Newsletter- September 07, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Lufthansa pilot strike averted after agreement reached

aircargonews.net
A second strike by Lufthansa pilots was averted at the last minute when the airline and union came to an agreement over future pilot pay.
The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union on Monday announced a second strike would start today and run for 24 hours for passenger pilots and 48 hours for cargo pilots. Read more here.

Air Canada Cargo becomes first Canadian carrier to approve Envirotainer Releye RLP and RAP Containers

aircargoweek.com
Air Canada Cargo will be the first Canadian operator to use the new live monitored, temperature-controlled certified aircraft containers, the Envirotainer Releye RLP and larger RAP, as part of the AC Absolute solution. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Union Chief Willie Adams Steers a Tough Course Through Port Labor Negotiations 

hellenicshippingnews.com
Willie Adams has the power to scuttle or sustain the U.S. supply-chain recovery, if he can keep his own union in line.
For the first time since he was elected president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in 2018, Mr. Adams is leading labor negotiations with the companies that run cargo-handling sites at West Coast ports that are the country’s main gateways for trade with Asia. Read more here.

MSC moves to reduce risk of container loss

splash247.com
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has signed a contract with Norwegian classification society DNV to implement the new Anti-Roll Assist system and ARCS (Anti-Roll for Containerships) class notation on about 100 ships.
The deal, signed at SMM, the world’s largest shipping exhibition held in Hamburg, will see the Swiss-headquartered liner giant become the first company to install the application and the first in the world to implement a ship-specific tool to avoid container losses due to parametric or synchronous rolling. Read more here.

BCOs in renegotiation mode as rates slide

splash247.com
With freight rates in free-fall shippers are busy renegotiating their contracts with containerlines, who are facing up to the reality that the liner party is fizzling out.
The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) spot box freight rate index stood at 2,848 points on Friday, down 10% week-on-week but remain still more than three times the 2019 average. Rates on the Shanghai-US west coast route fell by more than 20% week-on-week to $3,959 per feu. Overall, last week’s SCFI performance was the worst weekly drop since 2016. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES  

Canada looks abroad to help ease trucker shortage

freightwaves.com
Canada’s trucking industry — which is short thousands of truck drivers — could get a boost with the government soon allowing truckers from other countries to apply to work in the country through its Express Entry immigration programs.
The move to open up Express Entry to truckers is aimed at fixing labor shortages, said Michelle Carbert, a spokeswoman for Canada’s Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Revving Exports to US Keeps India in Race to Become Next China

bnnbloomberg.ca
India, believed by many to have the potential to become the next China, is finally making headway in the exports market as it broke into the top 5 suppliers of Christmas decorative items and t-shirts to the US.
Sea-borne shipments of festival goods and accessories to America touched $20 million last month, almost triple the value from the year-ago period, according to US customs data. In the process, India gained a clear lead over the Philippines as buyers diversify supply sources in the face of rising labor costs and disruptions from China’s strict Covid-zero policy. Read more here.