Shipping Search - Archive

May 2014

image: UK Japan freight vessel chemical tanker jury Swanland Shoku Maru

Terrible End for Two Vessels on Opposite Sides of the Planet

UK – JAPAN – An inquest jury has returned a verdict of ‘misadventure’ in the case of the sunken freight vessel Swanland which experienced a catastrophic structural failure when heading directly into rough seas off the Llyn peninsula, in November, 2011. This news comes as another vessel, the chemical tanker, Shoko Maru, has foundered in Japanese waters, following a massive explosion and a subsequent fire leaving one person missing.

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image: Angola Ghana Nigeria Indonesia piracy hijack product cargo oil tanker Orapin 4 Kerala

Singapore Straits Proving the New Hot Spot for Hijacks

ANGOLA – GHANA – NIGERIA – INDONESIA – Two major pieces of piracy related news this week as the Liberian Registry (LISCR) has now concluded its investigation into the hijacking of the product tanker Kerala off Luanda, Angola, on January 18, earlier this year, whilst the Thai registered product tanker, Orapin 4 has gone missing, presumed hijacked, in a similar incident to that of the Kerala but this time taking place off the coast of Indonesia. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has confirmed the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and it seems that, once again a ship may have been seized with the intention of stealing her cargo of oil.

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image: China NileDutch Netherlands export import freight container shipping line TEU West Africa

Naming Ceremony Sees First Vessel Ready to Join Fleet

CHINA – NETHERLANDS – WEST AFRICA – Established container shipping line NileDutch which for over 30 years has been providing liner services between West African ports and destinations including Europe, South Africa, South America and Asia, has held a naming ceremony in Shanghai for the first of four 3,510 TEU new build vessels. The company’s strong West African network has prompted the commissioning of the custom designed box carriers to upgrade its import/export freight services to and from the region.

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image: UK France cycling logistics freight forwarder Woodland Essex disabled Panathlon

Gruelling Cross Channel Cycling Event to Help Disabled Kids and Accident Victims

UK – FRANCE – During the recent Bank Holiday Weekend, a 21 strong team of cyclists from Essex based freight forwarder, the Woodland Group, successfully cycled the 285 mile route from London to Paris, all in aid of their two chosen charities – Panathlon and the Essex Air Ambulance, under the guise of ‘Logistics in Lycra’. At the time of writing Woodland had so far raised over £22,500.

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image: UK freight forwarding shipping logistics supply chain

Who has Gone Where in the Supply Chain

FRANCE – Starting this week’s staff movements in the freight forwarding and shipping industry with the announcement that CMA CGM has appointed Rodolphe Saadé as Vice Chairman Executive Officer, thereby making him second-in-command of the Group, in line with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jacques R. Saadé’s desire for his son to succeed him when the time comes. Jacques Saadé’s Daughter Tanya Saadé Zeenny has also been appointed as an Executive Officer in addition to her role as General Secretary. These appointments ‘reaffirm the family dimension of the Group’.

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image: Russia port container freight train Maglev Hermann Kemper

Partnership with Power Giant to Construct Test Track in Port

RUSSIA – State owned nuclear power company Rosatom and Russian Railways (RZD) have signed an agreement to research and develop magnetic levitation (maglev) rail line for use specifically in container freight transportation. The first stage of the project will combine efforts to develop technical and technological solutions of the basic components, and elements of the transport system, with magnetic suspension. After working out the technical issues, there are plans to establish a 3 kilometre test system in the port of Ust-Luga. RZD President Vladimir Yakunin said:

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image: UK police seafarers general cargo ship Goole deaths Filipinos Suntis

Police Hand Over Investigation After Tragedy with No Suspicious Circumstances

UK – The mystery surrounding the illness and subsequent death of three men employed upon a general cargo ship whilst moored in the East Yorkshire port of Goole on the May 26th Bank Holiday continues. The three deceased, 60 year old German Gerd Jescheniak, and two 33 year old Filipinos Ferrer Punongayan and Jonathan Sanosa were aboard the German flagged Suntis, owned by Frank Hagenah Schiffahrt, and managed by Luise and Uwe Warnecke, all of Heiligenstedten, which was carrying timber when they became ill. The principals declined to comment whilst the investigation was proceeding.

