Shipping Search - Archive

Ten Year Extension on 3PL Distribution

UK - US aircraft manufacturer Boeing and Schenker Limited, the UK arm of German logistics provider DB Schenker, have signed a ten-year contract extension which will see Schenker continue to manage Boeing’s parts distribution facility at London’s Heathrow airport.

Expansion Planned Into Renewable Energy Support

N.IRELAND – Belfast Harbour has published its new Corporate Plan for 2011-2013, detailing plans to invest £92m in projects to improve Belfast’s Port and Harbour Estate. The single largest investment is a £40m proposal to develop a logistics terminal to support Danish-based DONG Energy’s offshore wind farm operations in the Irish Sea in order to boost the city’s ‘green economy’.

Transport Secretary Tirelessly Campaigns for Safer Driving

US – The Handy Shipping Guide mailboxes are jammed every day with the unfortunate accidents which are one of the penalties of working in a freight and haulage based environment. Seemingly endless fatalities caused by trains and trucks however are rarely inevitable and in amongst the chaos come voices of sanity.

Smaller Than Expected Rise Still Sign for Optimism

FINLAND/ SOUTH AFRICA – Crane and container handling equipment manufacturer Konecranes has posted slightly smaller than anticipated profits for the first quarter of 2011, with Q1 figures stating the company has made just over $27 million (18.5 million Euros) operating profits in the January-to-March period.

Ray of Hope for Troubled Giant

USA – American freight and logistics giant YRC Worldwide has stated that they have made significant progress in talks concerning the financial restructuring of the company.

Members Call For Greater Clarity on Manifesto Commitments

SCOTLAND – Ahead of the Thursday elections for the Scottish Parliament the UK’s Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK (CILT) has called for the political parties involved to address concerns that the organisation’s membership have regarding the future of Scotland’s transport infrastructure.

Last Quarter Improvement as 3PL's Pass on Increased Fuel Costs

US – Latest figures for C.H. Robinson, one of the largest third party logistics providers in the country show a marked improvement in the freight market over the past quarter. Robinson’s have a customer base exceeding 36,000 who access their three main services - multimodal transport, fresh produce sourcing and fee-based information supply.

Seventeen Ton Steel Plant Machinery Delivered Without Hitch

Germany/Brazil - Agility, has successfully delivered an over-dimensional, 17.8-ton gas holder diaphragm from Germany to Brazil to a newly established steel mill in Brazil operated by ThyssenKrupp CSA.

Shanghai Back In Business

CHINA –Strikes undertaken by Chinese truck drivers in Shanghai are reported to have been wound down on Sunday after the local government ordered container shipping and freight distribution centres to cancel or reduce fees for unloading containers, road tolls, and night-time loading.

Government Measures May Prove Too Little Too Late to Prevent Spread

CHINA – For the first time today the official Chinese media have mentioned the fact that there has been serious unrest in Shanghai as truck drivers struck in protest over spiralling costs. Freight deliveries to the port were at a standstill after the stoppages started on Wednesday and numbers of protestors continued to grow. The natural reticence of the authorities to accept and publicise the situation has exacerbated the problem and now the latest moves to normalise the haulage of cargo to and from the port are under criticism.

European Consortium Get EU Funding

EUROPE – A group of nine partners have formed a consortium and, with the aid of research funds from the EU, intend to improve every aspect of the next generation of batteries for use in cars, vans and small trucks. Such vehicles (EV’s) are becoming more common for urban freight deliveries as evidenced by our many previous *stories.

Stobart Splits Up and Sells Off

UK – The Stobart Group, who saw the funeral of ex boss Eddie last week, are best known for road haulage operations and their iconic green and red trucks but, since their amalgamation with property group Westbury they have moved away from a road freight operation into cargo by rail and latterly into airports, property and even biomass fuel technology.

Maximum Attention to be Paid to Emissions and Fuel Consumption

UK – SOUTH KOREA – WORLDWIDE – The past few decades have seen a huge readjustment of industry as the heavy engineering sector has become increasingly important to emerging economies. Today, in a move which reinforces Korea’s position as the largest global supplier of container ships, tankers and bulk freight vessels, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA) signed a Co-operation Agreement at the IMO’s London Headquarters, for implementation of a pioneering technical co-operation project on Building Capacities in East Asian countries to address Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) from Ships.

