ANCHORS UP WEEKLY: OCEAN FREIGHT
Large Container Ship Blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal
As if the current port congestion and continuous delays weren’t enough, it was reported Tuesday that a container ship has created a large traffic jam in the Suez Canal of Egypt. Having been blown sideways by strong winds, the ship’s hull hit the bottom of the canal, making it unable to move. Being that about 12 % of global trade makes its way through the canal and see over 50 vessels per day, this issue has the potential to backlog many shipments in the foreseeable future.
To help mitigate the problem as much as possible, there are currently 8 tugboats attempting to refloat the container ship, and sand is being removed from the canal. Egypt has also decided to open their older channel to divert some of the traffic. According to historian, Dr. Sal Mercogliano , this is the largest ship to ever be grounded in the Suez Canal, and experts have reported it could take up to several days to fix the problem. We are also happy to inform the crew onboard is safe, with no report of injuries. As more information on this matter is released, we will continue to keep you updated.
WHEELS UP WEEKLY: AIR FREIGHT
Vintage Planes to Transport Freight?
With the continued uncertainty that freight transportation has seen across all mediums as of lately, a familiar addition has been made to the current freight plane lineup. As more and more passenger planes, such as the 747-800, have been converted to carry freight, the MD-80 has been the latest plane to see these modifications. The MD-80 first saw the air in 1979 but saw complaints from passengers regarding its noise levels more recently, seeming fit to become a tool for transporting freight.
So why use an older plane that requires more fuel? It requires more gas than modern freighters, and certainly isn’t considered sleek in any sense. As it turns out, MD-80s are built extremely well and are great at handling freight if loaded correctly. Just last week, USA Jet Airlines signed a contract with Aeronautical Engineers Inc. to modify three MD-80s to become freight aircrafts. The addition to these vintage planes is set to start this month, to be completed by the end of summer season. It should be interesting to see how this will impact air transportation, having more options for the increasing amount of freight.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/why-are-iconic-md-80-jets-being-converted-to-freighter
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