JUPITER SEA & AIR
SERVICES PVT. LTD, EGMORE – CHENNAI, INDIA.
E-MAIL : Robert.sands@jupiterseaair.co.in Mobile : +91 98407 85202
Corporate News
Letter for Thursday March 26, 2025
Today’s
Exchange Rates
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CURRENCY▲ |
PRICE |
CHANGE |
%CHANGE |
OPEN |
PREV.CLOSE |
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93.97 |
0.090004 |
0.095871 |
93.95 |
93.88 |
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|
1.1584 |
-0.0024 |
-0.206747 |
1.1608 |
1.1608 |
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125.9044 |
0.079803 |
0.063424 |
125.8706 |
125.8246 |
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109.0327 |
0.178802 |
0.164259 |
108.9931 |
108.8539 |
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159.033 |
0.333008 |
0.209835 |
158.70 |
158.70 |
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|
1.3387 |
-0.0024 |
-0.178952 |
1.3411 |
1.3411 |
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0.5915 |
0.0015 |
0.254239 |
0.5917 |
0.59 |
| |
/// Sea Cargo News ///
The EU Ports Strategy Addresses Infrastructure.
It Overlooks the Widening communication gap
The Commission’s five priorities give every
port in the Hamburg-Le Havre range identical policy language. The ports that
translate shared frameworks into differentiated stakeholder narratives will
capture disproportionate competitive positioning value.
Within a week of the European Commission
publishing its EU Ports Strategy on March 04, 2026, major port associations
across the continent had issued responses. Not one of those responses
distinguished one port from its competitors.
ICS
condemns attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf
Hapag Lloyd signs Letter of Intent with India to boost maritime cooperation
Hapag Lloyd and the Government of India have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) in Mumbai to strengthen maritime cooperation and support India’s shipping and logistics sector. The agreement focuses on ship reflagging, sustainable ship recycling and infrastructure development at Vadhavan port.
Key Highlights :
(*) Reflagging
– Hapag Lloyd may reflag to four vessels under the Indian registry, subject to
further assessment and regulatory approvals.
(*) Sustainable
Ship Recycling – Collaboration to develop a recycling ecosystem in India
aligned with EU Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR), potentially supporting up to
100 vessels.
Accelleron
and HD Hyundai Marine Solution cut fuel use on Hapag Lloyd vessels
Port of Long Beach cargo holds steady despite geopolitical and tariff uncertainty
Outlook – Officials warn that prolonged conflict
could raise fuel costs and force supply chains to adjust routes. Still, the
port remains a reliable gateway and stands ready to handle additional cargo, if
needed.
The Port of Long Beach continues to invest in
infrastructure and sustainability, aiming to become a zero-emissions port while
expanding capacity toward its 2050 growth targets.
CMA
CGM launches emergency multimodal solutions to bypass Strait of Hormuz
Ensuring Supply Chain Continuity – With these
multimodal solutions, CMA CGM aims to maintain trade continuity, reeuce risk
exposure and support regional supply chains during ongoing geopolitical
disruptions.
The company said the initiative highlights
its ability to adapt quickly and provide flexible, secure logistics solutions
in a volatile operating environment.
///// AIR CARGO NEWS /////
Cathay
Cargo cancels all freighter flights to Dubai and Riyadh until May
Cathay Pacific has suspended all freighter
flights to Dubai and Riyadh until May in light of the current conflict in the
Middle East.
The Hong Kong-headquartered airline said that
all passenger flights would also be suspended over the same timeframe.
The airline said that it had taken the
decision to cancel the flights “in view of the volatile situation in the Middle
East” and to provide “both our passengers and cargo customers with greater
certainty for their planning”.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and
will remain agile in our response,” the airline said in a statement. “The
safety of our customers and people guides every decision we make.”
The airline’s freighter flights were operated
between Hong Kong and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
Flights that would normally transit the
affected area are being rerouted, the carrier added.
Cathay Pacific is not the only airline to
have provided a longer term update on its plans for operations to the Middle
East in recent days.
Yesterday, IAG Cargo said that flights
between London and Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv are suspended
until June, while flights between London and Abu Dhabi are suspended until
October.
Flights between Madrid and Doha are suspended
until 31 March, while flights between Madrid and Tel Aviv are suspended until
28 March.
Meanwhile, in an update issued yesterday,
Lufthansa Cargo said that group-wide flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended
until and including 9 April, while for operational reasons Lufthansa will also
suspend its flights to and from Riyadh through 5 April, although ITA Airways’
scheduled flights to Riyadh will continue as usual.
