Weekly Logistics Briefing Key logistics updates for the week (Week 3 of February 2024)

On Feb 16, Houthi rebels attacked the tanker Pollux with anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea, but no injuries or ship damage were reported. Meanwhile, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the union federation representing seafarers, and the Joint Negotiating Group of unions and employer organizations agreed that starting in seven days they would add a condition for “seafarers’ right to refuse to sail” into the defined High Risk Area. They also agreed to expand the definition of the area from the Southern Red Sea to include larger areas in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters. Under the terms, seafarers must be given seven days' notice before entering the High Risk Area. They can refuse to work in the area with the shipping company having the option of reassigning the seafarer to another ship at the same pay and position or providing reparation at the company’s expense along with compensation equal to two months basic wage.

A cargo ship named BATUHAN A sank off northwest Turkey in the Sea of Marmara, leading to a rescue operation for the six crew members believed to be Turkish nationals. The ship went down near Bursa's Karacabey district at a depth of 51 meters (167.3 feet). Rescue teams, including coastal safety and Coast Guard, faced challenges due to adverse weather and sea conditions, including waves up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) high. A lifeboat has been identified in the area assessed to be where the commercial ship has sunk, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said, adding search and rescue operations are underway.

As demand for air cargo in Asia soars, Bangkok Flight Service (BFS), a ground operator, announced a temporary import ban at Bangkok Airport (BKK) 24 hours after a similar situation occurred in Dubai (2/12 midnight to 2/18 midnight). BFS announced that the transition from sea to air increased due to the Red Sea crisis, and that due to the high volume of goods related to the Chinese New Year, the cargo congestion increased, forcing the import of general cargo to be stopped. - All other shipments, including exports, transhipments and special cargo imports, such as perishables, pharma, dangerous goods, radioactive, valuable and live animals will continue to be processed as normal.

A conductors' strike in France has greatly disrupted train services, affecting travel during the ongoing school winter break. The strike, starting Friday and expected to last through the weekend, has halved the number of high-speed train journeys and impacted cross-border services, including Eurostar trains. SNCF Voyageurs' director Christophe Vanchet mentioned prioritizing fully booked trains to popular destinations, despite the disruptions. The Paris-Bordeaux line has been notably affected, with over 60% of its services canceled.

An oil tanker caught fire on the Jamkay-Silver Star Road in Sialkot late at night. Rescue 1122, led by District Emergency Officer Engineer Naveed Iqbal, controlled the fire with six fire vehicles, preventing harm to the nearby population. The fire, which contained about 15,000 liters of diesel, was reportedly started by a short circuit according to the driver.

A quick-moving winter storm on February 13 led to over 1,000 flight cancellations across the northeastern US, particularly affecting New York City and Boston airports. The storm brought significant snowfall, with New York City receiving around 7.62 cm and areas in Pennsylvania and Connecticut seeing up to 38.1 cm. Airlines such as American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and United waived change fees for impacted passengers.

UK rail strikes could extend up to six more months as train drivers from five major rail operators vote to continue their action over pay and working conditions. The decision comes after members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen(Aslef) overwhelmingly supported the continuation of strikes at Chiltern, C2C, East Midlands, Northern, and TransPennine railways, which commenced in July 2022. The Aslef rejected a previous offer, calling for significant changes to working practices. Negotiations remain stalled, with no resolution in sight, impacting millions and causing economic losses, particularly in the hospitality sector.

Due to the surge in air traffic to Dubai, cargo terminal operator DNATA stopped inflow of cargo for 48 hours from midnight on Monday night, February 12 at DXB/DWC Airport. DNATA said volumes in January had soared 45%, year on year. The Ground Handling company of Emirates Airlines (EK) is operating normally as Skycargo, Ground Handling company other than Emirates Airlines (EK) stopped inflow of cargo for 48 hours by DNATA.

As of Feb 13, about 200 farmers' unions in India have begun their march from Punjab to Delhi, demanding legislation guaranteeing minimum support prices for crops. Haryana has blocked the border with Punjab in many places and banned all demonstrations and marches. Delhi police prohibit tractor-trolleys and large-scale protests from entering Delhi, and barricades and barbed wire are installed to block access to Delhi.

Flight attendants across 30 US hub airports picketed for better wages and against sexism on February 13, 2024. Representing 66% of US flight attendants from three labor unions, they are in negotiations with several airlines for new contracts. The action spanned from Los Angeles to New York City, including major hubs like Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, and Washington DC. The protests involved workers from American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Air Wisconsin, Omni, and Frontier airline.