BDP Trendwatch: Shanghai container handling nearing pre-lockdown levels; Call for freighters to be excluded from Schiphol flight cuts; Container-ship building spree not over yet, new orders still rising

Shanghai container handling nearing pre-lockdown levels

Shanghai's daily average container throughput has recovered to 126,000 TEU, or 95% of pre-lockdown levels as the world’s busiest box port works to regain the productivity lost during the two-month lockdown that ended early this month.

Throughput on 18 June alone reached a single-day high of 142,500 TEU. The figures were released by China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) during a press briefing on 27 June.

Container News

Call for freighters to be excluded from Schiphol flight cuts

The Schiphol air cargo community is calling for freighters to be excluded from Dutch government plans to reduce the number of flights from the airport next year.

Last week, the Dutch government announced plans to reduce the number of flights from Schiphol from November next year as part of efforts to reduce noise and environmental pollution.

AirCargo News

Container-ship building spree not over yet; new orders still rising

For an alleged cartel that President Biden believes is deviously ripping off Americans, the container shipping oligopoly is sure doing a lousy job of managing its future capacity.

The price of newbuild container ships keep rising, yet liner operators and ship-owning companies keep placing more orders at Asian yards, guaranteeing an ever-larger deluge of new vessels in 2023-25.

Capacity on order has now reached 27.9% of on-the-water capacity, according to Alphaliner. The ratio was a mere 8.2% at the cycle low in October 2020.

Freightwaves, American Shipper

San Pedro Bay ports container dwell fee on hold through July 1

The San Pedro Bay ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will once again delay consideration of the “Container Dwell Fee” for another week, this time until July 1.

Since the program was announced on Oct. 25, the two ports have seen a combined decline of 31% in aging cargo on the docks.

The executive directors of both ports will reassess fee implementation after monitoring data over the next week. Fee implementation has been postponed by both ports since the start of the program. The Long Beach and Los Angeles Boards of Harbor Commissioners have both extended the fee program through July 28.

AJOT

Eight-fold growth seen for smart containers

The global fleet of smart containers, which are fitted with devices to enable real-time tracking, is set to grow eight-fold to 8.7 million units by 2026, forming 25% of the global container fleet.

Shippers are more inclined to monitor their cargoes due to ongoing supply chain disruptions, according to a report issued by Drewry on 23 June.

Container News

US, Taiwan aides hold opening talks on road map for trade deals

Senior US and Taiwanese officials held inaugural talks about developing an “ambitious roadmap for negotiations” to deepen economic and trade ties, a move likely to exacerbate tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi and Taiwan Minister-Without-Portfolio John Deng are laying the groundwork to advance “mutual trade priorities” through potential agreements in areas such as regulatory practices, agriculture, anti-corruption and non-market policies and practices, the Office of the USTR said in an emailed statement Monday.

AJOT, Bloomberg