KLN NEWS | Week In Review | 2021-09-03
Prescott, Ontario – A collision between two cargo trains in the heart of Prescott Thursday morning left one person injured and disrupted both rail and road traffic. The collision on the main CN Rail line just west of Edward Street startled residents and workers with a loud bang shortly before 10:30 a.m., leaving two locomotives…
KLN NEWS | Week In Review | 2021-08-20
Cargo logjam building after Covid disrupts handling at Shanghai Pudong Airport Sam Whelan Covid-testing has disrupted cargo operations at Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) today, with widespread delays and flight cancellations expected over the weekend. Ramp handler Shanghai International Airport Services (SIAS) suspended activities after a positive case was detected, and all staff were sent for…
The world’s largest port, Ningbo, starts to turn ships away as a worker tests positive for Covid-19
Operations at a terminal of the world’s largest port were suspended today following a single case of Covid-19 being detected on a 34-year-old worker. Ningbo-Zhoushan port has started to turn ships away this morning in the wake of the positive nucleic test. The worker resides in a dormitory and tested negative on the 8th, before…
KLN NEWS | Week In Review | 2021-08-06
Supply chain fears grow as new COVID-19 surge hits China Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor Fears are growing that the fast-deteriorating logistics situation in Vietnam could be repeated across China, where the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta Variant has now spread across 15 provinces and mass virus testing is closing off huge parts of cities. “More…
KLN NEWS | Week In Review | 2021-07-30
KLN NEWS | Week In Review | 2021-07-30 US imports to keep driving global shipping imbalance Michael Angell US imports have driven the global container shipping chaos, having grown 10 percent yearly since 2019 while other trades saw moderate gains in comparison. Low inventories, a strong US economy, and shippers not wanting stockouts or depleted shelves…
Port of Vancouver congestion mounts despite resumed rail service
41 ships at anchor while CP, CN share reopened tracks in British Columbia Follow on TwitterTuesday, July 13, 2021 The Port of Vancouver is continuing to feel the domino effect from the disruption caused by wildfires in British Columbia even as CN and Canadian Pacific rail service resumes. As of Tuesday afternoon, 41 ships were…
Don’t Blame Us for Container Market Chaos: World Shipping Council
Container industry body the World Shipping Council has issued a robust defense of its members after reports of US President Joe Biden issuing an executive order aimed at increasing competition among liners. Biden is due to announce the order formally later on Friday, according to media reports, directing the Federal Maritime Commission to ‘protect American…
Carriers in response to Biden: US demand is to blame for high rates and delays
DANIEL LOGAN The major challenges facing the container industry with unprecedented high freight rates, delays and bottlenecks are primarily driven by the extreme demand for imported goods from the US and the nation’s consumers. This is the candid response from the container carrier lobby group World Shipping Council (WSC) in the wake of US President…
Biden to clamp down on monopolies
President Biden informed in an address prior to signing the executive order that US society is built on open and fair competition and that the transport sector, including the container industry, appears to be lagging behind. “We have to get back to an economy that grows from the bottom up and the middle out. The…
EU Commission is watching closely
The Biden administration is particularly focused on the fact that there are currently three major container alliances that control more than 80 percent of the market. Specifically, the alliances comprise Maersk and MSC’s 2M alliance, THE Alliance composed of Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming and ONE as well as Ocean Alliance, which consists of Cosco, Evergreen, OOCL…
Vancouver intermodal delays worsen after track closure
Michael Angell, Associate Editor US and Canadian shippers are bracing for longer rail delays as Canada’s two Class I railroads slow their train speeds and share a single track to the Port of Vancouver in the wake of a wildfire that closed one of two tracks that run through British Columbia. Vancouver, Canada’s busiest port,…
Speed limit puts more pressure on train service
Speed limit puts more pressure on train service Intermodal volumes dropped by nearly 20 percent in the wake of the July 1 fire that is severely limiting intermodal capacity out of Vancouver. CP’s intermodal carloads fell 27 percent for the week ended July 10 from the prior week, while CN’s fell 15 percent, according to…
10% of the world’s shipping capacity has been taken out due to port congestion issues
The sobering picture of the state of containerized shipping is captioned below. Exclusive data from maritime intelligence service eeSea shows the world’s most congested box spots, ranking all ports by the sum of mainline vessels either in port or waiting. The ratio between in port and waiting is an approximation of the congestion. Hong Kong,…
Ocean rates to remain at record levels into 2022: Moody’s
Greg Knowler Container shipping rates will remain at record levels for the rest of the year and into 2022 as demand significantly outpaces capacity in an environment that will further drive up carrier profitability, according to Moody’s Investors Service. “We expect financial performance to be even better in 2021 than it was in 2020,” the…
Canada border officers mull strike at critical time for supply chain, ports
Nate Tabak Thousands of members of the Canada Border Services Agency are in the midst of voting on whether to authorize a strike — something that could roil the movement of billions of dollars of goods via its border with the U.S., airports and shipping ports. Nowhere more acutely than the Port of Vancouver. Some…
Labor action would be ‘targeted,’ says union president
Union members have been without a contract since 2018. Talks with their employer — technically the Treasury Board of Canada — broke down in the fall. They’re seeking pay increases to match other Canadian law enforcement agencies and changes to working conditions. Fortin declined to discuss how he anticipated a strike might affect the movement…
CBSA personnel in roles critical for trade could still be allowed to strike
Because of the nature of CBSA officers’ work, many personnel are forbidden from striking. A 2009 decision by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board clarifies how personnel are deemed essential. Essential duties include inspections of goods, but not “assessing and collecting duties, taxes, fees and fines,” according to the decision. The decision…
Port of Vancouver contends with container surge, congestion
Port of Vancouver contends with container surge, congestion The Port of Vancouver — Canada’s largest and busiest — has been handling an unprecedented level of container shipping in 2021 along with its competitors up and down the west coast. Vessels are waiting seven days on average for a berth, according to a recent service advisory…
Union ‘has to tread a careful line’ if border officers go on strike
Union ‘has to tread a careful line’ if border officers go on strike While it remains to be seen whether union members will authorize a strike, let alone whether one will happen, they could find themselves in a position that’s even less tenable than the longshoremen who went on strike at the Port of Montreal…
Baltic index hits 11-year high on gains across segments
Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index , tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, hit a more than 11-year peak bolstered by firmer rates across vessel segments. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 69 points, or 2.1%, at 3,324, its highest level since June…
