Global Aperture

Some analysts project the air cargo market will see a demand spurt over the next 20 years, aligned with Boeing’s prediction that the global fleet size will grow by 80% in that same timespan—about 20% of new planes will likely be driven by demand from China.

The ongoing Climate Change Conference (COP27) brings attention to the fruits of collective effort, including publication of the newest World Trade Report, revealing key insights on manufacturing and sustainability trends such as low-carbon technologies and policy alignment. The Green Shipping Challenge was inaugurated at COP27 by US and Norway officials, reinforced with over 40 different announcements from port operators, transport providers, interstate agencies, and industry stakeholders.

Americas

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) Conference takes place November 8-10 in Miami—amidst the hurricane warnings issued for Tropical Storm Nicole. Port operations in Southern Florida will close through Wednesday for safety.

Of the confederated rail unions, BMWED announced the daunted contract renegotiation date with US network providers has been rescheduled to early December, easing concerns of a national supply chain shutdown over Thanksgiving holidays. However, heavy rainfall in British Columbia halted rail lines last week—grain terminals were stalled from unloading until November 4, replenishing Canada’s intermodal backlog problems.

Asia-Pacific

In China, Guangzhou undergoes partial lockdown after Covid-19 cases rose for four straight days in the city; prior lockdowns and other supply chain disruptions have been attributed to the nation’s year-over-year export decline in October. South Korea loses some service connections to Russia via Incheon Port on falling export volumes, attributed to semiconductor shortages and shrinking demand for automobiles.

China deepens investment in Latin America while Taiwan puts money on Lithuania for microchip production. Several inter-Asia air services have been deployed to connect Japan with Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Trial runs for the India-Bangladesh transshipment routes concluded on November 7, solidifying cross-border partnership between the nations’ customs agencies.

Europe, Middle East & Africa

EU Parliament responded negatively to the US government’s recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, criticizing the subsidies offered to domestic EV manufacturers. In Germany, the port of Bremerhaven continues to suffer from high trade volumes and a lack of H&H and roll on/ roll off drivers, creating severe gridlock for containers and automobile imports that has resulted in long delays for major manufacturers.

Port workers at Antwerp began a 24-hour strike on November 9 over wages, closing the terminal until 6:00 am the following morning. In Liverpool, however, a strike planned for November 14 was averted when a temporary agreement was reached between port operators and union officials, ending future action pending union member approval.

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