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image: UK Yemen security piracy armed guards pirate raids freight vessel Dryad

New Charges and Regulations for On Board Armed Guards as One Major Intelligence and Personnel Provider Expands Operations

YEMEN – ASIA – THE AMERICAS – UK – In future the Yemeni Director of Operations and the National Center for Fighting Piracy must be informed of the names of anyone permitted to have weapons aboard any ship, together with copies of their passports, the specification of all arms, and the licence of the security company, its location and the number of its protection members. This information must be made available to the Coast Guard at least 72 hours before a vessel arrives at a Yemeni port together with the lodgement of a $2000 ‘safe deposit’ fee by the relevant port agency.

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image: Con-way road haulage freight truck fleet tractor unit automatic full load

Automatics Favoured for Reduced Fuel Consumption and Ease of Operation

US – Here at the Handy Shipping Guide we receive dozens of e mails every week telling of how road haulage outfits in numerous countries are investing in new equipment. Sadly space and time (and the fact that the news is often of little interest to our readers) precludes us from running these items. Occasionally however an order is of such magnitude it is worth more than a mention. Such is the case with Michigan full load freight haulier Con-way Truckload, a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. which is replacing almost a fifth of its 2,700 fleet of tractors this year, meaning an order for 550 new units.

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image: Germany logistics yearbook scam telex directory advertising freight and shipping

Beware Germans Offering Gifts and Always Read the Small Print

UK – GERMANY – WORLDWIDE – Another classic scam is doing the rounds, this one barely legal and a rehash of the old ‘telex directory’ con which many older freight and shipping stakeholders will remember. This latest is the offer to advertise an existing business in the ‘Logistics Yearbook’, a mythical tome which doubtless exists, if only in the minds of its publishers, or if to offer a veneer of legality, available in limited form. We found no trace on the internet under the domain name quoted and there are well over 800 domain names listed to the same IP address, advertising a range from sex to horsemanship websites.

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image: US maritime assets ocean freight maritime assets engineering Virginia docks shipyards BMT

New Course Designed to Optimise Maintenance of Maritime Assets

US – All those in a supply chain which includes an element of shipping by water, particularly ocean freight, blithely assume that standards at docks and shipyards will be maintained, without ever considering the depth of experience and the punishing workload needed to ensure the status quo is maintained. Now an Arlington, Virginia based company with branches throughout the East Coast and in Hawaii has devised a unique training programme to assist Port Engineers (PEs) with maximising investments in the repair and sustainment of their maritime assets, which may include a vast range of vessels and complex machinery.

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image: Typhoon Haiyan air freight carrier Virgin Atlantic Cargo Charity UNICEF Save the Children

Virgin Atlantic Steps Up to Help with Aid for Typhoon Haiyan Victims

PHILIPPINES – UK – The problem always faced by those responding to disaster is the short term memory which is a symptom of how the press tends to lump together the resultant human misery with other current affairs matters. Fortunately, even six months after the horrifying devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan one company in the air freight industry has been able to help those still suffering the aftermath of the storm as Virgin Atlantic Cargo stepped up to approach the UNICEF and Save the Children charities to offer capacity to the islands free of charge aboard four aircraft heading out from the UK for routine maintenance.

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image: Black Sea of shame merchant shipping seamen crew ports ITF

Crews Abused and Unseaworthy Ships are an Insult to Maritime Transport Industry

EUROPE – BLACK SEA – The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) on Monday launched a week of action from ports on the Black Sea to combat what an updated report from the organisation finds are still shocking levels of crew abuse and unseaworthy vessels which continue operate in the area two years after the ITF, and its affiliated unions in Black Sea countries, launched an intensive campaign to expose the shameful conditions for merchant seamen employed in the region.

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image: IMO emission technology ocean freight Maersk container line Polar Code Alfa Laval MAN turbo

Two Types of Pollution Scrubber Under the Spotlight to Maintain MARPOL Standards

WORLDWIDE – The recent 66th session of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at IMO Headquarters in London did more than decide changes to be made to the Polar Code as reported here previously. In a decision affecting ocean freight operators the MEPC adopted amendments to the MARPOL Convention to set a date for the implementation of ‘Tier III’ standards within emission control areas (ECAs) and to make the IMO Member State Audit Scheme mandatory. Now news reaches us of technology undergoing tests by Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping group to achieve such levels whilst still using ‘regular’ fuel oil.