Elsewhere, flights to and from Abu Dhabi,
Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Dubai and Erbil are suspended until and including 28
March and flights to and from Tehran are suspended until and including 30
April.
Until 19 April, the carrier is also not
accepting any bookings for Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Dubai (DWC and
DXB), Erbil, Riad, Tel Aviv and Tehran.
The impact of the war is being increasingly
felt by the air cargo market, with freight
rates on the rise.
Meanwhile, freight forwarders in Hong Kong
have reacted
angrily to the fuel surcharges being implemented by certain airlines.
Oman Air Cargo has also announced the implementation
of a war surcharge.
Lithium-ion
battery incidents in air cargo on the rise
A new report has highlighted an increase in
the number of lithium-ion battery incidents in air cargo as a result of the
growth of e-commerce demand.
The new report suggests that the air cargo
industry has seen a 40% increase in the number of thermal runaway incidents
since 2021.
In 2021, there were 10 incidents, the UL
Standards & Engagement (ULSE) report found, but this had increased to 14
incidents by 2025. There were 13 incidents in 2022, 13 in 2023 and 15 in 2024.
The researcher described the rise as
“alarming” and said it mirrored increasing consumer demand for low-cost,
battery-powered products.
“Lithium batteries power modern life, but
they also present a growing and preventable risk in air cargo,” said Bob
McClelland, transportation safety lead at UL Standards & Engagement.
“The rise in incidents is not random — it
reflects identifiable gaps in battery quality, shipper awareness, regulatory
oversight, and supply chain accountability. These are systemic weaknesses that
can and must be better addressed if we want to reverse this troubling trend.”
ULSE said that battery quality and shipper
behaviour are the core drivers of risk, with small and individual shippers
often lacking hazardous materials expertise and relying on carriers to catch
errors, shifting responsibility downstream.
“Limited oversight and uneven enforcement
leave cargo airlines managing risks they did not create — and often cannot
fully see,” ULSE said.
The standards organisation added that
geography is a predictor of cargo risk, with significant differences in
manufacturing quality, regulatory oversight and enforcement rigour across
regions.
However, it added that a large amount of
cargo originates in the region, so the likelihood of incidents beginning there
can be attributed in part to volume.
The report showed that where the origin and
destination airport information is provided, shipments originating
from airports in Asia were cited in 42% of the incidents: Hong Kong 27%, China
8%, South Korea 2%, Malaysia 2% and India 2%.
“A battery’s country of origin can be an
indicator of a heightened threat,” ULSE said. “More than half of known-origin
incidents begin in a handful of Asian airports — as do a significant number of
battery shipments — contributing to industry perceptions that geographic
disparities amplify other risks such as battery quality, shipper behaviour and
third-party involvement.”
ULSE said that it can be hard to pinpoint
responsibility and implement solutions to solve the issue, given that the
batteries pass through multiple stakeholders, with each relying on the previous
party to comply with the rules.
“This fragmentation diffuses accountability,
making it difficult to pinpoint responsibility or implement lasting solutions
when incidents occur,” ULSE said.
The report offers three priority
recommendations to improve cargo safety: establishing clear, enforceable
responsibility across the supply chain; strengthening education and global
industry coordination to reduce ambiguity and prevent errors; and treating
safety and cost as aligned — not competing — priorities and driving solutions
from the top down.
“In every interview and focus group we
conducted, a consistent theme emerged: reducing battery fire risk is a shared
responsibility that prioritises safety as a matter of necessity, not luck,”
said Emily Brimsek, senior manager of qualitative insights.
US
air forwarders concerned of operational risk due ongoing shutdowns
The US Airforwarders Association (AfA) is
increasingly concerned about the impact of Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) shutdowns on aviation
operations.
The shutdown of the two agencies has been
ongoing since 13 February, leaving airport workers without pay. The AfA
said that more than 300 TSA officers have so far resigned as a result.
The ongoing shutdown raises “serious
questions about staffing resilience across the aviation security system”, the
AfA said in a press release. “We are increasingly concerned about the growing
operational risks to the US aviation system and the wider supply chain,” the
association explained.
