Shipping Search - Archive

March 2013

image: Singapore tugs sink shipyard dock fire vessel Tanoto

Crewmen Injured as Defence Force Battles Flames

SINGAPORE – Four berthed vessels caught fire at the Tanoto Shipyard in Jurong, west Singapore on Tuesday at around 21:20 local time. The fire was extinguished by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) at 04:30 Wednesday morning, who reported a total of four casualties, with one man taken to Singapore General Hospital suffering from 38% burns to his body.

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image: France French port control freight customers P&O RoRo ferry

Warnings of Potential Delays as Talks Fail

FRANCE – UK – After failed pay talks, cross-Channel Ferry operator, P&O, has warned its freight customers of a national day of industrial action commencing at 08.00 (07.00 UK) Thursday 28 March which is likely to affect the majority of ports in France. Although unclear as to the kind of action that will be held by French port control officers, the company has alerted its customers of the potential for long delays between Thursday morning and Saturday morning due to the likely knock-on effect of the disruption and queuing.

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image: US less than truckload LTL freight ABF YRC Teamsters union trucking

Look Out for Rich Lawyers Unless a Settlement is Reached

US - It seems that there are likely to be even more wealthy lawyers strolling the North American streets shortly as for no less than the fourth time US trucking companies go head to head in Court when less than truckload (LTL) outfit ABF Freight System Inc. battles once more against the deal which YRC Worldwide negotiated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in a convoluted settlement started a full five years ago.

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image: Asia Europe freight infrastructure road haulage rail cargo ASEAN OECD container shipping

Eastern Nations Confederation Concentrates on Integration and Cooperation Whilst Elsewhere Safety Concerns Prompt Action

ASIA – EUROPE - Freight and trade alliances are strange creatures, whilst each side wishes to develop through cooperation nationalistic tendencies are always at the front of the partners minds, thus we currently see such problems in the Eurozone affecting all the nations involved. Certainly one currency makes everyday trading easier but the cost of not being able to use the fluctuation of ones own sovereign legal tender as a tool to control inflation and to boost exports is proving to be a hard road for many to follow.

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image: US pollution shipping line million fine

US Court Shows These Are Rules Never to be Broken

GERMANY – CYRPUS – US – Two shipping firms based in Germany and Cyprus have pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice charges and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS, 33 U.S.C. §§1905-1915) related to the deliberate concealment of vessel pollution from four ships that visited US ports in New Jersey, Delaware and Northern California. APPS implements the provisions of the MARPOL regulations and applies to all American flagged ships worldwide plus any foreign flagged ships plying US waters.

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image: CMA CGM dry port seaport freight cargo custom container shipping line

Dry Port Will Consolidate French Group's Iraqi Trade

FRANCE – IRAQ – After over thirty three years of continuous presence in Iraq, container shipping group CMA CGM has announced the opening of its new 165,000 square metre bonded ‘dry port’ near Baghdad in the Abu Ghreib area, in Iraq, in June 2013. Exclusively managed and operated by the French based company, the dry port will give customers the opportunity to custom clear their cargo near Baghdad instead of Umm Qasr. The concept of a dry port is to provide an inland intermodal freight gateway with direct road and/or rail links to a traditional, established seaport but offering speedier and more convenient access to customers.

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image: C2K air freight road haulage cargo 2000 IT operators

C2K Classification System Shows Improvement in Standards Despite Hard Times

WORLDWIDE –Cargo 2000 (C2K) which operates a Not-For-Profit Membership Group supported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) composed of around 77 major airlines, freight forwarders, ground handling agents, road haulage companies and IT providers globally, says its 2013 Membership Classification analysis shows a continued commitment by its leading members to improve the quality of their air freight services.

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image: UKWA warehousing supply chain 3PL logistics award

UKWA Celebrates the Achievement of Youth Even More than Usual this Year

UK – The great and the good of the supply chain and logistics community are once again expected to gather at the UK Warehousing Association’s (UKWA) 14th Annual Awards for Warehousing and the presentation ceremony will take place on Wednesday 3rd July at the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London. There are ten Awards categories in total but this year the prestigious accolades will feature a new Junior Manager of the Year Award. UKWA’s chief executive officer, Roger Williams, comments:

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image: EU Transport security UK road haulage rail freight truck stop intermodal terminal

Does the Future of UK Transport Legislation Lie at Home or with the EU?

UK – The Select Committee report on land transport security published this week is interesting for several reasons, not least because it pulls no punches regarding the committee’s opinion of EU legislation. Whilst comprehensively reviewing possible problem areas such as those associated with the latest multi and intermodal freight terminal developments and reviewing well published difficulties within the road haulage sector such as the lack of truck stops, it makes clear that [it] the Government feels sovereign policy is far preferable to European wide determination, which it terms ‘action at EU-level might result in the levelling down of existing security measures in the UK’.

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image: Russia Canada bison air cargo carrier export Yakutia Volga Dnepr Elk Island National Park

In a Just Cause and with Proper Treatment There Can Surely be Few Objections

CANADA – RUSSIA – There are few such delicate subjects at the moment than the export of live animals but before screams of protest are heard the latest project by air cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr Airlines should surely be commended, both for its purpose and in the way the shipment was handled.