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image: Women in Logistics UK freight supply chain stakeholders Transaid charity

Buy a Ticket, Have a Good Time and Support Transport Charity - What's Not to Like?

UK – The Women in Logistics (WiL) Awards, whose finalists have just been announced, this year will serve two useful purposes, not only serving the primary role of promoting the female sex within the world of freight and the supply chain, but also again raising some much needed funds for industry charity Transaid which tackles poverty and disadvantage by building transport skills and disseminating knowledge to the developing world.

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image: Operation Safeway UK Metropolitan Police road haulage safety cyclist accident freight driver Exchanging Places scheme

As Police Ramp Up City Biking Programme There is an Alternative 'Good Cop' Policy Still Running for Those Bike Riders Who Care to Use It

UK – Many road haulage operators will welcome the news that the Metropolitan Police and Greater London Authority (GLA) have instituted the next phase of ‘Operation Safeway’, the programme to reduce accidents in which casualties and fatalities to cyclists occur. The scheme so far has produced thousands of fixed penalty notices, many for bike riders flaunting the law by riding on the pavements and jumping red lights etc. The policy is one half of the ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ technique with education and advice coming via the ‘Exchanging Places’ scheme which is designed to promote safer interaction between the two wheelers and those HGV drivers responsible for the freight and construction traffic in the city.

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image: HGV UK Volvo design a truck of the future

Volvo Seek to See How the Future Pans Out for HGVs

UK – For the big kid in us all, Volvo Trucks has announced a very special design competition to attract budding truck designers and engineers of the future of road transport to help celebrate the historic landmark of the 200,000th Volvo truck to be registered in the UK since the company began trading in the country in 1967. This challenging design competition, called Volvo Trucks: Truck of the Future 2050, is open to individuals of all ages and from all walks of life, with entries especially welcomed from drivers, operators and truck enthusiasts.

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image: Malta Luxembourg US UK staff appointments departures freight shipping

Changes at the Top for Cargo Only Airline Heads the List

LUXEMBOURG – We start this week’s appointment and management changes in the world of freight and shipping with the announcement that after only two months of working at Cargolux, Robert Song, Senior Vice President and Head of Asia & Pacific, has left his role at the cargo only airline with immediate effect. Prior to joining Cargolux, Song worked for Chinese aviation investor Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment, which now has a 35% stake in Cargolux, a deal which was orchestrated by Song. Cargolux also announced the promotion of Kevin Shek to Vice President Asia & Pacific, effective immediately.

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image: Danish maritime lobby IMO Polar Code 500 freight tonnes

Danish Maritime Lobby Praises Forthcoming Regulation Adoption

WORLDWIDE – According to the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has approved a new set of regulations to enhance safety of navigation and shipping in Arctic waters. The Polar Code, which after several years of intense negotiation is now a step closer to being internationally binding, will cover a wide range of aspects in the navigation of polar areas the Code will apply to passenger and cargo vessels exceeding 500 gross tonnes.

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image: Belgium Israel giraffe panda freight forwarding logistic puns air cargo China Malaysia

(and the Editor Accepts No Responsibility for the Lamentable Excess of Poor Puns in this Story....for once)

BELGIUM – ISRAEL – CHINA – MALAYSIA – The transport of animals, whether as land, sea or air cargo is usually a pain in the neck, often being a tall order and rarely black and white. This week has seen two successful movements of live cargo, with DHL Global Forwarding keen to show they were head and shoulders above the rest when assisting in the relocation of a giraffe from Liege, Belgium, to its new home at the Ramat Gan Safari in Tel Aviv, Israel, and air freight outfit MASkargo showing that they weren’t bamboozled when transporting a pair of giant pandas from China to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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image: UK freight transport logistics carbon emissions

Industry On Target to Achieve Proposed Savings

UK – The Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS) is the body representing a multitude of stakeholders which form the freight supply chain and which has a target of reducing carbon emissions by 8% by 2015 against a 2010 baseline. Managed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), the recent annual LCRS Cutting Carbon, Cutting Cost Conference saw the release of the ‘Logistics Carbon Review 2014’ which the FTA says indicates that the industry is on track to achieve this aim.

