The Friday Five: MSC’s Network Takes a Hit

MSC suffers suspected cyberattack - LLoyd’s List

Mediterranean Shipping Co., the world’s second largest container line, said Friday it has been hit by a network outage. The company said it hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack or malware.

“We confirm that MSC is currently experiencing a network outage on one of the data centers in Geneva which affects the availability of some of our digital tools,” the Switzerland-based company said in a statement.

Outage prevents brokers from using MSC’s online platforms to make cargo bookings. The company’s website had been dark for over 12 hours before the statement.

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Kuehne + Nagel launches eShipAsia - ITJ 

Kuehne + Nagel has launched eShip Asia – an online logistics platform enabling Intra-Asia shippers to optimize every shipment based on the route, transit time and cost instantly. On eShip Asia, shippers are connected to 20 countries, and can instantly compare sailing schedules and rates between 2,220 port pairs, 7,500 service loops and 54 underlying carriers.

A wide range of filters enables users to fine-tune their search results. The instant quotations provide full transparency on all applicable surcharges. These quotations can either be saved or booked immediately. eShipAsia’s smart templates also help to eliminate data replication, creating a fast and efficient booking process. The automatic rate renewals help users save time on procurement.

The technology-led platform is available in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea and Greater China and available in local languages.

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Amazon to Suspend 3rd-Party Delivery Service - WSJ

Amazon will pause its logistics service "Amazon Shipping".Amazon.com Inc. will halt a delivery service for non-Amazon packages, according to people familiar with the matter, as it re-evaluates the nascent offering that competes directly with FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc.

Amazon Shipping was available to shippers in a handful of cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The last pickup for current customers will be June 5 and the service will pause for an unspecified period. ​

The pause is only for Amazon's third-party logistics service and does not affect the logistics of Amazon's own deliveries. 

 
CMA CGM offers container storage to shippers - Supply Chain Dive 

CMA CGM has released a set of tools and services, called "Delay in Transit," to help shippers prioritize and store shipments during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a press release from the carrier.

The carrier will provide storage for shippers' containers until they're ready to be received at the location listed on the bill of lading.

As Carriers have canceled hundreds of port calls as a result of a drop in demand for shipping, which stems from factory shutdowns in China and then a downturn in consumer demand in Europe and North America. Canceled calls disrupt the flow of containers around the world because ships don't pick up empties to return to foreign ports. As containers pile up at ports, the entire process for moving them slows down and someone has to pick up the bill for storage. 

Food Supply Chain Slows Around the World on Trucking Bottlenecks - Bloomberg 

Just about everywhere, drivers’ access to critical services has been reduced or even cut off. It’s getting harder to find places to eat with restaurants shut down and rigs too big to go through drive-thru lanes. A decent place to sleep, shower, even use a clean toilet is becoming difficult to track down.

Faced with these difficulties, some truckers in places like Brazil, one of the world’s biggest food exporters, have even refused to take on new trips in recent weeks. 

Trucks crossing the border from Germany to Poland were seeing wait times of 10 hours or more, meaning meat would come to market with time knocked off the “best before” dates, though some delays have eased. In India, vegetable oils are getting stuck at ports because of a shortage of trucks coming in. 

And, in the U.S., traffic is light with most people staying at home. So to end on a bright note, with fewer passenger cars, trucks are actually making faster transit times, which is helping mitigate the delays for loading and unloading.

From our team to yours, stay safe out there and be sure to #ThankATrucker!

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out last week’s news and stay tuned for our next Friday Five roundup!