday afternoon. The fire erupted in on of the cargo holds and appears to have spread across the gian boxship. Read more here.

APL launches premium Shanghai-LA service to help airfreight shippers

source: shippingazette.com

SINGAPORE’s APL, now unit of French shipping giant CMA CGM, is to target space-constrained airfreight shippers on the busy China-US route with its 11-day trans-Pacific ocean freight service between Shanghai and Los Angeles that will be launched in June.

The premium service is an extension of the Eagle suite of time-definite and guaranteed offerings by the carrier, IHS Media reported quoting APL’s chief executive officer Nicolas Sartini. Read more here.

Containers fall from Maersk ship off North Carolina in heavy seas

source: shippingazette.com

MORE than seventy containers fell off a Maersk vessel off the coast of North Carolina, prompting the US Coast Guard (USCG) to issue a warning to mariners that they should navigate the area with caution. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

Trump Tariffs Would Raise Vehicle Prices

source: truckinginfo.com

Associations representing manufacturers of vehicles and parts have spoken out against President Donald Trump’s plan to place a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports. Read more here.