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image: US Finland Germany bulk freight cargo shipping container terminal mobile harbour crane rubber tyred gantry

Crane Manufacturers Announce Current Orders

GERMANY – FRANCE – FINLAND – US – Liebherr Maritime Cranes, the division of the Liebherr Group which specialises in bespoke cargo handling solutions for ports, as well as for the shipping and offshore industry has provided one of its Liebherr mobile harbour cranes (LHM) type LHM 550 to the single freight container and break bulk terminal operator at Montoir de Bretagne/Saint-Nazaire on the French Atlantic coast. For the buyer, Terminal du Grand Ouest (TGO), this is the first crane of the type and was selected for its durability and versatility.

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image: Sri Lanka fuel supply bunker merchant shipping GAC OM

Excise Rate Change and Additional Barges as Quality Claims Reduced

SRI LANKA – AUSTRALIA – PANAMA – WORLDWIDE – Various happenings in the world of merchant shipping fuel supply this week as GAC Bunker Fuels and its local partner in Sri Lanka, Interocean Energy (IOE), notify us they have moved the bunker barge MT ‘Kandy’ to Galle to meet growing demand for bunker supplies at the port on the southern tip of the island nation. Also there is to be a change to the fuel excise duty charge in Australia as from 1 August.

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image: Germany supply chain freight logistics accident statistics International Transport Forum Leipzig

Leipzig Ministerial Summit Looks to the Future and Expresses Concerns Over Accident Statistics

GERMANY – WORLDWIDE – Ministers from the 54 countries which make up the membership of the International Transport Forum (ITF) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have been holding their Annual summit in Leipzig and have made a couple of pronouncements having considered this year’s theme ‘Transport for a Changing World’. Although covering the many facets of the subject there are some points which have a particular relevance to the freight and logistics sector, recognising that major trade flow changes are reconfiguring supply chains throughout the world.

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image: Carrier Transicold ocean freight road haulage reefer container shipping

Manufacturer Recommends Simple Solution to Serious Problem

US – WORLDWIDE – The world of temperature controlled transport, whether it be via road or rail haulage or shipping ocean freight in a reefer container, always works with the spectre of illegal and unauthorised refrigerants being employed in the coolant systems and now Carrier Transicold, which supplies a complete line of equipment for refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers, has come up with an innovative anti-tamper system to eliminate the problem.

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image: UK freight forwarding EU China customs import export

Agreement Will Ease Trade and Customs Restrictions on Future Shipments

EUROPE – CHINA – With over €1 billion a day in bilateral trade any variance in agreements between the two affecting the import and export cooperation is big news. Last week there was a mutual recognition agreement between the EU and China which the UK’s forwarding lobby, in the form of the British International Freight Association (BIFA) has described as a ‘landmark’. The deal means that officially recognised ‘trusted traders’ will enjoy lower costs, simplified procedures and greater predictability in their activities.

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image: P3 Maersk Line container shipping line freight CMA CGM MSC

Delay Whilst More Regulatory Approvals Awaited as Maersk Q1 Figures Released

WORLDWIDE – On the same day that Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping group, releases its first quarter results, the members of the P3 alliance; Maersk, CMA CGM and MSC, have decided to delay the start of operations of the container shipping network. Originally planned to commence moving freight in mid-2014, sailings under the P3 network are now scheduled to start in autumn 2014 as the agreement is expected to get more regulatory approvals from other jurisdictions by then. Maersk Chief Executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen said:

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image: UK rail freight Westbahn 4th Railway Directive road haulage

New UK Report and Austrian Resignation Head the Weeks Track News

UK – AUSTRIA – EUROPE – Rail freight news this week includes comment on a recently released report claiming UK industry savings currently equate to £2.7 million per day as against road haulage, with operators planning to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in the country’s track sector, and a swipe by the Rail Freight Group’s (RFG) boss Lord Tony Berkeley, at European state rail interests for a recent pronouncement which the RFG says is aimed at not just maintaining the status quo as regards pricing privileges but sets things back by 10 or 20 years.

