Transpacific cargo showing supply chain congestion
Matthew Cox, chairman and CEO of Matson Navigation Co., said in an Oct. 11 release that “supply chain congestion continues in the transpacific trade lane,” due to a combination of inventory restocking, peak season and ongoing elevated consumption trends. “We expect these conditions to remain largely in place at least through mid-year 2022,” he said.
In logistics, operating income increased year-over-year compared to the period a year ago, also due to “elevated goods consumption, inventory restocking and favorable supply and demand fundamentals in our core markets,” he said.
Cox also said, “Within ocean transportation, our China service continued to see significant demand for its expedited ocean services, including the new CCX service, as volume for e-commerce, garments and other goods remained elevated heading into the peak season.”
Matson said it expects its 3rd quarter operating income for ocean transportation to be between $358 million to 363 million and its 3rd quarter operating income for logistics to be between $15 million and $16 million.
Airline announces recent and future aims
United Airlines recapped a number of recent and future aims in an Oct. 11 release from Chicago. The airline said it has
- Launched an ambitious plan to transform the United customer experience by adding and upgrading hundreds of aircraft as well as investing in features like larger overhead bins, seatback entertainment in every seat and the industry’s fastest available Wi-Fi.
- Announced a goal to create 25,000 unionized jobs by 2026 that includes careers as pilots, flight attendants, agents, technicians, and dispatchers.
- Announced that United will train at least 5,000 pilots by 2030 through the United Aviate Academy, with the plan of at least half being women and people of color.
- Required all U.S. employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
- Became the first airline to offer customers the ability to check their destination’s travel requirements, schedule COVID-19 tests and more on its mobile app and website.
- Invested in emerging technologies that are designed to decarbonize air travel, like an agreement to work with urban air mobility company Archer, an investment in aircraft startup Heart Aerospace and a purchase agreement with Boom Supersonic.
- Committed to going 100% green by 2050 by reducing 100% of our greenhouse gas emissions without relying on traditional carbon offsets, including a recent agreement to purchase one and a half times the amount of all of the rest of the world’s airlines’ publicly announced Sustainable Aviation Fuel commitments combined.
- Eliminated change fees for all economy and premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S.
US sub may have damaged sonar cone
If the collision of the nuclear-powered USS Connecticut mirrors a submarine accident in 2005, the vessel may have a damaged sonar dome.
According to the U.S. Navy, the USS Connecticut “struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.” There were no “life-threatening injuries,” a statement from the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor said, although 11 crew members were reportedly injured. Submarines typically have a crew of about 150.
The vessel is now in Guam, but no further details have been released. “The USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational. The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed,” the Navy said in its Oct. 7 release. The incident will be investigated, the Navy said.
On 8 Jan. 2005, the Los Angeles-class submarine USS San Francisco, while underway and submerged, collided with an undersea seamount about 350 miles south of Guam. One of her sailors, died from the injuries he suffered in the collision. The sonar cone in the nose was damaged in the collision, and the vessel was in Guam at the Guam Shipyard, until it could be made seaworthy, according to Journal files.
News from your governments:
The Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation launched Oct. 12 its System for Online Driver’s License and Guam ID Renewals and Replacements. Eligible Guam residents can schedule appointments and renew or replace their existing Guam Driver’s Licenses and Guam IDs online. DRT has issued a FAQ for the Guam Driver’s License and Guam Identification Online Services. DRT’s online services for Guam Driver’s Licenses and Guam IDs can be accessed at myid.guam.gov.
The Guam International Airport Authority has advised that effective Oct. 25, five well-wishers per departing passenger are allowed entry to the terminal. The TSA screening area on the second floor is for departing passengers only.
From the parking lot there is basement level entry to the terminal.
Greeting of arriving passengers is authorized at the exterior canopy of the terminal.
The Northern Mariana Islands Department of Corrections Outreach Program officially launched its program with the Northern Marianas Technical Institute on Oct. 6, with 14 eligible inmates. A classroom has been set up at the DOC Outreach Program facility where certified instructor, Mr. Luis Deleon Guerrero will instruct the inmates for the next 20 weeks at a classroom at DOC, according to an Oct. 12 release. The inmates are currently taking CORE: Intro. to Construction Basics – a prerequisite for all construction-related programs offered at NMTI. mbj
