A Smorgasbord of Smaller Items from the World of Multimodal Transport

UK – FRANCE – It seems the pandemic which has had such a serious effect on passenger numbers travelling between the two countries has not been a problem for freight vehicles using the Channel Tunnel. In September 2020, Le Shuttle Freight carried 131,985 trucks, up 2% compared to September 2019, a strong performance and meaning since 1 January 2020, more than 1.03 million trucks have crossed the Channel using the service.

UK – WORLDWIDE – CakeBoxx Technologies, which produces the unique rack and lid series of shipping containers, has made a short video to show off another advantage to the already established extra security afforded by the system. The video demonstrates how using the boxes ensures access to all parts of the container interior as soon as the lid is lifted, ensuring fork lift drivers are not confined to working in semi-darkness and cramped environment using the end doors of a standard model.

UK – Lloyd’s Register Group (LR) has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Energy business unit to Inspirit Capital, a London-based investment firm. The deal will create a new engineering and technical consultancy offering specialist asset performance, risk management and project management expertise across complex industrial assets, the energy transition and rail infrastructure. The transaction is expected to complete on or before the 31 October 2020 and is not subject to any formal regulatory or other approvals.

UK – Three outstanding volunteers have been honoured for their exemplary service by national maritime charity, the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society. Janice Wilkinson, a Divisional Manager for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) in Tyneside and long-serving Honorary Agent for the Society has been awarded the Society’s prestigious Lord Lewin award for outstanding service to the charity, along with volunteering siblings William Jolly and Elizabeth Johnson. The pair, known as Billy and Liz, from Kirkwall, Scotland have been volunteering together for the Society for the past 27 years.

UK – CHEP, the supply chain specialist in the FMCG and retail marketplace, has won a new three-year contract with leading baby goods manufacturer Munchkin. The contract will see CHEP supply pallets for Munchkin, ensuring that their products are widely available and ready to be picked, including through major ecommerce retail fulfilment centres across the UK. Established in 1991, Munchkin has grown to become a globally recognised brand in the ultra-competitive baby products market, specialising in goods including feeding, safety, travel and bath time.

UK – The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is disappointed that Bath & North East Somerset Council is planning to charge vehicles to enter the city next year. Working vehicles, vans, lorries, taxis, private hire and buses, that don’t meet Euro 6/VI standards will be charged to enter a clean air zone from 15 March 2021. The zone takes in sections of the key freight routes A4 and A36 turning them into toll booths for through-traffic not destined for Bath. RHA’s spokesman for the environment, Chris Ashley, was critical, saying:

“Better ways exist to achieve the clean air we all want. Hauliers have invested £1.9 billion in clean lorries that has seen NOx pollution levels from HGVs fall by around 60% since 2013. The Council must snap out of the negative and reactive mindset that penalises vehicles that do not conform to highly restrictive bureaucratic criteria and instead, look at measures other councils such as Leeds are taking to reduce pollution.”

WORLDWIDE – In recognition of the ongoing crisis affecting seafarers during the pandemic, DNV GL has joined the Mission to Seafarers Flying Angel Campaign as a Gold sponsor. The sponsorship will be used to help fund the development of the Seafarers Happy-at-Sea App, which helps track seafarer welfare, book chaplain visits and order medicine. Overall, the campaign has raised £600,000 from 18 maritime organisations for the Mission.

EL SALVADOR – JAPAN – A chronic shortage of fire engines and ambulances in Republic of El Salvador prompted organisations in Japan to donate equipment and now K Line has received a letter of appreciation from Embassy of El Salvador in Japan for providing free ocean transportation via one of its car carriers for 10 fire engines and 12 ambulances. K Line has been acting as Honorary Consul of El Salvador in Japan since 1969.

JAPAN – Yanmar has received an order from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd (MOL) for dual fuel 8EY26LDF engines. The engines will be used to power generators on board Japan’s first two LNG ferries, provisionally named Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki.

The ferries are to be built at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.’s Shimonoseki Shipyard. Ferry Sunflower (a group company of MOL) will charter the ferries after delivery and launch them on its Osaka-Beppu route from the end of 2022 through the first half of 2023, as replacements for vessels currently in service.

AUSTRALIA – The ANL operated CMA CGM Ural with a nominal capacity of 10,622 TEU has broken another record at the Port of Melbourne with the highest TEU exchange in one call. On 22 September the vessel berthed at Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) and completed an exchange of 8,094 TEU surpassing the previous record by 268 TEU.

GERMANY – Jungheinrich Group has acquired a stake in the Munich-based robotics start-up Magazino. At the same time as signing the corresponding contracts, Jungheinrich and Magazino agreed on a broad strategic collaboration and intend to combine their skill sets in the field of mobile automation.

Automation is one of the biggest growth drivers in the intralogistics sector and Jungheinrich expects double-digit growth rates in this segment in the coming years. It says this trend is driven above all by the persistently strong growth in online trade and the global shortage in logistics specialists, particularly forklift operators.

Photo: With its ‘no contact’ transit and fast Channel crossing times Eurotunnel’s truck shuttles are proving popular with freight drivers.