Newsletter – September 18, 2023

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Cargolux back in the air as management and unions reach agreement

theloadstar.com
Cargolux’s aircraft are back in the skies following a weekend agreement between management and two unions.
The new deal will form the basis for a Collective Work Agreement, beginning 1 September 2023 and lasting until 31 August 2027. Read more here (login required).

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Box lines hit by rising fuel costs as OPEC cuts supply

theloadstar.com
As global freight rates continue to fall, container shipping lines are being hit by a huge spike in fuel costs.
This will inflict further damage on the bottom line of the financials of weaker carriers already challenged by second-quarter losses. Read more here (login required).

Billionaire Maersk family forms green methanol firm for shipping

ajot.com
The billionaire family behind A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S is forming a new company that will produce green methanol in a bid to help cut emissions from the shipping industry, one of the world’s biggest polluters.
The company, called C2X, will build and operate “large-scale” production facilities and expects an annual capacity of more than three million tons green methanol by 2030, according to a statement from family fund A.P. Moller Holding A/S, or APMH, on Thursday. That’s a significant addition to an industry facing a massive shortage of carbon neutral fuel. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

CN Advisory, September 15: Service in Moncton and Halifax Suspended on Saturday

ciffa.com
On Friday, CN issued an advisory indicating that it planned to suspend all regular scheduled service in the Moncton and Halifax areas as of 0700 on Saturday. Service was to remain suspended until at least 1400 on Sunday, September 17. Service resumption was to depend on the impact and duration of the storm.
Service was also suspended for domestic intermodal terminals in Moncton and Halifax. CN planned to resume business as soon as safe operating conditions returned.
If you have any questions on this, reach out to your CN account manager or customer service representative.

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UDPATES

Minimal Canadian impact from U.S. automotive strike so far — but that could change in a hurry

cbc.ca
A strike by thousands of U.S. autoworkers that started Friday will have limited impact on Canada’s industry at first, but it has the potential to bring the sector to its knees if it stretches into next week or beyond, analysts say.
About 13,000 members of the United Auto Workers walked off the job on Friday morning, picketing a General Motors assembly plant in Wentzville, Mo.; a Ford factory in Wayne, Mich., near Detroit; and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio. Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Lithium batteries blamed for blaze at UK warehouse storing electric scooters

theloadstar.com
Breaking out in the small hours of Sunday morning, another lithium battery fire, this one at a UK warehouse for mobility scooters, required firefighters to be on station for more than 12 hours.
Essex County fire and rescue service said yesterday that the cause of the fire, which started at a distribution centre for CareCo mobility scooters, at Turing Court, Great Notley, near Braintree, Essex, was “accidental”. Read more here (login required).