Industry News
Dover moots legal action over inland border facility Ian Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business
in shipping capacity will lead to price pressure and impact its results. Containership owners are playing hardball with liner operators desperate to plug holes in their networks as a result of the Red Sea crisis, demanding increased daily hire rates and insisting on longer charter periods. These leave the shipping lines at risk of committing to charter parties well beyond the duration of the current network disruptions and possibly exacerbating the oversupply challenges they already face. The Financial Times reported that emissions from ships diverting from the Red Sea to the Cape of Good Hope route are set to increase up to 70% as operators increase speeds to compensate for the longer route. IN BUSINESS A survey conducted by Descartes Systems Group indicates that 76% of supply chain and logistics leaders surveyed are experiencing notable workforce shortages in their operations. A total of 37% indicated the shortage is at high to extreme levels, contrary to expectations that cooling economies would result in the workforce shortages of the past few years subsiding. across nine European countries, as well as in Canada and the USA, campaign has changed the way people consider working in the logistics sector, according to Transport Minister Guy Opperman MP, speaking at a parliamentary reception in February to highlight the role of young people in logistics as part of National Apprenticeship Week. He praised the collaborative work of businesses from across the sector to achieve a real change in attitudes. The first year of the Generation Logistics
ON THE QUAYSIDE The BBC reported in mid- February that Dover District Council (DDC) and the area’s port health authority were considering taking legal action against the government over the switch of checks on food imports to a new inland border facility based in Sevington, 22 miles from Dover. They argued that the move away from health checks at the port of entry puts at risk the port’s ability to
OVERLAND GBRf has started an intermodal service connecting London Gateway with iPort Doncaster, running five trains a week, utilising its brand-new FEA-G intermodal wagons, each of which can carry 6 teu on each service, significantly increasing the volume of cargo that can be transported per journey. DP World is increasing its financial incentive to £100 for customers taking advantage of its Modal Shift Programme, a scheme introduced in September last year that is designed to increase the attractiveness of intermodal rail. When launching the scheme, DP World offered £70 to customers who moved import-laden containers via rail to a railhead within 140 miles of the Southampton logistics hub. IN THE AIR The agenda for the IATA World Cargo Symposium (WCS), which will take place in Hong Kong from 12-14 March, will feature specialised sessions on digitalisation, sustainability, and safety and security within the air cargo business. ON THE OCEAN Maersk said it expects the shipping industry to be hit by a slowdown later this year when the current increase in freight rates from the Red Sea conflict evaporates, as an oversupply
and supply chain inefficiency. It said that 90% of deep-sea containerised cargo comes into the UK via southern ports, despite 60% of these goods being destined for the north. A survey it conducted found that 76% of UK retail leaders want to see goods imported closer to their end destination.
perform its legal duty of ensuring a safe UK food supply.
Peel Ports is urging retailers to import goods via UK ports closer to their end destination, to reduce carbon emissions
4 | March 2024
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