Weekly Logistics Briefing Key logistics updates for the week (Week 3 of Mar 2025)

On March 14, a fire broke out in the Club Kingston VIP Departure Lounge at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston, Jamaica. The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m., prompting the evacuation of the terminal as a precautionary measure. Emergency responders, including the Jamaica Fire Brigade and NMIA Fire Services, swiftly contained and extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported. Preliminary assessments suggest that the fire originated from an air conditioning unit within the lounge. The incident led to temporary flight delays, with at least three aircraft held on the ground with passengers aboard. Following safety inspections and ventilation of residual smoke, normal operations resumed later that evening. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

A massive fire broke out in vehicles carrying petroleum products near the Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria. The fire erupted in fuel transport vehicles near a gas station along the Aleppo International Airport road. The cause of the fire remained unknown and the fire caused significant damage to the vehicles, but no injuries were reported. The incident happened shortly after the airport's reopening was announced following a three-month closure.

Multiple road closures and temporary traffic signals are expected in Bournemouth and Christchurch until mid-April due to installation and repair works by SSEPD and South West Water. Delays are expected for motorists during this period. Affected roads include Alumhurst Road, Bath Road, Bournemouth Road, Castlemain Avenue, and Queens Park South Drive.

As of Monday, March 17, the HHLA will implement delivery restrictions at CTB and CTT container terminals at Hamburg Port. Export container deliveries will be managed on a ship-by-ship basis until further notice. The restrictions are expected to complicate daily export operations, potentially leading to delays in container deliveries.

The oil tanker Stena Immaculate collided with the cargo ship Solong off the East Yorkshire coast at approximately 10:00 GMT on Monday, March 10. The collision resulted in the loss of 17,515 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel from the tanker's total cargo of 220,000 barrels, accompanied by a fire. The owners of Stena Immaculate, Crowley, commended the crew's prompt and courageous response, noting that their activation of fire monitors for boundary cooling effectively limited the damage to the impacted cargo tanks. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the collision. HM Coastguard has stated that there is no immediate concern for pollution from the tanker.

A one-day strike by workers at 13 German airports caused the cancellation of most flights on Monday. The strike involved public-sector employees, ground staff, and security staff at major airports including Frankfurt and Munich. The 24-hour walkout started at midnight on Sunday.

The Port of Brisbane's container terminals and depots are returning to service after Cyclone Alfred, with no serious storm damage reported. The region harbourmaster has downgraded the status from "red" to "yellow", allowing some vessel movement within the channel. However, the port is expecting large volumes of rainfall in the coming days, and stakeholders are warned to exercise caution on the roads. Some container terminals and depots have resumed operations, while others remain closed or have limited services.

On March 11, Geneva Airport experienced a significant computer system failure around midday, leading to substantial disruptions in airport operations. While air traffic control systems remained operational, the malfunction affected critical services such as check-in processes, departure and arrival information displays, and baggage sorting systems. Departures were temporarily suspended, and only flights already en route to Geneva were permitted to land during the outage. The issue was resolved after approximately three hours, but passengers were advised to anticipate continued delays throughout the evening. The airport has stated that the cause of the failure is under investigation, with no indications of a cyber-attack at this time.

Adverse weather conditions in the Strait of Gibraltar have led to significant disruptions in ferry services connecting Spain and Morocco. The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras announced that several departures from Algeciras to Tangier Med experienced delays or cancellations. At the port of Tarifa, all crossings for the day were canceled except for the 8:00 PM departure, which remained subject to weather conditions. Spain's national meteorological agency (Aemet) issued a yellow for the Strait of Gibraltar and parts of the province of Cádiz, forecasting rainfall of up to 40 liters per square meter in certain areas. Additionally, the coastline is under vigilance for strong waves, with southwesterly wind gusts reaching 61 km/h.

A vehicle fire in a tunnel at Heathrow Airport caused significant delays and disruptions. The fire, which occurred in an electric car, resulted in the closure of the M4 southbound between junctions 4 and 4a. Road access to Terminals 2 and 3 is partially restricted, and passengers are advised to leave more time traveling to the airport and use public transport if possible. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle was completely destroyed. A diversion has been implemented to facilitate access to the airport.