Garuda Optimistic After Ruling but Many More Still Up for Prosecution

INDONESIA – UAE – NEW ZEALAND – News from Garuda Indonesia this week is all good, the national carrier was informed yesterday by the New Zealand Commerce Commission that all charges over its potential prosecution for air cargo cartel activity were to be dropped after alleged collusion on air freight fuel surcharges with twelve other carriers came to light as covered here previously.

Full Details of Scheme Now Available

UK - Leading trade bodies and the professional institute in the logistics sector have joined with the sector skills council to welcome the launch of government-funded apprenticeships in logistics from 6 April 2011 and to urge employers to make best use of them as part of a continuous professional development programme.The Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association and The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTUK) have joined with Skills for Logistics to urge employers in the logistics sectors to ‘claim their share’ of available funding and make best use of the nine apprenticeships on offer by building them into their skills development programmes.

Transit Times Reduced to Sixteen Countries

EUROPE – Freight and logistics group GEFCO UK has launched a new daily departure and delivery service from the UK to fifteen countries across Europe, with enhanced journey times and cost efficiencies. GEFCO say they have the largest privately owned overland network in Europe and the new EuroDaily service makes full use of this.

Counterfeiters Also Hit in Drive Against Corruption

PHILIPPINES – This month has seen the Bureau of Customs tighten controls after discovering numerous freight forwarding agents and importers are under declaring shipping rates for import cargo thus depriving the authorities of duty and tax revenues. Until recently, mere photocopies of the bill of lading submitted by the importer or broker were accepted by customs assessment personnel as valid supporting documents for import entry declarations on cargo in containers.

MOL Group Provide Help and Investment

JAPAN – WORLDWIDE – Container Line and multimodal freight operator Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) tell us how their ocean cruise ship, the Fuji Maru, has successfully returned to Tokyo after a weeks tour around ports in the Iwate Prefecture following the provision of free day-use services such as meals, baths, and rest to almost four and a half thousand people suffering as a result of the Tohoku (Pacific Ocean Earthquake). Now the Japanese shipping giant has revealed the details of their latest joint venture in the bulk shipping market.

Expanding Market Leads to Bi Weekly Trailer Runs

WESTERN EUROPE – IRAQ – After extensive trialling UK freight forwarder has launched guaranteed twice-weekly express road trailer services between Western Europe and Iraq from the company’s terminals in Dortmund and Basildon to the hub of their agents Mateen Express in Erbil.

Global Coverage of Temperature Sensitive Cargo

WORLDWIDE – Swiss freight forwarders and supply chain suppliers Panalpina have got together with Swedish cool-chain logistics specialist Envirotainer and achieved their latest accreditation of twenty locations, almost half of which are in Asia, as Qualified Envirotainer Provider’s (QEP’s). Panalpina now has a total of forty-three Envirotainer accredited locations in twenty-seven countries to meet the soaring demand for forwarding temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals across the globe.

War Machine Also Provides Humanitarian Relief

US – AUSTRALIA – JAPAN – The world of freight and logistics is a broad church which encompasses many chapters but military carriers face a particular set of problems. This week Boeing was pleased to witness an agreement signed between the US government and the Commonwealth of Australia to acquire a fifth Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifter. The giant plane is required by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to assist in delivering a variety of cargo to the ever increasing list of humanitarian and disaster relief missions. The company also reported they supported the Australian Army’s 27 Bell 206B-1 Kiowa helicopters during the recent relief effort in Queensland.

ATA Publish Annual Statistical Report

US – The latest edition of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) statistical compendium is now available for purchase. The publication “Trends – American Trucking Trends 2011” provides a breakdown of a multitude of facts about the current condition of the road freight industry across the country. ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said:

'Running the Marathon' can have Different Contexts

UK – Anyone who witnessed the Virgin London Marathon yesterday will understand that a bobbing sea of humanity consisting of 35,000 souls dressed as everything from Zorro to bananas and David Bedford lookalikes can be pretty impressive. Not as impressive perhaps as the effort needed to transport the kit bags which every competitor needs at such a gruelling event from start to finish line, a job undertaken yet again by CEVA Logistics.

