NDIA-US INDAMEX 2 SERVICE DROPS NORFOLK CALL AS DEMAND PRESSURE PERSISTS
In a routing reshuffle, the Indamex 2 service (IN2) — touted as the fastest connection between West India and the US East Coast — will be discontinuing direct calls to Norfolk beginning in early November amid a cooling demand environment. Hapag Lloyd and CMA CGM jointly opened the IN2 in September 2021 as a complementary loop to their most sought-after Indamex service to capitalize on pandemic-linked demand swings, after testing the waters for a while with intermittent extra-loaders on the then-booming trade lane.
MONTREAL PORT GETS FEDERAL FUNDS FOR MEGA-TERMINAL AFTER OPERATORS BALK AT RISK
The Port of Montreal has secured a C$150 million investment from Canada’s federal infrastructure fund to help it undertake land development of a new container mega-terminal, as the port relaunches a bid to attract a new operator that would now face less risk in building the entire facility from scratch. The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) said in a statement the funding from the National Trade Corridors Fund will allow the port to “implement a new delivery model” for the Contrecoeur terminal project.
EX-TIGER COOL EXECUTIVES TAKE SECOND STAB AT WASHINGTON STATE REEFER RAMP
The executive team in charge of the former intermodal marketing company Tiger Cool Express is making a second run at refrigerated container handling to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma after signing a deal to take over a Union Pacific warehouse and rail ramp in Washington state. Tri-Cities Intermodal said in a statement it entered into a lease-purchase agreement with UP for the Class I railroad’s Cold Connect warehouse business and nearby rail ramp in Wallula, Wash.
RAIL DWELLS RISING ALONG WEST COAST AMID SHORTAGE OF AVAILABLE RAIL CARS
A shortage of rail cars is causing rail container dwells to rise at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and in the Pacific Northwest, with operators unable to move inbound rail boxes off their marine terminals in a timely manner. While rail dwells have been slowly increasing since June, the problem worsened in September, sources say. And a modest increase in pre-Golden Week import volumes last month contributed to the extended dwells.
