Starting off on the rails, labor disruptions are heating up again. The Rail, Maritime & Transport union announced four days of strikes in March and April. Two of those dates have already passed, bringing many train services to a halt. Union members of 14 passenger train operators and members of Network Rail will be part of the action.
This is the next step after the latest offer was rejected since members didn’t feel it addressed uses such as pay, job security, and working conditions sufficiently.
Click to Read: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/rail-strike-bring-many-train-005300745.html
Moving to the seas, the announcement of MSC and Maersk’s 2MAlliance dissolution is predicted to cause even more turbulence in its wake.
Several carriers have stated they have no plans to do likewise, but some see a different future. Specifically, the CEO of Vespucci Maritime, Lars Jensen, believes that the same thing will happen with the Ocean Alliance grouping of CMA CGM, Cosco (OOCL), and Evergreen. He also sees a new alliance forming between Hapag-Lloyd and Japan’s Ocean Network Express.
We’ll all have to wait and see if he’s right, won’t we?
Click to Read: https://theloadstar.com/new-round-of-alliance-musical-chairs-could-follow-messy-2m-divorce/
Despite a rough year, with shippers heading east because of ongoing labor issues, the Port of Los Angeles remained the busiest US port in 2022. Thanks to those problems, the Port of New York and New Jersey briefly gained the first place crown before settling into second place and remaining there.
Click to Read: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/US-container-port-ranking-2022-by-TEUs/643123/
Turbulence in the freighter conversion market has sent them into a nosedive. So far, there’s a 20% drop in demand for 2023, which is a huge shift from previous years when the industry was dealing with a huge demand for capacity.
Now, conversation specialists have a new norm to adapt to, with the likes of Amazon Air shrinking its fleet of planes and Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) sharing that only two of their ten freighter leases were renewed this year.
Click to Read: https://theloadstar.com/slower-air-cargo-market-reflected-in-demand-for-freighter-conversions/
For the last several years, we’ve been hearing about the need for more or better supply chain technology. But a recent survey of 305 industry executives reveals that despite investing in new tech, they’re not seeing any real gains. However, this could be nothing more than a period of adjustment.
In some cases, the problem is not understanding how the tech could be best be used—not the tech itself. In other cases, there simply hasn’t been sufficient time to fully implement the judge and or judge its results.
Click to Read: https://www.supplychainquarterly.com/articles/7806-supply-chain-executives-not-yet-seeing-expected-results-from-technology-investments
