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While I really hesitate to start another thread on COVID-19, but these latest reports may have suggested something we don't know (yet). It might be worthwhile for the relevant authorities to take a closer look and come up with suitable measures to prevent potential outbreak, IF there are further evidences supporting the claim. China's Shenzhen says chicken imported from Brazil tests positive for coronavirus BEIJING: A sample of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen from Brazil has tested positive for coronavirus, the city government said on Thursday (Aug 13), raising fears that contaminated food shipments could cause new outbreaks. Local disease control centres tested a surface sample taken from the chicken wings as part of routine screenings carried out on meat and seafood imports since June, when a new outbreak in Beijing was linked to the city's Xinfadi wholesale food centre. The discovery came a day after traces of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were found on the packaging of frozen shrimp from Ecuador. China has been stepping up screenings at ports amid the concerns over food imports. The Shenzhen Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters said the public needed to take precautions to reduce infection risks from imported meat and seafood. Li Fengqin, who heads a microbiology lab at the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment told reporters in June the possibility of contaminated frozen food causing new infections could not be ruled out. Viruses can survive up to two years at temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius, but scientists say there is no strong evidence so far the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can spread via frozen food. Coronavirus found on packaging of Ecuador shrimps in China: State media BEIJING: A city in China's eastern Anhui province found the novel coronavirus on the packaging of shrimps from Ecuador, state media reported on Wednesday (Aug 12), in the latest instance of the virus being detected on imported products. The coronavirus was found on the outer packaging of frozen shrimps bought by a restaurant in Wuhu city when local authorities carried out a routine inspection, CCTV, China's state television, said. The news broke a day after a port city in eastern Shandong province said it found the virus on the packaging of imported frozen seafood, although it did not say where it originated. Since July, several other Chinese cities have also reported cases, including the port cities of Xiamen and Dalian, prompting China to suspend imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers. China embarked on intensive screening of meat and seafood containers at major ports after a fresh outbreak of the disease was linked to a wholesale food market in Beijing in June. New Zealand considers freight as possible source of new COVID-19 cluster WELLINGTON: New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country plunged back into lockdown on Wednesday (Aug 12). The source of the outbreak has baffled health officials, who said they were confident there was no local transmission of the virus in New Zealand for 102 days and that the family had not travelled overseas. Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight. Bloomfield said surface testing was under way in an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked. "We are very confident we didn't have any community transmission for a very long period," Bloomfield said during a televised media conference. "We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time."