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image: Germany freight forwarding transport project logistics DHL WorldSkills 2013 Leipzig

Germany Event will present Serious Project Forwarding Challenge

GERMANY – WORLDWIDE – Over sixty five years ago two Spaniards decided there should be a chance for skilled craftsmen to demonstrate their talents on an international stage. That idea has gradually morphed into a biennial event for youngsters to show their prowess in their own particular crafts and this years show, WorldSkills 2013, will be held in Leipzig with DHL becoming its official logistics partner and transporting machinery and materials from fifty one countries and regions to the Exhibition Grounds in the freight forwarding group's home country.

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image: LNG China freight and logistics ocean shipping sector dock port furniture mooring cargo transfer

Yet Another Chinese Order for Port Furniture Group

CHINA – SWEDEN - Whenever a specific sector of the freight and logistics industry rises to prominence there are always benefits for numerous suppliers and vested interests and the recent acceleration of ocean shipping of gas products is no exception. With the news that Trelleborg Marine Systems has been awarded the contract to supply docking and mooring equipment and LNG cargo transfer technology for the new Yuedong LNG Terminal in China this means the Swedish headquartered supplier of dock furniture has now brought the total number of the company’s such terminal installations in China to thirteen.

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image: Japan Brazil container shipping line floating production storage offloading system FPSO VLCC very large crude carrier

Japanese Consortium to Extend Brazilian Offshore Activities and Deploy VLCC

JAPAN – BRAZIL - Four major Tokyo based corporations announced yesterday they would be cooperating in an offshore oil production and recovery facility for use in the Iracema Norte area of a pre-salt oil field off the coast of Brazil. Container shipping operator Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) is a partner in the floating production, storage, and offloading system (FPSO) venture and is the latest of the conventional lines to expand its interest in the energy sector.

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image: UK South Africa Virgin cargo air freight tonnes

Trade Demanded Aircraft Optimisation Despite Poor Growing Season

UK – SOUTH AFRICA – The introduction of Airbus A340-600 flights between London and Johannesburg during South Africa’s peak season has provided a welcome boost in capacity for Virgin Atlantic Cargo on one of its most in-demand routes. Switching from a Boeing 747 to the A340-600 operation has given the airline’s freight division over four tonnes of extra capacity on each of its daily flights. Nick Jones, Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s Head of Sales, said:

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image: US Germany FedEx Dachser logistics air freight forwarding cargo consignments overcapacity IATA

Mixed Results as Figures Show Sectors Depend as usual on Capacity, Geography and Types of Consignment

US – GERMANY – WORLDWIDE - This week, the FedEx Corporation posted its third quarter results which showed its net income drop 31% from $521 million last year to £361 million, as of February 28. Contrary to a recent report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), stating that the market shows signs of stabilisation, FedEx, along with other multimodal freight forwarding groups, attributes the decline to ‘continued weakness in international air freight markets’. Alongside these continued reports of a weak air freight market, German based logistics group, Dachser has contrastingly posted a 7.4% increase in its Air and Sea Logistics sector, mixing the two modes of transport and generating €1,305 million in 2012 compared to €1,215 million in 2011.

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image: UK container shipping port deep water Stig Top Gear BBC logistics Multimodal NEC

Original Top Gear Presenter will front London Gateway Challenge at Multimodal

UK – Each year we see novel introductions at Multimodal when the largest logistics show in the country witnesses various factions in the freight, materials handling and shipping sectors vying for the attention of potential customers. This time round the exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham next month will see a (hidden) face, familiar to many when Perry McCarthy, BBC Television’s Top Gear original Stig, challenges all comers in a contest to promote Britain’s newest deep water container port, London Gateway.

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image: Leipzig freight logistics international transport forum Professor Amartya Sen Nobel Prize winner

Leipzig Event Will Boast Top Guns as Delegates and Speakers

GERMANY – WORLDWIDE – The Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum is to be held from the 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany and the opening speaker alone will surely make this an unmissable event for many in the industry. The three days of debate and policy discussions around the theme of ‘Funding Transport’ will begin with a lecture from Nobel prize winner Professor Amartya Sen, and decision makers in the freight and logistics community will doubtless wish to hear and comment on his views.

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image: Schenker box technology air cargo ocean freight express logistics French wine ProWein

French Exports to Benefit from Shorter Lead Times

FRANCE – GERMANY - WORLDWIDE – Whereas most wines benefit from a little ageing most wholesales and consumers demand prompt service and a new in-house express pick-up service to be launched at the ProWein trade fair in Düsseldorf (March 24 to 26) by logistics group DB Schenker aims to shorten the lead time between wineries and export platforms for high quality French wines. The company says that using its system the valuable and sensitive cargo is less affected by variations in temperature and will ship more rapidly from its ocean and air freight hubs.

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image: Morocco freight forwarder logistics shipping tile modal road haulage mosaic del sur GEFCO

Whether via Road Haulage or any other Logistics Route Gefco Solves the Problem for Mosaic del Sur

MOROCCO - SPAIN – FRANCE – WORLDWIDE – As any logistics professional worth his or her salt knows shipping tiles, whether cement, terrazzo or the delicate natural clay zellige variety can be a hazardous business. Usually stacked on pallets which are enormously heavy for their size the risk of damage whilst handling or in transit via road haulage or any other modal method with such weighty but delicate cargo is an ever present problem for any freight forwarder.

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image: Kühne Logistics University (KLU) humanitarian Germany

Are You Up to the Challenge of Solving World Crises?

