Industry News
Ian Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business
Stobart starts second daily Felixstowe train service
The explosion on a Yang Ming ship in the port of Ningbo- Zhoushan, which raised serious safety concerns, was a timely reminder of the need for due care and attention when shipping hazardous cargoes, and the need for robust safety procedures to be in place in regard to the loading and unloading of British Airways will suspend flights from London, UK, to Beijing, China, from October 26 until an unspecified date in November 2025, following the longer flight times and containers. IN THE AIR increased costs that airlines have faced since the Russian airspace ban. However, it intends to keep its schedule By mid-August, container shipping lines were already amid an earlier-than-usual peak season, while air cargo and last-mile carriers were preparing for heightened demand in the months ahead. In the global logistics mergers and acquisitions arena, Transport Intelligence reported that Europe accounted for the largest number of acquisitions (by target location) in July 2024, with 46% of all acquisitions recorded. North America accounted for 39% of under review. IN BUSINESS acquisitions, with 11 recorded in July. Transport Intelligence added that companies providing logistics and transportation services were the most popular targets, accounting for a combined 50% of total July acquisitions. Though not a robust deterrent to determined thieves, the humble container seal plays a central role in identifying location, method and often perpetrators of cargo theft. TT Club argues for greater emphasis on the device as part of a stronger security culture across the supply chain.
OVERLAND Stobart Ports has started a second daily train service between Felixstowe and Widnes in partnership with GB Railfreight. It will now operate an additional five trains weekly, which it claims will remove approximately 500 HGV movements from the UK’s road network each week. The RHA has been granted a Collective Proceedings Order (CPO) and given the go- ahead by the Competition Appeal Tribunal to seek compensation for more than 18,000 operators, after a price- fixing cartel of truck manufacturers was found to have broken competition rules.
ON THE QUAYSIDE As part of its plans to increase capacity on its Liverpool- Dublin route, CLdN is making a multimillion-pound investment in its Brocklebank terminal at the port of Liverpool, which will see infrastructure upgrades to improve the use of space and enhance the flow of cargo movement. Drewry’s latest Global Container Terminal Operators Annual Review and Forecast reports that while the total number of global terminal operators featuring in its league tables for 2023 remained unchanged at 21, the composition changed
significantly. The seven largest firms strengthened their position and now handle more than 40% of global port throughput, on an equity- adjusted basis. ON THE OCEAN Despite the belief that global shipping is concentrated, Sea-Intelligence said the industry’s level of concentration does not exceed the threshold for marginal concentration, adding that the market turmoil since 2020 has neither increased nor decreased these levels. container shipping analyst and consultant Lars Jensen said that shippers should expect ongoing volatility in container shipping freight markets through 2025. He added that even if operations resume through the Suez Canal, immediate relief from disruptions and soaring freight rates are not guaranteed. Speaking on the Freight Buyers’ Club podcast, Boxship newbuilding orders have burst back into life as the Red Sea crisis has caused freight and charter rates to reach levels not seen since the Covid-19 pandemic. Clarksons stated that 89 container vessels, amounting to 1.2 million teu, were commissioned in June and the first half of July, the highest run-rate since the pandemic-induced boom. Global shipping schedule reliability dipped in June, according to a new analysis by Sea-Intelligence, but kept in line with the trends seen so far in 2024, where global schedule reliability has largely been within 50%-55%.
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4 | September 2024
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