5-minute read
It takes something unusual for shipping to catch the attention of the mainstream public – such as the Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal – or the fire onboard the Felicity Ace and her subsequent sinking.
That interest wasn’t so much in the fact it was a ship fire – it was the fact that she was full of luxury cars. The thought of 4000 Volkswagen-Audi Group vehicles going to the bottom of the sea, with a value of something like NZ$550 million, became an international fascination.
4-minute read
The record-high prices of oil and commodities continue to bring challenges to a civil aviation sector worldwide that’s been hit hard by COVID. The industry has also been impacted by the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine in ways not seen for many years.
However, the industry still does its best not to forget about the environmental challenges as it pursues to progress towards the Flying Net Zero CO2 project.
3-minute read
There is no doubt container carriers are reaping record profits at the expense of cargo owners.
International maritime analysts Drewry recently stated that “ocean carriers have generated about US$190 billion of annual profits and about US$130 billion of fresh cash in 2021, obtained mainly by charging higher prices”.
Nonetheless, it is fair to say that there are also some additional areas of expenses they have to deal with, such as spiralling charter costs and high prices for second-hand container vessels (even older vessels that may otherwise have been heading for the scrapyard).
10-minute read (23-minute listen)
Exporters are forced to charter private ships to ferry produce to foreign markets amid Covid driven cargo crisis. Meat producers and fresh fruit and vegetable producers are struggling to get goods to overseas buyers because of the ongoing containership congestion problem.
As more goods are being shipped and delays lay siege to best-by dates, meat company Affco has resorted to chartering private vessels to get exports – valued at close to $120m – to their overseas markets.