Year: 2020

The economic implications of COVID 19 emerged as early as January when the toll of cases in China experienced a rise.  No one can ever predict how long it could last and what the consequences might be. It's worse than the 2008 global financial crisis or the one headed by SARS. Tourism, commerce, and many other industries are failing due to flight prohibitions.   Airline crisis   Airlines in the global economy are facing difficulties due to the spread of COVID-19. Coronavirus caused a recession in the global manufacturing industry. It is the worst crisis of this century. Around 185,000 passenger operations have been cancelled since January. Countries enforced lockdowns and urged their citizens to obey social distances. People are afraid to get the virus through transport and airports. Online shopping has sky-rocketed, as more and more people are inclined to carry out online shopping, as compared to going to the store in person. Airfreight has made sure customers get what they purchased especially the products required to combat the pandemic. Airfreight has played a vital role in the distribution of food and other goods including drugs and medical equipment.   Lockdown disrupting the supply chain   The lockdowns, on the one hand, help avoid the further transmission of the infection. The lockdown is essential to stop the widespread use of COVID-19. This oxymoronic function of partial and full constraints has put an end to the supply of various medicines. For e.g., malaria-based drugs are being sent from India, which is expected to reduce the symptoms of COVID-19. Due to locking and travel limits, freight activities in India are also struggling. The supply of this drug is also subject to obstructions.   Air cargo saves lives   Many relief procedures are in process in the affected regions. Air cargo service is necessary to win the battle against coronavirus. IATA's CEO believes that the seamless flow of freight will save lives.   Chartered flights operations   Many airlines run charter flights to hold the required medical supplies. These include gloves, testing kits and PPEs. These delivered a large volume of medical supplies to Zagreb and Italy to assist the medical industry there.   Moving supply chain   As many industries around the world have come to a pause, some still kept operating. Many air freight carriers, transportation managers, freight forwarders, truck drivers, factory staff have all kept working. This helped to maintain the supply chain and the global economy going.   The manufacturers of the supply chain are also at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19. As they make sure that time-sensitive products, including food and medication, are distributed.   To support the logistical activities, Airlink has brought food and medical supplies to help tackle the epidemic.  For instance, the millions of face masks that were donated to France and Spain were also shipped from China to Europe by Airbus.   Exempting cargo flights from travel restrictions   The significance of air cargo in Dubai cannot be neglected. Many other countries excluded freight flights from trade sanctions. For example, Pakistan has opened its borders to Afghanistan. To allow the essential food and medical supplies to enter the region, whereas other countries completely stopped their aviation and related activities.   IATA suggestions   As Asia is the heart of the automotive sector, trade sanctions must be eased. Quick tracking procedures, fast distribution of landing permits, and safety kits for freight operators must be assured.   IATA is trying to provide as much relief as possible to freight activities in the critical time of the pandemic.   IATA is collaborating with governments to ensure the flow of products. So that people's urgent needs can be met.   