Meanwhile However Attacks Continue Unabated

UAE – SOMALIA – WORLDWIDE – The United Arab Emirates has revealed the amount of funds they are to make available to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Trust Fund for the purpose of countering the threat of piracy. The Emirates have promised $1.4million at the commencement today of the anti piracy conference being attended by over fifty countries. The threat to freight and passenger vessel’s is seen as a very real threat to the Arab states’ credibility as an ocean borne global trade hub.

Twenty Seven Agents Under Investigation

NIGERIA – With the eyes of the world are fixed on a country in the grip of election fever, according to local press reports a major investigation by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) is under way after several local freight forwarding agencies were accused of forging import documents to enable shipping containers to pass into the country without being scanned. Recently local agents have claimed goods are being cleared much faster than previously and cynics say fraud may be the reason why.

Warwickshire Firm Invests Three Quarters of a Million Pounds

UK – A leading distributor of port and terminal equipment for Finnish manufacturer Konecranes has expanded its short-term rental fleet with a £750,000 investment in four new heavy lifting machines. Cooper Specialised Handling has added 45 tonne laden reach stackers, a 25 tonne lift truck with fixed frame for either fork lift or 20’ box handling (aimed at the UK container waste market) and finally a dedicated unladen model 108, empty reach stacker.

Asia Shipping Group Opens Two New South American Offices

BRAZIL – It seems its all happening in South America today, headquartered in São Paulo and already with eight other countrywide offices, plus Asian and other South American facilities, freight forwarder Asia Shipping Transportes Internacionais has announced it has opened two new branches, in Belo Horizonte and Manaus whilst also launching a project cargo service.

Two Big Names Tighten Ties Further

SOUTH AMERICA – DUBAI – A mutual collaboration between Dubai based freight forwarder GAC and Buenos Aires port service and trucking company Ultramar Logistics has been extended. The existing agreement now includes GAC Energy & Marine Services LLC (GEMS) and Ultramar Logistics joining forces to offer integrated logistics solutions to the oil, gas and mining sectors.

Denmark First to Ratify IMO Convention

UK – DENMARK – WORLDWIDE – Denmark is the first country to step forward and sign, subject to ratification, the Protocol of 2010 to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (HNS) 1996. Once again the international shipping community at Government level has been considered by many to be extremely slow to accept its responsibility for pollution caused by the carriage of freight known to be dangerous to the environment and this represents a real step forward for the industry.

CV Show Gives Manufacturers a Chance to Shine

UK – Two companies which appeared at this weeks Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham offer differing solutions to the same problem. With more and more freight haulage companies and other light commercial vehicle users concentrating on increased fuel costs and better emissions much attention is being focused on the state of play regarding all electric and hybrid power vans and trucks.

Materials Handling Firm to Present New Items at German Exhibition

GERMANY – Materials handling specialist Jungheinrich intend to present a number of innovative products, services and system solutions at the forthcoming CeMAT 2011 exhibition in Hannover. The intralogistics* show will feature the company’s warehouse navigation system for use in wide aisles. The wide-aisle system employs a proprietary tracking system which directs the forklifts around the distribution centre for the collection and delivery of freight in the most time efficient and environmentally conscious way.

French Box Shippers Win Plaudits from Supermarket Group

UK – Marseille based CMA CGM say they are delighted after being awarded three separate accolades by ASDA, the supermarket chain which since 1999 has been a subsidiary of US retail giant, Walmart. The French container shipping line which has freight contracts with ASDA won the award for Outstanding Customer Service and was named International Carrier of the Year and, most importantly, ASDA’s Carrier of the Year.

Commercial Drivers Warned Motorway Also Affected

BULGARIA – Heavy snow across parts of the country has caused several road closures and, with more bad weather forecast, the Agency for Road Infrastructure have declared the Beklemeto Pass, also known as the Troyan or Troyan-Karnare pass, closed to commercial freight vehicles.

Swedish Operator Seals the Deal with PTS

UK – SWEDEN – Back in September 2009 GreenCarrier International announced they were moving into a new phase of the company’s development. “GreenCarrier is in expansion mode….Our network is growing and will continue to do so” said Björn Eklund, partner in owners the Björk Eklund Group. This week the company announced it had acquired its long term British partner; Ipswich based Scandinavian road freight specialists PTS UK.

