Air cargo priorities: sustainability, modernisation, safety and people
IATA highlighted sustainability, modernisation, safety and people as four priorities to build resilience and strengthen air cargo’s post-pandemic prospects.
Outlined at the 15th World Cargo Symposium (WCS), which opened in London today, the priorities are:
- Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050
- Continuing to modernise processes
- Finding better solutions to safely carry lithium batteries
- Making air cargo attractive to new talent
Air Cargo News
Ian hits near Fort Myers as category 4 storm
Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday at Cayo Costa, Fla., near Fort Myers, just after 3 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said. It was a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph.
Storm Surge: The hurricane center warned of storm surge of up to 18 feet in some coastal areas of southwest Florida, and potentially catastrophic wind damage in the area that falls into Ian’s core as it comes ashore. Hurricane Ian was also expected to cause as much as two feet of rain. Ian has picked up speed, the center said, increasing the threat of hurricane-force winds on Florida's eastern coast as well.
The Wall Street Journal
Additionally, the South Carolina Port Authority has announced closures due to the impending storm:
In preparation for the storm and to allow customers and the motor carrier community to properly plan, the SCPA marine terminal gates will follow the schedules below.
Thursday, September 29: Normal operating hours at ALL Marine Terminals
Friday, September 30: ALL Marine Terminals CLOSED
Port of New York and New Jersey becomes America's busiest box port
Last month, volumes at the Port of Los Angeles fell below both Port of Long Beach and the Port of New York and New Jersey, making PANYNJ the top port in North America by container volume for the period.
PANYNJ moved more than 843,000 TEU in the month of August, setting a new August record, according to CNBC. Long Beach moved about 807,000 TEU, just barely edging out Los Angeles' 805,000 TEU.
The Maritime Executive
UK port operating firms invest over US$18 million in Southampton container capabilities
UK's ports group Associated British Ports (ABP) and UK's terminal operator Solent Stevedores have announced a joint investment of £17.5 million (US$18.7 million) in a new container offering for deep sea shipping lines at the Port of Southampton.
ABP said the project will create a 72,840m² facility, which will connect the existing intermodal rail transport site with laden and empty container handling, storage, maintenance and repair within a single site boundary, a first for the port.
Container News
Workers begin new round of strikes at Port of Felixstowe
Workers at the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe have launched a new strike action today (27 September) due to an ongoing dispute over pay.
Over 1,900 members of the British trade union, Unite, began strike action at 07:00 (local time) on 27 September. The strike is expected to end on 5 October at 06:59 (local time).
This is the second walkout of Port of Felixstowe workers after the strike action at the end of August. Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, owned by the port operator CK Hutchison, refused to return to negotiations, offering a 7% increase in the workforce.
Container News
World Container Index sinks to January 2021 levels, at 21-month low
Spot rates on Drewry's are no longer dreary. The World Container Index (WCI) took a near 10% tumble, the first in 29 months, as the index slid down to US$4,472 on 22 September. It must be noted that the WCI recorded its highest-ever quote on 23 September 2021 at US$10,377, exactly, a year back. The WCI has now lost all of its gains since January 2021.
Container News
New container terminal plans at Shanghai port
Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) has announced its plans to develop a new container terminal at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Zhejiang province.
SIPG aims to invest US$7.2 billion in the new box facility, which is expected to have a total annual throughput capacity of 11.6 million TEU, seven 70,000-ton, and 15 20,000-ton container berths.
Container News
Freeport of Riga to develop digital platform for multimodal cargo
The Freeport of Riga Authority has announced it is creating an integrated shared platform to promote the digitisation of cargo documents in Latvia.
The implementation aims to improve the speed of multimodal cargo circulation, and reduce administrative burdens and impacts on the environment.
The platform is being implemented under the second component “Digital transformation” of the European Union Recovery and Resilience plan within the framework of the reform and investment direction 2.1 “Digital transformation of public administration, including local governments”.
Port Technology