“While the immediate impact is being felt at
passenger checkpoints, prolonged disruption to TSA staffing inevitably creates
knock-on effects for airport operations and the longer the shutdown continues,
the greater the potential impact on cargo processing, airport access, and
overall airside efficiency.”
The shutdown has been in place for more than
a month now, with several funding proposals having failed to secure approval
from Congress.
“Freight forwarders depend on predictable
airport operations and stable security programs to move time-sensitive
shipments, and any sustained degradation in staffing or operational performance
makes it harder for the industry to plan capacity, manage customer
expectations, and maintain reliable supply chains,” the AfA said.
“The longer this shutdown persists, the more
disruption will spread, the greater the risk to cargo operations, and the
harder recovery will become.”
The AfA pointed out that freight forwarders
are already navigating a complex operating environment shaped by new tariff
measures and the ongoing
conflict in the Middle East.
“The priority now must be to restore
stability and predictability for businesses that rely on the movement of
goods,” the AfA said.
“We urge policymakers to move quickly to
resolve the DHS shutdown, ensure TSA personnel are paid, and provide the stable
policy environment that US businesses and global supply chains depend upon.”
Airline CEOs, including those from Delta and
American Airlines, yesterday issued a similar plea in a letter to US lawmakers.
The US also suffered
a government shutdown last year that affected the aviation market.
Fire
containment becoming ‘increasingly critical’ for air cargo
The need for fire containment products is
becoming “increasingly critical” for the air cargo industry as e-commerce
volumes continue to rise, according to one equipment manufacturer.
Rishani Dissanayake, programme manager
at AmSafe Bridport, told Air Cargo News that rapid growth
in lithium-ion batteries, electronics, e-commerce shipments and high-density
energy products has heightened the risk of thermal runaway incidents.
While such comments are not unexpected given
the company’s commercial interest, recently published research supports the
claim.
A report by UL Standards &
Engagement (ULSE) found the air cargo sector has experienced a 40%
increase in thermal runaway incidents since 2021, with reported cases
rising from 10 in 2021 to 14 in 2025.
“The industry is no longer asking whether a
fire can occur, but how best to contain and survive one during flight,” said
Dissanayake.
“A single damaged lithium cell can cause a chain reaction, igniting a fire in dense cargo areas. At high altitude, the crew’s main focus is to manage the situation well enough to ensure a safe landing.”
Risks are expected to intensify as battery
chemistries evolve, energy densities increase and shipment volumes expand.
“Containment has become a critical risk
management strategy and an essential component of in-flight survivability
planning,” she said.
Tackling the issue
AmSafe Bridport’s technology centres on fire
containment covers (FCCs) for palletised cargo, constructed from flame- and
heat-resistant materials. However, a multilayered approach is widely seen as
the most effective way to mitigate fire risk.
“Detection, suppression and physical
containment must work together,” said Dissanayake. “FCCs and bags create a
controlled environment that helps prevent fire spread, manage heat transfer and
allow aircraft smoke detection systems to remain active.
“When paired with onboard suppression systems
and increasingly with RFID or Bluetooth tracking for visibility, operators
create a multi-layered defence strategy.”
She added that implementation is as critical
as the technology itself, noting that even the most advanced systems are only
effective if deployed consistently and correctly.
Dissanayake said the company’s covers are
designed to contain fire, limit oxygen availability, manage heat transfer and
allow controlled smoke release so that aircraft detection systems remain
operational.
The firm also offers bespoke fire containment
bags and pouches, particularly suited to damaged, suspect or recalled lithium
batteries. Along side technological solutions, regulation is expected to play a
central role in addressing the risks associated with lithium battery transport.
While progress is being made, the pace of innovation means the industry must
remain proactive.
“Many fire containment solutions were
developed ahead of formal regulation because operators recognised the
operational risk,” said Dissanayake.
“We are actively involved in the development
of new lithium battery fire test standards expected in 2026 and will re-test
our products to ensure full compliance once they are released.
“Regulation alone cannot eliminate risk.
Operators, manufacturers and regulators must work collaboratively. In-flight
survivability depends on preparation, layered protection and continuous product
validation through rigorous testing.”
TCE
reports ongoing demand for TCM services from leisure airlines
Air cargo supervisor TCE has noted ongoing
demand from leisure airlines for Total Cargo Management (TCM) services since
the Covid pandemic.
