As Russia continues its military assault on Ukraine, the Western economies and their allies have retaliated by imposing harsh sanctions on the Russian economy, practically paralysing it. The shipping industry would be particularly affected, as delays and shipping prices are projected to rise as a result of interruptions in the global supply chain. Approximately 15 maritime ports in Ukraine were closed when the war broke out. Cargo loading and unloading has ended. Around 140 ships berthed in Ukrainian ports at the time have remained in the ports ever since. So yet, none of the ports or the ships berthed in them have been attacked. Two ships were attacked while in anchorage leading traders to avoid Black Sea routes for their ships. The ship, which contains electricity, food, and the ability to create water, is always the safest place for sailors in the event of an accident. According to Sanjay Prashar, managing director of VR Maritime Services, while bunkers in ports have been discovered for safely lodging seafarers, ship crews have not moved out of their ships. One of the company’s ships has become trapped in a port in Ukraine. Indian crews are on board some of the stalled ships at Ukrainian ports.

American Airlines Cargo is embracing Digital Cargo, providing over 10,000 global forwarders with access to live rates, capacity, and instant eBookings through partnership with WebCargo, a Freightos group company. With widespread supply chain disruptions and clogged ports creating chaos for shippers, more customers are looking to air cargo for fast and reliable global shipping. This partnership will help support the air cargo industry by offering customers increased service options and reliability despite these challenging conditions. Bookings on American Airlines Cargo, one of the top carriers in North America, will be available via WebCargo’s platform across parts of Europe and North America in the first half of 2022 before expanding to other parts of the globe later in the year. With the pricing and capacity transparency offered by WebCargo, American can offer immediate booking options to even more customers and better support industry demand through the platform’s accessible, real-time data offering. “Over the last two years, e-commerce volume has surged and demand for global freight has increased. American Airlines Cargo has continued to adapt and innovate in order to deliver excellent customer service, and the digital solutions provided by WebCargo create another important step forward in ensuring continued connectivity and visibility for customers,” said Jessica Tyler, President of American Airlines Cargo.

Surcharge are being increased as supply chain disruption due to the Ukraine invasion continues. FedEx Express is introducing increasing its peak surcharges on FedEx Express parcel and freight shipments and TNT shipments for some shipments moving between Asia Pacific (APAC) and countries in APAC, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa (MEISA). The increases apply to some shipments moving between Europe and countries in all regions; and some shipments moving between India and countries in APAC, Europe, and MEISA. “Due to continued disruptions in the global supply chain, air cargo capacity remains limited. We are incurring incremental costs as we continue to adjust our international networks and operate in this constrained environment,” said FedEx. Express logistics firm UPS also increased the peak/demand surcharges applied to shipments from major Asia Pacific origins (excluding China, Hong Kong SAR or Macau SAR) to 19 countries in Europe on February 27, until further notice. DHL Express has not announced any new charges, but said on its website: “We have temporarily suspended DHL Express shipments to and from Ukraine, Belarus and for inbound shipments to Russia.” Forwarder Scan Global Logistics, which has temporarily suspended bookings to/from Russia and Belarus from 4-18 March, also said in a release: “Cargolux has introduced a war surcharge of USD 0.20/kg from cargo to and from Asia.”

Lufthansa Cargo expects global market capacity will be approximately 10% down as a result of the Ukraine invasion. Lufthansa Cargo chief executive Dorothea von Boxberg said this is because of restrictions for global fleets. Russian carriers are restricted by airspace sanctions by the European Union, UK and US, European carriers are not able to fly over Russia and Ukraine, while, Japanese carriers are flying around the Russian airspace and Middle Eastern airlines have seen no changes. Two high profile airlines to be affected are Volga-Dnepr Group airlines, which are not able to operate flights to Europe and North America, and Narita-hubbed Nippon Cargo Airlines that has temporarily suspended flights to Europe. Lufthansa Cargo also calculated a 10% capacity reduction for its freighter operations from Asia Pacific to the European Union. She confirmed that the closure of Ukraine airspace and Russia’s decision to close airspace to airlines from 36 countries has impacted operations. “That affects some of our most important routes into China, Japan and South Korea.” These routes would usually cross Russian space, but now a route south of Russia and Ukraine is being taken that means flights take 1.5 to 2.5 hours longer than normal. However, as the average door-to-door time of a shipment is five to six days, this extra time won’t make much difference to shippers. Payload restrictions are also an issue.

