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National Airlines operates "world's longest 777 freighter flight

National Airlines has achieved what is believed to be the world's longest commercial Boeing 777 freighter flight. Florida-headquartered National Airlines said in a LinkedIn post on 5 August that the flight operated from Glasgow Prestwick in Scotland to Melbourne, Australia. The airline said: "National Airlines is proud to have achieved what is believed to be the world's longest commercial Boeing 777 Freighter flight with live cargo for another airline, operating nonstop from Prestwick to Melbourne across an extraordinary 9,849 nautical miles (completed in 19:23 hrs)." Last month, National Airlines took delivery of its third Boeing 777-200 freighter within four months and expects to add a fourth 777F in the coming months. These aircraft are part of an order the airline made for four newbuild 777-200Fs in 2024. The newbuild 777Fs will help the airline modernise its fleet, increase cargo capacity and fly long haul routes. National Airlines, part of National Air Cargo, now operates a fleet of three 777-200Fs, nine Boeing 747Fs, plus Airbus A330-300 and A330-200 passenger aircraft. The airline offers global cargo charter options for direct shippers, multinational manufacturers, e-commerce organisations, entertainment groups and government agencies. As well as cargo charter services, National Airlines offers passenger charter services, ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance & Insurance) and CMI (Crew, Maintenance & Insurance) services globally. Besides US regional hubs in Buffalo, New York; Orlando, Florida; and Chicago, Illinois, National has operational hubs located in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid, Dubai, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Bahrain, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Growth in transhipment for Middle East prompts niche Red Sea services

Middle East-bound cargo transhipping via India is prompting secondary and niche container lines to expand their Red Sea service offerings, despite the escalating risks in the conflict region. Italy's Messina Line -- predominantly a ro-ro operator -- has introduced a, standalone "opportunistic" India-Red Sea loop. The Red Sea Express will link JNPA (Nhava Sheva) in India with Sohar (Oman) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), now key gateways for imports into the Persian Gulf. The inaugural sailing is scheduled for 27 August. This is Messina's second launch out of India with Red Sea coverage in less than a year. In October, the carrier started its India-Mediterranean (INDME) service, offering fortnightly sailings, promising to boost frequency to weekly. Msssina said this week: "In response to the growing demand across this key trade corridor, we are further strengthening our presence by deploying an additional vessel, enhancing our service offering with greater connectivity, increased capacity and improved schedule flexibility. "The launch of the Red Sea Express marks another important milestone in our ongoing commitment to investing in strategic markets, strengthening our service network, and delivering reliable, efficient and customer-focused shipping solutions," it added. Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd has also signed a deal to hire slots on a weekly India-Red Sea service run by Middle East feeder line GFS (Global Feeder Shipping), after reopening bookings to Upper Gulf destinations without routing cargo through the Strait of Hormuz. The German carrier told customers: "This setup enables connectivity for cargo movements involving Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, without transiting the Strait of Hormuz." JNPA has been at the forefront of handling Middle East cargo diversions, and this inflow continues to be strong even five months into the conflict, port statistics secured by The Loadstar reveal. The port saw a noticeable surge in transhipment volumes last month, after the trend slowed slightly in May and June. Transhipment handling in July climbed to some 113,000 teu, up from June's 93,500 teu and May's 97,500 teu, data shows. As a result of substantial incremental volumes, terminal operations and yard capacity at JNPA, and in Mundra, have seen severe challenges over the past few months, sparking concerns for Indian exporters and importers. But there is a silver lining: India has bolstered its position as a regional supply chain hub, local industry sources claim.

SeaLead's sanctions death spiral: a compliance case study for every forwarder

Ouch: from 13th-largest container line to liquidation in twelve months, SeaLead's collapse under US sanctions is a cautionary tale about counterparty risk in opaque shipping markets. A year ago, SeaLead Shipping was one of container shipping's most compelling growth stories. Established in 2017, SeaLead rapidly emerged as a leading liner operator, reaching 13th place in the global container line rankings according to maritime analyst Alphaliner. It operated 52 chartered ships across intra-Asia, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, transpacific and Mediterranean ...