Speaking to Air Cargo News, TCE’s
managing director Sarah Scheibe said that before the outbreak of Covid, the
focus for the typical leisure airline was only on their passenger business and
cargo was seen more as a “nice side product and additional revenue”.
“This changed drastically during and after
the Corona pandemic, as all of a sudden cargo became much more relevant and
since then the focus has been growing,” said Scheibe.
“Those airlines still, of course, focus
mainly on their passenger business as being the core business, but cargo and
therefore the TCM model becomes a higher value.”
TCM setups vary from a typical sales agent
service in that the majority of the cargo setup is outsourced, rather than just
sales and marketing.
“With this professional TCM set up, the
airline keeps the lean organisation and benefits from strong reports and
market-based data analysis for the cargo sector and therefore it even becomes
interesting for airlines not typically in the leisure sector only,” she
explains.
TCE recently signed a TCM agreement with
Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp Airlines, selecting sister companies ECS
and Global GSA to provide sales services, while it looks after the safety,
security and quality side of the contract.
The deal marks a return to cargo for SkyUp
Airlines. Chișinău (RMO) in Moldova will serve as the central hub for cargo
activities with services covering Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel,
France, Poland, Montenegro, Albania and Moldova.
Scheibe said that cost and profit pressures
on airlines are increasing, which has driven a requirement for greater
insights.
“The natural result is to look into
outsourcing and at the same time gaining more cargo expertise, access to
digital tools and Business Intelligence/market data and also a global existing
set up.”
She adds: “With a TCM model, airlines get
more than just sales representation. They get support with cargo strategy,
operations, customs reporting and revenue management, almost like having an
external cargo department with a global network and Interline options as well
to even reach more markets.”
Airfreight
rates on Asia-Europe and India trade lanes soar
Airfreight rates on services operating on the
Asia-Europe trade lane and on services out of India continue to reach new highs
as a result of the Middle East conflict, with further price rises expected due
to the rising cost of jet fuel.
Sources suggest that spot rates on services
operating from Hong Kong to Europe are now comfortably higher than rates from
Hong Kong to North America, heading above $5.15 per kg.
This is an increase of almost 30% compared
with the $4 per kg being paid on the route shortly before the outbreak of
fighting. Meanwhile, rates from India to the US have increased by around 60%
since the outbreak of the conflict, sources said, and from India to Europe,
there has been an 80% increase.
Writing in a weekly market update, air cargo
pricing data provider TAC Index said there were currently big differences in
rates on different lanes depending on how affected they are by the outbreak of
fighting.
For instance, the global Baltic Air Freight
Index calculated by TAC gained another 2.6% in the week to March 16, leaving it
still “narrowly lower” than 12 months earlier at 0.7% down year on year.
“There were, however, some wide variations in
rate patterns – with rates surging on some routes, particularly on Asia-Europe
lanes and out of India,” TAC Index said.
“And sources were bracing for significant
further increases given an explosion in the width of the ‘crack spread’ between
crude oil and jet fuel, with jet now close to double where it was last year,
and likely fuel surcharges yet to be applied to many flights.”
TAC said that there were much bigger
week-on-week gains from elsewhere in Asia compared with Hong Kong and China –
notably from Vietnam, particularly to Europe, as well as from Seoul and Taiwan.
“One exception was from Bangkok, where rates
were falling week on week, though still up year on year both to Europe and the
US,” TAC said.
“But the biggest impact from events in the
Middle East was seen on rates out of India, which showed 30% increase WoW both
to Europe and the US.”
Freight forwarders are already beginning to
feel the impact of rising fuel prices. Earlier this week, freight forwarders
based in Hong Kong hit out at airlines for ramping
up cargo fuel surcharges (CFS) in response to the rising cost of jet
fuel as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.
The Hong Kong Association of Freight
Forwarding and Logistics (HAFFA) expressed “deep dissatisfaction” at the
magnitude of the increases, stating that some “far exceeds resonable limits”.
Oman Air Cargo has also announced that it
will introduce a war surcharge in response to the development.
Meanwhile, capacity continues to be down on
pre-conflict levels. According to data from Rotate, global air cargo capacity
was last week down 12% compared with pre-Chinese New Year levels.
The hardest hit lanes over that comparison
period are Asia Pacific to the Middle East and the Middle East to Europe, which
are both down by around 40%.
However, carriers have been reacting and
space from Asia Pacific to Europe is up by around 20%.
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.
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