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image: US Panama flagged livestock carrier ocean freight prosecution oil pollution

Yet Another Operator Discharging Pollutants and Falsifying Oily Water Records

US – Another successful prosecution of an ocean freight carrier after Jordan-based Arab Ship Management pleaded guilty in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, to one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. In accordance with the terms of the plea agreement, Arab Ship Management was sentenced to pay a criminal penalty totalling $500,000 and was also placed on probation for two years, during which time ships operated by the company will be banned from calling on ports of the United States. US Attorney for the District of Delaware Charles Oberly III, said:

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image: Mission to Seafarers shipping industry charity port authority

Mission to Seafarers Branch Celebrates 90th Anniversary

SINGAPORE – In the year which sees the Singapore branch of the Mission to Seafarers (MtS) celebrate its 90th anniversary this historic occasion will be marked with an evening Reception on the 4th June hosted by the British High Commission and stakeholders of the shipping industry. The event is also timed to coincide with the formal opening ceremony on the preceding day of the Mission’s refurbished International Drop-in Centre (IDIC) for seafarers in Jurong Port, with special guest Ms Tan Beng Tee, Assistant CEO, from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

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image: UK road haulage operator freight group customs ferries

Nineteenth Edition of FTA Publication Now Available

UK – EUROPE – For the 19th year the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has published its annual edition of its always useful and ever popular European Road Transport Guide. The 444-page publication contains essential information for UK-based road haulage transport operators visiting 58 countries in the EU and beyond, including updated driving restrictions and public holidays, country details, customs and ferries information, and much more.

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image: UK France RoRo freight ferry cross channel Eurotunnel MyFerryLink SeaFrance

Last Chance to Have a Say in the Future of Seaborne Cross Channel Trade

UK – FRANCE – It seems the end may be in sight for the long running saga which began with the demise of cross channel freight and passenger ferry company SeaFrance back in January 2012. The phoenix rising from those particular ashes was RoRo operator MyFerryLink, basically a rescue plan funded by Channel tunnel operator Groupe Eurotunnel which was embraced by the French but which was subsequently knocked back as illegal by the UK’s Competition Commission last June after referral from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

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image: Abu Dhabi Ports Company Lloyd’s Register Maritime Training Centre

Abu Dhabi Port Site for Lloyd's Approved Facility

UAE – Abu Dhabi Ports Company’s (ADPC) Maritime Training Centre has been officially certified by Lloyd’s Register (LR) as an Approved Training Provider, making it the very first in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region to offer a range of maritime training courses to this international standard.

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image: London Gateway deep water container port logistics freight forwarding agents M&S

Two Major Distribution Centres for Forthcoming Logistics Park Despite Setback

UK – Good and bad news for DP World’s London Gateway deep water container port project this week with the news that as the contract to build the promised 375,000 square foot Common User Facility (CUF), a multi-purpose specialist cargo handling centre keenly awaited by the freight forwarding community, has been awarded whilst, following news of an overall fall in profits on general merchandise and fashion goods, Marks & Spencer has withdrawn from the undertaking it made this time last year to construct its own distribution unit on the proposed logistics park in the hinterland of the port.

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image: Netherlands UAE Dubai freight forwarding LCL reefer cold supply chain

Netherlands Features Heavily in Latest Advances

NETHERLANDS – CZECH REPUBLIC – UAE – JAPAN – INDIA – Cold chain news this week sees new services launched plus an appointment intended to improve the quality of temperature sensitive products in the Indian subcontinent. Firstly freight forwarding network members in Rotterdam and Prague have launched a trade-only, temperature-controlled ocean LCL reefer service for perishables to Dubai and Japan which the principals say will provide substantial savings for shipments up to twenty cubic metres.

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image: UK US drunk driver alcolock road haulage firm alcohol lock

Why Do We Still Wait for Alcolock Legislation which Could Save Thousands of Lives?

UK – US – Road safety charity Brake is urging employers to implement zero-tolerance policies on at-work drink- and drug-driving as a Brake and Licence Bureau survey finds fewer than half (44%) would dismiss an employee for driving over the legal alcohol limit. Meanwhile over in the US, an alliance of trucking associations are asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to close a loophole in the proposed drug and alcohol clearinghouse rule requiring employers to report all instances of misuse to the clearinghouse. With the increased dangers to innocents from the larger vehicles employed by road haulage firms, the industry should lead the drive to stamp out the practice.

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image: Malaysia freight forwarding network ocean cargo airfreight

Three Years of Uninterrupted Growth

MALAYSIA – WORLDWIDE – The third annual meeting of the Conqueror Freight Network in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month saw 117 members from 63 countries gather to celebrate the success of what has been called ‘the new kid on the block’ which now covers 214 cities in 105 countries by way of its audited partners.