GERMANY – For the third year in a row, Kühne Logistics University (KLU) is holding a case study competition for Bachelor students with the winning team receiving a scholarship at the university. After last year's successful event with twenty four participants from Germany, Turkey, Poland, and Qatar vying for primacy, the competition will once again focus on a humanitarian logistics problem.

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image: US Caribbean ocean freight container shipping FCL LCL

Extra US Caribbean Sailing with FCL and LCL Options

US – CARIBBEAN – To better meet growing demand in the Caribbean, Crowley Maritime Corporation has announced that its container shipping sector will now offer ocean freight customers a second weekly southbound sailing from Port Everglades, Florida, to Nassau, Bahamas, starting Saturday, March 23. The new sailing enhances Crowley's current schedule, which includes a Friday sailing from Jacksonville, Florida, and a Tuesday sailing from Port Everglades.

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image: US Canada alien Asian Gypsy moth MARPOL logistics shipping and forwarding container lines

US and Canadian Shores Threatened by Beast from the East

NORTH AMERICA – ASIA - WORLDWIDE – The entire shipping industry is persistently haunted by the spectre of transferring alien plagues, flora and fauna to new environments where they will flourish and have the potential to devastate the native species and habitats. We have occasionally featured specific instances of serious contamination and with legislation such as the latest MARPOL regulations and other International Maritime Organization (IMO) incentives much is being done to minimise the risk of infection but there is no substitute for vigilance and of late there have been a series of warnings which all sectors of the logistics industry, from freight forwarders to container lines and other shipping interests, should be made aware of.

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image: Multi Modal Project Freight Forwarding CIS pipeline Kazakhstan Russian rail truck wagon

Caspian Pipeline Equipment Arrives Early and in Perfect Condition

WORLDWIDE - NETHERLANDS – KAZAKHSTAN – A project freight forwarding contract awarded to logistics provider Agility has been successfully delivered a week ahead of schedule to Atyrau, Kazakhstan on behalf of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, the largest multi-stakeholder organization operating an investment pipeline project in the CIS following a multi modal trip which involved some innovative packing.

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image: Asia Europe US container shipping freight TEU CMA CGM box

Things Are Changing This Month in the Box Trade

ASIA – US - EUROPE – Several changes announced this month affecting the world’s container shipping lines as the Green Alliance reveals restructuring plans for its US East Coast freight services, whilst one of its members boosts capacity, a new ship comes in for Diana and CMA CGM releases financial information.

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image: UK freight forwarding agent BIFA RHA logistics road haulage Budget Chancellor Osborne fuel duty stabilisation mechanism

Clear Policies Designed to Support Industry Required

UK – With Budget Day tomorrow the world and his wife are keen to tell the Chancellor what they hope or expect and in the logistics sector many are keen to have their say. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged Mr Osborne to consider several key points which it says are critical both to the future of the UK road freight industry, and to the future prosperity of the rest of the United Kingdom and British freight forwarding agents have also had their standpoint put forward very clearly by their representative Association.

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image: China container shipping tragedy sinking capsized

Vessel Founders in High Winds off Chinese Coast

CHINA – According to reports, container ship Guang Yang Xin Gang capsized on Monday at around 17:15 local time, killing at least 12 crew members with two seafarers still missing. One man, who was found unconscious, was rescued by a helicopter that was dispatched by the Beihai Rescue Bureau of the Ministry of Transport.

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image: DHL UK freight forwarder logistics group Appel union ITF Turkey German union

Accusations of Victimisation Abroad Persist for DHL Whilst Iberia Settlement Hailed as a Victory for Unions

UK – SPAIN – GERMANY – TURKEY – WORLDWIDE – These are unsettling times for some of the major freight and logistics groups as unions step up the pressure during a downturn in the economies of many countries. There are scheduled to be protests worldwide on Tuesday 26 March when demonstrators approach German embassies to express their concerns at the overseas policies of DHL. The protests continue a string of public denouncements of the freight forwarding group such as those held last month at London Fashion Week.

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image: Cargolux air freight 747 8 Freighter Hanoi Vietnam US Fort Worth Dallas Brazil Boeing

Expansion of Services for Luxembourg Carrier

VIETNAM – LUXEMBOURG – US – Both plane maker Boeing and Europe’s largest freight only airline, Cargolux, were celebrating this week as Noi Bai International Hanoi became the one hundredth airport to see one of the specialist 747-8 Freighter aircraft touch down just sixteen months after the model entered service. Boeing has suffered a great loss of face recently with the troubles which have afflicted the flagship Dreamliner and the Luxembourg carrier has also faced its own problems following the withdrawal of Qatari support but the success of the 747-8 F has been a bright spot for both companies. Richard Forson, Cargolux Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, emphasised the strength of feeling saying:

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image: Canada ocean freight merchant fleet airline aviation flags of convenience

Transport Unions Concerned by 'Flags of Convenience'

CANADA - WORLDWIDE - The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation), the global union organisation which represents around four and a half million people employed within various sectors of the transport industry, has long campaigned against the use of ‘flags of convenience’ which of course are a regular feature in the world of ocean freight transport with hundreds of merchant vessels registered in preferred states carrying cargoes of every type right across the world. The unions say the ships operators, usually themselves registered elsewhere, often use the lower standards of health and safety required on such craft to unreasonably abuse their crews and sometimes even endanger life. Now the ITF is to illustrate a practice they say is similar which is growing in the aviation sector as economic pressures affect the world's airlines.

