Newsletter – November 21, 2018

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

US-China trade war set to have serious repercussions on box shipping in 2019

source: lloydloadinglist.com
The US-China trade war will have serious repercussions on transpacific eastbound volumes during 2019 as front-loading this year ahead of the implementation in January of a new higher tariff rate prompts a dip in traffic next year, container shipping observers believe.  Read more here. 

MSC and Maersk clash on capacity policy as AE2/Swan loop readies for relaunch

theloadstar.co.uk
The 2M is “unlikely” to suspend its AE2/Swan Asia-North Europe loop again after the Chinese New Year, according to an MSC source.
The insider told The Loadstar today MSC “had no intention of making the same mistake again”. Read more here.

The downside for carriers and terminals of a digital supply chain

theloadstar.co.uk
While every shipping company in the world appears to be developing some form of digital strategy, a leading industry academic has warned that digitisation could result in some unforeseen and unwelcome consequences. Read more here.

2020 low sulphur regulations could be ‘the saviour’ of container shipping

theloadstar.co.uk
The IMO’s 0.5% sulphur cap, to be imposed in January 2020, could be a “blessing in disguise” for shipping lines, should the regulatory fallout finally end the industry’s elusive search for supply and demand balance. Read more here.

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

Italy launches first high-speed rail freight service

lloydsloadinglist.com
Mercitalia Rail, the rail freight arm of Italian state railway Ferrorie dello Stato Italiane, has launched what it claims is Italy’s first overnight high-speed rail service for cargo.  Read more here. 

CANADA BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

Ottawa ready to order Canada Post back to work

cbc.ca
The federal government is reappointing a special mediator to help end the Canada Post strike and says it will table back-to-work legislation if an agreement isn’t reached in the next few days.
A statement from the office of Patricia Hajdu, the minister for employment, workforce development and labour, said legislating an end to the dispute would be “a step we do not take lightly.” Read more here.