Newsletter – October 28, 2021

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Dhaka scanner crisis eases and airfreight back on the move from Bangladesh

theloadstasr.com
Direct flights to the UK from Bangladesh have relaunched, following repairs to an explosive detection scanner (EDS) in Dhaka Airport.
And officials expect two new EDS machines in operation by the first week of November, relieving congestion at the airport that built after direct flights were halted last month after the failure of the scanners. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Ocean carriers will pass on fines for lingering containers to importers

freightwaves.com
Logistics industry professionals say retailers and other cargo owners will ultimately bear the cost of drastic new fees announced Monday by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in response to mounting congestion disrupting the entire U.S. economy.
The fees ostensibly penalize ocean carriers for not quickly clearing out imported containers piling up in their terminals, but a lack of details in the press release left freight industry stakeholders confused about how the rules will be applied. Read more here.

$25B worth of cargo stuck on 80 container ships off California
freightwaves.com
There was fleeting hope that Southern California port congestion had turned the corner. The number of container ships waiting offshore dipped to the low 60s and high 50s from a record high of 73 on Sept. 19, trans-Pacific spot rates plateaued, the Biden administration unveiled aspirations for 24/7 port ops, and electricity shortages curbed Chinese factory output.
The reality is that the port congestion crisis in Southern California is not getting any better. Read more here.

Zim Kingston lost more than 100 boxes overboard, significantly more than first reported
splash247.com
Initial reports indicated that the Zim Kingston boxship lost 40 containers overboard during stormy weather on October 22. That number has been revised upward to more than 100 boxes.
The Canadian Coast Guard said on Wednesday that 109 containers were found by investigators to be missing. The number of missing containers with hazardous goods has not risen since the original report; two containers with hazardous materials remain in the waters off the coast of British Columbia. Read more here.

Shippers fear ‘catastrophic’ fallout from ‘crazy’ California port fees
freightwaves.com
The cure is worse than the disease, say critics of an emergency plan of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach backed by the Biden administration. If you think port congestion is bad now, just wait for what comes next.
On Wednesday, two days after the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced a surprise emergency fee for containers lingering too long at terminals, the National Shippers Advisory Council (NSAC) held its inaugural meeting. Read more here.

Long Beach in tie-up with inland port and rail operator to move boxes faster
theloadstar.com
The port of Long Beach is still in crisis mode: yesterday, there were 74 containerships anchored in San Pedro Bay waiting for berth space at LB or Los Angeles, down from a high of 80 last weekend.
According to the LB port authority, this pile-up translates into more than half a million containers on the water – and there close to 150,000 boxes at the port, with a similar number at neighbouring LA. Read more here.