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image: FIA Formula 1 freight forwarding supply chain green environmentally friendly logistics

Supply Chain Provider is Founding Partner for FIA Races

FRANCE – UK – WORLDWIDE – The recent contract undertaken by freight forwarding outfit DHL suits the logistics company’s aspirations to convey an environmentally friendly image despite being associated with a sport which historically was never perceived as particularly green. This month saw the shipment of the very first fully-electric Spark Renault SRT-01E race cars from Paris-based Spark Racing Technology to the new ‘Formula E’ headquarters and team facilities at Donington Park Racing Circuit in the UK. DHL, is not only the Official Logistics Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship but is actually a Founding Partner of this branch of motor sport.

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image: China freight rail link undersea tunnel Canada US

Could a Cargo Link Containing the World's Longest Undersea Tunnel Survive Economic and Political Pressures?

CHINA – RUSSIA – CANADA – US – According to Chinese state run media, discussions are being held on a possible 13,000 kilometre rail link to connect China to the US. The proposed route would run through eastern Siberia and cross the Bering Strait via a 200 kilometre underwater tunnel to resurface in Alaska where it would then travel through Canada before arriving in the contiguous United States. The entire trip would take two days with the train travelling at an average of 350 km per hour. Speaking to the Beijing Times, industry expert Wang Mengshu said he understood that discussions were ongoing and that Russia has been considering such a project for many years.

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image: CeMat 2014 Flexi narrow aisle forklift truck freight and logistics supply chain materials handling

Specialist Narrow Aisle Technology Reduces Warehouse Footprint

GERMANY – UK – As CeMAT 2014 gets under way in Hannover one specialist materials handling company will be revealing its latest generation of products to the thousands of freight and logistics related supply chain professionals attending the week-long event. Flexi Narrow Aisle, for over thirty years a world leader in the supply of very narrow aisle (VNA) equipment suited to optimising warehouse capacity is revealing the newest of its best-selling Flexi range of articulated forklift trucks.

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image: US Portland new build dry bulk vessel Coast Guard arrested freight maiden voyage

Maiden Voyage Suspended After Safety Concerns

US – In a strong showing that it’s not just older vessels that get arrested for safety violations, the 3 week old 39,700 dwt bulk freight carrier Strategic Synergy was detained earlier this week by the US Coast Guard in Portland, Oregon, on her maiden voyage, after discrepancies were discovered during a routine inspection of the newly constructed Singapore-flagged vessel. The ship is to remain in Portland until the numerous safety violations are corrected by the ship’s crew.

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image: UK forklift truck training safety education Mentor training investment risk management

Supply Chain Executives Should Reassess the Cost and Value of Investment in Staff Education

UK – A Director at Mentor Performance Risk Management, part of Mentor Training, which claims to be the country’s biggest forklift truck trainer, knows how to grab a headline, calling the trade-off between safety and profitability which many companies see as essential when it comes to investment in training, as being based on a ‘dangerous lie’ and presses the case for those with warehousing responsibilities in the supply chain to reassess the way they consider investment in staff education.

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image: UK shipping and freight forwarding road haulage staff appointments

Who is on the Move in Shipping and Forwarding and Supply Chain Sectors

UK – Leading this week’s staff movements for the shipping and forwarding/supply chain sectors is the news that Chief Executive of the Road Haulage Association, Geoff Dunning, has announced that he is to retire from the RHA on August 31, after five years at the helm. During his time leading the association, Dunning helped the RHA to grow into an extremely influential trade association. Although a successor has been appointed, the RHA are unable to announce his (the only known thing revealed) name due to administrative reasons.

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image: UK container shipping freight handling Harwich Port severe injuries cargo

The Nature of Box Shipping Means Extreme Care is Needed at All Times to Avoid Injuries and Even Death

UK – A stern warning to anyone involved in the container shipping industry this week to ensure bad practice, only too common when working on freight vessels around the world, as Essex based port operator, Harwich Dock Company are been fined almost £30,000 for safety failings after a dock worker suffered severe leg injuries when an operation to unload a cargo container went wrong. Andrew Gotts of Felixstowe, Suffolk, suffered multiple fractures and destruction of soft tissue on his lower right leg when it was trapped and crushed as a jammed container suddenly freed itself. The agency dock worker has since needed extensive reconstruction surgery and it is not yet known when or if he will be fit for work.

