Airline has hundreds of excess pilots as freight volumes contract Eric Kulisch·Sunday, November 05, 2023 FedEx Express is encouraging pilots at its cargo airline to take jobs at a regional passenger carrier because there isn’t enough shipping demand to fill everyone’s flying schedules. It’s the latest step over the past 12 months to align FedEx’s […]
Category Archives: News & Events
Maersk cutting 10,000 jobs in face of ‘worsening market conditions’
In addition to layoffs, 2023-2024 capital expenditures slashed by $3.5B Greg Miller·Friday, November 03, 2023 Maersk, the world’s second-largest ocean carrier, revealed Friday that it is “intensifying” job cuts in light of the “worsening market conditions” in ocean shipping. “Given the challenging times ahead, we accelerated several cost and cash containment measures,” said Vincent Clerc, […]
Suez Canal fee hikes set to add to the pressure on Asia-Europe carriers
By Gavin van Marle 31/10/2023 Container shipping lines are set to see another spike in costs next year after the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced that it would increase fees on northbound transits by 15%. The same hikes, which will will take effect on 15 January, also apply to all other types of vessel except ro-ro ships, […]
Idle tonnage passes a million teu as bigger box ships go into lay-up
By Mike Wackett 18/10/2023 The amount of containership capacity idled has surged again, the latest survey from Alphaliner reporting 315 vessels (1.18 million teu) in lay-up, representing 4.3% of the global fleet. In its fortnightly review of the inactive container vessel fleet, the consultant recorded a big jump from the 271 ships, for 942,035 teu, shown as […]
2M carriers’ winter schedules see more blankings as demand freezes
By Mike Wackett 11/10/2023 2M alliance partners MSC and Maersk will revert to a reduced “winter schedule” coverage for Asia–North Europe until December to mitigate the impact of falling demand and the continued erosion of freight rates on the route. From the end of this month, the 2M will blank the sailing of an Asia–North Europe loop […]
Panama Canal restrictions are rerouting LPG shipping flows
Panama Canal restrictions are rerouting LPG shipping flows Panama Canal restrictions are already forcing ships to take multi-week detours via the Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope. One shipping segment is more exposed to these reroutings than any other: specialized tankers that carry liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the U.S. to Asia. America is […]
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
June 21, 2022 – May 29, 2023Since the implementation of UFLPA, CBP stopped 4,269 shipments valued at over $1.39 billion for UFLPA reviews and enforcement actions. This is a huge milestone for CBP.•679 (16%) shipments valued over $40 million were denied entry into U.S.commerce.•1,608 (38%) shipments valued over $643 million were released into U.S. commerce.•In […]
West Coast container ports hit as labor talks take ominous turn
Greg Miller·Sunday, June 04, 2023 Will West Coast port labor negotiations devolve into a major, extended disruption to U.S. supply chains, akin to the labor fallout in 2014-2015? If there was a way to place a “prop” bet on this, how have the odds changed since the last port labor contract expired on July 1, […]
FedEx Express pilots vote overwhelmingly for strike over new contract
By Charlie Bartlett 18/05/2023 Unless the company agrees to their demands, the pilots of FedEx Express look set for industrial action, after a strike vote succeeded by a landslide. According to Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA), the FedEx pilots’ representative, 97% of union members participated in the vote, and 99% voted for a strike: an “undeniable […]
Using smaller airports rather than major hubs can mean a ‘greener’ flight
By Alex Lennane in Munich 11/05/2023 Shippers should urge their airfreight providers to consider emissions – and they could see a big CO2 saving by choosing secondary airports. Research by Chicago Rockford (RFD), the upstart Illinois airport, shows aircraft use less fuel and emit less CO2 and other pollutants at smaller facilities like RFD than at major […]