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image: US road haulage trucking safety FMCSA

Court Will Decide Whether New Rules are Restrictive

US – On Friday the American Trucking Associations presented a case before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, arguing against changes to hours of service rules instigated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in 2011 which become mandatory this year. The ATA claimed that the changes would put onerous restrictions on road haulage drivers’ ability to effectively manage their schedules by limiting the use of a restart period to once every seven days, as well as inflexibly mandating off-duty breaks during the workday. ATA contended that these changes were not supported by the data available and should be rejected.

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image: Israel healthcare air freight cargo Envirotainer C.A.L. airline

Eighth Global Airline Wins Official Recognition for Good Practice from Envirotainer

ISRAEL – C.A.L. Cargo Airlines has become the first air freight carrier in the country to gain accreditation as a Qualified Envirotainer Provider (QEP). The QEP Program enables healthcare companies to identify transport service providers with the required training and processes to manage shipments with Envirotainer’s temperature-controlled air cargo containers. The accreditation will apply to all three of the company’s online stations: Tel Aviv, Liège and New York JFK.

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image: Australia EUA Emirates Qantas cargo air freight

Network Sharing to Commence This Month

AUSTRALIA – UAE – WORLDWIDE – From March 31st, Emirates SkyCargo and Qantas Freight will offer customers access to each other’s networks, marketing cargo capacity to a combined total of 233 ports across six continents. Subject to regulatory approval, the partnership on cargo services will form part of the Emirates-Qantas alliance. Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, Ram Menen said:

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image: Netherlands ModusLink supply chain logistics multimodal freight forwarding options

Transition to be Completed by July

NETHERLANDS – Supply chain and logistics service provider, ModusLink Global Solutions™ has announced plans to move its operations in The Netherlands from the current site in Apeldoorn to a new location in Venray. Initial work to transition client services is underway and the new facility is expected to be fully operational by July 2013 and will offer good multimodal options locally. A number of current employees will be moving to the new location and the region boasts a skilled workforce experienced in logistics and freight forwarding work. Scott Crawley, President of Global Operations, Sales and Marketing at ModusLink said:

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image: UK Haven SME intermodal freight container shipping rail cargo road haulage low carbon

Intermodal Exchange Scheme for SME's Extended from Rail Cargo

UK – Almost exactly one year ago we wrote a detailed report on how the formation of the Haven Gateway Partnership’s Low Carbon Freight Dividend (LCFD) scheme meant offerings of £75 for each freight container transferring from road to rail in a £7.5 million intermodal shift project designed to lower fuel take up and pollution levels. With an initial objective of removing 30,000 road haulage movements from the country’s highways in the first three years the East of England based project has just taken another financial leap forward.

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image: 787 Dreamliner lithium ion batteries freight carriage Boeing

Plane Maker Working Overtime to Repair Credibility and Restore 787 Dreamliner to Service

US – Following the grounding of the new Dreamliner fleet after the smoking battery incidents which caused Boeing’s latest flagship aircraft to be suspended from service, the plane manufacturer has been working overtime to repair the damage to its credibility and solve the problem inherent with the lithium ion batteries which caused it. In a piece two years ago we highlighted the known problems of even transporting quantities of this type of cell, whether built into the aircraft or carried as freight.

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image: Taiwan box line shipping container freight Hanjin Evergreen CMA CGM Marco Polo green environment

Trio of Box Carriers Announce New IDEA and French Show Off Greener Credentials

TAIWAN – KOREA – DUBAI - FRANCE – WORLDWIDE - In container shipping news this week Evergreen has announced a new intercontinental service in partnership with two other box carriers, whilst CMA CGM has gone to great lengths to explain the progress it is making in ensuring that in future its vessels will be more environmentally friendly with lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions when carrying freight around the globe.

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image: IATA Etihad Abu Dhabi air freight Sharjah

IATA Moves Offices in the Gulf Region

UAE – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the conclusion of an agreement with the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the establishment of its Gulf Area office in Abu Dhabi, effective June 1st. The move marks the departure of the organisation from its original Gulf home in the smaller Emirate of Sharjah. Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer said:

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image: Cathay Pacific air freight carrier cargo airline

Fuel Price Also Contributes to Plunge in Profits

HONG KONG – Following a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which stated that the air freight market shows signs of stabilisation, Cathay Pacific, which claims to be the world’s largest cargo air carrier, posted its worst annual results since 2008, with an 83% drop in its net profit from HK$ 5.5 billion in 2011 to HK$ 916 million in 2012. The airline explained that the high price of jet fuel and weak air cargo demand affected the Groups profitability. Earnings per share fell by a comparable amount, 83.3% to HK23.3 cents whilst turnover for the year increased by 1% to HK$ 99,376 million from HK$ 98,406 million in 2011. Speaking at a news conference, CEO at Cathay Pacific, John Slosar said:

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image: UK deepwater container shipping port London Gateway crane Thames Brandon Lewis

Minister Witnesses Scope of New Development

UK – With the countdown to the opening of the capital’s new deepwater shipping port at London Gateway now ticking away not a week goes by without some worthwhile news emanating from the site. The giant cranes we took the first pictures of as they entered the mouth of the Thames at the start of this month now sit astride the first of the container berths and the search for staff to man the site prior to the proposed opening in the last part of 2014 is well and truly on with a tranche of jobs being advertised on a dedicated website.

