Newsletter – May 9, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

The Future Of Airline Tickets: NFTs Are Here To Stay

simpleflying.com
Last month, the world’s first collectible NFTicket was sold at an auction for over $1 million. The winner became the owner of a unique NFT artwork and an Air Europa business class ticket from Madrid to Miami. Simple Flying recently had the opportunity to chat with the co-founder and CEO of TravelX, the company behind the newly minted NFTickets, and former Chief Commerical Officer of Aerolíneas Argentinas, Juan Pablo Lafosse. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Carriers ramp up blank sailings as China lockdowns persist

theloadstar.com
Ocean carrier alliances are preparing to blank more than a third of their sailings from Asia over the coming weeks in response to a reduction in export freight, according to the latest report from Project44.
The blanking strategies by the alliances to mitigate the impact of the Covid lockdowns in China will further extend cargo lead times, particularly to North Europe. Read more here (login required).

New monitoring requirements give US FMC more insight into alliance carrier operations

splash247.com
The three global ocean carrier alliances – 2M, Ocean and THE – and each of their member companies will now be required to provide enhanced pricing and capacity information, providing the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) with uniform data to use in assessing ocean carrier behaviour and marketplace competitiveness. Read more here.

US jobs versus foreign robots – west coast port negotiating lines are set

theloadsar.com
With negotiations at the US west coast ports to begin this week, 10 May, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) is positioning itself as ‘modernists held back by luddites’, while the union has appealed to Americans to back US dockers against ‘foreign plunderers’.
In an open letter, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) president Willie Adams praised his 22,000 members as frontline workers that kept US commerce working throughout the pandemic. Read more here (login required).

What can go wrong next in China? Now there’s a lockdown in Zhengzhou

freightwaves.com
After COVID cases were identified at the Zhengzhou railway station, the capital city of China’s Henan province is in lockdown for at least the next seven days.
Yep, just what the supply chain needs when these exports feed out of Shanghai — which is already at a miserable pace. Read more here.

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT  UPDATES

Key milestone reached to carry out the Port of Montreal Contrecœur

expansion
ajot.com
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) is pleased to announce that a new phase is underway to complete its major expansion project in Contrecœur, as three bid respondents qualified. The selected bid files are from (in alphabetical order):
-Axium Infrastructure Canada and Pomerleau Capital
-Ports America Holdings
-Terminal Investment Limited (TIL)
Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT   UPDATES

US supply of logistics warehouses is getting too old

freightwaves.com
he unprecedented boom in logistics warehousing demand is now about a decade old. During most of the past 10 years, it was a safe bet that the aging of the industrial warehouse stock wasn’t considered a high priority. Stakeholders had their hands full just keeping up with demand for capacity that hit like a ton of bricks and has barely abated. Read more here.