Medline now have their Head in the Cloud

US – This week Medline Industries Inc, which manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals and other healthcare related facilities, announced they had selected GT Nexus to provide the medical products company with an enhanced global logistics management platform. The group currently delivers products using various freight and shipping interests with domestic traffic moving via their own fleet of over two hundred trucks and vans plus sub contract haulage companies, operating from the company’s thirty two distribution centres.

Danish Group Continue to Clean Up Their Act

SINGAPORE – WORLDWIDE – The morass of shipping events and discussions under way in Singapore this week which we mentioned in our article yesterday have produced at least one valuable result. Container shipping giant Maersk Line has today announced its active participation in the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative by committing to switching to low-sulphur fuel. Since its first fuel switch in 2006 in California, Maersk Line has advocated for sulphur reductions beyond regulatory requirements, and for establishing a level playing field in partnership with ports, authorities, shipping lines and customers.

European Links Extended by Box Carrier

UK- BELGIUM – NETHERLANDS – Tomorrow will see the first arrival at Teesport of a BG Freight Line vessel on that company’s extended sailing schedule between England, Scotland and the Benelux countries. BG Freight, part of the Peel Ports Group, established a weekly service between Teesport and Rotterdam in April 2009 and added a second service in March 2010. Now this new service, the third weekly service into Teesport by BG Freight Line, will link the north-east UK port with Antwerp as well as Rotterdam and the container carrier expects the direct service from Antwerp will prove especially popular.

Nominations Announced for the 2011 MAN Everywoman Prizes

UK – The shortlist for the 2011 MAN everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards have been announced and with disparate categories from truck drivers to directors and trainers to environmentalists, the finalists range right across the haulage, warehousing, supply and service sectors.

Merseyside a Winner in the great Government Lottery

UK – On a day when Business Secretary Vince Cable explained the purpose behind the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, the Mersey Multimodal Gateway (3MG) partnership revealed it has secured £9 million of the cash to expand the freight park as part of the Liverpool City Region Superport Strategy. The money is partially to be used to develop rail infrastructure to encourage the switch from road haulage to general cargo and container freight by rail carriage.

Electrical Manufacturer Signs New Three Year Deal

UK – Yesterday in an article we mentioned how Rene Falch Olesen, Managing Director of DSV Road said he felt 13 – 14% of customers would inevitably fall away from a freight and logistics supplier during an average year, so to keep a customer for over a decade then see them sign a new three year contract amidst praises from the supplier is worth a mention, and such is the case of electrical manufacturer Glen Dimplex and their haulage contractors of choice TDG.

Sea Asia Event Opens Today

SINGAPORE – With a suitable fanfare for such a spectacular setting the 3rd biennial Sea Trade Asia event started off this morning and was seen to be bigger and better than ever. The trade show naturally attracts all the major forces in shipping and ocean freight transport, based as it is in a region where the industry is a key player in economic welfare and is seen by many analysts as a barometer of the Asian economy overall.

Commission Proposes Tax Charges on Energy and Emissions

EUROPE – Those who believe that there are powers within the European Commission who crave a ‘super state’ will claim to have more evidence this week after a speech given by Algirdas Šemeta, EU Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union to the European Tax Policy Forum and Centre for European Policy Studies during which he revealed details of a proposal to put before the Commission which will strike fear into the freight community, particularly those involved in the road haulage sector.

Support for Major Events From DHL

WORLDWIDE – It might seem that we are seeing a surprising new queen of the catwalk as freight group DHL announced this week it would be both supporting Fashion Fringe during the London Fashion Week in September and the company has also been appointed the official logistics partner for Vivienne Westwood's international shoe exhibition roadshow. In fact the company has a pedigree going back fifty years in this very particular market.

DSV Boss Offers a Recipe for the Future of the Industry

WORLDWIDE – Lots of news from global freight and logistics provider DSV this week who spoke at length to the Handy Shipping Guide at the Multimodal 2011 exhibition about the changing faces of ocean and airfreight as well as the international road haulage services it is now known for in Europe. The group, which employs around 21,000 staff across the offices it has in over sixty countries, is well placed to gauge the state of the supply chain from manufacturer through to delivery of the cargo to the consignee’s door.