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image: Aztek 3PL logistics pallet track artic warehouse storage

Ten Years In Aztek Continues to Grow

UK – Hertfordshire-based Aztek Logistics will mark its tenth year of trading on April 13th 2013. The company, which is owned and managed by its founder, Stuart Charter, is based at a seven acre site in Letchworth Garden City, complete with 70,000 square feet of secure, bulk and racked warehousing from where it operates a range of pallet storage, road haulage transport, online fulfilment and self storage services. Charter said:

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image: US packaging supply chain solution Rehrig pallets cartons

Major Dairy Group Awards Rehrig 'Supplier of the Year' Title

US – Rehrig Pacific Company, a leading manufacturer of reusable transport packaging systems has announced that it has been named the 2013 Supplier of the Year by the All Star Association, an association of food and drink packaging companies. The Association’s ‘Thoroughbred Award’ is presented to the company that not only has shown outstanding products and customer service to the All Star members, but who has also introduced new solutions to the members and the dairy industry. Luke Jeffers, National Sales Manager, Dairy Supply Chain Solutions for Rehrig Pacific Company:

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image: Lithuania Mongolia Ulan Bator groupage freight less than truckload LTL logistics multimodal

Plans to Extend Routes to North America, Australia and South East Asia

LITHUANIA – MONGOLIA – A.R.T. Logistics, a specialist multimodal project company that works with large multinational companies in the oil & gas, power generation and mining sectors moving freight throughout Central Asia, the CIS, Mongolia and Asia, has launched a twice monthly Less-Than-Truckload (LTL or groupage) service connecting Europe to Mongolia.

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image: UK France international road haulage RoRo ferry freight

M20 Closed as Accidents and Ice Bring Freight to a Halt

UK – FRANCE – Even Eurotunnel services have been affected by appalling weather conditions throughout Northern France in a late burst of wintry conditions that have seen RoRo Channel ferry services disrupted and ‘Operation Stack’ bought into play with road haulage operators advised to check with traffic reports and ferry companies before proceeding to Dover and Folkestone as well as other Channel ports.

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image: Schenker Finland Poland freight forwarding and logistics expansion

Finland and Poland See Latest Developments for Schenker

FINLAND – POLAND – Despite tough times for many freight forwarders at least one logistics group seems intent on continued expansion. Following their recent contracts with Finnish groups KONE the elevator company for their Chinese development, and Karelia-Upofloor Oy, the hardwood and resilient flooring, for whom they will operate a new distribution centre in Heinola, DB Schenker Logistics has announced the opening of a new facility in Poland.

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image: US LTL YRC freight road haulage operator trucking union Teamsters

Trucking Firm Continues to Work with Unions in an Effort to Regain Profitability

US – The restructuring plan which was agreed between trucking group YRC Worldwide and the Teamsters Union continue to take effect with the news this week that there are to be 128 redundancies at the company’s YRC Freight depot in St. Louis, YRC Freight handles LTL shipments for the group. It was the flexibility of the workforce when the road haulage outfit was facing disaster which enabled it to continue in business. Today the Kansas headquartered group mailed union representatives a proposal for a further set of network ‘improvements’.

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image: Germany freight logistics Switzerland appointments resignations retirements

Appointments, Retirements and Resignations Around the Globe

SWITZERLAND – The Board of Directors of Kuehne + Nagel accepted the request of Reinhard Lange, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kuehne + Nagel Group since 2009, to release him from his duties because of health reasons effective May 7, 2013. Until the termination of his contract on December 31, 2013, Lange will continue to support the freight and logistics group in a consultancy role.

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image: Joyun Norway US antifouling container ships supertanker vessels cruise liners

Latest Antifouling Product Claimed to Reduce Fuel and Maintenance Costs

NORWAY – US – WORLDWIDE – Mention antifouling and one name immediately springs to mind, Jotun has been supplying merchant shipping with suitable coatings since moving into the marine paints market selling coatings to the whaling fleets in 1926 and now its products adorn the hulls of a multiplicity of vessels from container ships to supertankers. At this weeks Miami Cruise Shipping Exhibition (March 11-14) another new product has been unveiled which the company claims is a first in the hull protection field.

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image: Germany UK DHL Formula One F1 Ecclestone freight forwarding logistics partner Dubai

Logistics Group Celebrates Ninth Year of Sponsorship Whilst Developing New Service Centre

GERMANY – UK – WORLDWIDE – Once again the red and yellow logo of logistics group DHL will be seen around the world’s racetracks as the German group announced an extension to its partnership with Formula One™. The deal, which will see DHL maintain its Official Logistics and Global partner designations for motor sport's elite competition, continues a longstanding partnership that officially began in 2004. DHL will also continue to sponsor the DHL Fastest Lap Award in recognition of the driver who delivers the highest number of fastest laps throughout each FIA Formula One World Championship™ season. Roger Crook, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, commented:

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image: Somalia Salalah pirate ransom supertanker chemical tanker EU Navfor

Ransoms Secure Release of Two Tankers - Two More Ships to Go

SOMALIA – OMAN – INDIAN OCEAN – One of the two vessels released by Somali pirates this week is due to dock in Salalah today. The chemical tanker Royal Grace was seized over a year ago on March 2, 2012 and her crew of twenty two, mostly Indian, had been incarcerated ever since. The ship was accompanied by the EU Navfor Naval Force Flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez following her release, a duty which then fell to the ESPS Rayo after the flagship diverted to attend to another release.

