JUPITER SEA & AIR SERVICES PVT. LTD, EGMORE – CHENNAI, INDIA.

 

E-MAIL : Robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in   Mobile : +91 98407 85202

 

 

Corporate News Letter for  Friday  January  30,  2025

Today’s Exchange Rates

CURRENCY▲	PRICE	CHANGE	%CHANGE	OPEN	PREV.CLOSE
USD/INR	91.95	0.159996	0.174307	92.00	91.79
EUR/USD	1.1948	0.0006	0.050191	1.1954	1.1954
GBP/INR	126.9318	0.3769	0.297815	127.14	126.5549
EUR/INR	109.9429	0.085899	0.07807	110.1855	110.0288
USD/JPY	153.4	0.01001	0.006525	153.41	153.41
GBP/USD	1.3795	0.0013	0.094147	1.3808	1.3808
DXY Index	96.334	0.112	0.116127	96.163	96.446
JPY/INR	0.5998	0.0023	0.382	0.5983	0.6021

///                   Sea Cargo News            ///

India’s Coffee Export Volumes Dip in 2025, Value Jumps Over 22%

India's coffee exports declined in volume by 4.47 per cent to 3.84 lakh tonnes in the 2025 calendar year, but rose 22.50 per cent in value terms to USD 2,058.06 million, Coffee Board data showed. In volume terms, the shipments declined from 4.02 lakh tonnes in 2024.

The unit value realisation remained higher at Rs 4.65 lakh per tonne in 2025 compared to Rs 3.48 lakh a tonne in the previous year. India ranks seventh globally in coffee production and fifth in coffee exports. 

According to the Board data, Arabica coffee exports showed a decline of 65 per cent to 15,607 tonnes during the 2025 calendar year as compared to 44,315 tonnes the previous year. Robusta coffee exports also declined by 13 per cent to 1.80 lakh tonnes from 2.07 lakh tonnes during the said period.

However, the shipment of instant coffee rose 11.56% to 46,954 tons in 2025 as against 42,054 tons shipped in the previous year. Italy Russia and Germany were the top 3 destinations for coffee exports. Shipments to Italy stood at 60,688 tons, Russia 31,505 tons and Germany 28,840 tons in 2025.

EU Suspends GSP Benefits on 87% of Indian Exports from January 1, Raising Trade Pressures Ahead of FTA

The European Union (EU) has suspended tariff concessions under its Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) for key Indian export sectors, including textiles, plastics, chemicals, metals and machinery, with effect from January 1, 2026.

The move will significantly raise import duties on nearly 87 per cent of India’s exports to the 27-nation bloc, dealing a setback to exporters at a time of fragile global trade conditions. The decision, notified through the Official Journal of the European Union, follows a European Commission regulation adopted on September 25, 2025.

The suspension of preferential tariffs will apply for a three-year period from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028, in line with the EU’s GSP graduation rules. Similar measures have also been applied to Indonesia and Kenya.

CMA CGM Names 400th Fully Owned Vessel, Marking Major Fleet Milestone

CMA CGM has reached a significant milestone in its fleet expansion and sustainability journey with the naming of its 400th fully owned vessel, CMA CGM MONTE CRISTO.

The vessel is a new-generation 15,000 TEU dual-fuel container ship capable of operating on methanol, reinforcing the Group’s long-term fleet renewal strategy and its commitment to accelerating the transition towards more sustainable shipping solutions. Designed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the vessel reflects CMA CGM’s continued investment in cleaner marine fuels and next-generation technologies.

The naming ceremony also highlights CMA CGM’s strong presence and long-standing commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, a key pillar of the Group’s global operations and growth strategy. With extensive services, port partnerships and logistics infrastructure across the region, CMA CGM continues to play a vital role in supporting regional and international trade.

The CMA CGM MONTE CRISTO stands as a symbol of innovation, scale and responsibility underscoring the Group’s ambition to combine fleet growth with environmental performance as it charts the future of global shipping.

ONE launches new inland trucking services in Thailand

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has launched a new inland trucking service in Thailand, expanding its logistics offering with an integrated end-to-end solution for both import and export containers.

The new service connects inland transport with ONE’s existing ocean network, combining door pick-up and delivery with maritime services to provide customers with a single, streamlined logistics solution. The offering is designed to ensure reliable and time-efficient cargo movement across key locations throughout Thailand.

