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Ocean disruption offers no easy windfall for airfreight, warns DSV

Disruption to ocean shipping is not triggering a large-scale switch to airfreight - the cost of emergency lift is keeping most shippers at sea, according to DSV. Speaking at TIACA's Air Cargo Forum in Miami last week, head of global airfreight Achim Martinka said such decisions depended on whether the business impact of a delay justified paying the airfreight premium. "Most of the customers still stay on the seafreight side because they are not used to having shipments on time anyway," he said. "If you have two or three weeks' delay, this is a normal thing. And if you would switch to airfreight, it could be up to 20 times more expensive. So this is really a very tough financial decision to take." Conversion volumes remained limited, he said and added: "The conversion to air is still not in huge numbers. It's still on a lower level, from what we see." But shippers that wait too long before seeking an alternative risk are finding any available airfreight capacity has become prohibitively expensive. "Usually, our contracts are already signed for six or 12 months with the airlines. So everything which comes on a spontaneous, ad hoc basis will be even more expensive than the base load already on the aircraft," Mr Martinka explained. Where the duration of a disruption was uncertain, he said, shippers needed to begin arranging an airfreight solution. "Otherwise, you're going to be the last one, and then capacity is not affordable anymore." The competition to secure lift is also evident at Atlas Air, where Martin Drew, chief strategy and transformation officer, told The Loadstar forwarders and shippers increasingly wanted the certainty of dedicated capacity. "The contract durations we have are very lengthy, because forwarders, in particular, and shippers want that capacity locked-in," he said. "It helps from a planning perspective, knowing they've got that capacity, especially in an environment where supply is constrained." Atlas itself has demand for dedicated aircraft it cannot currently accommodate. Mr Drew said: "We've got a pipeline today of business that is tens of aircraft, and we can't service that demand." However, finding space is only one obstacle to switching modes. Mr Martinka warned that ocean shipments required new documentation and operational preparation, including checks on dangerous goods, aircraft dimensions, and how cargo would need to be rebuilt for flight. The practical difficulties were illustrated by Emir Pineda, director of air service development at Miami-Dade Aviation Department, who described an attempt to establish a sea-air movement of Honduran okra to the UK via Miami and Amsterdam. "We were able to get a permit from USDA to transport perishable product from Central America via ship to Miami, then take it from Miami, without opening it, to the airport and then put it on an airplane and fly it to Europe. Sounds pretty simplistic, but it was actually quite complicated. "It got to Miami: two containers - that's a lot of cargo for one airplane. "We had to find the capacity on a freighter, because it had to go all in one shipment [and the] capacity had to be available on the day the ship was arriving, because you only had two days to move it. Those were the conditions USDA set. "We also had to maintain the cool chain throughout the logistics supply chain, because it had to keep a certain temperature. "Once it got to Amsterdam, refrigerated trucks trucked it over to the UK. In the end, it worked. One time. "Why only one time? Because of the complexity behind that. You had to get a shipper to agree to get it on the ship to Miami, and then you had to find the capacity on a consistent basis to move 60 tonnes for several weeks. "What do you tell that customer when the season's over? 'Could you bring back the freight?'," asked Mr Pineda."That doesn't work for forwarders; they want consistency. They want capacity availability when they need it." Mr Martinka said most shippers had developed some form of emergency plan since Covid, but he was not seeing a regular shift of ocean volumes into airfreight simply to maintain a contingency route. "It is certainly a part of a resilience plan, which perhaps needs to be tested from time to time," he said. Forwarders and airlines had, nevertheless, become faster at adapting their networks to disruption, he added. DSV's ACMI capacity allowed it to change destinations when customers needed alternatives. "We have our own network, so we can decide every day with our ACMI flights where to fly. We can switch immediately if that's needed for the customer. "The good thing in air cargo is that airfreight is like water: it's going to find its way."

Boluda to acquire Samskip: 'a combination to lead European shortsea shipping'

Boluda Shipping is to acquire Samskip, yet another sign of consolidation in the shortsea shipping scene, the deal intended to create a network spanning Northern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, Canary Islands and West Africa. Subject to regulatory approval, the deal is expected to complete on New Year's Day, with the combined company's 32 vessels offering more than 750,000 teu on 18 routes across 28 countries and 21 maritime terminals, as well as five rail terminals and more than 500 trucks. Ignacio Boluda Ceballos, chair of Boluda, said: "We have a clear vision: to lead European shortsea shipping and make our network a competitive advantage for the businesses that place their trust in us. "Bringing Samskip's network and expertise together with Boluda's maritime and logistics capabilities gives us the scale and opportunities to take that ambition further." Mr Ceballos added that the deal focused on expanding connectivity between Europe and West Africa. The companies believe their combined networks will provide greater connectivity and more comprehensive end-to-end logistics services, a multimodal approach, seen as offering a way for customers to reduce CO2 emissions. Samskip CEO Ólafur Orri Ólafsson said: "Samskip and Boluda are two family-owned companies with a long track-record in transport, shared values, and a long-term vision. That common ground gives us confidence in the opportunity ahead. "By bringing our complementary strengths together, we can expand what we offer our customers while building on the expertise, commitment and service they rely on every day," added Mr Orri Ólafsson, who will continue as CEO. Already running joint services in Spain, the two operators have identified opportunities to combine the network, but with Samskip based in Rotterdam and Boluda having added presence there, the Dutch gateway is set to become a strategic hub. Until the transaction closes, both companies will continue to operate independently. Boluda said it intended to invest in the combined network to increase capacity, expand connections, and support further growth. For Samskip, it is its second sale of the year, having begun 2026 by divesting its UK and Ireland activities to Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Navigation (CLdN), purportedly on the basis that it intended to focus on European and Nordic operations.

Icelease signs up for Boeing 767 freighter conversions

Icelease has struck a deal with Boeing to convert one Boeing 767-300 aircraft and has options for two more as the company expands its freighter portfolio. The first aircraft is due for induction in the first quarter of 2027, while delivery is expected during the second quarter. The aircraft will be converted at ST Engineering's airframe MRO facilities in Singapore. "This agreement with Boeing to convert up to three Boeing 767 aircraft marks an important milestone for both Icelease and its Dublin-based sister company IAT Leasing," said Sigthor Einarsson, managing partner, Icelease. "The history between Icelease and Boeing dates over 20 years and includes a multitude of new aircraft deliveries as well as cargo conversions. "The Boeing 767-300BCF will join the growing managed cargo aircraft portfolio of IAT Leasing, which already includes seven Boeing 737-800BCF and other freighters leased to various customers." Lindsey Douglas, Boeing vice president, cabin, modifications, maintenance and digital services, added: "Icelease is an important partner for our Boeing Converted Freighter programmes, and this agreement underlines our continued collaboration to meet global cargo demand. "The 767-300BCF is a proven performer in the cargo industry, and we are confident it will continue to deliver value for many years to come." The 767-300BCF medium widebody converted freighter has a range of 3,300 nmi and a 57-tonne payload.