Shipping Search - Archive

CCTV Contract for London Renewed

UK – telent Technology Services is a name that probably very few will instantly recognise. The company however literally watches over many of you and this week was given an extension to its CCTV maintenance contract with Transport for London (TfL) for an additional three-years.

From Cargo Throughput Records to New Vessels - Snippets from the Industry

HONG KONG – In just 24 hours last week Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) broke its all-time record for the most freighter aircraft handled in a day. 88 of the record 104 freighter flights were fully handled by Hactl, both on the ramp and in its SuperTerminal 1 facility. Hactl is the only cargo handler in Hong Kong which can provide both terminal and ramp handling of freighters as a single service package.

Staff Changes Within the Freight and Logistics Community This Week

DENMARK – AP Møller - Mæsk has announced the shock departure of Chief Operating Officer, Søren Toft, who has decided to pursue an opportunity outside of the company and left on November 11. The responsibilities as COO will in the interim be taken on by CEO Søren Skou as the shipping giant searches for a suitable replacement.

Princess Anne to Read a Lesson for Christmas

UK – As the festive season approaches so the international welfare charity, The Mission to Seafarers prepares for its annual 'Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols' to be held on December 3 at the Church of St Michael Paternoster Royal, Mission IHQ in London. This year the charity's President, HRH The Princess Royal, will be attending and reading a lesson.

Politicians Welcome New HQ for Freight Forwarding Group

FRANCE – When container line CMA CGM acquired CEVA Logistics in May 2019 it was a foregone conclusion that the newly purchased group would relocate headquarters nearer to the parent company.

Competition is Fierce to Preserve Life and Health in Ports and Beyond

UK – Amongst the plethora of award ceremonies held by those associated with the logistics and shipping sectors at this time of year perhaps the most important are those which reflect a dedication to safety throughout the freight industry and transport generally.

Autonomous Vehicles and Connected Vehicles Explained as 39 a Day Hurt

UK – Autonomous vehicles are now a fact of life and their spread over the coming decade must surely now be undoubted. In the eyes of road safety charity Brake, the technology presents a hitherto unknown set of risks and benefits, particularly for the younger generation, so the organisation has taken steps to address these on the eve of UK Road Safety Week (starting Monday November 18th).

Mobile Harbour Crane Maker Reaches Milestone

SPAIN – GERMANY – Rostock based Liebherr Maritime Cranes recently reached another milestone when the company handed over the 100th Liebherr mobile harbour crane, a new LHM 600, to the Spanish customer Maritima del Principado in Gijón.

Yet More Support for Professional Driver Training in Third World

UK – Logistics and supply chain provider Howard Tenens has become the latest company to pledge its support to the international development organisation, Transaid, which has proved itself to be a favourite with the multimodal transport community.

Plus Recognition for a Literal Hero of the Road

UK – Van drivers are usually the first and last people involved in the vast bulk of domestic logistics movements when considering the number of consignments in the supply chain. This week saw the 'best of the best' van operators and drivers recognised at the Freight Transport Association (FTA) 2019 Van Excellence Honours Lunch.

Walvis Bay and Cape Town Witness New Port and Airport Contracts

NAMIBIA – SOUTH AFRICA – A range of logistics and port news from Southern Africa this week, with plans for a free economic zone in Walvis Bay, whilst a huge dredging exercise gets under way in Cape Town, a city whose airport sees the start of a new US direct air freight service.

UK Warehouse Association Boss Voices an Opinion on the Current Brexit Conundrum

UK – The logistics industry, like the rest of Britain, and indeed much of Europe, is now sitting on its hands waiting for an election which may, or may not, lead the country out of the unholy mess which the UK departure from the European Union has turned into. With vested interests on both sides, the head of the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) has decided to sound off on a subject which will decide the political direction of the nation.

Medical Shipments Demand both Speed and Temperature Control

ITALY – CHINA – AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) have successfully completed a record transportation of twenty seven RKN Envirotainers on board a single flight, delivering an important and urgent vaccine product from Milan, Italy to Beijing, China on October 30 for one of their global partners, Kuehne+Nagel Italy.

Newly Combined Company Will Announce Measures to Clean Up

DENMARK – WORLDWIDE – Freight and logistics group DSV Panalpina has become the latest company to join hundreds of others from a wide range of professions in signing up to Science Based Targets (SBT), an organisation which sets goals for businesses to achieve a lowering of their greenhouse gas emissions to below the levels set in the Paris Agreement.

