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Cargo boycott threat by Indian brokers over empty-box fee hikes

A new storm of stakeholder disputes, and potential operational disruption, is brewing across Indian ports over policy changes by container lines on empty-container handling and associated depot charges. The loading and unloading of empty boxes at yards is the flashpoint for discontent and disagreement between supply chain intermediaries and carriers. Maersk, for example, has substantially raised its lift-on/lift-off (lo-lo) charges for empties moving via Mundra, India's busiest container port and the primary gateway for the hinterlands around Delhi. The revision, implemented from 1 November, effectively more than doubled the rates shippers had been charged, from $23 to $51 per 20ft empty box, and from $31 to $67 per 40ft, plus local taxes. "Customers are requested to take notice of this change and make the necessary arrangements to ensure smooth container pick-up and drop-off operations," Maersk told customers. Additionally, the carrier advised them to settle the charges directly with nominated depot service providers, an issue that had already become contentious at Chennai port. Now the controversy is becoming industry-wide, as sources expect other carriers to issue similar trade notices for their 'empty' operations at Mundra. Ondeed, one liner source told The Loadstar: "We are discussing the matter." At Chennai, MSC seems to be facing the brunt of a trade pushback against the practice of routing empty tariff collections through third-party depot vendors, which cargo agents claim opens the market to an unregulated environment. "MSC has taken the lead in implementing this collection practice in Chennai, following which other shipping lines have initiated similar measures," the Chennai Customs Brokers Association (CCBA) noted. The CCBA claimed the policy shift was fraught with "serious economic and operational implications for cargo agents", as it had seen third-party vendors keep inflating tariffs once taken over. "Allowing third-party vendors to collect additional charges without adequate transparency or accountability would create an open-ended financial burden on the export/import trade, particularly customs brokers," it said. The association also claimed its member agents - an integral part of India's supply chains - were being increasingly 'caught in the middle', with exporters and importers refusing to reimburse the add-ons that had found their way onto final customer bills. Indeed, the CCBA has threatened to boycott MSC shipments if the new practice is not reversed by 15 November, and told The Loadstar: "Our association will follow the same stance in the case of other shipping lines seeking similar depot arrangements." According to sources, some carriers serving JNPA (Nhava Sheva) have also switched to the practice of permitting nominated yards to collect lo-lo charges directly from shippers, despite strong resistance from the cargo-handling community. "Any logistics cost increase ultimately goes straight down to the shipper, making it difficult to explain, or sort out," one forwarder said. "Intermediaries add price mark-ups, an area Indian logistics policymakers have been trying to streamline through reforms," added one industry observer.

Natilus cargo aircraft wings build project gets underway

US aerospace manufacturer Natilus has commissioned Composites Universal Group to build wings for the full-scale prototype of its 3.8-ton Kona optionally autonomous feeder cargo aircraft. Composites Universal Group has established a streamlined tooling process to reduce costs and expedite the build timeline, with delivery anticipated in spring 2027, said Natilus. KONA's wing relies on a conventional layout with spars and ribs. Rather than aluminium wings, Composites Universal Group will use carbon fibre, which offers several benefits such as reduced corrosion rates and fatigue resistance over time. Additionally, it requires fewer parts and fasteners to join the wing, minimising the need for individual riveted panels and thousands of drilled holes. The construction of the wings will be based on the production of traditional tube-and-wing builds of the Beechcraft King Air series of aircraft at Textron Aviation alongside other certified aircraft within the cargo market. The wing will incorporate FAA-standard aerospace materials and will use a cable and pulley system for flight controls. The wings will be 'dry' meaning they won't contain fuel tanks that would introduce additional complexity. "Natilus is pushing the envelope by designing an aircraft that offers impressive reductions in fuel consumption and operational costs, but our disciplined approach and vast expertise in building next-gen aircraft - from eVTOLs to unmanned systems - makes us a strong partner for this endeavour," said Steve Ruege, co-founder, president and chief executive of Composites Universal Group. Once on site at Natilus's San Diego hangar, the wings will undergo coupon and bond joint testing and then limit load testing to validate the physics and ensure durability ahead of the full-scale demonstration flight. "KONA's blended wing may look different than any plane on the market today, but we are utilizing off-the-shelf technology for the wing build," said Aleksey Matyushev, chief executive of Natilus. "At Natilus, we are committed to building an aircraft that delivers on the quality standards that our freighter customers and the U.S. Air Force expect and require." As well as securing a wings manufacturer, Natilus has accrued substantial funding this year. Last month, Natilus secured $3.5m in research and development funding to accelerate the development of KONA toward full-scale flight testing. In February, Natilus also announced it had secured $28m in funding. Initial flight testing for the Kona subscale prototype began in 2023. In July last year, Natilus was awarded a US patent for its diamond-shaped cargo bay design to be incorporated in the Kona. In addition to the Kona UAV, Natilus is also developing Horizon, a 200-seat passenger plane that rivals Boeing's 737. Previously, Natilus had also planned to develop Alisio - a 60-ton payload medium/long range cargo aircraft, and Nordes - a 100-ton payload long-range cargo aircraft. Natilus now has more than 570 aircraft pre-orders valued at $24bn.

LATAM Cargo to expand flower handling capacity in Bogota

LATAM Cargo is adding a new cargo facility in Bogota as it targets growth in its flower volumes. The new 46,414 sq ft facility at El Dorado International Airport will triple the carrier's footprint in Bogota and "provide greater agility and fluidity" for domestic and international shipments. The site provides direct connectivity between trucks and aircraft. The facility will also expand LATAM's cold storage capacity by approximately 20% to support the growth of the flower export market, where the carrier already holds a 35% market share. "This investment is essential to leverage the airline's future growth plans in the Colombian market and represents a renewed vote of confidence by LATAM Group in the country, maintaining a long-term perspective that goes well beyond an economic cycle or a single season," said Santiago Álvarez, chief commercial officer of LATAM Cargo Group. The airline also plans to expand its domestic cargo facilities in Bogotá and establish a new space dedicated to handling the growing inflow of import cargo. Air Cargo News has requested information on when the facility will open. Elsewhere in Colombia, the carrier said that it is upgrading X-ray screening equipment and implementing new counter technologies to expedite cargo acceptance and drop-off in San Andrés, Leticia, and Pereira. Earlier this week, LATAM Cargo announced that it would benefit from up to 91 tonnes of belly capacity on LATAM Airlines Brasil's new direct passenger service between São Paulo and Geneva, launching in March next year. Operating three times a week on Boeing 787-9 aircraft, LATAM Airlines Brasil's service will offer 55 tonnes of weekly capacity on the outbound route from São Paulo to Geneva, enabling cargo originating in Chile, Peru, and Colombia to reach Switzerland through passenger flight connections via the Guarulhos hub, said LATAM Cargo.