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

The US Central Command said that on December 30, the Maersk Hangzhou container ship was attacked by missiles while sailing through the Red Sea, and that it sent destroyers Gravely and Rabun to respond. It is posted that there were no casualties and the ship is still navigable. Maersk Hangzhou has decided to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until further notice. Hapag-Lloyd also reports that it continues to “monitor the situation closely day-by-day,” after having formed a crisis committee in response to the security challenges. Like other major carriers, they began diverting ships in December and based on its assessment has decided today to continue to reroute ships at least through January 9. AIS signals show that CMA CGM is however continuing its previous announcement that it would be sending some vessels through the Suez Canal. Today, January 2, at least three of the company’s ships appear in the region with at least one having cleared the Red Sea.

Truck drivers, taxis and bus drivers went on a nationwide strike against a clause in the newly passed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita bill that imposes a fine of 70,000 rupees and a 10-year prison term for hit-and-run accidents. More than 70% of about 1.2 million truck and cargo transport vehicles in Mumbai metropolitan area (MMR) did not transport roads on January 1, and a three-day strike is expected to affect logistics. In addition to Mumbai, strikes also occurred in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Rajasthan, and Bihar.

Platform control tower workers at Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) represented by the UGT union plan to strike Dec. 31-Jan. 7. Airport baggage handling workers represented by the CCOO, UGT, and USO plan to strike nationwide Jan. 5-8. Iberia (IB), Iberia Express (I2), and Air Nostrum (YW) have already canceled approximately 461 flights in anticipation of the action.

A Japan Airlines plane caught fire on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport after a collision with a coast guard aircraft, resulting in five fatalities aboard the coast guard plane. All 367 passengers aboard the Japan Airlines flight successfully evacuated, although 17 were injured. The crew was heading to Niigata Airport in western Japan to bring aid to communities devastated by a powerful earthquake that struck the area Monday. Due to the accident, Haneda Airport immediately closed the airport around 6 PM for safety reasons.

Due to a lightning strike on the control tower during the passage of storm Géraldine, all flights at Brest Airport, the largest in Brittany, were canceled on December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024. Operations are expected to resume safely by noon Tuesday. The airport and Air Navigation Services are actively seeking solutions to mitigate the inconvenience caused.

The U.S. Coast Guard said late Saturday that the fire was out and directed the ship to anchor near Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The 19 crew members of the ship, Genius Star XI, were uninjured and technicians from the Salvage and Marine Firefighting team remain onboard to ensure the fire doesn't return, the Coast Guard says. Genius Star XI was shipping lithium ion batteries from Vietnam to San Diego.

In a recent maritime accident near Zhoushan, a tanker en route from Benglai collided with a fishing vessel. The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration informed authorities and initiated search and rescue operations. All crew members aboard the tanker are safe and accounted for. There have been no reports of pollution in the nearby areas as a result of the collision.

South East Queensland is grappling with prolonged power outages. The situation is exacerbated by an imminent heatwave, with temperatures forecast to soar into the 40s. Tens of thousands of residents in the Gold Coast and regions south of Brisbane are facing a bleak New Year weekend without electricity following severe storms that ravaged a significant portion of Australia's east coast since Christmas. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts a heatwave across northern Australia. In the Northern Territory, Katherine and Tennant Creek are bracing for temperatures around 40 degrees and 43 degrees respectively.

On New Year's Eve, Greater Manchester's rail passengers are set for widespread disruption due to staff shortages and engineering works. Northern, under government control, will not run services on six lines on December 31, citing "train crew unavailability." Routes affected include those connecting Manchester Victoria with Chester and Stalybridge, and others.

A Greek-owned cargo ship was damaged by a mine in the Black Sea, resulting in slight injuries to three crew members, including two Greek nationals (the captain and deputy captain) and an Egyptian cook. The Panama-flagged vessel, which had 18 people on board, was heading to a Ukrainian port to load grain when the incident occurred. Tugboats were dispatched to guide the damaged ship to the port.