Weekly Logistics Briefing Key logistics updates for the week (Week 1 of February 2024)

In France, protest farmers have surrounded Paris with barricades that paralyze traffic for two days and blocked highways leading to Paris using hundreds of tractors and hay piles. German farmers used tractors to block access to major German ports. In Belgium, protests and road blockades continue on major roads and highways throughout Belgium. Farmers blocked all access roads to Belgium's Zeebrugge port (BEZEE). In Italy, protests have occurred from Sicily to Trento in recent weeks, and protesters blocking roads have often been seen, but they are lower than peasant protests in France, Germany, and Belgium.

The 'Koi' ship, which was reported to have been shot by Houthi rebels, was shot again by two anti-ship ballistic missiles by Houthi rebels while resuming operations on Feb 1. At about 2330 hours on Saturday night, forces from U.S. Central Command and the UK armed forces struck 36 different Houthi targets at 13 locations around Yemen. The strikes were intended to degrade the militant group's ability to attack shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. European Union defense ministers were meeting in Belgium on Wednesday to finalize plans for a defensive mission in the Red Sea which they hope to authorize by mid-February with Belgium and Germany saying that they would likely provide warships. It is being widely reported that CMA CGM Group reversed course and has again decided to suspend transits in the Red Sea.

For the purpose of opposing the retirement pension reform, the port union plans to strike in the first week of February at the French ports. Continued stoppage of overtime and exceptional shifts, 4 hours on February 5, 24 hours on February 7, 4 hours on February 9. Operations are expected to be suspended, such as the closure of terminals at major French ports.

More than 1,000 flights were delayed or canceled at Denver International Airport Saturday as a snowstorm swept across Colorado. As of 6 30 p.m. Saturday, 853 flights had been delayed, and another 169 were canceled for weather related reasons. Southwest and United had the most delays on Saturday, with 334 United flights and 287 Southwest flights failing to leave the gate on time.

All flights to and fro at the Srinagar International Airport have been cancelled due to bad weather. Srinagar and its adjoining areas were decked with a thick layer of snow, the major one this season. The plains of the Kashmir valley received 3 6 inches of snowfall, while the middle and higher reaches experienced 8?12 inches during the past 24 hours. On February 5, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy with the possibility of light snow over isolated higher reaches.

The difficulties faced by flights at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi due to heavy fog that occurred on February 2nd. This caused many flights to be delayed or diverted to other airports, affecting both arrivals and departures. The airport management has urged passengers to understand and cooperate with the instructions given by aviation staff to ensure safety and orderly operation. Due to the impact of the fog, Vietnam Airlines had to adjust the departure times of its flights to and from several airports, including those in Vinh, Nghe An, and Hue.

The Verdi union plans to go on strike at airports across Germany, including Frankfurt, on February 1 to pressure the government in wage negotiations. Airports to strike are Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), Bremen Airport (BRE), Dresden Airport (DRS), Dusseldorf Airport (DUS), Erfurt-Weimar Airport (ERF), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ), Hamburg Airport (HAM), Hanover Airport (HAJ), Stuttgart Airport (STR). Verdi said Frankfurt and Stuttgart are targeting both cargo and passengers.

Hapag-Lloyd has launched an ad hoc Jeddah Express (JDX) service calling at Tanger Med, Damietta, Jeddah, Damietta, Tanger Med to enable cargo connections to Jeddah that have been affected by the Red Sea blockade. The service will connect to Jeddah via the Suez Canal from the north, allowing it to avoid the Gulf of Aden. Ocean Network Express (ONE) has also launched its own Jeddah-bound feeder service, with the 6,492 TEU Argus temporarily operating as a shuttle connecting Damietta and Jeddah from 27 Jan. The ship turns around in 12 to 14 days. Wan Hai has teamed with Feedertech and X-Press Feeders to launch a new Red Sea-Gulf-India service that connects Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Jebel Ali, Jeddah, Sokhna, Jeddah, Jebel Ali, Mundra from 15 Jan.

Staff working for the DHL Aviation at East Midlands Airport have announced a 10-day strike action in a row over pay. Unite, the union representing the workers at DHL Aviation, says the action was called after staff rejected a pay increase of 9.8%. It also said strikes were due to start on 9 Feb. DHL Aviation UK said it was hoping to resolve the dispute and service at the airport would be maintained.

On Saturday evening of January 27th, a cargo ship called "SNP PAZAR" encountered engine problems while passing through the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, blocking traffic in both directions. The ship, which was headed to the Greek port of Kalymnos, stopped mid-transit after experiencing engine failure near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The ship was rescued using Rescue Tug-7 and the tugboat "Mehmetcik". Now, the ship is safely anchored at the Ahirkapi Anchorage Area in Istanbul, and traffic conditions in the strait have returned to normal.