Trendwatch: Vessel bunching on USEC slow to clear, as ILA shapes new 'strategy'; Global river flows hit all-time lows in 2023, UN says; India takes RMG market share from strife-ridden Bangladesh

Vessel bunching on USEC slow to clear, as ILA shapes new 'strategy'

The ILA has vowed to continue its “hell-bent” fight against automation as the effects of last week’s three-day strike disrupt supply chains. 

The union told its members over the weekend that, while it had negotiated an “unprecedented” 61.5% wage increase offer across six years, it had decided, as a “crucial part of the overall strategy”, not to accept this immediately. 

“If we were to accept the wage increase now, we would have to sign a no-strike clause. This would give the employers leverage to block us from addressing other crucial issues that impact every member’s job security and future,” it explained. 

Global river flows hit all-time lows in 2023, UN says

River flows around the world fell to all-time lows last year amid record heat, endangering water supplies in an era of growing demand, a U.N. weather agency report showed on Monday.

Prolonged droughts cut river flows in large parts of North, Central and South America with the Mississippi and Amazon River basins reporting record low water levels in 2023, according to the State of Global Water Resources report based on data going back 33 years.

India takes RMG market share from strife-ridden Bangladesh

Indian apparel industry stakeholders appear to have tasted some early incremental gains from the turmoil plaguing Bangladesh trade after the recent political upheaval that dethroned the government.

According to the latest data, India’s ready-made garment (RMG) exports, by value, in August surged 12% year on year, the highest monthly expansion in the fiscal year that began in April.

Shippers to opt for direct port calls over speed of service, predicts MSC's Soren Toft

MSC chief executive Soren Toft has predicted that global supply chains will increasingly fragment in the near future, leaving shippers prioritising direct port calls over speed of service.

In a keynote speech delivered this morning at the opening session of the International Association of Ports Harbours (IAPH) annual World Port Conference, Mr Toft explained that the carrier’s recently published standalone 2025 service network reflected a belief that supply chains are undergoing profound change.

Port strike suspension relieves air cargo pressure but peak outlook remains tight

The suspension of US port strikes until next year has helped relieve some of air cargo’s peak season capacity concerns but questions remain regarding just how busy the next few months will be.

TAC Index editor Neil Wilson said that there was a mixed outlook for how tight capacity would be during the peak season even before the strike was last week temporarily suspended until next year.

He told Air Cargo News that companies had been busy blocking out space on aircraft, which could mean there isn’t a spike in demand as companies have already planned the space they need, or that any spike would have a more pronounced effect on rates as there isn’t enough spare capacity to cater for spot market demand.

Looming 'indefinite' strike set for the Port of Montreal as tensions rise

Labour tensions are rising at the Port of Montreal in the countdown to an “indefinite strike”, while carriers push to hike rates on the transatlantic.  

The Port of Montreal Longshoremen’s Union has issued an overtime strike notice to begin at 7am on 10 October, set to last indefinitely. This follows a three-day strike that halted operations at two of the busy Canadian seaport’s terminals last week. 

Kenya’s National Airline Seeks Some Control of Biggest Airport

Kenya Airways Plc, the state-controlled national carrier, wants to gain some control of the capital’s biggest airport even as authorities discuss concessions with private players to run the regional aviation hub.

The Kenyan government has received a privately initiated proposal from a unit of Adani Group to revamp the airport first built in precolonial Kenya, which critics of the deal say would grant it a 30-year concession for an investment of just $1.85 billion.

Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta airport, or JKIA, requires “urgent” expansion due to increasing passenger and cargo traffic, with current numbers exceeding its design capacity, the carrier’s chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka, said.

BIMCO, ICS publish guide to help maritime industry reduce underwater noise

BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have developed a guide aiming to help the shipping industry understand and reduce underwater radiated noise from ships and help the industry implement the underwater noise guidelines from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The attention to underwater radiated noise from ships has significantly increased over the last few years and the demand for action has risen due to its negative effects on marine creatures and the environment, according to the two industry bodies.