BIMCO Diploma is Child of Today's Technology

WORLDWIDE – The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) which represents 65% of the world’s merchant ocean freight and passenger fleets, has teamed up with Videotel , maritime computer based training specialists and the largest multi-media producer of maritime safety training software which is used on over 10,000 vessels, to produce and launch a brand new BIMCO eLearning Diploma Programme (BeDP).

IRHA set Deadline for Government

IRELAND – Following their meeting on Saturday members of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) have issued a threat to the Department of Transport that, should they fail to convene a meeting between the two parties next week, strike action will paralyse freight movements across the country.

The An-225 Carries Vital Equipment to Japanese Disaster Scene

US - JAPAN - GERMANY – Surely never can the sole An-225 operated by Antonov Airlines of Russia have been as busy as it is this month. The largest heavy lift airborne freight carrier in the world seems to have been working non stop lately, unfortunately almost exclusively shipping cargo destined to aid different disaster scenarios across the globe.

Whose Been Hired and Who Retired

US - Frank Larkin has rejoined Crowley Maritime Corporation at their Jacksonville, Florida headquarters as vice president of sales and customer care for the company's liner services and logistics groups. Larkin will lead the domestic and international sales efforts for Crowley's container and break bulk freight shipping services in the Caribbean Basin and the company's worldwide logistics services. Larkin received his Bachelor's in Economics, cum laude, from Boston College and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Hong Kong Now Allows Entry for Vessel which Exceeded Maximum Levels

JAPAN - CHINA – At around 1800 hours on the 16th March, some four days after the Japanese earthquake, the Mitsui OSK (MOL) line vessel MOL Presence passed just within 125 kilometres of the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant en route to Tokyo from Oakland, California. No-one realised at that time that the vessel and her 4000 or so containers loaded with freight were being inadvertently subjected to abnormally high radiation levels. On the 15th March the Japanese Coast Guard issued a precautionary notification for vessels to avoid the area by only 30 Kilometres and a similar US notice advised a 80 kilometre exclusion zone.

Increased Fuel and Other Costs are an Unknown However

US - A national survey of freight carriers undertaken by transportation analysts Transport Capital Partners, LLC (TCP)which has offices in Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia has found that freight haulage companies amongst others are optimistic that tonnage levels will grow over the next twelve months. The recent First Quarter Business Expectations Survey completed by the group found 92% of respondents expecting volume increases in the coming year.

Narrow Aisle Flexi Reach Record Sales

UK – WORLDWIDE – Speaking to the Handy Shipping Guide at the Multimodal freight and logistics exhibition in Birmingham this week Flexi Narrow Aisle confirmed that sales of their British built range of articulated fork lift trucks were at an all time high. Manufactured close to the site of the international show at the company’s production facility at Tipton in the West Midlands this increased demand is coming not only from the home market but also from overseas.

Irish Hauliers to Vote Tomorrow

IRELAND - The 38th Annual General Meeting of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) which takes place tomorrow will see the trucker’s representative’s vote on a motion to withdraw their services nationwide in protest at the Governments failure to address the impact of rising fuel costs on their business. Delegates representing over a thousand freight and haulage companies throughout the country will also debate and vote on a motion to withhold VAT and Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI) payments until the Government responds to its call to introduce a fuel duty rebate.

Boeing delighted by Further Orders from the Middle East

US – QATAR – Boeing confirm they have received an order for three of their 777 freighters which have been sold to Qatar Airways. The cargo carriers will be added to the Qatari fleet of twenty five 777’s, two of which are the long range freight version. The 777 Freighter order was previously accounted for on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website as unidentified in 2010.

CMA CGM Achieve AEO Status throughout Europe

EUROPE – Ocean container freight specialists CMA CGM Group has announced that all its UK-based agencies have now received the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) certification, aimed at improving the quality, safety, and reliability levels of the global supply chain. To date, AEO status has been awarded to 13 regional offices of the Group in Romania, Finland, Italy, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Latvia, France, Germany (on which the agencies in Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia also depend), Ireland and Hungary.

Curse of the Clann Na nOilean continues

IRELAND – A week ago we wrote of the unfortunate case of the MV Pantanal, the heavy lift vessel which grounded in Cashla Bay, Connemara, County Galway after a particularly low neap tide whilst she was en route to freight two ferries for Mauritius which had been sold by auction.

