TES LOGISTICS LTD

Ocean carrier schedule reliability down slightly in 2024 GLOBAL ocean carrier schedule reliability throughout 2024 has largely remained within the 50 per cent-55 per cent range, according to the latest issue of Sea-Intelligence's Global Liner Performance (GLP) report. Schedule reliability on a year-on-year level, was down 3.0 percentage points in December 2024. On a month-on-month basis global schedule reliability in December dropped by 0.9 percentage points to 53.8 per cent. The average delay for LATE vessel arrivals decreased by 0.23 days month on month to 5.28 days, which is the lowest that the delay figure has been since July 2024. On a year-on-year level, the December 2024 figure was 0.12 days lower. "Maersk was the most reliable of the top 13 carriers in December 2024 with schedule reliability of 60.4 per cent. There were six carriers with schedule reliability of 50 per cent to 60 per cent, with the remaining six carriers within a narrow 47 per cent-50 per cent range," said Alan Murphy, CEO, Sea-Intelligence. "Wan Hai was the least reliable with 47.9 per cent schedule reliability." Mr Murphy pointed out that in December 2024, the difference between the most and least reliable carrier dropped to under 13 percentage points. Only four of the top 13 global carriers recorded a month-on-month improvement in schedule reliability, with ZIM recording the largest increase of 6.0 per cent points. On a year-on-year level, only six carriers recorded an improvement, while Evergreen was the only carrier with a double-digit decline. The GLP) report covers schedule reliability across 34 different trade lanes and more than sixty carriers.

Bad weather Warning: North Europe Extreme Weather conditions are expected in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay over the coming days. This will severely impact vessel movement and port operations and might cause delays to South Africa bound vessels and Vessels sailing North to Rotterdam/London, we will keep you informed if there are any significant deviations to the schedules. Safety of crew and vessels remains our top priority. For more information, please contact us via the usual channels of communication. We thank you for shipping with Maersk.

China claims 2024 GDP growth announced at 5pc January 23, 2025 BEIJING has announced that China's economy grew five per cent last year, meeting the official target as strong exports and a concerted stimulus effort mostly offset weak domestic demand, reports London's Financial Times. The result was slightly better than analysts' forecasts in a Reuters poll but weaker than growth in 2023, when the economy expanded 5.2 per cent. GDP rose 5.4 per cent year on year in the fourth quarter, as a government stimulus that kicked off in September gained momentum. Analysts expect Beijing to set its growth target for 2025 at five per cent for the third year in a row, though trade is expected to face headwinds with threatened tariffs by incoming US president Donald Trump.

US docks return to normal as strike threat recedes January 23, 2025 THE threat of a longshore strike at east and Gulf Coast ports is gone, and transpacific ocean container rates to the United States have returned to normal, reports New York's FreightWaves. "Frontloading ahead of the possible January strike had helped keep North America container rates elevated into November, but were no longer a driver of rates as the strike deadline got closer," wrote Judah Levine, head of research for analyst Freightos. For the week ending January 10, the Freightos Baltic Index found Asia-US West Coast rates stayed level at US$5,924 per FEU. Asia-US East Coast prices fell one per cent to $6,898 per FEU. "Though transpacific prices to both coasts were level last week, rates had climbed sharply to start the month as demand is increasing ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday which starts January 29," said Mr Levine. "Asia-West Coast prices climbed 52 per cent compared to late December up to the $6,000 per FEU level, with East Coast rates at about $7,000 per FEU for a 30 per cent gain." There was similar stability in the Asia-Europe-Mediterranean lanes. Asia-North Europe rates increased one per cent to $5,640 per FEU. Asia-Mediterranean prices increased one per cent to $5,685 per FEU. "For Asia-Europe and Mediterranean shippers Lunar New Year demand started earlier than usual due to longer lead times from Red Sea diversions," said Mr Levine. "Rates that had increased about 60 per cent from early November into December to about the $5,500 per FEU level have been stable since then, with daily rates starting to ease." Mr Levine said reports of some carriers planning to lower prices to about $4,000 per FEU suggest an unusually early end to the Lunar New Year rush and low expectations for the not-uncommon upward pressure on rates just after the holiday. "Asia-Europe prices may soon fall all the way back to the Red Sea crisis-era floor of $3,000-$4,000 per FEU hit in the low demand periods last year," he said. "But transpacific rates may not recede as significantly once Lunar New Year demand eases, since frontloading ahead of expected US tariff increases may be keeping volumes higher than they otherwise would be in Q1." Mr Levine cited a report by the National Retail Federation projecting a 10 per cent increase in January volumes from a year ago.