Open Loop Scrubber Technology Completely Banned

PANAMA – As the luminaries of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) gather in London to discuss greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, just like Christmas the inception date for its previously agreed sulphur cap legislation looms only a week after, and there is a buzz throughout the industry as questions regarding what is, and isn't allowed from January 1.

Devices Tested Internationally Make for Stress Free Stock Control

EUROPE – Supply chain and logistics consultancy, SCALA, has been appointed European distributor for Chinese technology company HYCO's wearable barcode scanning solutions. The system enables warehouse operatives to scan and process barcodes while leaving both hands free for work. This leads to greater efficiency, accuracy and safety, and has been proven to offer businesses potential improvements in productivity of between 15 and 50%.

DVSA Approves Of Independent Experts

UK – Earlier this year the National Register of LGV Instructors (NRI) launched the first nationally recognised LGV Assessor qualification, acknowledging skill and providing new professional development opportunities. Let us however be clear on one point which even those in the road haulage industry often get wrong.

Northern History Charity Project Funded by Port

UK – Britain's maritime heritage often engenders feelings of both pride and sentimentality and nowhere is this to be seen more than in the communities surrounding the ports and traditional shipbuilding areas of Northern England, such as the Port of Tyne.

As Critics Line Up All Eyes Are On Maritime Emission Policies

UK – WORLDWIDE – Readers of Private Eye will have noted the latest addition (no.1508) was critical of the lack of publicity for the climate change meeting being held this week at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in a piece titled 'Fuel's Errand'.

Parameters Outlined for the Future of the Industry

AFRICA – As we have reported over the past few months the geographical area showing the most growth as far as air freight is concerned has been the African continent. Now the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments and industry in Africa to focus on four priorities for the future of the passenger and cargo sectors.

A Few Interesting Snippets You Might Have Missed

SPAIN – UKRAINE – In a 5 day period at the end of October an AN-22 Antei of Antonov Airlines made two flights between Madrid and Baghdad ferrying carrying helicopters and spare parts for the Spanish Ministry of Defence. Principal was DSV Spain and coordination and supervision of the flights were undertaken by Cargoplanet Spain, the representative of Antonov Airlines for these kind of logistics operations in Spain.

Pre-Election Manifesto Targets Five Crucial Needs

UK – It is not just those fighting an election these days who issue a manifesto. The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has set out its priorities for the new Government and called on all Party leaders to include rail freight as part of their transport commitments.

FIATA Wants Better Data Sharing and More Transparency

US – Last month we told how FIATA, the international body representing freight forwarding agents worldwide, was complaining about the detention and demurrage charges incurred by shippers with regard to container carried cargoes.

Bristol Pay to Pollute Proposals are 'Punitive, Naive and Unfair'

UK – Occasionally a news item comes along which produces a unanimous response for the logistics sector with road haulage, freight and transport bodies all aligned. When the subject contains a scheme designed to achieve an environmental benefit nobody in their right mind would take exception to the objective. In the case of Bristol's proposed clean air zone (CAZ) however it is the methodology which is causing uproar.

Valuable Cargoes Obviously - But Now Those Awkward Loads As Well

UK – US – WORLDWIDE – When CakeBoxx came up with the original concept of a standard ISO shipping container - minus the doors, there is little doubt that security with regard to the prevention of theft, was probably uppermost in the designer's mind. Time however has shown that security comes in different guises, and opened up a whole new market for the flat rack and lid devices.

Trial of New Technology to Aid Fuel Savings

DENMARK – WORLDWIDE – A containerised 600 kWh marine battery system will be installed in a trial on board the AP Moller Maersk container ship Maersk Cape Town in December 2019 to improve vessel performance and reliability while reducing CO₂ emissions.

Inauguration of Largest Power Bank in Baltic Sea Region

SWEDEN – The world has seen a flurry of activity in ports around the globe to install up to date onshore power to minimise emissions from vessels calling to load, unload and use the facilities.

Freight Group Points Out Sector Pay Lags Behind National Average

UK – The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has responded to the government's call for evidence regarding the salary threshold for a future immigration policy post-Brexit. The proposals, suggests that migrants planning to live and work in the UK long term would need to receive a minimum salary of £30,000.

Launch Event to Prepare Logistics Staff of the Future for Terrorism, Drugs and Weapons

UK – On November 13 the British International Freight Association (BIFA) is holding its fifth Young Freight Forwarder regional group at an event that will this time focus on the issues faced by freight forwarders in regards to organised crime in shipping and logistics. The event will launch the Anglia regional group for young members and those new to the industry, providing a platform to network with their peers and learn from more experienced industry professionals.

