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CMA CGM Air Cargo adds allotment booking on CargoAi

CMA CGM Air Cargo has continued the rollout of its capacity on the CargoAi booking platform with the introduction of allotment booking functionality. The move means that CMA CGM Air Cargo's freight forwarder customers will be able to manage recurring capacity agreements including allotments, block space agreements (BSAs), pre-bookings and other regular capacity agreements. The allotment booking capability is available through CargoAi's CargoMart booking service. CMA CGM Air Cargo and forwarders will also have access to allotment reporting that gives unprecedented visibility on allocation utilisation and price competitiveness. CargoAi founder and chief executive Matt Petot said: "Allotment and recurring booking automation are some of the clearest examples of how digitisation removes friction from air cargo without changing the commercial agreements airlines and forwarders already have in place. "With CMA CGM Air Cargo now live, we are giving their forwarder partners a faster and more transparent way to manage guaranteed capacity, while reducing repetitive operational workload for both sides month after month, but more importantly, full reporting capabilities so they can transparently manage their allocation with airlines." CMA CGM first placed its capacity on CargoAi back in early 2025 as it added booking capability across three online platforms. It has also been a year of development for CargoAi. In June, the platform allowed its use through AI platforms, including ChatCGP, Copilot and Claude as the company responds to changing customer behaviour. CargoAi said that it had integrated its offering into AI platforms as it had in recent months observed a rapid shift in how forwarders and airline customers approach their day-to-day operations, with the centre of gravity increasingly moving from core transport management system and cargo management system environments toward AI interfaces.

Bad weather creates headwinds for trade between the Americas

The easing of restrictions on Panama Canal transits has brought some relief to exporters in South America, but other headwinds remain, which could accelerate the widening gap between imports and exports. This month, Seaboard Marine is expanding its West Coast South America service to the US East Coast with a call at Gloucester City. The first arrival at the New Jersey port is scheduled for 25 October. According to the carrier, this offers shippers in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador enhanced connectivity to the US north-east. Moreover, it appears that shippers in those origin countries won't have to worry about transiting the Panama Canal. Late last month, the canal authority (ACP) announced it would lift the restrictions on vessels moving through the neopanamax locks, bringing the number of daily transits back to 10, after a reduction of one at the beginning of September. It also increased the maximum draught by a foot to 49ft. The cap on daily transits at older locks remains at 23 (down from 25 since mid-September), but the lifting of the neopanamax passage was prompted by improved water level and abated concerns over the impact of this year's El Niño. Carriers and shippers had braced themselves for further cuts in transits in expectation of a predicted "Super El Niño". However, elsewhere in the region, weather patterns remain a headache. Warmer temperatures earlier and anticipated rain have caused Proarandanos, the Peruvian blueberry growers association, to scale back its export forecast by 4.2%, despite a 15% increase in the cultivated area this year. The new estimate falls 4.4% short of last year's total. Producers of grapes in northern Peru are expecting reduced production, as well as smaller fruit. The warmer conditions also affected mandarins, which reached the required internal maturity, but delayed the development of the orange skin colour favoured by some markets, particularly the US. As a result, fruit had to be sold to alternative markets in Latin America: in one week 270 containers of mandarins were shipped to Mexico, following 71 containers a year earlier., Chilean producers are more concerned about Washington's 12.5% tariff on their produce. One shipper stressed it was not "a marginal adjustment, but a concrete threat to the competitiveness of our national fruit industry". At margins typically between 6% and 8%, such tariffs "could wipe out a season's profits", he added. In Argentina, growers of oranges and mandarins are reeling from a triple-whammy of rising costs, falling domestic consumption and loss of competitiveness in international markets. According to the Entre Rios Citrus Federation, domestic consumption is down 10% from last year, exports have shrunk 34% and prices are up 17% - below the rate of inflation. According to the Chamber of Citrus Exporters of North-east Argentina, exports from the region used to exceed 100,000 tonnes a year, but have fallen well below this. These developments suggest South America's trade imbalance with the US will expand further. Data from the US Census Bureau show a discrepancy of $41.84bn over the first eight months of the year, with each month the difference exceeding the gap of 12 months earlier. This matches the picture of South America's overall trade. According to Maritime Analytica, maritime imports grew 8% in the first half, outpacing export growth of 3.5%. The gap widened 20%, to 1.7m teu. Likewise, CTS data show South America's maritime exports to North America shrank 1.1% year on year in July, whereas volume in the opposite direction expanded 7.2%. Moreover, southbound volumes have grown every month this year, whereas northbound traffic contracted every month except June. On a positive note, the Global Liner Performance Report for September, by Sea-Intelligence, shows schedule reliability between South and North America improved in both directions in the July/August period. Southbound it rose 1.2%, to 81.2%, year on year, while northbound it recovered from a drop the previous month, climbing 5.2 percentage points from June/July, to 80.6%, up 0.8%, year on year. The average delay for late vessels extended slightly, (up 0.09 percentage points from June/July) to 5.32 days, 1.55 days longer than a year ago. However, the average delay for all vessels shrank 0.20 days from June/July, to 1.10 days.

'More liberal' India ends licence requirement for box ship reflagging

As its emerging economy pursues maritime-driven growth, India appears willing to simplify the regulatory system for foreign-flag containerships operating out of the country. Reflecting a more liberalised approach, the Indian authorities have scrapped a licensing requirement for vessels chartered by foreign lines through local entities registered in the new business district in Gujarat State better known as "GIFT City". Business units operating on the financial centre have multiple regulatory advantages - more particularly, significant tax exemptions - and several mainline and shortsea container lines reportedly already have presence at GIFT City, including CMA CGM, Maersk, and Unifeeder. And, acting on that strength, several container line heavyweights have implemented vessel reflagging in India - six changes by CMA CGM and twoby Maersk. The French shipping giant remains particularly upbeat on India. While reflagging one vessel the Marseille-based carrier said: "With India playing an increasingly important role in the global trade, CMA CGM remains dedicated to supporting the country's maritime ecosystem and contributing to its economic development through strategic initiatives and enhanced service offerings. "India represents a strategic market for the CMA CGM group," it added. MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have promised to follow suit in local tonnage development, according to sources. The move to abolish a licensing requirement that involved considerable documentation for each call seeking to enter Indian waters is a significant policy relaxation, aimed at pushing the "ease-of-doing-business environment" for investors. And industry sources claimed it would allow "greater operational flexibility" for carriers. The exemption also builds on other policy reconfigurations. New Delhi recently agreed to continue with the cabotage law waiver for foreign vessels, after moving to revoke the 2018 policy reform earlier this year. The liberal regime permits foreign lines to move transhipment cargo and empty boxes between Indian ports without restrictions, a great enabler in the context of ever-increasing trade volatility. However, despite the cabotage rule modification, Indian coastal trades remain the domain of vessels registered locally.