A.P. Moller – Maersk’s strategy is to offer integrated solutions for smooth and optimised cargo flows that can span across all steps of the supply chain and create value for customers in the form of better supply chain outcomes, increased transparency and control, and ultimately lower endto-end costs. This vision is being delivered by combining the broad product and service offering of ‘Logistics & Services’ with the highly reliable and more differentiated ‘Ocean’ transportation offering. In addition, significant financial and operational synergies are being realised between Terminals and Ocean via close collaboration to drive efficiency. One of the important elements binding all these aspects together is ‘Technology’. Vikash Agarwal, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia, said, “Technology enablement is critically important for all value creation elements. It enables the creation of new products and services, facilitates a seamless, state-of-the-art, end-to-end customer experience, enables standardisation and automation of processes, and powers the next levels of operational excellence and efficiency.” A key enabler of Maersk’s strategy is the digital transformation, where massive acceleration in activities was witnessed in the last two years. The turnover on the Maersk.com platform, which includes Maersk.com, Twill.net, Maersk Mobile App and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), reached USD 38bn in 2021, an almost 90% jump from 2019. The traffic on Maersk.com increased by 15%, and the search for Maersk’s Ocean products increased by 52% in 2021. The number of bookings processed on the mobile app increased more than 15-fold, indicating a massive shift in how customers prefer to engage, especially in the times that drove social distancing and remote working. Instant booking confirmation was offered on 70% of the transactions on Maersk.com, an industry first that contributes towards frictionless …

B2B logistics tech platform Oorjaa has raised around Rs 9 Crores in a Pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The round also saw participation from a clutch of HNIs who have invested in personal capacity and through Vinners angel investing platform. The funds will be used to focus on the product and tech development, expanding into new geographies and on working capital requirements. Oorjaa was founded by Sandeep Patil, Prashant Mohite and Yogesh Parab, each with uniquely diverse and complimentary skill sets in late 2019. Oorjaa offers highly effective technology driven logistics solutions aided with transformative technology solutions on auto-routing, network optimization, data analytics, trip management and highly efficient operating processes run by the most skilled and trained manpower. Their biggest strength is having proprietary tools for optimizing logistics operations, diversely skilled founders with decades of experience in building products and businesses. They have bootstrapped to an impressive two-digit ARR with founders’ capital and investment of just Rs. 40 Lakhs. Since its launch in November 2019, Oorjaa has expanded to 15+ cities, 30+ Hub locations, conducting 4000+ orders per day with 200+ Vehicles (inclusive of EV Cargo Vehicles, promoting sustainability). Their B2B clientele include some of the most well-known large e-commerce, food-tech & e-groceries companies.

As per the Colliers report “Foreign investments in Indian real estate turn a corner,” released in association with FICCI, during 2017–21, the foreign capital flows in real estate jumped three times to USD24.0 bn compared to the preceding five-year period. Over the last five years, global investors have shown an increased inclination towards investment in Indian real estate buoyed by regulatory reforms introduced in 2016. Sector-wise foreign investments during 2012-16 and 2017-21 (in USD bn) Foreign investors, who had previously refrained from investing in the Indian real estate market due to the lack of transparency, started investing in the country with greater optimism from 2017. The share of foreign investments in Indian real estate has grown to 82% during 2017-2021, compared to 37% in the preceding five-year period. Piyush Gupta, Managing Director, Capital Markets and Investment Services, Colliers India, added, “We are witnessing a buoyancy in global capital inflows into India across asset classes, with office and industrial assets remaining the most preferred. The investors take a long-term view with significant exposure to development assets, reflecting confidence in taking construction risks with credible partners. The investors continue to invest in developers with proven expertise in their respective business areas to build and acquire long-term sustainable assets. With residential sales continuing to do well across markets in India and opportunities to grow for developers, more structured capital is likely to flow into the sector.” Office sector dominant post-2016; industrial and logistics led in 2021 During 2017-21, the office sector holds the frontline of foreign investments with a 43% share of total foreign investments, followed by the mixed-use sector, accounting for 18% of total foreign investments. The investments in the industrial and …

