Air cargo market rides an incoming wave, but can it last?
The air cargo market has started the year on an apparent tear thanks to strong e-commerce volumes out of Asia and extended transits for ocean freight being rerouted around the Red Sea conflict zone, but whether the growth is sustainable or a product of low comparisons to last year remains an open question.
Last summer the industry was drifting at the bottom of a trough, but a swell of business in September turned into a wave that has carried into the first quarter.
Port of Los Angeles cargo volumes leap 60% YoY in February
LOS ANGELES — Cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles rose 60% year over year to 781,434 total TEUs in February as shippers look to diversify their shipping strategy, the West Coast port announced this week.
With pending outcome from the International Longshoremen’s Association contract negotiations, the Suez Canal still posing a risk for cargo flow and Panama Canal drought restrictions affecting ocean shipping, shippers are considering several different gateways to mitigate potential risks — including moving cargo to the West Coast.
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IMO heading for ‘robust’ pollution fee
After two weeks of intense negotiations at the UN’s shipping regulator, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a noticeable shift toward forcing environmentally cleaner practices in shipping has occurred, according to Climate Nexus, a non-profit journalism and climate communication organization. At the meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in London March 18-22, a 2:1 majority emerged of nations rallying behind an internationally imposed pollution fee, raising hopes of a universal greenhouse gas (GHG) price for shipping.
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