Service coverage includes major Thai ports such as Laem Chabang, Lat Krabang and Bangkok, with trucking connections to and from customer locations nationwide.

According to ONE, the service delivers seamless end-to-end transport between ports and inland destinations through ONE appointed trucking partners, reducing handover points and operational risk. The company will also manage first and last mile arrangements, including truck positioning, container pick up and the return of both empty and loaded units.

Customers will benefit from simplified communication and documentation including through bills of lading where applicable. ONE will provide a single point of contact for bookings, pricing and after-sales support.

The launch reflects ONE’s continued focus on strengthening its integrated logistics capabilities and supporting customers with more comprehensive supply chain solutions in the Thai market.

OCEAN Alliance removes Tacoma from HTW trans-pacific service

The Ocean Alliance will next month remove the Pacific Northwest Port of Tacoma from the Transpacific HTW service operated by Evergreen, according to Dynaliners.

Following the change, the HTW service will concentrate on calls at Oakland and Los Angeles on the U.S. West Coast. The service will be operated with eight vessels of approximately 15,000 TEU capacity on a weekly basis.

The revised rotation will be : Port Kelang – Ho Chi Minh (Cai Mep) – Taipei – Kaohsiung – Shenzhen (Yantian) – Los Angeles – Oakland – Kaohsiung – Port Kelang.

The move reflects a streamlining of port coverage on the trans-pacific trade with capacity focused on key California gateways.

Sea-Intelligence : Deconstructing Post-Suez connectivity correction

In issue 748 of the Sunday Spotlight, Sea-Intelligence analysed the potential impact of a return to the Suez Canal on global port connectivity. By comparing 2025 – 4Q connectivity levels against pre-Red Sea crisis growth trends (2022-Q3 to 2023-Q3), Sea-Intelligence found that nearly

All major ports in the Red Sea and East Mediterranean were operating with  significantly lower connectivity levels. The data also suggests that return to the Suez routing will likely not be a gradual return to normal, but rather a sharp correction for these specific regions.

Figure 1 illustrates the “Recovery Potential” for key ports in the region – defined as the gap between their current connectivity (Actual 2025-Q4) and what their connectivity would have been, had the crisis not occurred (Projected 2025-Q4).

Freightos Weekly Update : Greenland drama adds new dose of trade

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media over the weekend intent to impose 10% tariffs starting February 01, 2026 on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland for opposing the sale of Greenland to the USA and that tariff will increase to 25% in June if there is no deal by then.

The EU accounts for 20% of total US imports by value. Last year Germany – the largest European exporter to the US – the UK and France exported more than $300B in goods to the US through October, with pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and devices and vehicles and automotive goods accounting for most of it.

While Europe opted not to retaliate for U.S tariffs last year, this time seems different. EU leaders have scheduled an emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss their options. They could let retaliatory tariffs on $100B of US exports – approved last year but suspended until February 07, 2026 – go into effect; withhold pending approval of parts of the EU-US trade deal like reducing tariffs on some US goods to zero; or even close US military bases.

The EU also has an anti-coercion instrument, aka “the bazooka”, at its disposal which among other steps, allows it to tariff services, limit intellectual property rights and access to public contracts, and control exports in response to economic aggression.

With a short runway before February transatlantic ocean frontloading isn’t an option. Freightos Air Index Europe – North America rates have inched up 2% to 2.21/kg since the announcement, but this gain continues a gradual January rate rebound from the $2.00/kg mark at the end of last year.

The president is scheduled to meet with relevant world leaders to discuss the issue in Davos, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is urging calm. Last year provided more than one example of Trump announcing maximalist tariff – including the April 2ndd reciprocal tariffs – and other threats, that proved to be mostly leverage for pressurised negotiations and aimed  at concessions somewhere short of the initial ask.

Another factor adding to the uncertainty is that the White House would likely rely on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to authorize these tariffs even while a Supreme Court decision on IEEPA based tariffs validity looms.

Suez Canal sees traffic recovery as shipping lines plan return

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has reported strong signs of recovery in vessels traffic, with the number of transiting vessels up 5.8%, tonnage up 16% and revenues rising 18.5% in the first half of the 2025-2026 financial year compared to the same period last year. 

MSC announces new EU freight rates from India and Pakistan

MSC advised that the FAK rates exclude all IMO-category cargo and high value commodities.

