Weekly Logistics Briefing Key logistics updates for the week (Week 4 of January 2024)

More than 1,100 flights were canceled and another 8,000 were delayed on Friday due to extreme weather conditions. The snowfall has led to travel disruptions at key airports such as Washington, Baltimore, New York City's big three, Philadelphia, and on the roads. 80 flight cancellations were underway from Reagan National Airport with schools deciding to shut down most of the D.C.region. Local media reported at least 55 deaths across the country due to extreme weather conditions.

On Jan. 20 at approximately 4 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted airstrikes against a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and was prepared to launch. On Jan. 19 at approximately 6:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against three Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch. French-based CMA CGM said its weekly NEMO service connecting Europe, the Indian Ocean and Australia will temporarily go via the Cape of Good Hope rather than the Suez Canal. The change was part of contingency measures on several services that usually cross the Suez Canal, CMA CGM said.

A Boeing 747 cargo plane operated by Atlas Air had to make an emergency landing at Miami airport due to engine problems. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff on a flight bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of the plane's engines developed issues, leading to a fire. The plane had five people on board at the time. Fortunately, Atlas Air confirmed that the aircraft landed safely in Miami and there were no injuries reported. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is involved in investigating the incident to determine the exact cause.

Romanian farmers and truckers sealed off the border with Ukraine on January 18.
This protest is for opposition to the high price of diesel oil, insurance premiums, European Union measures to protect the environment, and the pressure of imported Ukrainian agricultural products on the domestic market. Farmers and transport workers are scheduled to hold related protests at Bucharest Constitution Square (Piata Constitutioniei) from January 21st to 23rd. Related truckers' protests have previously taken place in the environs of Bucharest and on a highway leading to the Port of Constanta.

A 24-hour public transportation strike will take place across Italy on January 24. Labor unions USB, AL-COBAS, and CUB will lead the strike along with local unions, which is expected to affect most public transportation such as buses, subways, and railways. Air traffic controllers will be suspended from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Frankfurt Airport in Germany canceled about 700 out of 1,030 scheduled flights on Jan 17. Frankfurt Airport warned that there is a high possibility that a large number of flights will be canceled on the 18th as it becomes difficult to operate due to cold weather and heavy snow. More than 250 flights are canceled in Munich. Flight delays and cancellations continued at Dusseldorf Airport and Cologne-Bon Airport in western Germany and Saarbrücken Airport is closed. Deutsche Bahn announced that many long-distance connections have been canceled and that the maximum speed of high-speed ICE trains is limited to 200 kilometers per hour.

Pro-Palestinian activists have detonated a small bomb outside the Piraeus office of ZIM, Israel's quasi-national shipping line. The explosive device consisted of gas canisters, and the blast caused minor damage to the exterior of the building. The explosion occurred at 02 hours in the morning, well outside of business hours, and no injuries were reported. Leaflets with pro-Palestine messaging were found at the scene, and while no group has claimed responsibility, Palestine-linked activists are suspected. Notably, this was the second bombing at a shipping office in Piraeus in just over a month.

South Port in New Zealand is facing strike action after its workers, represented by the Maritime Union of New Zealand, rejected a pay offer from management. The union has announced 48 hours of strike action starting from 7am on Wednesday, January 31, and ending at 7am on Friday, February 2, 2024, with the possibility of further action. The key issue is the wage increase offer based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which the workers find unacceptable. The Collective Employment Agreement expired on 31 August 2023 and negotiations have failed to resolve the differences between management and workers.

As of 21:05 local time on January 16, step down from orange to yellow alarm. There is currently no visible activity within the eruptive fissures, with the most recent lava observed emanating from the northern fissure shortly after 1 am last night. Seismic activity continues to decrease, signifying that the area is stabilizing.

Dense fog across India has caused flight delays. Delhi airport's official website managed by GMR showed over 90 domestic flights were either delayed or rescheduled by a few hours. Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Tuesday said that Standard Operating Procedures SOPs to alleviate passenger inconvenience were issued to all airlines on Monday.