Freight Handler Wins Plaudits at Sustainable Business Awards

PHILIPPINES – Sadly in the past few days the vile crime of human trafficking has risen to the top of the news headlines with the tragic death of 39 Vietnamese citizens found in a refrigerated container in the UK. Last month one organisation was credited with its actions to support the global fight against modern slavery when International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) won plaudits at the 2019 Sustainable Business Awards.

Manufacturers and Retailers Interested in LEO low carbon

WORLDWIDE – AP Möller - Maersk and Wallenius Wilhelmsen have joined forces with customers such as BMW Group, to explore the use of LEO (Lignin Ethanol Oil), a low-carbon fuel that could be part of the future solution for sustainable shipping.

Search Back On for Replacement Ships

DENMARK – UK – ITALY – NETHERLANDS – DFDS has announced that its agreement with the Italian ferry company Moby to acquire two ferries, Moby Wonder and Moby Aki, for deployment on the Amsterdam-Newcastle route, has been cancelled.

Figures Released Show Trends in Throughput

SWEDEN – As the Nordic region's largest port, handling around half of the areas container freight, the Port of Gothenburg latest figures provide a useful insight into trends for a variety of cargoes.

Being Nominated Wins an Individual Space at Multimodal Exhibition

UK – The nervous wait is over and the 33 freight forwarding companies nominated for the British International Freight Association's (BIFA) Freight Service Awards can relax and look forward to even more than the plaudits which a mention in this prestigious event normally warrants.

Princess Royal Sees Warehouse Group Make Good on Funding Promise

UK – AFRICA – As can be seen from our picture the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) made good on its promise to raise £75,000 in its 75th anniversary year for transport charity Transaid, at a ceremony which saw Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, commend the road haulage and logistics industry for making such an enormous difference to HGV and PSV driver training standards in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Very Narrow Aisle Trucks Have Changed the Face of Warehouse Methodology

UK – SLOVENIA – History was made this month when Narrow Aisle Ltd announced it has produced its 10,000th Flexi warehouse truck, the landmark machine is a Flexi ACiON, the company's latest full digital control, very narrow aisle articulated model. It has been specified by a third party logistics (3PL) services company and will be deployed at a warehousing operation near Ljubljana Airport. Narrow Aisle managing director, John Maguire, commented:

Manifold Changes Mean a Fresh Look at Promotion and Protection of Waterway

UK – The huge changes which have affected shipping over the past 50 years have touched not just every corner of the industry but had ramifications much further down the supply chain. Now a preliminary, six-week consultation is underway on an update to legislation that affects the use of the capital's waterway as the Port of London Authority (PLA) seeks to revise its promotion and protection of the River Thames.

Traditional Bulk and Tanker Trade Module Extended

WORLDWIDE – VesselsValue, which has hitherto always provided some useful insights for owners, buyers and sellers of a range of seagoing craft, from bulk and oil tankers to gas carriers and superyachts, now includes statistics for container ships, and the latest figures make interesting reading.

Technology Event Precedes November 'Hackathon'

UK – Last week the Port of Tyne continued its efforts at innovation in the logistics sector, begun when operator PD Ports established the UK's first 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub in July, with a gathering of organisations across the spectrum of maritime logistics, technology and academia to pursue the matter.

A Few Choice Cuts from a Variety of Logistics Releases

UK – In a week when Transport Secretary Grant Schapps announced a review into the safety of smart motorways, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) released a Policy Paper calling for better refuge areas and clearer signage to raise safety levels for what many consider a hazardous venture.

Industry HR Update for this Week

US – Alexandra Kleinschmidt has joined Crane Worldwide Logistics in Houston to lead the customs brokerage and trade advisory team. Kleinschmidt is a licensed customs broker, certified customs specialist and has an experienced background in leadership roles covering customs brokerage, compliance, ocean product and sales.

All Electric Prototype Being Prepared for Summer 2020

SWEDEN – UK – WORLDWIDE – As the technology advances so the range of vehicles powered by electricity is inevitably getting wider with several of the major truck manufacturers seeking the Holy Grail of an HGV with long distance capabilities and longevity of battery life.

Study Shows Relevant Factors Which Can Damage Freight Throughput

US – CHINA – WORLDWIDE – Amidst all the talk, and indeed action, regarding trade wars, a recent survey by shipping association BIMCO gives an idea of how other factors can also have a huge impact on the levels of freight trade, going beyond the ability of such as shippers and forwarders to affect rises and falls.