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image: Russia air freight forwarding project cargo Antonov helicopter

Air Travels by Air As Helicopter Carried Whilst Italian Route Expanded

RUSSIA – UKRAINE - US – NORWAY – Two separate air freight news items this week, both with Russian connections as Ruslan International, the specialist heavy lift air freight marketing group formed by two Eastern Bloc airlines, Antonov (Ukrainian) and Volga-Dnepr (Russian), release details of their latest project forwarding venture, a record helicopter order, whilst AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) introduce a new scheduled service.

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image: UK warehousing freight forwarding road haulage operators HMRC duty

UK Warehousing Group Warns Members that Ignorance is No Defence Against Huge Penalties

UK – According to the latest release from the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) there is growing evidence that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has begun a campaign to target warehouse keepers and road haulage operators who may unknowingly be handling excise goods on which the duty has yet to be paid. This is of course more than a little troubling for the vast majority of innocent operators, many of whom already have to worry about the implications of handling illicit freight in consignments misdeclared by unscrupulous customers. The UKWA is warning that any company found guilty of storing goods on which duty is outstanding could face ‘financial ruin’, even if the storage company was unaware that duty had not been paid. Alan Powell of Alan Powell Associates, UKWA’s honorary adviser on Customs & Excise Matters, said:

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image: Japan container shipping ocean freight maritime logistics Caribbean Health and Safety

Today the Education of Tomorrow's Professionals Requires Investment to Ensure Safety and Reliability in the Future

JAPAN—CARIBBEAN – NETHERLANDS – In the modern world of container shipping, as with all branches of logistics, training for specific jobs as well as more general qualifications in subjects such as Health and Safety, has become a prerequisite of many employment positions. Recently several leading groups associated with the carriage of ocean freight have announced programmes aimed a educating the next generation of maritime professionals in the essentials of their future careers.

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image: UK everywoman Freight transport association logistics industry

Too Much Real Talent Being Underused, Wasted or Simply Undiscovered

UK – As a direct response to a roundtable discussion that took place one morning last year, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and everywoman have joined forces to create an industry wide gender diversity programme, the FTA everywoman Accelerate Programme. The programme, which was announced on International Women’s Day, supports all operators in the desire to welcome a wider talent pool into the industry. With just 24% of the Transport and Logistics workforce being female, both organisations are united in their commitment to address this talent deficit.

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image: UK scrap metal cash freight forwarding scam 20’ boxes containers

Cash Restrictions May Result in a New and Unwelcome Export Market for British Firms

UK - Thieves often prove to be some of the most resourceful members of society and, just when Parliament thought it had solved the age old problem of illicit scrap metal trading, a business which has traditionally seen large sums of cash exchanged for stolen property, along comes a warning that the villains may utilise the services of innocent freight forwarding companies to transfer the problem overseas. The British International Freight Association (BIFA) is alerting its members and the international trading community of a possible consequence from the crackdown on the UK scrap metal trade after a warning from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) about suspicious locations for the collection of filled shipping containers.

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image: Hong Kong thoroughbred horse transport air freight cargo terminal shipment HACTL

(and more so when the consignment is delicate thoroughbred animals)

HONG KONG – The transport of animals, whether by land, sea or air freight is usually both tricky and controversial but when it comes to thoroughbred animals every care has to be taken to ensure the welfare of the delicate and extremely valuable creatures. Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) last month handled the largest horse shipment on a single flight in its 37-year history. A shipment of 63 show-jumpers, which touched down on February 24th, were flown in from Liege as arranged by Lufthansa Cargo on a B747 chartered freighter to take part in the first Longines Hong Kong Masters at AsiaWorld-Expo from 28 February to 2 March - Hong Kong's first international show jumping event, and the only five-star accredited competition on the equestrian calendar to take place in Asia.

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image: UK maritime union Nautilus pilotage seafarer vessels transport

Nautilus backs Transport Committee

UK – Any reduction of standards concerning movement of freight, whether by road, air or water needs deep reflection before being instituted and the union Nautilus International (formally NUMAST) which represents the interests of the professional seafarers from the masters of vessels through to harbour masters and all other classes of senior personnel connected with the maritime industry backed a report by the Transport Committee which calls on the Government to drop a clause in the Marine Pilotage Bill relaxing the requirements for Pilotage. General Secretary, Mark Dickinson, said:

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image: AA Cargo American airlines air freight kgs cargo LHR Dallas

Best Customers Rewarded by Airline

UK – US – American Airlines, currently tying up the details of its proposed merger with United Airways, has welcomed welcomed its first B777-300ER aircraft to London Heathrow this week and marked the occasion by presenting all cargo customers who shipped more than 1000kg of freight on its return to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with a framed certificate. The new aircraft joins the carrier's fleet of long range, wide bodied equipment and will boost available capacity to over 70,000kgs per flight, on the routes which it operates.

