Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

Vegetables and seasonal fruit exports from Bangladesh are a facing severe downturn, after a near doubling in costs over the past five months as surging airfreight rates make themselves felt. Airfares out of Bangladesh to Europe and the Middle East have proved most deleterious for exporters, who have seen their competitiveness against broader global markets slashed since the onset of the US/Israel war against Iran. Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables & Allied Products Exporter Association general secretary Mohammad Monsur toldThe Loadstar: “Unless Biman Bangladesh Airlines lowers fares, seasonal fruits export will also be hampered lowering export earnings. “Airfreight shipment costs in neighbouring India and with other our competitors are lower than Bangladesh. With high airfares in Dhaka, our exporters are set to be left far behind the competitors.” Given the Middle East is major destination of Bangladeshi vegetables and fruits export the loss of capacity provoked by the war proved a major headache for exporters, but volumes to the Americas and Europe have also dropped significantly in recent months. Mr Monsur had written directly to Biman’s management, urging the carrier to slash its fares to a tolerable level for transporting betel leaves, fruits, and vegetables from Dhaka to London, Rome and Toronto and various other destinations in the Middle East. The letter stressed that without a reduction in fares, Bangladesh’s fruit and vegetable exporters would no longer be able to compete with neighbouring countries, noting that fares from Dhaka to Toronto had surged from $3.40kg in January to $6kg. Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association’s (BAFFA) former VP Nasir Ahmed Khan said freight rates from Bangladesh to the Americas were now $6-$6.50kg, $4-$4.50kg to Europe, $1-$1.50kg to the Middle, while costs to Kuwait had hit the $2.50kg mark. But Mr Khan toldThe Loadstarthat alongside addressing rates, there were other options on the table, noting that fixing the scanning machines and lowering Dhaka’s handling charges would also decrease the cost of doing business for the community.

Australia, the EU, and the UK are not doing enough to end the use of forced labour in global supply chains, according to the US, which has announced plans to hit all three with President Trump’s favoured trade tool. Together with 57 other countries, they are facing a new, additional tariff rate of 10% to 12.5% on all goods for “either failing to introduce or failing to properly impose legislation prohibiting the trade in goods that have benefited from forced labour at some point”. US trade representative Jamieson Greer said: “The failure of our most important trading partners to address the import of goods made with forced labour… creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field. “We will no longer tolerate it. Some trading partners have taken initial steps to prevent the import of forced labour goods. However, each of our trading partners must do more to ensure trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labour globally.” Having seen its unilateral – without Congressional approval – application of the IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February, the White House has been looking at other ways to impose them. A USTR investigation determined that Australia and the UK would be subjected to a 12.5% rate for failing to push through laws to address forced labour practices, joining 52 other affected countries, including China, Japan, and India. Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan have all been flagged as introducing but failing to properly enforce legislation resulting in the “unlevel playing field”. Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade Bernd Lange noted that, “even though this was to be ​expected, the investigation and its findings are utterly absurd”. He added: “Following the setback at ​the Supreme Court, the US government is desperately seeking a new legal basis for its ​tariff policy. It appears that every conceivable pretext is now being used to justify existing tariffs or prepare new ones.” Legislation banning the import of goods using forced labour at any point in the supply chain has been ratified by the EC, but the USTR report has hung its hat on the fact this does not come into force until December 2027. EU spokesperson Olof Gill said: “The commission will carefully analyse the findings of the investigation and will continue engaging with the US. That said, the EU considers tariffs imposed on these grounds to be unjustified.” Given that the president’s IEEPA tariffs and the subsequent 10% flat tariff rate on all trading partners were shot down in court, albeit the latter remaining in place throughout the appeals process, questions will be raised as to the legality of the latest move. However, having been reached through a Section 301 investigation, which is designed to address unfair foreign practices affecting US commerce, the USTR has broader powers to impose tariffs for “acts deemed unreasonable or discriminatory” towards US interests. And it comes on the back ofyesterday’s news that a similar 301 investigation could lead the USTR to slapping Brazil with a 25% tariff, over claims it has engaged in “multiple practices” that “are unreasonable, and burden or restrict US commerce”. Like that proposal, those caught up in the “forced labour” tariff announcement need not fret straight away, the issue remaining a proposal ahead of hearings the USTR will hold on 7 July, as it requests comments no later than 6 July, and ideally by 22 June.

