**Daily Logistics News
📅 13 August 2026
1. A container ship (Seaspan Benefactor) paid a near-record $4 million to jump the queue at the Panama Canal, where non-reserved vessels now wait up to 10 days — the longest since May — as the Iran war and El Niño-linked low water levels squeeze one of global trade's key chokepoints; Asian oil, LPG, and chemical shippers rerouting from Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb are adding to the pressure, per Bloomberg.
2. Saudi Arabia's Red Sea oil export tracking has "gone dark" as the threat of Houthi attacks grows, with tankers reportedly switching off transponders to avoid detection — a development directly affecting freight risk and insurance costs on India's crude-import routes.
3. Houthis have announced fresh strikes on a Saudi ship and military sites in the Red Sea, sustaining an elevated threat level for vessels transiting the corridor.
4. Sushil Kumar Lohani has taken over as Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), with Sunil Paliwal moving to the Youth Affairs Ministry.
5. Indian Railways has lined up 54 PPP projects worth ₹1.8 lakh crore as private-sector participation expands in rail infrastructure.
6. Entire top brass of CBIC-Chennai has been reshuffled overnight, a significant leadership change for the customs administration in South India.
7. Gujarat Pipavav Port has posted a 42% rise in Q1 profit as revenue jumped 33%, aided by higher cargo volumes.
8. Allcargo Group has entered a new governance era, with Shashi Kiran Shetty stepping down and Dinesh Kumar Lal named Chairman; separately, Allcargo Terminals posted strong Q1 FY27 results.
9. CONCOR is exploring air cargo collaboration with SATS and AISATS under newly appointed CMD Ajit Kumar Panda.
10. BLive has signed an MoU with Tata Motors for 1,000 electric mini trucks under the PRIME programme to advance cargo electrification.
11. MEPZ SEZ (Chennai) has approved new investment worth ₹443 crore.
12. India and SACU (Southern African Customs Union) have signed Terms of Reference to begin negotiations toward a Preferential Trade Agreement.
Sources: indiashippingnews.com, bloomberg.com, wwd.com
_*Curated for Logistics and Customs Professionals. Forward freely*_