Costs mount as Houthi Suez attacks enter second year NOW that the Cape route in the Asia-Europe trade has become the standard diversion as rocket attacks on the Suez route enters its second year, shipping costs are mounting, reports the New York Times. On average, 136 containerships a week have travelled around the Cape of Good Hope this year, compared with 40 before the Houthi attacks started, according to data from Lloyd's List Intelligence, a shipping analytics company. The cost of shipping a container from Asia to Northern Europe is up 270 per cent in 12 months, according to Freightos, a digital marketplace for shipping. The cost of shipping a container from China to a West Coast port in the United States is up 217 per cent over 12 months. Some importers have been hit with much larger increases. Vassilis Korkidis, president of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce in Greece and head of a maritime electronics company, said he paid US$8,700 for a 40-foot container of goods shipped from Shanghai in September, four times as much as a year earlier because of the longer trip. "We have considerable delays and an incredible increase in transport costs," he said. Economists say the Houthi attacks have contributed to inflation around the world, and importers fear the higher costs will become permanent. "We want to make sure that the world's governments don't see this as a new normal," said Steve Lamar, president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association. Last month, the group called on President Joe Biden to do more to stop the Houthis, who have carried out some 130 attacks on commercial ships in 12 months, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a crisis monitoring organisation. Before the Houthi attacks, the canal handled 10 per cent of world trade and more than a fifth of global container shipments, according to the United Nations. The Red Sea upheaval came just as importers were enjoying some of the lowest shipping rates in years, thanks to a glut of freighters when they were flush with profits from the Covid trade boom.

Cosco Shipping - OCEAN Alliance DAY9 Product 41 Loops+3 Non-OA TAT Loops January 22, 2025 6 Trans-Atlantic services (including 3 Loops of Non-OA）: COSCO Shipping Lines will offer a comprehensive and reliable Trans-Atlantic services network between North Europe/Mediterranean and North America East Coast North/South/Gulf market respectively, and to offer enhanced coverage of connecting 99 direct port pairs in this trade route. With the extension of our strong intra Europe feeder networks and comprehensive intermodal connection in North America, we look forward to continuing to serve your shipping needs with these improved and expanded services. The port rotations for the upgraded services are as follows: TAE(NATL) - Atlantic North East Coast Service Southampton -Antwerp -Rotterdam -Bremerhaven- Le Havre - New York - Norfolk -Baltimore -Southampton TAX(SATL) - Atlantic South East Coast Service Le Havre - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Bremerhaven - Charleston - Savannah - Le Havre EAG(MXGULF) - Atlantic Mexico/Gulf Coast Service Southampton- Rotterdam - Antwerp - Bremerhaven - Veracruz - Altamira - Houston - New Orleans - Southampton ELSA(AL5) - Atlantic West Coast Service(Non-OA) Southampton - Le Havre - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - Miami - Cartagena - Balboa(Rodman) - Los Angeles - Oakland - Balboa(Rodman) - Caucedo - Southampton MENA- Atlantic West Mediterranean Service(Non-OA) Salerno - La Spezia - Genoa-Vado-Valencia- Algeciras-New York-Norfolk-Savannah-Miami-Algecrias-Salerno EMA - Atlantic East Mediterranean Service(Non-OA) Iskenderum-Aliaga-Istanbul-Piraeus-New York-Norfolk-Savannah-Iskenderun Remark: TAE/TAX/EAG will be operated through a separate agreement between COSCO, CMA CGM, Evergreen, OOCL, and ONE as from 1st February, 2025