Cainiao Network (Cainiao), the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, announced the partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo to launch a weekly charter flight from Hong Kong (HKG), China, to São Paulo (GRU), Brazil, and serve one of Cainiao’s fastest-growing e-commerce destinations in Latin America. On 5 March, the first Cainiao chartered Boeing 777 freighter departed Hong Kong Airport (HKG) at 6.45 p.m. UTC, headed for Guarulhos Airport (GRU), São Paulo, Brazil, with a tech stop at Qatar Airways Cargo’s hub in Doha, Qatar. The cargo on board included online retail products such as beauty and fashion goods, jewellery, watches, appliances, toys, and sports equipment. Operating once a week, the Boeing 777 freighter provides 100 tonnes of cargo capacity. “Cainiao’s mission is to deliver globally within 72 hours; a goal that can be achieved with the right logistics partners. In just over a year, Cainiao has established a comprehensive operation in Latin America, and we see that e-commerce retail in Brazil, in particular, is growing at a phenomenal rate. With Qatar Airways Cargo, we are in a good position to support that growth, and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership,” says William Xiong, Cainiao’s Chief Strategist and General Manager for Export Logistics. Cainiao has experienced a three-figure growth rate in its Latin American business over the past year and has driven a focused air cargo network expansion in recent months to secure smooth supply chain performance. “There is no doubt that e-commerce is not only here to stay but is also one of the fastest-growing commodities within logistics, today. It demands versatility, speed, accuracy, and a reliable, global network,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, explains. “We …

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that six new members have been elected by the Trustees to serve on the Board of Directors, expanding the industry expertise of the Board. The new board members bring a wealth of experience from the airport, airline, and handling sectors. New board members include Kai Domscheit, CHI Handling; Dan Sheehan, UPS; Tushar Jani, Cargo Service Center India; Kamesh Peri, Celebi Ground Handling; Roos Bakker, Schiphol Airport; and Massimo Roccasecca, Verona-Brescia Airport. Kai Domscheit is the Chief Executive Officer of CHI Deutschland Cargo Handling. CHI Deutschland Cargo Handling offers forwarding and airline handling, trucking and air cargo security in the largest airfreight hub in Europe, Cargo City South, Frankfurt. Dan Sheehan is the Director of Industry for UPS. UPS’s comprehensive hub-and-spoke network provides you with access to key transportation centres across the U.S. and beyond. Tushar Jani is the Chairman of Cargo Service Center India – Cargo Service Center India is an end-to-end cargo handling group that handles both general, sensitive, as well as perishable cargo. Kamesh Peri is the Chief Executive Officer of Delhi Airport. Celebi Ground Handling is a ground handler offering ramp, passenger, and cargo handling, warehouse management, bridge operations, trucking, general aviation, airport lounge management, and premium services. Roos Bakker, Director of Business Development for Airline Route and Network Development at Schiphol Airport: Schiphol Airport is renowned for its collaborative model. Schiphol Cargo successfully brings together our logistics community, Dutch Customs and academia. Massimo Roccasecca is the Group Cargo Director for the SAVE Group. The SAVE Group is the managing company for Venice, Verona, Brescia, and Treviso Airports. “With the appointment of the six latest members, we have continued our …

Jet Freight, one of India’s leading freight forwarders, appoints logistics veteran, Joy John, as its Director for Air and Sea Freight effective March 1, 2022. Joy will be responsible for Pan India Sales and Operations of Jet Freight Logistics Ltd. Joy brings over 30 years of comprehensive experience in airfreight management, freight forwarding, cross-border operations, sales support, business development, and team management skills from his previous roles. He is renowned as a keen planner, strategist, and implementer with demonstrated abilities in accelerating business growth in line with the board’s business plans. As a veteran in the logistics sector, Joy is an effective communicator with excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills. He is distinguished as a leader with proficiency in analytical and problem-solving competencies. Jet Freight is considered among India’s most renowned freight forwarders, with global operations controlled from offices in India and Dubai. Jet Freight has over 10 regional offices across the country and continues to spread its logistic efforts for superior last-mile delivery solutions. Jet Freight is a technology-enabled company and is on the road to becoming a top choice for freight forwarding and supplying logistics distribution services to its clients. Jet Freight plan to extend seamless and environment-friendly deliveries for their customers. According to Richard Theknath, Chairman and Managing Director, Jet Freight, “We are happy to have Joy John on board with Jet Freight as Director Air-Sea Freight. Given his vast experience in the freight forwarding industry, we are confident that he will take Jet Freight to greater heights and are keen to leverage his leadership skills in enhancing our sales and operations. His competitive selling strategies to improve brand and service awareness will help us enhance our existing …