Sarkozy Finally Gives the Go Ahead to Seine-Nord Waterway

FRANCE – Battle lines are being drawn up by those in the rail freight sector after this week’s announcement that the much mooted plan for a canal linking Paris to the North Sea ports via the Belgian system of waterways is to proceed. With an estimated cost of €4.5 billion the canal is being touted as a major carbon saver aiming to take half a million trucks off the roads of France, in truth the 4,000 tonne barges are likely to affect the track borne logistics of the country to a far greater degree.

No Tuition Fees for Talented Prospective Students

GERMANY – Anyone who wishes to undertake a formal route into a management position in freight forwarding or logistics will be interested in the latest announcement from the Kühne Logistics University (KLU), a university of logistics and management in the HafenCity docklands area of Hamburg, which is this year awarding scholarships for its two international master’s study programs, the MSc in Global Logistics and the MSc in Management, for students starting in the winter semester of 2011.

Milton Keynes Loss is Daventry's Gain

UK – As we predicted in our article last month Tesco have confirmed they will commence operations in the second phase of the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT II) shortly. The company already operate within the first stage in cooperation with their current freight and transport suppliers including Stobart. Rail freight facilities are operated at Daventry by several companies including Direct Rail Services (DRS) and Freightliner (UK) and it is home to distribution hubs for companies ranging from Royal Mail to Mothercare.

New Cargo Centre Opens Up The East and Parcels Division Continues to Offer Green Credentials

UKRAINE – GERMANY - DHL Freight today commenced operations using 20,000 square metres of the newly constructed logistics centre and freight terminal near Kiev in the village of Kalinovka. The new facility will serve as a main gateway for DHL Freight’s network in Eastern Europe, especially the Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. With seventeen docking banks available for their trucks DHL say they invested to “assure best-in-class transport and warehouse services for our current customers and to ready ourselves for the continued growth in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe overall”, according to Piotr M. Sikorski, Managing Director DHL Freight Poland & Ukraine.

Cumbria and Teeside to Witness Significant Developments

UK – Ports are flavour of the month at the moment for the freight investment community, with news of DP World’s development in the Thames ongoing and numerous other schemes to enhance the supply chains throughout different regions, three partners have this week used the Multimodal 2011 freight and logistics exhibition to draw attention to two very significant developments to promote intermodal container operations at ports in Northern England.

BA and Cargolux Fined whilst American Airlines Cargo Open New Route

NEW ZEALAND – US – HUNGARY – The fines levied on British Airways Cargo and Cargolux for their part in the New Zealand air freight cartel scandal mentioned in our article last month have now been determined and published. BA have been fined NZ$1.6 million and Cargolux fined NZ$4.6 million for their part in the affair after Qantas accepted a NZ$6.5 million penalty in March. Both airlines will also have to pay costs.

Maersk Join Virgin in Undersea Adventure

WORLDWIDE – Container shipping giant Maersk Line has stepped up to sponsor the Virgin Oceanic Expedition (VOE) designated to explore the deepest points of the world's five oceans. Subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approvals Maersk will provide logistical support in addition to the funding it has already provided for scientific equipment used in the expedition to collect and analyse samples from the submarine dives and catamaran voyages and may transport the specially designed submarine plus support equipment.

First UK Order for Konecranes RTG's as Port Group Push on with Environmental Agenda

UK –FINLAND – PD Ports has placed an order with Konecranes for four RTG (rubber tired gantry) cranes, the first Konecranes handling equipment of this type to be delivered to the UK. PD Teesport’s container terminal capacity is currently being expanded from 235,000 TEU to 450,000 TEU as part of the group’s intention to expand port wide capacity as freight volumes grow to at least 650,000 TEU. The 16-wheel RTG’s have a lifting capacity of 50 tonnes and can stack 1-over-5 containers high and 6 plus truck lane wide.

New Boss Will face a Difficult Time

WORLDWIDE – With the current problems facing the world of maritime trade the election of a new Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) this year will be of particular importance to the freight and passenger carrying community. Shipping faces several major concerns globally, not least the ever growing threat of piracy and its tendency to increased violence plus a potential fuel crisis and a constant need to improve the freight industry’s environmental credentials with the twin threats of chemical and biological emission hazards.