/////       AIR  CARGO   NEWS   /////

Open Ecosystems and APIs: The Backbone of Digital Logistics Collaboration

For more than a decade, the air cargo industry has discussed digital collaboration, interoperability and paperless processes. For freight forwarders, these discussions are anything but new. The relevant question today is not whether the vision is compelling, but whether the industry has finally moved beyond concepts and pilot projects. The answer is nuanced. Progress is visible, but structural constraints remain.

Open ecosystems and APIs are increasingly driven by customer expectations, regulatory demands and competitive pressure – illustration: AI

Ten years on: what has really changed?
For more than a decade, digitalization in air cargo largely meant bilateral integrations and EDI messaging. Connectivity was possible, but expensive and difficult to scale. As a result, most forwarders continued to rely on email, PDF documents and manual data entry.

Industry data from the mid-2010s shows that only a small share of shipments benefited from end-to-end digital data exchange. Industry experts confirm that old standards such as Cargo-IMP are still in use and that the complete replacement by ONE Record has not yet been completed.

What has changed since then is not the ambition, but the technical foundation. APIs have become the dominant integration model across industries, cloud infrastructures have reduced entry barriers, and standardization initiatives are now designed for network-wide adoption rather than point-to-point connections. This shift marks a fundamental difference.

Recent surveys also show rising awareness and readiness among stakeholders, indicating a broadening commitment to shared digital frameworks. This level of alignment did not exist in earlier digitalization phases.

From vision to early operational reality
In the past years, digital collaboration has begun to move closer to daily operations. Cathay Cargo’s decision to exchange shipment data with freight forwarders in live operations under the ONE Record standard ahead of the original JAN26 target, is widely regarded as an important proof point.

At the same time, expectations should remain realistic. Legacy messaging standards such as Cargo-IMP continue to underpin a large share of operational processes. Many airlines and forwarders are running hybrid environments that combine APIs, legacy messages and manual workflows. Full ecosystem-wide interoperability remains a medium- to long-term objective rather than an immediate outcome.

APIs improve efficiency, not complexity
API-based booking and distribution platforms demonstrate tangible benefits for freight forwarders. Access to live rates and capacity directly from core systems has reduced email traffic and improved response times, particularly in volatile markets.

However, APIs do not eliminate structural differences in airline products, surcharge logic or exception handling. Automation works well for standard cases, but operational expertise remains essential when deviations occur. In practice, APIs accelerate processes, but they do not harmonize them.

This distinction is critical. Open interfaces expose complexity more quickly, but they do not resolve it by default.

What the future is likely to deliver
Over the next five years, broader adoption of API-based standards such as ONE Record is expected to improve data consistency and visibility, particularly in areas such as shipment tracking, pre-advice, customs status updates and sustainability reporting. Industry estimates suggest that forwarders with high levels of system integration can reduce manual data handling by up to 30% to 40%.

At the same time, full end-to-end digital integration across the air cargo ecosystem remains unlikely in the short term. Regulatory fragmentation, legacy system dependencies and uneven digital maturity will continue to shape operational reality. As a result, complementary approaches such as AI-supported data mapping and automation are increasingly discussed as pragmatic tools to bridge gaps where standardization alone falls short.

A forwarder’s perspective
For European freight forwarders, open ecosystems and APIs are no longer optional innovation initiatives. They are becoming a baseline requirement driven by customer expectations, regulatory demands and competitive pressure.

The decisive factor is not access to APIs, but the ability to integrate them into operational workflows, data governance and organizational capabilities.

Open ecosystems have not yet delivered seamless collaboration across the entire industry. But compared to a decade ago, the foundations are significantly stronger. APIs and shared digital standards are no longer theoretical constructs. They are gradually redefining how freight forwarders operate and compete in an increasingly digital air cargo environment.

Air cargo volumes continue strong start to the year

Chargeable weight nears pre-holiday levels as Middle East South Asia region leads with 15% growth, though comparisons remain complicated by timing shifts.

                           Source: Shane Hoggatt/shutterstock.com

Air cargo volumes have continued their strong start to the year, with improvements being registered out of most regions, according to the latest weekly report from data provider WorldACD.

The analytics firm said that worldwide air cargo volumes increased by 5% year on year in the second full week of January, running to 18 January, with tonnages recovering after the post-Christmas slowdown from all the main world origin regions.

