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Growing Philippine Airlines selects IBS Software

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has signed up to use IBS Software's cargo management system as part of its broader digitalisation programme. PAL will use the iCargo platform across cargo sales, ground handling operations and accounting for both domestic and international cargo operations. This includes commercial and operations, back-office accounting, customs reporting, duties and taxes settlement, and regulatory compliance. "The transition will enable PAL to address key operational requirements across its cargo operations, including system performance and data analytics," IBS said in a press release. "iCargo will provide modern capabilities to support faster shipment processing, greater reliability and end-to-end shipment visibility, while reducing manual intervention and enabling more efficient processes." Jason Siy, vice president for cargo business, Philippine Airlines, added: "This initiative represents an important step in the modernisation of our cargo business. "As we grow across our domestic and international network, we need a system that increases visibility, improves operational efficiency and enables us to deliver a better experience for our customers "We see iCargo as a key enabler of our long-term cargo transformation strategy and of our ambition to build an even stronger cargo business for the future." The investment in new technology comes as the airline looks to expand its fleet. The airline recently upped its Airbus A350-1000 commitment with an order for nine more of the twinjet type, with purchase rights on another five. The carrier - which is already expanding its long-haul fleet with up to 20 Boeing 787-10s - is to take delivery of the A350s in the early 2030s.

Early lunar new year means shippers need to plan ahead, says Seko

Seko logistics is urging shippers sourcing from China to bring forward purchase orders and confirm ocean bookings at least four weeks ahead of shipment, as an earlier lunar new year in 2027 threatens to compress the window for moving cargo before factory closures. Falling 11 days earlier than in 2026, next year's holiday starts on 6 February, and Seko MD for the UK and Ireland Paul Lockwood told The Loadstar: "We are already seeing customers adjust critical path planning to bring their ex-factory dates forward to allow for the earlier lunar new year. "One customer has advised they raised their purchase order with their suppliers three weeks before the typical purchase order date to account for this, and to ensure they are not 'back of the queue' in the production cycle." The move reflects growing concern that orders placed too late could miss pre-holiday shipping windows and face delays as exporters compete for capacity, shippers already battling disruption across Asian container networks. Analysis from Sea-Intelligence found vessel delays, caused by typhoons and port disruption, had absorbed around 3m teu of global container capacity, equivalent to 8.5% of the total, compared with a 2011-19 average of 2.2%. "At the same time, ocean carriers typically introduce additional blanked sailings around the lunar new year period, while exporters concentrate shipments into the weeks immediately before the holiday," a spokesperson for Seko's China office told The Loadstar. "This makes the pre-holiday period one of the busiest times of the year for China's exports. We therefore recommend placing bookings at least four weeks in advance and building sufficient time into factory completion, origin collection and port delivery plans." The spokesperson noted that relatively few factories had formally announced their 2027 holiday schedules, but existing plans indicated that production shutdowns would vary by region, with those Seko works with in northern China planning a 25 January-15 February shutdown. However, local practices in some regions often see manufacturers beginning the holiday period up to a week ahead of the spring festival and not fully resuming operations until after the Lantern Festival on 20 February. In southern China, the downtime is expected to be even longer, with some operators set to shut down three weeks ahead of the festivities and not be back up to full production for a fortnight after the holiday. Seko Logistics' client solutions group director for the UK & Ireland, Dan Eckett, said: "Ocean freight is heavily impacted in the weeks leading up to the new year, as exporters accelerate shipments ahead of factory closures. "This creates pressure on vessel space, equipment availability and carrier schedules, so we typically recommend building an additional one to two weeks into transit plans and ensuring supplier bookings are confirmed well before that three-week threshold, not after it." For UK importers, this means production completion dates and port cutoffs must be worked backwards from the intended sailing, with contingency built in for delays at origin, if they are to avoid the viable albeit economically questionable airfreight and sea-air services.

No rail freight from London Gateway and Tilbury after storms

Shippers are scrambling to make alternative arrangement for inland container movements in the UK after a train derailment forced the suspension of rail services to key terminals in the south-east, including DP World London Gateway. More than 1km of track was torn up by storms that battered the region on Friday, with Forth Ports notifying customers that no rail services would be servicing Tilbury or Tilbury 2 this week. A spokesperson for DP World told The Loadstar: "We are currently operating a reduced rail freight service from our London Gateway terminal. We are working closely with customers and with Network Rail to minimise disruption while repairs to the network are carried out." Hapag-Lloyd has warned customers that inland cargo movements were likely to be impacted, advising them to arrange road transport for any containers booked under merchant haulage arrangements. For customers using carrier haulage, the German liner noted that its inland team would discuss alternative transport arrangements, but warned it would be unable to accept additional haulage requests during the disruption. Whether there is sufficient trucking capacity to absorb the displaced rail volumes remains unclear, but as with much of the world, the UK's haulage industry has been contending with a decades-long crisis in attracting new talent. A spokesperson for the Road Haulage Association told The Loadstar it was "monitoring the situation and will support members however we can", but was unable to give any detail on the expected level of demand provoked by two key gateways out of service for at least a week. Hapag-Lloyd added it was monitoring the situation and would provide further updates as information became available, but the timetable for restoring normal rail freight operations, the number of containers affected, and the scale of any backlog all had yet to be established.