MSC is reported to have expanded its European port network this week, acquiring a majority stake in Ukraine’s Transinvestservice Container Terminal (TIS), the box facility at the port of Yuzhny, also known as Pivdennyi. Alphaliner this week reported that the world’s largest container shipping line had acquired a 51% stake in the facility. “Alphaliner understands the TIS deal has been finalised, but remains subject to confirmation. “So far, a transaction price has not been reported,” the analyst wrote. The facility was a joint-venture between DP World and local operator Transinvestservice, on a 51%-49% ownership split, established in 2020. However, Alphaliner said the Dubai-headquartered operator had departed the operation, and there is no mention of the Ukrainian facility in DP World’s latest port network map. “Alphaliner believes DP World made a quiet exit from TIS earlier this year, selling its stake, as well as the related local tugboat operations, back to Transinvestservice,” said the analyst. “This suggests MSC has likely acquired its stake in the Pivdennyi terminal from TIS.” If confirmed, the deal would mean MSC has added a second box terminal to its Ukrainian portfolio, as last year’s 49% acquisition of Germany’s HHLA gave it partial ownership of Container Terminal Odessa, the country’s main box gateway. Rail-connected TIS has 560 metres of berth with a draught of 14.7 metres, and has an annual handling capacity of around 600,000 teu. However, container traffic at the port has been difficult to quantify since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Alphaliner noted. “In reality, only a single berth of around 250 metres appears to be in use for containers, while the remainder of the site currently receives bulk vessels,” it said. “Limited volumes of containers, nevertheless, appear to be loaded and discharged at Pivdennyi, though actual ship movements are hard to track. “Given the high risk near the war zone, many ships in the region ‘go dark’ and switch off their AIS transponders,” it added.

India’s policymakers are revisiting key fundamentals surrounding cabotage relaxations for foreign-flag vessels in coastal runs, a policy reversal that sparked pushback from container industry stakeholders. Officials at the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) and those handling taxation systems have been asked to submit a report before approving fresh legal/structural frameworks, according to industry sources. The broader government intent is to permit foreign-flag ships to carry both domestic and export/import containers alongside ro-ro cargo on the coastal leg. Sources within the government believe foreign carrier participation will boost coastal container service frequency, reduce freight costs by up to 30%, as a result of greater competition, and drive the development of hub-and-spoke networks. There is also a view that increased vessel capacity will enable lower slot costs for industry stakeholders. Officials have six months to make recommendations for a revised policy, sources added. In January, the government revoked a 2018 cabotage law reform allowing the participation of foreign-flag ships in Indian coastal waters, but later agreed to extend that unregulated window for six months, through October, in response to industry appeals and the Middle East disruption that necessitated handling massive third-country transhipment volumes at Indian ports. “Representation has been received from stakeholders, including container liner operators’ associations, highlighting operational concerns arising out of the prevailing geopolitical situation, particularly in the Persian Gulf region, affecting global shipping dynamics such as route planning, insurance costs, and vessel deployment,” India’s Ministry of Shipping said, allowing the reprieve. “After a detailed review and feedback from stakeholders, [the ministry] has considered a limited and time-bound extension of the implementation timeline in view of the exceptional and evolving global circumstances, to ensure operational continuity and stability in container shipping operations,” it added. In a protectionist approach, cargo transportation between Indian ports, theoretically coastal shipping, had been confined to Indian-flag vessels. In addition to encouraging more direct mainline calls and hub ambitions, questions regarding Indian tonnage availability had prompted Indian policymakers to open the coastal gates to foreign capacity participants. Opinion is divided as to whether the policy change had a positive impact on the supply chain for Indian containerised trade and shippers. Foreign lines claimed the cabotage waiver boosted transhipment activity across major Indian ports, thus reducing the need for local exporters/importers to use other Asian hubs for mainline connections. On the other hand, Indian shipowners had dismissed claims by their foreign counterparts regarding cost gains for cargo owners. While seeking to reimpose cabotage restrictions, the government also said the liberalised programme had failed to realise the outlined objectives. Amid shifting regulations and increasing compliance burdens, the mega foreign container lines have begun investing in new areas in India, such as vessel registration and shipbuilding. CMA CGM is at the vanguard of this, having declared six flag changes to the Indian registry. “CMA CGM has been a strong growth partner of India across maritime, logistics, and infrastructure sectors, strengthening port partnerships, expanding inland logistics capabilities, and enhancing its service network to support the country’s growing trade ambitions,” the Marseille-based carrier said.