WorldACD said that chargeable weight is now close to pre-holiday levels and is around 10% down on the mid-December peak season.

Tonnages were up year on year from most of the main origin regions, including gains from Middle East South Asia (MESA) of 15%, Africa 9%, Asia Pacific 6%, Central & South America 5%, and North America 2%, with only Europe down slightly by 1%.

“Chargeable weight patterns of the past five weeks from each of those six origin regions are remarkably similar to their equivalent periods a year earlier, with the only significant difference being the relatively elevated tonnages of the past five weeks, compared with a year earlier.”

WorldACD has previously said that 2025 had got off to a slow start, which may explain some of the improvements registered this year. Comparisons are also complicated by the timing of the Chinese New Year holiday, which takes place on 17 February this year, compared with 29 January in 2025.

The figures also revealed that of the two main east-west tradelanes, demand is improving faster from Asia Pacific to Europe than it is from Asia Pacific to North America.

“Tonnages in week three from Asia Pacific to Europe were up 19% year on year, with strong growth from all the region’s major origin countries except for Japan (-3%) and South Korea (+1%),” WorldACD said.

Demand from China to Europe was up 17%, from Hong Kong 30% and Taiwan, along with "strong double-digit percentage rises" from Southeast Asia origins, especially Thailand (32%) and Malaysia (26%).

Meanwhile, tonnages in week three from Asia Pacific to the US were up by a "healthy" 6% year on year, but "there were huge disparities" between the performances of volumes from China and Hong Kong (-12%), compared with the "very strong" year-on-year growth from South Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, with "volumes to the US from Vietnam and Thailand, for example, up by around 50%, YoY – as they have been for several months".                                        

Air cargo capacity rises but airlines shift away from the transpacific

Air cargo capacity has increased compared with a year ago in the opening weeks of the year, while freighter operators continue to shift capacity away from the transpacific market.

Data from analyst and consultant Aevean show that global air cargo capacity rose by 4% year on year between 1 January and 22 January.

The analysis indicates that airlines are further reducing their exposure to the transpacific trade, with the strongest capacity growth concentrated on Asia–Europe and Asia–Middle East routes, as well as services linking North and South America.

Capacity between Asia and Europe increased by 15% compared with a year earlier, while Asia–Middle East capacity rose by 12%. On the Americas lanes, cargo capacity from North America to South America climbed by 16%, with a 13% increase in the opposite direction.

By contrast, capacity on the Asia–North America route — the world’s largest air cargo trade lane — declined by 1%.

A breakdown of capacity sources shows that bellyhold space rose by 6% year on year, while freighter operators expanded capacity by 3% and integrators by 1%.

The data also highlight a pronounced redeployment of freighter aircraft away from the transpacific. Freighter capacity from Asia to North America fell by 9%, while capacity from Asia to Europe surged by 31%.

The overall 4% increase in capacity broadly aligns with early-year demand trends. Figures released earlier this week by WorldACD show that air cargo demand rose by 5% year on year in the first full week of January.

The capacity outlook is under close scrutiny following warnings from IATA late last year that cargo space could tighten during 2026.

Julia Seiermann, IATA’s head of industry analysis, said the ongoing global aircraft shortage weighed on the cargo sector last year and is expected to persist.

She cited data showing that the global aircraft order backlog now exceeds 17,000 aircraft, equivalent to nearly 60% of the active fleet and 11 times the number of aircraft delivered annually.

Qatar, IAG and MABKargo seek Singapore approval for ‘metal-neutral’ cargo partnership

Singapore competition authority invites comment on proposed joint business covering 30 overlapping routes as carriers seek metal-neutral operations

   From left to right: David Shepherd, Mark Jason Thomas, Mark Drusch

Singapore is seeking public feedback on the proposed cargo partnership between Qatar Airways, IAG Cargo and MAB Kargo that includes co-operation on scheduling, pricing, sales and marketing as they seek to achieve metal neutrality.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said that the airlines had on 16 January applied for a decision on whether their proposed joint business agreement would infringe section 34 of its competition act, which prevents agreements that distort competition.

According to CCS, the agreement will allow the parties to ”cooperate on scheduling, pricing, sales and marketing, and other commercial activities with a view to achieving metal neutrality”.

The proposed agreement would cover services across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Americas routes and would generate "significant consumer and economic benefits and efficiencies”, the applicants said.

