Trendwatch: White House Says US Will Suspend Port Fees on Chinese Ships Next Week; AfA statement on U.S. action against Mexican airlines and loss of cargo capacity; MSC Confirms It Will Flag Containerships in the Indian Registery

White House Says US Will Suspend Port Fees on Chinese Ships Next Week

The White House issued its fact sheet detailing the scope of the agreements reached with China during the meeting between the two countries’ presidents and discussions among the staff to make the agreements actionable. As reported last week, the U.S. and China will suspend the special port fees introduced against each other’s ships, as well start large agricultural shipments to China.

AfA statement on U.S. action against Mexican airlines and loss of cargo capacity

The Airforwarders Association (AfA) has expressed concern following the United States (U.S.) government’s withdrawal of 13 routes operated by Mexican airlines, warning against the reduction in air cargo capacity, and of disruption in supply chains between two of North America’s largest trading partners.

U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, announced the decision to prevent several Mexican carriers from operating passenger flights into the U.S. last week, removing valuable belly-hold capacity.

MSC Confirms It Will Flag Containerships in the Indian Registery

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company confirmed the earlier reports that the world’s largest container carrier has committed to reflag vessels into the Indian registry. The move follows CMA CGM and Maersk, which have also moved ships to the Indian flag in response to new regulations and the Indian government’s desire to increase the amount of trade carried on domestic ships.

EU lawmakers debate sunset clause, conditions for Trump tariff deal

The European Parliament began debating on Tuesday whether to make the EU-U.S. tariff deal conditional on concessions from Washington and limited in time, which could reignite trade tensions with the Trump administration.

Under the deal, the United States is broadly imposing 15% tariffs on EU goods, while the European Union removes many of its duties on U.S. imports, a step that the European Parliament and EU governments need to approve.

Shots Fired Toward Tanker in Renewed Somali Piracy Activity

A product tanker operated by Stolt Tankers sailing near the coast of Somalia is reporting shots fired and a possible boarding attempt. It is the latest in a series of suspicious activities being reported in the past few days, increasing fears of renewed piracy in the region.

Delta expands Salt Lake City presence with state-of-the-art cargo facility

Delta Air Lines, in partnership with the Utah Inland Port Authority and Salt Lake City, will be investing up to $18 million to develop a state-of-the-art air cargo hub at Salt Lake City International Airport, the airline’s key Mountain West hub.

The new Delta Cargo facility, which will undergo a full renovation and modernization after having previously been occupied by the United States Postal Service, will replace Delta’s current air cargo home at SLC and will significantly improve cargo operations.

Big Get Bigger as MSC and HMM Hit New Milestones in Container Capacity

The container sector continues to grow, with attention focused on the carriers’ total orderbook, which is more than 10 million TEU is the largest in history. While all the largest carriers continue to grow, two carriers, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and HMM, hit significant milestones in their strategies recently.

Qatar Cargo's Mammoth 777-200 freighter conversions may be delayed by US government shutdown

Qatar Airways Cargo may face delays in receiving its first 777 freighter conversions from Mammoth Freighters due to the federal government shutdown in the US.

The Doha-headquartered airline had decided to invest in five 777-200LRMF aircraft from the Fort Worth, Texas-based conversion company partly because of the delays to delivery for its new generation Boeing 777-8Fs, and was due to receive the first and second 777-200LRMFs this quarter as the launch customer for the conversion freighter.

World's Largest Sailing Cargo Ship Makes First Transatlantic Journey

The largest sailing cargo ship in the world has successfully made its maiden transatlantic voyage, after a two-week journey that started in Nantes, France, and ended at the Port of Baltimore.

Designed by French maritime company Neoline, the 446-foot-long Neoliner Origin is capable of carrying 5,200 tons of goods — including large-scale roll-on/roll-off vehicle cargo — and cuts carbon emissions by 80% compared to similarly-sized vessels that run on traditional fuels. The ship is primarily powered by wind, with two 216-foot carbon fiber masts and nearly 32,300 square feet of sails. It also has secondary diesel-electric engines that allow it to run in hybrid mode if its sails are damaged.