Chinese airlines fly deeper into European market January 22, 2025 UNEVEN access to Russian airspace has been the main reason why Chinese airlines are flourishing while their European rivals are floundering, reports Taipei's Central News Agency. Chinese airlines have been swooping in to grab a larger slice of the China-Europe air travel market as their continental counterparts bow out - a calculated strategy that＊s not just about capitalising on opportunity, but also gaining an enduring foothold in the sector, say analysts. "With [Donald] Trump returning as US president, it remains to be seen whether he will rally Europe to adopt even tougher trade stances and policies against China,§ independent aviation analyst Alvin Lie told CNA. Over the past year, numerous European airlines have reduced or discontinued their routes to Chinese cities, attributing the decision to rising costs and challenging market conditions including poor demand. Dutch flag carrier KLM is one of the latest airlines to do so. Starting this year, it has reduced flights between Amsterdam and Beijing, as well as Shanghai, from daily services to just five per week. In November, Scandinavian Airlines marked the end of its 36-year presence in China with its final flight between Shanghai and Copenhagen. This leaves Air China as the sole airline providing direct flights between Denmark and the Chinese mainland. Scandinavian Airlines staff take a group picture at Shanghai Pudong International Airport before the carrier's final flight between Shanghai and Copenhagen. Only seven European carriers remain on China-Europe routes, down from 14 in 2019, according to Caixin Global. Meanwhile, Chinese airlines are significantly boosting their capacity on China-Europe routes.

HMM to launch India-North Europe loop next month January 22, 2025 SOUTH KOREA's HMM has announced a weekly maritime service, the India North Europe Express (INX), which will directly link Western India to Northern Europe. The service will commence operations on February 5, 2025, with its first departure from Karachi, Pakistan, reports trans.iNFO of Wroclaw, Poland. The INX service is a collaboration between HMM and ONE, employing 6,000-TEU container ships on an 11-week round-trip schedule (77 days). Its port rotation includes Karachi, Hazira, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, London Gateway, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, and back to Karachi. This new service complements HMM's existing India-to-Mediterranean (FIM) and India-to-East Coast America (IAX) routes. By extending its network to Northern Europe, HMM aims to support India's expanding international trade, facilitating both regional exports and imports as well as global trans-shipment through India.

China's COSCO Shipping listed by US for links to PLA January 22, 2025 THE US Department of Defence (DoD) has released its annual list of companies linked to China's military, naming shipping giant COSCO Shipping, two of its subsidiaries, and several other prominent Chinese firms, including oil giant Cnooc, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive. This move formalizes the designation of these entities as "Chinese military companies," aiming to discourage US involvement with them. The annual listing is a requirement under the National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2021. As mandated by Congress, the Secretary of Defence must identify and publish a list of Chinese companies deemed to have ties to the military. The latest update was published on January 7 in the Federal Register. The Pentagon evaluates companies based on set criteria to determine their connections to China's military. Entities on the list are barred from conducting business with the US government, and the public disclosure is intended to discourage private-sector dealings with these firms. Congress's broader goal is to isolate companies supporting China's military ambitions. COSCO Shipping, which describes itself as the world's largest shipowner, is no stranger to US scrutiny. In 2019, during the Trump administration, COSCO's tanker division faced brief sanctions for transporting Iranian oil, although these were lifted the following year. The new designations include COSCO Shipping (North America) and COSCO Shipping Finance Co., alongside the parent company. Other additions include Cnooc, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), China International Marine Corporation (a leading shipping container manufacturer), and China Shipbuilding Trading Co, a CSSC subsidiary promoting Chinese shipbuilding. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co, Limited (CATL), a global leader in battery manufacturing, is also among the 134 companies identified. This action underscores ongoing US concerns about the intersection of China's commercial enterprises and military capabilities, aiming to limit access to critical markets and technologies.

Shipping rates surge amid tariff, strike threats January 20, 2025 SPOT container shipping rates from Asia to the US have spiked significantly as companies rush to bolster inventories ahead of higher tariffs and a potential strike that could disrupt ports managing nearly half of the US's seaborne trade, reports Bloomberg News. Booking a FEU to the US west coast reached US$6,000 on January 1 - a 50 per cent increase from US$4,004 a month prior - while rates to the east coast rose 31 per cent to $7,100, according to Oslo-based freight platform Xeneta. Xeneta shipping analyst Emily Stausboll attributes the surge to mounting uncertainty. The global container fleet has also avoided the Red Sea due to safety concerns, causing longer routes and reduced capacity. These factors, combined with potential port strikes and President-elect Donald Trump's proposed higher tariffs on imports, pose risks for shippers. While spot rates directly impact negotiations for long-term contracts, usually in the first quarter, demand growth is expected to slow later in the year.