CCS described metal neutrality as a cooperative airline arrangement where partners "jointly manage capacity and pricing whilst sharing profits equally, making them indifferent to which airline’s plane or 'metal' carries the cargo".

Other claimed benefits of the arrangement are: Cost-effective and efficient cargo operations, resulting in higher quality air cargo services and expedited transfers of shipments; enhanced cargo network and capacity; elimination of double marginalisation; cost synergies; wider range of products, services and rate options; and streamlined sales and integrated customer experience. 

According to the application, there are 30 overlapping routes that include Singapore. The competition authority is inviting public feedback on plans between 23 January and 25 February.

"CCS is interested to hear views on the impact of the Proposed JB Agreement on competition," it said. The three airlines announced they would launch a joint global cargo business in April 2025 and provided more details on the plans at a press conference at the Air Cargo Europe event.

The three cargo divisions said the unique partnership would align cargo from booking to delivery, across their networks. The Qatar-IAG-MAS partnership aims to ensure bookings with any of the airlines will be integrated and visible across all operating systems, covering the whole combined network.

Real-time tracking, product/service alignment for various verticals and a singular loyalty programme - Avios - will also be used. The aim is to ensure that shipments are treated equally throughout the combined network, regardless of which airline a customer or forwarder originally booked with, they explained at the press conference.

At the time of the press conference, the partners did not reveal too many details on the financial elements of the agreement. However, at the conference, Qatar Airways chief cargo officer Mark Drusch said the focus is “how do we generate more revenue for each other”.

He said they have designed the partnership to ensure that “we are getting a bigger share of an important market” and that “each one of us is together bringing more than if we approach it individually”.

Drusch stressed all the airlines are in an equal partnership and it is a joint business (JB), not a joint venture (JV) and therefore “there is no financial investment in anybody else”.

Bridges Air Cargo’s first Embraer E190F nearly ready for service

Launch operator's converted aircraft enters final preparation phase five months after delivery, targeting Malta-Europe-North Africa network

                            Bridges Air Cargo's Embraer E190F

Bridges Air Cargo has said its first Embraer E190 converted freighter is nearly ready for operations five months after delivery of the aircraft.

The Maltese cargo carrier was announced as the launch operator of the E190F in June last year, with the aircraft delivery taking place in August. Registered as 9H-BRD, the aircraft is leased from US lessor, Regional One.

In a LinkedIn update on 24 January, the airline announced ”our EMB190F is now in the final stages of preparation and will soon be ready to enter service”.

Bridges Air Cargo added: Once operational, the aircraft will connect Malta with key markets across North Africa and Europe, offering flexible and reliable freight solutions to and from the island.

”In parallel, we will continue to strengthen Malta’s position as a growing air cargo hub while also providing tailored ad hoc charter solutions to meet our customers’ evolving needs.”

According to Planespotters, the E190F is 15-years old and is currently parked at Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST).

While in August, Bridges Air Cargo had said it expected to receive its second E190F soon, this aircraft has not yet been delivered.

Bridges Air Cargo was first issued with a Malta AOC in 2023 and offers logistics solutions for the express and courier industry. Its customers include FedEx, DHL and UPS.

Embraer launched its E-Jet freighter programme to convert E190 and E195 passenger aircraft to freighters in March 2022.

The Brazilian aerospace manufacturer said the E-Jet offers 40% more volume capacity and three times the range of large cargo turboprops, and up to 30% lower operating costs than larger narrowbodies.

Combining cargo capacity under the floor and on the main deck, the E190F’s maximum structural payload is 13,500 kg. The larger E195F will have a payload of 14,300 kg.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the above news letter.                                                    

Robert Sands

Joint Managing Director

Jupiter Sea & Air Services Pvt Ltd

Casa Blanca, 3rd Floor

11, Casa Major Road, Egmore

Chennai – 600 008. India.

GST Number : 33AAACJ2686E1ZS.

Tel : + 91 44 2819 0171 / 3734 / 4041

Fax : + 91 44 2819 0735

Mobile : + 91 98407 85202

E-mail : robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in

Website : www.jupiterseaair.com 1Branches  : Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tuticorin.

Associate Offices : New Delhi, Kolkatta, Cochin & Hyderabad.

 

Thanks  to  :  Container  News,  Indian Seatrade, Cargo Forwarder Global  &  Air Cargo News.