Europe’s planned reforms for low-value ecommerce imports are unlikely to trigger the sharp disruption seen in the US after the removal of de minimis exemptions, delegates heard yesterday. At TIACA’s Executive Summit in Warsaw they heard that e-tailers had repeatedly demonstrated an ability to adapt rapidly to regulatory change. Atlas Air chief strategy and transformation officer Martin Drew said the industry had already weathered significant upheaval over the past year. The removal of de minimis exemptions in the US resulted in a substantial overnight decline in low-value shipments from China, but platforms quickly redirected volumes and opened new markets. “What was really impressive was the speed at how quickly those flows changed,” he said, citing Peru as an example where dedicated ecommerce traffic emerged within weeks. The Loadstar’s Charlotte Goldstone, moderating the ecommerce panel, noted that attention was now turning to Europe, where proposed measures include a €3 customs duty on parcels valued below €150, with an additional handling fee. But Mr Drew said he did not expect the changes to cause the shock experienced in the US. “I wouldn’t expect there to be a massive decline in volume,” he said, noting that companies have had more time to prepare and that compliance processes were already evolving. Indeed, Craig Strickland, chief sales officer at BoxC, said technology providers and customs specialists had spent months adapting systems to accommodate the changes, building on lessons learned from the US market. “There will definitely be a lot of rocky bumps,” he said. “But ecommerce will still continue to occur.” The panel heard that supply chains had already adjusted to shifting trade policies, with manufacturing and sourcing activity moving across Asia in response to tariffs and changing market conditions. Europe, meanwhile, had seen strong growth in inbound ecommerce traffic from Asia. For Amazon, customer expectations remain the primary driver of investment. Marisa Blasco Bayona, responsible for Amazon Air in Europe, said consumers continued to demand faster delivery and greater visibility throughout the supply chain. “We have been seeing customers asking for more speed,” she said. “Two days is not enough now. It’s one-day or same-day.” Looking ahead, panellists agreed that compliance, data quality and AI-driven visibility would become increasingly important as regulators tightened scrutiny of cross-border ecommerce. But while the rules governing the sector may be changing, they said the underlying demand for online shopping showed little sign of slowing.