THE phrase “self-loading freight” has been a favourite put-down among aviation workers for decades. The term demotes passengers to the lowly status of cargo, sardonically crediting their ability to board and disembark without assistance. Readers with personal experience of lengthy security queues, unallocated-seating scrums and lengthy tarmac delays may themselves have felt like mere boxes with legs. Traditional air freight is more troublesome to shift around. It has also become more difficult to sell. And that is hitting carriers' profits just as passengers are returning and they are laying on more flights. Airlines went through a rough patch after the global financial crisis. According to IATA, an industry body, 2009 was the industry’s worst year since the second world war. A slew of bankruptcies, mergers and restructuring programmes subsequently knocked parts of it into shape. Optimism is now growing that the global economy has entered a cyclical upturn. Worldwide passenger traffic grew by 5.2% last year. IATA expects it to rise another 31% by 2017. International premium traffic—those passengers who turn left when they embark—was up 4.2% last year. Such high-yielding business travellers are by far the most valuable for airlines. Overall, worldwide airline profits are forecast to reach $18.7 billion this year; not exactly eye-watering for such a huge industry, but better at least than the recent past. But one subset of the airline industry had a distinctly lacklustre 2013. Ironically, it is the very market that has was once considered a bellwether of global economic fortunes. Air cargo grew by a meagre 1.4% in 2013, trailing significantly behind the 2.6% increase in freight capacity. That prompted IATA to call freight markets the “biggest worry” for the airline industry. Although freight traffic has picked up slightly in 2014, IATA warns of “trends which are not in the industry’s favour”. Foremost among these is that manufacturers are moving supply chains back to the developed world. As goods are produced closer to home there is less need for airlines to fly finished products and components around. One reason why off-shoring has fallen out of favour, IATA points out, is a rise in protectionism since the crisis. This is a “major part of the reason why we are not seeing trade growth of 5-6%, which we would expect to see at the current level of domestic production,” says Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general. This has been exacerbated by the rising cost of manufacturing abroad, as well as concerns over labour exploitation and a lack of protection for intellectual property rights. Other structural changes are also hitting the demand for air freight. Electronic goods are generally becoming smaller—or, worse, digitised. And storage facilities on ships are becoming more advanced, meaning fresh goods can now travel by sea. On the supply-side, the rapid growth of Gulf super-connectors Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways has increased capacity. These airlines have done an enviable job of funnelling inter-continental passengers through their hubs in the Middle East. But with every extra Boeing 777 they operate, space for another 25 tonnes of freight is added to the marketplace. Surplus capacity in the bellies of passenger aircraft drives down freight yields, which damages the overall health of the cargo industry. In response, many global carriers are moving out of the dedicated freighter market. Next month, British Airways will stop operating its 747-8F freighters, instead relying on hold capacity in passenger planes and a new partnership with Qatar Airways. Indeed further consolidation seems logical, much as with passenger planes. Air France and Cathay Pacific are re-assessing the size of their freighter fleets, while Japan Airlines ditched its long ago. Unless fuel prices come down markedly, many carriers will deem that deploying freighters in a buyer’s market is simply too risky. As risk aversion grows, a new breed of cargo operators is taking the reins. Coyne Airways describes itself as a non-asset-based airline. It is the 91st largest freight carrier in the world, yet it neither owns nor leases aircraft. Sometimes it will charter flights, but more often it simply buys space on another carrier’s freighter. Virtual airlines like Coyne Airways can market air freight transportation to global customers without setting foot near an airport. “You can buy a new freighter for $275m, use it for four or five years, and it might only be worth $60m at the end,” says Larry Coyne, the firm’s boss. Better to let other carriers deal with depreciating assets, uncertain demand and low yields. Perhaps better still to concentrate on the type of freight that loads itself.

My brother will be relocating from US back to SG soon , anyone can recommend a company for the shipping of his stuff back to SG? Checking in is out if the question , 16kg already 160 usd already . Thanks in advance!

Hi, does anyone have recent freight rates (air/sea) offhand. Most freight forwarders require me to write in for a quote but i am still quite undecided on the weight and volume hence the difficulty. I'm basically trying to send personal stuff (consumables etc) over to S.Korea (Seoul) but unfortunately i am unfamiliar with freighting. I got a few questions. 1.) What is the critical weight/volume beyond which it makes sense for me to freight instead of doing courier delivery (Speedpost is quoting for nearly 100 for only 2kg) 2.) Is air freight more preferable over sea freight? My items are not really time-sensitive but i have read that cargo handling for sea freight tends to be more messy. 3.) If i opt for door to door mode, the freight forwarder ought to have include the necessary customs processing, handling and all right? Well, i do understand that if i declare items to be personal item, commercial vlaue should be nil or close to nil. Thank you for your time.

Hi all, An expat friend is considering to ship over his car in UK to Singapore. Any recommendations for a reliable freight forwarding and shipping agent? Thanks.

Hi, if i wish to self import 18" rim from Germany via air freight, may i know how much will it cost? each rim is about 10kg. 4 rims. dont know the dimension of the packaging box. any bro/sis from freight industry can advice?

anyone tried buying stuffs/parts from overseas with budget freight? esp from america

hi guys i'm helping out a friend. she kenna arrow to find duno wat some freight forwarding company to help ship some stuff from US to parts of asia. duno wat happened but it was kind of a last min thing. She ask me i also stun, anyone have any companies to recommend? Thanks in advance! Cheers!

Hi, has any bro/sis used private services for personal effects to send overseas? appreciate if you can pm me the contacts. thanks!