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Cathay Cargo the latest to add Navi Mumbai freighter flights

Cathay Cargo has become the latest airline to shift its Mumbai freighter flights to the recently opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The Hong Kong carrier said that it would operate three flights to the Indian airport per week using its Boeing 747-400ERF and 747-8F aircraft. The carrier had previously been operating its dedicated cargo flights to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, but freighter operations are being temporarily suspended at the airport while upgrades are carried out. The carrier's bellyhold cargo operations will remain at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Cathay Pacific regional head of cargo for South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Rajesh Menon, said: "The move of our Mumbai freighter operations to Navi Mumbai International Airport reinforces our steadfast commitment to the Indian market and its growth trajectory. "By combining Navi Mumbai International Airport's modern infrastructure with our dedicated freighter presence and our 'We Know How' expertise, we are providing reliable connectivity and specialist handling for local enterprises, exporters and SMEs. "This will also further strengthen connectivity between Western India's exporters and key global markets through our Hong Kong hub." In addition to its Navi Mumbai International Airport freighter service, Cathay Cargo continues to operate its dedicated freighter network across India, operating five weekly freighter flights from Delhi and Chennai, respectively. Cathay Cargo utilises additional bellyhold capacity on Cathay Pacific's passenger aircraft across all five of its Indian gateways: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad with 45 passenger flights per week across these five cities. Earlier this month, Silk Way West announced the start of its cargo operations at the new India airport. Hong Kong Air Cargo is also moving its freighter flights to the airport. NMIA opened its doors back in December, but freighter operations did not get underway until 1 August, when an IndiGo freighter took off from the airport.

Canada looks to EU and UK to replace tariff-hit US shipments

The launch of a full-blown trade war between the US and Canada, coupled with recent transatlantic talks between Canada and the EU, as well as the UK, is beginning to fundamentally change the country's freight flows. The US 50% tariffs on Canadian goods and the targeted response on US imports has provoked Canadian importers to begin looking at sourcing goods that previously came from the US in Europe, Steffen Manz, founder and CEO of forwarder Speed Global Logistics, told The Loadstar. "When you look at the verticals, the immediate push is coming from industrial manufacturing, automotive components, and consumer packaged goods - essentially, any sector where the margins are razor-thin and recent 25% to 50% tariffs erase profitability. "We aren't seeing massive, overnight shifts in total container volumes yet, but rather trial batches. Shippers are testing the waters with a few teu, or less-than-container load (LCL) shipments, from the EU to evaluate transit times and landed costs. "You can't just flip a switch; you have to vet new suppliers, align technical specifications, and adjust to longer transit lead times. Moving from a two-day cross-border truckload to a 14-to-21-day ocean voyage means companies have to completely re-engineer their inventory carrying costs and warehouse capacity," explained Mr Manz. However, he had noted a growing sense of urgency, in part caused by the immediate disruption to US-Canada cross-border freight flows resulting from the new tariffs. "It's been highly disruptive, and messy," he said. "On the ground, we're seeing a lot of friction at the borders. Customs brokers are buried under complex paperwork trying to determine tariff exemptions, and we've seen cross-border freight volumes soften on certain lanes as companies pause shipments to see how the dust settles. "The dollar-for-dollar retaliation has created an atmosphere of tit-for-tat friction. For forwarders, it means asset utilisation for cross-border trucking is fluctuating wildly, and we are spending a lot more time consulting with panicked clients on compliance and tariff mitigation, rather than just moving freight," he added. At the same time, however, the considerable political overtures between Canada and the EU recently, as well as the formal entry of the UK into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans‑Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on 1 September - under which the UK and Canada now trade - could create breathing space for Canadian importers searching for new sourcing options. "The trade agreements provide an excellent structural safety valve," Mr Manz said. "The formal entry of the UK into the CPTPP, alongside existing CETA benefits, creates a highly favourable regulatory corridor across the Atlantic. For Canadian importers, it makes British and European goods financially competitive with US alternatives, even when you factor-in ocean freight costs. "From a forwarder's perspective, it will inevitably shift the mode mix. We anticipate less cross-border over-the-road (OTR) trucking and an increase in inbound maritime volumes into the ports of Montreal, Saint John, and Halifax, alongside an uptick in transatlantic air freight for high-value, time-sensitive verticals," he said. Crucially, after the events of the two years since Donald Trump's second administration began, the probability of the US-Canada trading relationship returning to its status quo is fast disappearing. "The motivation to look to Europe is pure survival," Mr Manz said. "With cross-border trade becoming punitive and unpredictable, EU sourcing under CETA offers duty-free stability, and we absolutely expect this to accelerate through Q4 and into next year. "Supply chain managers hate volatility more than they hate high costs. Even if the US and Canada magically sat down tomorrow and patched things up, the psychological damage is done - supply chains have deep muscle memory. "Shippers realised they were dangerously over-exposed to a single trading partner. "B2B buyers are actively diversifying their supplier portfolios now as a risk-mitigation strategy, meaning the pivot to Europe isn't a temporary knee-jerk reaction - it's a structural realignment," he added.

Bangkokmax charter rates jump 18% as vessel shortage bites

Charter rates for Bangkokmax (1,600-1,900 teu) ships have increased 18% over the past year to nearly $32,000 per day, as the lack of newbuilding orders since 2023 has seen only three new ships delivered so far in 2026. Coupled with growing intra-Asia trade, demand for such ships is rising, causing resale prices to appreciate. Recent fixtures show CMA CGM last week chartered Eastern Mediterranean's 2006-built 1,740 teu Elbella for $34,000 per day, for 11 to 13 months. In comparison, although over a longer charter period, the previous week, OOCL took Seatrade's 2024-built 1,781 teu Seatrade Peru for $25,000 per day for 23 to 25 months, while Maersk Line fixed Eastern Mediterranean's 2014-built 1,714 teu San Lorenzo for $25,000 per day for two years. Resale prices range from $35m to $45m, depending on age and country of build. Recently, Safeen Feeders acquired 2009-built 1,732 teu Hansa Rotenburg from German owner Leonhardt & Blumberg for an undisclosed price. Notably, South Korea's flagship carrier HMM bought two 1,956 teu newbuilding resales, HMM Milestone and HMM Harmony, from Chinese owner Baozhou Shipping as it rebuilds its intra-Asia shipping network. Container shipping consultancy Linerlytica said: "The shortage is expected to persist through the first half of 2027, with just 12 new ships scheduled for delivery for the rest of 2026." In response to the growing demand, both operators and non-operating owners have been ordering Bangkokmax vessels. Linerlytica said in its report today that the Bangkokmax orderbook now stands at 252 vessels. Last week saw Hong Kong-based Moon Keung Shipping & Transportation commissioning eight 1,900 teu ships at Jiangsu Yangzi Hongyuan Shipbuilding (part of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding), for delivery between 2028 and 2029. This is the first newbuilding order for Moon Keung, which had been purchasing pre-owned vessels and chartering the ships to Shanghai Jin Jiang Shipping. Recent orders from shipping lines include four 1,900 teu ships contracted by Regional Container Lines at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding and four 1,700 teu vessels commissioned by Sea Consortium (corporate entity of X-Press Feeders) at Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering, for delivery in 2029.