Until last week, airlines moving between Latin America and North America were looking forward to the football world cup tournament in happy anticipation of surging passenger numbers and augmented cargo flows – but then Washington injected a heavy dose of uncertainty into the picture. First, Markwayne Mullin, the new head of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), threatened to withdraw customs and immigration personnel from Newark Liberty International Airport, because of the city’s ‘unsupportive stance” on his department’s campaign to remove illegal immigrants. Reducing airport security personnel at one of the major US gateways (and a hub of United Airlines) threatened to cripple flows of passengers and cargo into the region and set off alarm bells across the travel and air cargo industries. Moreover, the announcement caused worries that the DHS would repeat the exercise at other “sanctuary cities”, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Philadelphia. After strong protests from airlines, tourism organisations, and business lobbies, Mr Mullin u-turned on Monday, declaring he saw no need to reduce DHS personnel at Newark any longer. after some concessions from New Jersey state officials. But on the same day, US trade representative Jamieson Greer announced that Brazil was in violation of Section 301 of the Trade Act and proposed a 25% tariff on a number of imports from the South American nation. Some strategic products are excluded, but Brazilian forwarders and shippers again face uncertainty how business with the US is going to develop. In the southern hemisphere, airline and travel industry executives in Peru scored a partial victory on 2 June when the nation’s Transport and Communications Ministry and Lima Airport Partners agreed to scrap a controversial transit tax for passengers moving through Lima’s Jorge Chávez Airport. However, they only cancelled the charge on domestic flights, and maintained the $11.86 levy on international travellers, despite protests from interest groups including IATA, which warned that it could reduce passenger transits by 11%, which could translate into the loss of thousands of flights a year. The measure is somewhat ironic, as the Peruvian government has been one of the more proactive in the region in pursuing open skies with other countries, most recently with Panama and Australia. Critics of the transit tax have blamed it for a 10.8% drop in passenger numbers on the Lima-Santiago route in April, a sector that had shown consistent growth in recent years. Reduced flight activity on the route would reduce options for Chilean exporters, notably salmon shippers, to move their fish to international markets. Chile exports over $6bn worth of salmon to over 100 markets around the globe, and the industry has been frustrated with constraints at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport. Industry groups accuse the airport of funnelling all investment into passenger development and neglecting cargo, arguing that this has undermined the airport’s competitive position vis-à-vis other air cargo gateways in South America through high operating costs and congestion during peak shipping times. The airport slipped one notch in the Latin American cargo rankings last year, overtaken by Quito’s Mariscal Surcre International Airport claiming fourth place behind El Dorado (Bogotá), Guarulhos (Sao Paulo) and Felipe Angeles (Mexico City). Quito’s tonnage, 92% of which was flower exports, grew 11% last year. The airport’s connectivity to the US grew in April, after Avianca Cargo signed an agreement with Amazon to take over northbound capacity on five new weekly flights of the e-commerce giant’s freighter arm, between the Ecuadorian capital and Miami. It was the second arrangement of this kind between them, following a capacity agreement on the Bogotá-Miami sector last year. The deal gave Avianca additional capacity to haul flowers to the US for Mother’s Day. Last year the carrier added two weekly flights from Quito via Miami to Maastricht and Zaragoza. According to the most recent data from WorldACD, tonnage from Central/ South America to North America fell 20% between 11 and 24 May from the preceding fortnight, reflecting the end of the Mother’s Day flower rush, which sent rates 13% lower. The region’s global export volume in the 11-24 May window was down 13% from the prior fortnight, but 6% higher year on year, while rates declined 5%, but were up 10% year on year. Shippers and carriers in the region must hope they will be spared more sudden policy announcements from Washington while they are moving passengers and cargo to the host nations of the football event.

Premium has had the pleasure of covering the Mærsk saga in Vado Ligure since late 2025. Previously published here: – ’The personal cost of Mærsk’s Vado venture’ (15 Sept 2025) – ’AP Møller-Mærsk in Vado Ligure – a sailor’s yarn’ (2 February) Lost lawsuit As part of that package, and the lawsuit that Mærsk lost recently (more details here) in Genoa, several names of shippers doing business with the Danish behemoth have emerged. End-to-end at both (corporate) ends, Mærsk and Ferrero brag about their standards, and compliance requires ...

News this week that Arun Rajan, chief strategy and innovation officer at CH Robinson (CHRW), was granted “a special equity award” – designed to “drive strategic and talent development outcomes, as well as to reward financial overperformance and retain Mr Rajan’s service” – is symptomatic of where the US freight brokerage leader stands*, I reckon. (*By way of background: as pointed out here earlier today, drawing from previous ’Surgical CH Robinson’ coverage, headcount fell to 11,705 in Q1 26 vs 13,347 ...