Newsletter – September 12, 2023

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Airlines Continue Cutting Maui Flights As A Result Of Wildfires

simpleflying.com
American and Canadian airlines continue to reduce their operations to Kahului Airport in Maui, Hawaii, as the island suffers from the devastating wildfires that struck last month. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and WestJet are the latest airlines to alter their networks. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

US container imports rise in line with pre-COVID peak season pattern

freightwaves.com
US Container shipping spot rates in the trans-Pacific trade started to rise in late June and remain near their highs for 2023. The question is: How much of this rate gain is driven by peak season demand, and how much by shipping lines intentionally constraining capacity? Read more here.

Golden Week blanked sailings ‘a sledgehammer to crack a nut’ tactic

theloadstar.com
October sailings from Asia to Europe are being cut to below-demand levels in a final attempt by carriers to push up rates before the start of the slack season.
Multiple blank sailings have been announced by members of the three alliances for both North Europe and the Mediterranean around the Chinese Golden Week holiday in the first week of October, and through to the end of the month. Read more here (login required).

Vessel queues in storm-hit areas fail to stem freight slide

container-news.com
Extreme weather, particularly typhoons and hurricanes in North Asia and the United States, resulted in congestion building up in major ports.
Linerlytica’s report today stated that vessel queues went up in the week that ended on 10 September. Read more here.

CMA CGM applies new PSS from Indian Subcontinent, Middle East Gulf, Red Sea, Egypt to US East Coast and US Gulf

container-news.com
CMA CGM has announced new peak season surcharge (PSS) from the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East Gulf, Red Sea and Egypt to the US East Coast & US Gulf that will be effective on 7 October 2023 (gate-in date).
The French carrier will apply a US$350 per 20′, US$350 per 40′, US$550 per 45′ container surcharge for all container types.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Top global ports may be unusable by 2050 without more climate action, report says

reuters.com
LONDON, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Some of the world’s largest ports may be unusable by 2050 as rising sea levels hit operations, and efforts to speed up decarbonisation of the maritime sector and bring in new technology are vital, a study showed on Friday.
Weather-related disruptions are already impacting ports across the globe. These include a drought which is hampering operations in the Panama Canal, a top waterway. Read more here.