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image: European freight forwarding logistics shipping TEU Panalpina Norbert Dentressangle

'We did not react fast enough' says Swiss Boss

SWITZERLAND – FRANCE – A time for annual statistics from European based shipping and forwarding interests this month as Panalpina announced its full year results which show the Group’s gross profit decreased by 1% to CHF 1,465 million from CHF 1,477 million in 2011. The company explained that its gross profit was impacted by weak air freight and weak European imports, whilst its logistics and ocean freight divisions performed well. Higher costs and various non-recurring charges, including provisions of CHF 59.2 million for the EU and Swiss antitrust fines made in the first quarter in 2012, also affected the gross profit. CEO Monika Ribar said:

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image: Australia freight transport road haulage trucking

Novel Idea to be Unveiled at Trucking Conference

AUSTRALIA - Games are the latest thing used by media people to attract the interest of stakeholders in the freight and logistics business, particularly online and at exhibitions and conferences. The latest thing to be rolled out at the forthcoming Trucking Australia 2013 in June is a little more cerebral, a chance to participate in rescuing a road haulage and general freight business, Fictitious Transport, using the collective nous of attendees at the event.

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image: France Tuna fishing fleet tracking buoys Thalos Orolia seine net whale shark dolphin turtle

French Group Increases Efficiency of Fleet but Some Species Already Under Threat

FRANCE – WORLDWIDE – Orolia, global specialist in critical global positioning system (GPS) applications, announced this week that it has been awarded a €1 million+ contract from developer of services and applications for the maritime industry, Thalos SAS, for the supply of tuna fish aggregating device (FAD) tracking buoys. Whilst one might hope this is with the intent of ensuring the future of a highly sought after food resource, it seems in fact it is yet another weapon designed to speed the decimation of another pelagic species by increasing the efficiency of fishing fleets.

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image: UK road haulage operator reefer box freight Dolphin pallet tonne

Commercial vehicle Show Will Witness Unveiling of Innovative Box and Sculpted Body Shape

UK – The first refrigerated double-deck trailer was introduced to the British market some 24 years ago by body builders Gray and Adams and now the Fraseburgh headquartered outfit will officially unveil two more innovative designs aimed at reducing the cost of road freight for the country’s haulage operators and suppliers when the company features at the forthcoming Commercial Vehicle (CV) Show 2013 at the NEC Birmingham in early April.

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image: Colombia US container shipping port freight and logistics cargo tonnages London Gateway Buenaventura Texas Brownsville DP World

Progress or Dwindle and Die is the Message as Throughput Holds the Keys to Survival Worldwide for Terminal Operators

COLOMBIA – US – UK – WORLDWIDE - Recently, despite squeaks of anguish from much of the cargo and general logistics sector about falling tonnages and economic austerity, we have seen many more forward thinking shipping industry stakeholders pushing through with investments despite the uncertainties. This has applied particularly to the port sector where schemes which might appear ambitious to some actually carry the weight of logic behind them. We have given much coverage to the spectacular plans of DP World and the birth of its London Gateway container development but many well established ports across the world are realising that stagnation may result in slow death and the necessity of installing modern technology to maintain and improve cargo throughput is not just a priority but an imperative despite the cost.

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image: Greece Diana container shipping bulk freight carrier vessel TEU dwt time charter

Company Covers All the Bases with a Variety of Vessels

GREECE – The Diana Shipping group has had successes this week achieving contracts in both the container and bulk freight sectors. Diana Containerships, a specialist offshoot specifically formed to own and operate containerships, this week announced that it has extended its current time charter contract with A.P. Moller-Maersk, for its Panamax container vessel, the mv Sagitta. Meanwhile, the part owning parent company, dry bulk specialist Diana Shipping has entered into a time charter contract with Cargill International S.A., Geneva, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, for its 174,186 dwt Capesize dry bulk carrier, the mv Sideris GS.

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image: DP DHL logistics express freight ITF industrial relations Germany Turkey staff

DP DHL Publishes Annual Figures Whilst Undercurrent of Unrest Continues

GERMANY – WORLDWIDE – Logistics goliath Deutsche Post DHL, today reflected on its financial position and announced a dividend per share of €0.70 and a prediction of further earnings growth in the future. With operating earnings in 2012 of €2.67 billion there is a note of satisfaction in the tone of the latest press release as the express freight company published its annual position. In some quarters however there was continued dissatisfaction as to the treatment of some staff outside of the group’s native land.

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image: IATA air cargo dangerous goods regulations travel tourism navigation free business course

Apply Today Only to Win a Complimentary IATA Course

WORLDWIDE – There is only 1 day left to enter the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) competition to win free admission to a new course. A total of six free admission seats, one per business sector, will be on offer. To enter, fill out the entry form and answer the question: ‘What’s the most difficult challenge your sector faces in 2013?’ Entries must be in by March 6th and winners will be announced on March 12th. The six business sectors include airline, airport, air navigation service & civil aviation authorities, cargo & dangerous goods regulations, ground operations and travel & tourism.

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image: Lauro South Korea Scorpio product tankers bulk freight

Trade May Have Been Depressed But Someone Believes in the Future

SOUTH KOREA – MARSHALL ISLANDS – MONACO – Despite the depressed state of indices such as the Baltic Dry Index it seems there are some bulk freight carriers out there who can not just smell out a bargain but find the wherewithal to make genuine investments. Scorpio Tankers, incorporated in the Marshall Islands but managed from Monaco and New York announced last week that it had managed to secure four MR (Mid or Medium Range) product tankers which had previously been reserved for another customer of the shipyard.

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image: European Environment Agency road haulage freight logistics diesel trucks LNG

Variable Levy to Depend on Geography Recommended by Environment Agency

EUROPE – With the eyes of the world firmly focused on the environment and all sectors of the freight and logistics sector cleaning up its act comes a new heavyweight report relevant to the problem. Further to our recent article about the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and comparable fuels used for powering road haulage trucks, the European Environment Agency (EEA) last week suggested that road charges for heavy goods vehicles (HGV's) should reflect the varied health effects of traffic pollution in different European countries. This would mean quite controversially that road haulage operators in countries like Switzerland and Luxembourg would pay higher rates compared to those in Cyprus and Malta.

