INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Air cargo market risks downturn as export orders contract

A pallet of cargo being loaded from a hoist into the upper deck of a plane as viewed from the side of plane over the wing.

The two-year bull market for air cargo could be headed for a downturn. Freight volumes moved by passenger and cargo airlines contracted in March and April as manufacturing and supply chains faltered in the face of war and COVID headwinds, according to figures from a major airline trade group and independent analysts.

The International Air Transport Association said Tuesday air freight demand in March fell 5.2% year-over-year and that seasonally adjusted volumes reached a 16-month low. On...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/air-cargo-market-risks-downturn-as-export-orders-contract

Chinese lockdowns will create shocks to American supply chains (but China is the biggest loser)

Shanghai's zero-COVID lockdown continues.

What happens in China doesn’t stay in China. And for American supply chains, that is usually a good thing. American businesses have become dependent on low-cost goods coming from Chinese suppliers. But in a post-COVID world that may be entering the Second Cold War, reliance on China means that American businesses are held hostage by an autocratic regime that seems oblivious to the damage it is doing to its own economy, much less the global one. 

Since the earliest days of COVID-19, China has...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/chinese-lockdowns-will-create-shocks-to-american-supply-chains-but-china-is-the-biggest-loser

TRADE X acquires automotive export specialist Techlantic

A truck transporting cars to viewed from the front right to illustrate an article about an acquisition by the company Trade X.

Automotive trade platform TRADE X has acquired Techlantic, a Canadian company specializing in vehicle exports.

Ontario-based TRADE X announced the acquisition on Tuesday. The company did not disclose the price. 

The deal will enhance and grow TRADE X’s existing capabilities, including logistics and financing. Techlantic did $105 million in sales in 2020 and has been consistently profitable, according to Trade X.

“TRADE X will expand Techlantic’s capital resources and global reach,” said Luciano...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trade-x-acquires-automotive-export-specialist-techlantic

A solitary guiding philosophy for multiple ‘single window’ projects: “tell us once!”

Left: the single window that we want. Right: the ‘single’ window that we’ll probably get. Photo credits: Michael Olson (left), Raphael Koh (right), concept Shipping Australia. Photographs via Unsplash.

Despite the best assertions of musician, singer and songwriter, Bob Dorough, “three” is most definitely not “the magic number”. The magic number is, in fact, “one”.

Specifically, in relation to the “single window” concept, there should only really be one “single window”. The clue’s kinda there in...

https://www.shippingaustralia.com.au/a-solitary-guiding-philosophy-for-multiple-single-window-projects-tell-us-once/

Port Houston sees $75B in trade in first half of 2021

Port Houston’s trade increased 17% during the first half of the year, boosted by exports of gasoline, liquefied natural gas and oil, according to WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Trade at Port Houston increased from $64 billion to $75 billion through the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. 

The port ranked sixth for total trade among the nation’s roughly 450 airports, seaports and border crossings and is the third-ranked seaport, behind Port of Los Angeles...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-houston-sees-75b-in-trade-in-first-half-of-2021

Canada border officers vote to strike, warn of supply chain disruption

Canada Border Services Agency officers prepare to inspect a red intermodal container.

Thousands of Canada Border Services Agency personnel have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike – something that could throw a wrench into port, cross-border trucking, airfreight and international parcel operations. 

The strike could happen as early as Aug. 6, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and its Customs and Immigration Union said on Tuesday. The union represents some 8,500 CBSA employees, including officers serving at ports of entry across the country. 

The threat of a strike comes...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/canada-border-officers-vote-to-strike-warn-of-supply-chain-disruption

Disruption paves way for opportunity and collaboration

From the coronavirus pandemic to Brexit, the past 18 months have been characterized by disruption around the globe. Every segment of the supply chain has been forced to endure lightning-fast changes and restrictive regulations. While some companies have crumbled under the pressure, many others have risen to the occasion. 

It can be difficult to cast challenging circumstances in a positive light, but one thing is certain: Disruption breeds innovation. 

“When there is great change, you have to look...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/disruption-paves-way-for-opportunity-and-collaboration

FreightWaves Classics: Port of Long Beach celebrates 110 years of service

An aerial view of the Port of Long Beach. (Photo: Port of Long Beach)

The Port of Long Beach was founded 110 years ago today – June 24, 1911. According to the port’s website, it was “a wild dream scratched out of 800 acres of mudflats at the mouth of the Los Angeles River.”

Since then, the port has grown significantly; it is the second-busiest container port in the United States, trailing only the Port of Los Angeles (recently profiled here in FreightWaves Classics), which it adjoins in San Pedro Bay. 

Today, the Port of Long Beach encompasses more than 7,600 acres...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-port-of-long-beach-celebrates-110-years-of-service

FreightWaves Classics: Port of Los Angeles is the nation’s busiest!

Cargo ships at the Port of Los Angeles. (Photo: Port of Los Angeles)

Together, the Port of Los Angeles and the neighboring Port of Long Beach comprise the San Pedro Bay port complex. The two ports handle more containers per ship call than any other port complex in the world. (The Port of Long Beach will also be profiled by FreightWaves Classics.)

The Port of Los Angeles markets itself as America’s Port®. It is the busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere. 

Last Thursday, June 10, the Port of Los Angeles became the first port in the Western Hemisphere to process...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-port-of-los-angeles-is-the-nations-busiest

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