China to revamp Zambia-Tanzania railway: China, Zambia, and Tanzania have inked an initial agreement to revive a decades-old railway in a bid to enhance rail-sea transportation in East Africa, Reuters reports, citing Chinese state media Xinhua. The MoU would see China refurbish the 1,860 km Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) railway, which offers a cargo transport route from Zambia’s copper and cobalt mines to the sea on Tanzania's coast that bypasses South Africa and the former state of Rhodesia. The agreement, which was witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, was signed at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

What they said: “China is willing to take this summit as an opportunity to make new progress in the revitalisation of the Tanzania-Zambia railway, cooperate to improve the rail-sea intermodal transport network in East Africa, and build Tanzania into a demonstration zone for deepening high-quality China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation,” the Chinese president said.

Another US port strike on the horizon? The US East Coast ports union — the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union — are meeting for the second time today to discuss wage demands and a possible strike on 1 October, Reuters reports. Talks between the union and US Maritime Alliance employer group reached a deadlock over pay, automation, healthcare, and retirement benefits. The ILA previously asked for a 77% increase in pay over the life of the new contract, but the final increase would most likely settle on a 32% rise, the newswire adds, citing three experts.

What could be affected? A strike would have a major effect on key ports — including New York, New Jersey, Houston, and Charleston — ahead of the holiday season and the US presidential elections. Disruptions would have serious ripple effects on global supply chains that are already under strain from the Red Sea diversions. “A strike or other disruption would significantly impact retailers, consumers and the economy. The administration needs to offer any and all support to get the parties back to the table to negotiate a new contract,” NRF CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.

Airlines making safety checks after report of Rolls-Royce engine failure: Several Asian Airbus A350 operators are carrying out inspections on the aircraft's Rolls-Royce engines after Cathay Pacific found that 15 of its planes required fuel line repairs last week, Reuters reports. Rolls-Royce has not issued an official mandate for fleet-wide inspections of the engine type.

Who’s checking? Tokyo-based Japan Airlines (JAL) — which has five A350-1000s — found three of its aircraft safe on Tuesday and is checking the remaining two on Wednesday. Taiwan's Starlux — which has six A350-900s — is awaiting a reply from Rolls-Royce, and Singapore Airlines is also inspecting its own A350-900. Air China will also be seen performing a general engine check, while Air France and Lufthansa say they are monitoring the situation with Rolls-Royce and Airbus.

ICYMI- Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways identified 15 aircraft with affected engine components that require replacement. The problem reportedly surfaced on a Zurich-bound flight several minutes after take-off from Hong Kong, forcing the plane to turn back and land 75 minutes after departure, according to Flightradar24 tracking data.

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