The Red Sea crisis is starting to fuel a surge in international airfreight demand. Experts say airborne shipping has been growing at an unseasonably strong double-digit pace, boosted by strong business out of Asia and the Middle East to Europe. The WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes the expansion is the latest sign of how companies are adjusting their supply chains in response to geopolitical shock waves and disruptions. Shippers are trying to fly around the Red Sea, where attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping have sent ocean carriers on longer routes around Africa. That’s raising volumes at European seaports farther from the conflict and leading to more combined sea-air transport through hubs like Dubai. Data provider Xeneta says it’s also helping drive up airfreight prices, with average spot rates out of the Middle East and South Asia to Europe up 71% in March over last year.

The persistent maritime-sector problem of contaminated fuel is getting more attention in the aftermath of the bridge disaster in Baltimore. Several ships in recent years have experienced blackouts or engine failures at and near ports around the world, the WSJ’s Costas Paris, Weilun Soon and Joe Wallace report, and authorities have pointed at dirty fuel as the culprit. One vessel, a tanker heading into Port Arthur, Texas, suffered a shutdown and lost steering last year in an incident attributed to poor fuel quality. Analyzing the fuel on the Dali, the containership that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, is among several lines of inquiry into the blackout of the vessel. The maritime industry has long grappled with how to ensure fuels don’t ground massive ships and global trade flows. Problems can stem from crews not properly switching onboard fuels or suppliers tampering with products to pad profits.

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to fully reopen the shipping channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of May. (USA Today)
• Dive teams recovered the body of a third victim of the Baltimore bridge collapse. (WBAL)

Samsung Electronics’ plan to more than double its total semiconductor investment in Texas to roughly $44 billion marks a significant breakthrough in the U.S. quest to build up a domestic supply chain for cutting-edge chips. The South Korean company’s new spending will be concentrated in Taylor, Texas, the WSJ’s Jiyoung Sohn and Asa Fitch report, where Samsung is building a semiconductor hub that will include a chip-making factory, and a facility for advanced packaging and research and development. Samsung is one of just three firms capable of producing advanced logic semiconductors vital to artificial intelligence and defense. Perhaps just as important will be a likely multiplier effect as suppliers move to the region. Such clusters are crucial to high-tech supply chains. That’s one reason Samsung is expected to receive billions of dollars under the U.S. Chips Act, one of the largest payouts given to a single company.

• Minnesota-based SkyWater Technology halted plans to build a $1.8 billion chip factory in West Lafayette, Ind. (Fox59)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is expanding its its investment and production plants in the U.S. after getting up to $6.6 billion in government support. (WSJ)

U.S. employers added a seasonally adjusted 303,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate slipped to 3.8%. (WSJ)

The U.S. plans to crack down on use of the tariff-slashing de minimis customs tool favored by e-commerce shippers Temu and Shein. (WSJ)

Johnson & Johnson is buying medical device maker Shockwave Medical for $13.1 billion. (WSJ)

Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo is accelerating its U.S. expansion effort with plans for 11 new stores in California and Texas. (WSJ)

Trafigura’s finance chief and executive director are leaving the commodities trader in a management shakeup. (WSJ)

Electronics manufacturer Foxconn’s revenue in March jumped 12% from last year. (WSJ)

LG Electronics expects first-quarter operating profit to slide amid slow demand for home appliances. (WSJ)

A Southwest Airlines 737-800 lost an engine part on takeoff in Denver. (CNN)

Japan and the U.S. are discussing joint efforts to build hydrogen energy supply chains, including by lowering costs for producers. (Nikkei Asia)

Federal health officials are proposing two programs to mitigate drug shortages and strengthen drug supply chains. (Bloomberg)

Federal regulators are proposing Mediterranean Shipping be fined $63 million for “severe” violations of the Shipping Act during the pandemic. (Splash 247)

A surge in container imports is straining rail capacity and delaying shipments at Canada’s Port of Vancouver. (The Loadstar)

The U.S. sanctioned Dubai-based vessel operator Oceanlink Maritime for its alleged role in shipping commodities on behalf of the Iranian military. (Reuters)

Shareholders approved Star Bulk’s takeover of rival maritime commodities carrier Eagle Bulk. (TradeWinds)

99 Cents Only is closing its 371 discount stores and liquidating. (Retail Dive)

Italy’s postal operator is thriving while peers such as Royal Mail are struggling. (Financial Times)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.