To transport people’s valuable products from one country to another is a big responsibility. Cargo companies have to take into consideration a plethora of factors that ensure the products reach their destination damage-free and exactly as they were sent. The most vital contributing factors in assuring safe and sound transit of goods are the packaging of the goods, the mode of transport, and the type of container responsible for transportation. Experts and professionals, in the early 1960s, made international standards concerning size, shape, strength, and lifting fixtures of containers that are only to be used in exports such as door to door cargo in India, Pakistan, Dubai, and all the other well-known hubs of export business. Generally, shipping containers are made of steel. Aluminium and wood are also used for the construction of containers, however, the floors are mostly made up of wood. The following are the most known types of containers used in the cargo industry. The dry containers Dry containers are used 90% of the time in sea cargos to India, Dubai, Pakistan, and other such countries with massive ports. These containers are available in the market in all three lengths with the height as tall as 40ft - 45 ft lengths. Dry containers look like high cube containers. The refrigerated containers Refrigerated containers are also known as reef containers. These containers make up 5% of the transit means used for cargo shipments. Reefer containers are used to transport products that need to be stored in cold temperatures to mitigate the chances of spoilage. Products like meat, vegetables, processed food, and seafood are carried in refrigerated containers for export purposes.   The hardtop containers Hardtop containers have a standard length of 20ft and 40 ft. These containers are used in transporting cargo shipments containing heavy and tall equipment, such as the different types of machinery. The roof of hardtop containers is made of steel and is removable. Moreover, the door of the container can also be swivelled out. That is why hard top containers are ideal if the products to be transported demand more space in terms of length. The open-top containers Open top containers employment rate for use as cargo shipments is 5%. They come in two lengths that are 20ft and 40 ft. Cargo companies use open-top containers to transport tall and heavy products. The top of the container is made up of bows and tarpaulin. The bows contribute to making the packing and unpacking of the cargo content convenient, fast, and easy. However, the tarpaulin helps protect the shipped products from bad weather that is always a possibility during sea freights. The flat rack containers Flat rack containers are also available in lengths 20ft and 40 ft. To transport bulky, heavy, and wide cargo, flat rack containers are ideal. These containers come without a roof and walls. Thus, it is very easy to load and unload the shipments from the sides and the top without mishandling and damaging the goods. The tank containers Tank containers, also known as TK, are about 20 ft long. Most of such containers are owned by the shipper itself. The surrounding of the tank has a distinct framework with the dimensions of a container. The speciality of tank containers is that they can harbour a certain limit of cargo. These tanks can be filled to a capacity of 80-90% only. This minimizes the effects of excessive stacking and ensures the safety of the goods. Food items like oils, juices, and hazardous chemicals can be transported through tank containers. Before sealing any deal off with a cargo company, make sure you know what kind of containers will be transporting your goods to their destination.

Among many things, when you talk about cargo shipping, the prime factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the mode of transport. In the past, the export and import of goods were mainly done through the sea. With the growth of technical awareness and the advancements in the field of science, trains, vehicles, and airplanes came into the light. These modifications in the mode of transportation changed the dynamics of many industries, including cargo services as well. In the modern world, you will come across many options regarding means of transportation, when you are shipping your products through cargo. Apart from the cost, the type of goods, the urgency of transit, and the size and shape of the products are evaluating factors that help in determining the mode of transportation. Below is a list of major cargo transportation means that are used globally Ocean     Ocean freight is one of the conventional ways of sending goods to international destinations. Sometimes, the size, shape, and volume of the cargoes render them unfit to be moved by other means of transport other than the sea. Cargo services that send off goods via the ocean are inexpensive. The only drawback of ocean freight is that the transit time is longer than the others. Ocean freight is mostly employed for commodities that need to be transported in bulk. Agri-products like wheat, maize, soya, etc, are extensively transported through cargo ships worldwide. Other bulk commodities like iron ores, coals, and wet bulk products like petroleum and oil are also the major goods that transit through ocean freight. Additionally, items that are large and oddly-shaped like industrial equipment and vehicles may also move via the ocean. Air   Airfreight is a critical mode of cargo shipping. This mode of transport serves industries and markets that demand speed. High-end brands, like Apple, Samsung, and other elite cosmetic brands use this mode of movement to take advantage of quicker transit time and early penetration of their products in the market when there is a need. Other industries, such as the retail and automotive industry, also utilize air freight to enjoy just-in-time ( JIT ) inventory replenishment. JIT allows production lines and brands to make order fulfillment based on customer need and urgency. Stores using air freight report greater flexibility and minimize costs concerning storage and inventory. People who want to take advantage of the door to door cargo service must choose to send their goods via air, as it is fast, convenient, and also ensures less product damage due to mishandling. The two major catches to air freight are that it is one of the most expensive modes of transport and that it comes with size and weight limitations. Road   One of the most common modes of transport for local, as well as international cargo shipping, is by road. In middle eastern countries like Dubai, door to door cargo services is majorly done by road. Moreover, in continents like Africa, North America, and Europe, cargo shipping through road vehicles is the priority of customers. The key benefit of road freight is that only a single customs document process will allow seamless transportation of the goods across states, as well as inter borders of countries. In addition to that, cargo shipping by road ensures timely and scheduled delivery of the goods. Road cargo services are cheaper than other modes of transportation, and more than that, they are exceptionally flexible. Moreover, tracking of the goods is convenient through road freight. Other modes of transport include the use of trains and rails. However, the aforementioned modes of transportation are ideal in this contemporary era.