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image: US Spain UK transport unions dock workers loading strike lock out

US and Europe See Protests This Week

US – SPAIN – UK – Union troubles this month will witness picketing on both sides of the Atlantic after, exactly as we predicted in January, dock workers responsible for loading grain were locked out of their jobs in Vancouver, Washington by their employers and today, demonstrations supported by Spanish and British airline staff, begin at the prospect of job cuts at the International Airlines Group’s subsidiary, Iberia. Labour relations in North America have deteriorated further after the lock out at the United Grain Corporation (UGC) terminal last Wednesday. The company is owned by the giant Mitsui Corporation’s US subsidiary which has a host of food production and distribution and logistics organisations in its portfolio.

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image: Swiss Freight Forwarding and Logistics Group regional management Kuehne + Nagel

Major Realignment of Divisions to Suit Modern Market Conditions

WORLDWIDE – Swiss headquartered freight forwarding and logistics group Kuehne + Nagel, one of the oldest established names in the trade and which employs over 63,000 staff in over one hundred countries, is undergoing some drastic changes to its regional managerial structure which it says are merely a precursor to further measures designed to realign the business in the cause of efficiency.

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image: Rotterdam Long Beach YRC freight container shipping terminal road haulage LNG fuel emissions

Across Europe and the US Fuels they are a Changing as Trucks and Merchant Vessels Adapt

US – EUROPE – In the EU the recent commitment to opening up both the shipping and road haulage industries to cleaner power sources which we covered in some detail in our article last month has been reinforced by one of the world’s premier container and general shipping ports with the announcement that the Port of Rotterdam is stepping up its sustainable shipping policy by rewarding the operators of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankers with a discount on port charges. Meanwhile an American freight haulier is spearheading LNG truck rollout in California.

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image: Morocco jail transport trade union seafarers

Two Workers Representatives still in Prison as Unions Protest

MOROCCO – WORLDWIDE – The international transport unions have stepped up the pressure on the Moroccan authorities following the conviction and imprisonment of Said Elhairech, the general secretary of the Moroccan Ports Union, who was unexpectedly given a one year jail sentence last week. The judiciary produced a shock verdict after charges of endangering national security were dropped when they found Elhairech and his colleague, Mohamed Chamchati, the general secretary of the Moroccan merchant seafarers’ union, guilty last week of comparably minor offences.

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image: India FPS Haldia freight forwarder container NVOCC TEO logisti shippers LCL

FPS Network Member Opens in Kolkata

INDIA - LCL Logistix, the Indian member of the Famous Pacific Shipping (FPS) network of independent freight forwarders and NVOCC’s has recently opened its third container freight station (CFS) in Haldia, near Kolkata Port on India's east coast. The new facility and all of its equipment is owned outright by LCL. The new terminal facility has an annual capacity of 25,000 TEU, and is designed to comply with the requirements of India's largest and most discriminating industrial shippers.

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image: Mexico US Con-way multimodal rail freight intermodal road haulage trucking logistics

Mexico Targeted for Multimodal Growth

NORTH AMERICA – MEXICO - Con-way Truckload and Con-way Multimodal, two subsidiaries of US road and rail freight haulage and global logistics company Con-way Inc., recently announced the launch of a new intermodal product that integrates the strengths and capabilities of both organisations with a view to servicing the North American market. While the new service will work with all major Class 1 railroads and offer full nationwide service for intermodal moves, Con-way is anxious to emphasize a unique capacity and differentiated capability for US - Mexico trade.

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image: Chalkis Greece freight vessels container shipping port pollution robot sinking ships cranes Thames

New Technology Can Prove a Lifesaver for Foundering Vessels Whilst Shoals of Robots Comb the Seas

EUROPE – WORLDWIDE – The host of photographs posted on the internet for the arrival of the giant cranes built and delivered by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) to the new container shipping port on the Thames prompted a heated discussion in the Handy Shipping Guide Offices regarding the safety of moving such tall, top heavy pieces as ocean cargo and the implications, for safe passage, unloading, insurance etc. It brought to mind recent developments, unveiled last week, of the sea trials on a system being designed over the past couple of years to prevent vessels sinking or to recover ships which had foundered.

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image: London Gateway container shipping port cranes China freight

Chinese Vessel Crawls Up a Misty Thames with First Tranche of Quay Furniture

UK - Our photo shows the first sight of new cranes sailing up through the Thames as they loomed out of the mist past Leigh on Sea early this morning headed to the new, giant container shipping port that will be London Gateway. DP World’s new baby, intended to be Britain’s newest and most influential deep-sea container port, will take delivery of three giant quay cranes today when the freighter Zhen Hua 26 sails up the Thames on the final leg of the cranes’ three month voyage from China.

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image: UK staff Europe freight shipping and logistics UPS TNT PostNL

Worldwide Appointments and Departures

WORLDWIDE –President of freight and logistics group UPS International Dan Brutto will retire at the end of April. Jim Barber, current president of UPS Europe, will succeed Brutto and in his new position, Barber will join UPS's Management Committee, comprised of the company's 10 most senior shipping executives.

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