British and American Joint Project to Assess Vessel Design

US – UK – Houston based international marine classification society ABS has joined forces with independent assurance experts Lloyds Register to announce the release of jointly-developed software that will be used to assess freight vessels, specifically bulk carriers and oil tankers designed to comply with IACS Common Structural Rules (CSR). The common software draws upon the technical strengths of ABS and Lloyd's Register and will be used to evaluate new designs presented to either society.

Post Earthquake Repairs Permit Revived Timetable

US – HAITI- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – PUERTO RICO – Florida based Crowley Maritime Corp announced this week that it is to reinstate the twice weekly container freight service by renewing its second fixed-day sailing to Port-au-Prince from Rio Haina and Port Everglades, with immediate effect, to better meet the needs of customers shipping to Haiti from the Dominican Republic and South Florida.

Better Technology Means 20% Savings in Cost and Emissions

UK – When first introduced polythene shrink covers, used to both secure a freight consignment to a pallet and protect it from the elements and also possible pilferage or damage, were little short of a revelation, just as shrink film on a roll had been a generation earlier. Suppliers and logistics companies alike were quick to seize an opportunity and now Polythene UK, the largest broker of polythene film and bags in the Britain, has launched a new range of polythene shrink covers available in their new ‘Polylite’ material which promises to deliver 20% in costs savings and 20% in carbon reductions for the user.

E Logs are Becoming Accepted at Last

US – The country’s truckers pride themselves on being amongst the most professional in the world and yet, synonymous with any industry as large as that of freight haulage in North America sometimes change is slow to come, no matter how beneficial.

Novodata to Launch Card Reading Solution

UK - Essex based Novadata which provides training and support services for commercial vehicle drivers plus products for hauliers, is to launch a new software solution for reading haulage drivers tachometer cards called TachoTEK. The product can be seen at this month’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the company stand. Truck and bus drivers will be able to display read-out and print data from their driver cards and can also be used display and manage data for any number of drivers and vehicles.

'Don't be a Tosser' Campaign Aimed at Slovenly Habits

UK – According to the BBC the Road Haulage Association (RHA) is conducting a campaign against freight hauliers who throw bottles of urine from truck cab windows after being caught short on Britain’s major roads. The problem has been highlighted on the A14 route to Felixstowe, the country’s busiest port and haulage companies with shipping container traffic bound for export say lack of facilities mean ‘amber bottles’ are simply tossed from the rigs.

Sometimes Nature Sends us a Reminder

SOUTH AFRICA – 2011 may well be the year the world remembers as the one when everything stopped due to natural disasters as so far we have seen a catalogue of unforeseen catastrophe’s affect the freight industry and so much more besides. Some things however never change and windy conditions have resulted in cargo operations being halted at container depots in Cape Town as shipping companies struggled to maintain ocean freight schedules.

Famous Pacific Develop Project Cargo Arm

SRI LANKA – The mood in the country has changed vastly over the past few months and the ending of Sri Lanka's 30-year ethnic war in May 2009 has created an atmosphere so welcoming to infrastructure investments that Famous Pacific Shipping Lanka (Pvt) Ltd , a member of the Famous Pacific Shipping Group, will launch an independent heavy lift and project cargo arm from this week to provide strategic logistics support for the island’s reconstruction.

Barloworld and Ship-Log Tie Up

SOUTH AFRICA – DENMARK – WOIRLDWIDE – Barloworld Logistics, the South African supply chain specialist says it has enhanced its performance in Europe with a formal tie up with Danish freight group Ship-Log. The cooperation already enjoyed by the two has prompted them to confirm a mutual agency agreement.

Ex CMA CGM Executive Heads up New Venture

FRANCE – The long established freight forwarding group, Martin Bencher, whose pedigree dates back to the UK in 1881before becoming a force in the Chinese market from their new base in Denmark over a decade ago, opened a new Marseille office today. The new venture is headed up by Mr. Floris Schorsch who has a background in project forwarding having previously led that department for container shipping giant CMA CGM from their own Marseille headquarters.

CEC Says More Cooperation Needed

US – CANADA – MEXICO – A new report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), a multimodal organization established by the United States, Canada and Mexico in 1994 as part of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has urged cross border cooperation to improve the efficiency of truck and rail freight services in the region and improvements to supply chain infrastructure.