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image: UK logistics European freight groupage road haulage operator FORS Linde fork lift truck

Logistics Company Aims to Boost FORS Rating as it Improves Vehicles and Warehouse Services

UK – Letchworth Garden City based Aztek Logistics takes its commitment to the Transport for London Fleet Operators’ Recognition Scheme (FORS) scheme very seriously and, despite being far more than a domestic road haulage outfit, is aiming to boost its current Bronze status up to Silver Award status. The company which operates the full range of logistics services, from self-storage to international freight groupage operations, has supported the move toward safer roads for cyclists and other vulnerable users with the fitting of Brigade four-way camera systems to all new vehicles.

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image: CeMAT 2014 intralogistics freight ports retail transport logistics Hannover warehousing expo

Leading European Event Covers Ports, Transport, Retail Services and Education and So Much More

GERMANY – WORLDWIDE – Next week will see the start of CeMat 2014, the Hannover based freight and logistics expo, part of a series of global events which are rated by many as the world’s leading fairs for intralogistics. Consisting of five clearly structured Technology Zones plus six user-oriented Focus Topics, CeMAT will once again aim to generate growth for stakeholders across the entire broad spectrum which is the modern logistics sector. Under the banner ‘Smart – Integrated – Efficient’ this year’s event will run between the 19th to the 23rd May at the Exhibition Grounds, 30521 Hannover, Germany every day between 9am and 6pm (5pm on the final day).

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image: UK Rico logistics evening freight delivery DHL same day

Rapid Response Time Designed to Attract High Street Retail Customers

UK – Toward the end of last year Rico Logistics, a subsidiary of India’s TVS Group, acquired DHL’s UK Same Day courier business which immediately boosted the company’s throughput of urgent freight deliveries and now, the DHL business having been integrated into the Rico network, the company has introduced a new seven day per week delivery service.

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image: DB Schenker UK Germany Belarus ice hockey freight forwarding warehousing logistics air transport

Ice Hockey World Championship Adds to Games Portfolio

GERMANY – BELARUS – UK – After being named as the official logistics provider for the forthcoming Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games freight forwarding outfit DB Schenker is currently supplying a full range of services for the Ice-Hockey World Championship 2014 in Minsk which will run until the 25th May. Schenker have an impressive pedigree when it comes to supplying such land, air and ocean transport for such sporting events and in Minsk the Organising Committee of the 2014 IIHF Ice-Hockey World Championship selected the company to provide a range of services from customs clearance and warehousing to local delivery of items such as team equipment transports. This portfolio aims to provide athletes with a worry free games to ensure that all athletes can concentrate purely on winning the tournament.

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image: UK freight transport association logistics everywoman awards supply chain

Roundtable Discussion Plots to Inject More Diverse Fresh Blood into the Supply Chain

UK – The glass ceiling may not yet be shattered but may be suffering from a few more cracks this morning after leading figures from business gathered at the Savoy Hotel in London celebrating the achievements of the successful women working in the UK transport & logistics industry with the announcement of the 2014 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards. An expert panel of nine industry associated judges assembled from the freight and supply chain sector had the difficult task of selecting the eight winners from a short list of twenty five admirable candidates.

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image: Wales UK rail freight group modal shift transport

Report on Modal Shift and the Future of Commercial Transport Praised

UK – The published report of the Wales Freight Task and Finish Group, the cross industry working group established last year to advise the Minister for Economy, Science & Transport on strategic issues affecting freight transport in Wales, was welcomed recently by the Minister, Edwina Hart, and has now, unsurprisingly, met with the approval of the Rail Freight Group (RFG) which assisted in its preparation.

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image: Somalia piracy freight European Union East Africa maritime security

Only Organised and Well Financed Political Intervention Can Win This Battle

EAST AFRICA – Following on from our article last week detailing the cost of piracy off the coast of Africa, the European Union has signed an agreement with the East Africa Community (EAC) to provide €2.3 million, under the EU’s Maritime Security Programme (MASE), in order to support freight and passenger interests by improving maritime security and creating a favourable environment for the economic development of the East African region. In signing the agreement, European Union’s regional Ambassador Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, said:

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image: Europe container shipping line short sea feeder freight ship TEU reefer 45 foot unit dual fuel

Vessels 'Set the Benchmark' for Lower Sulphur Pollution Levels as Emission Controls Loom Closer

EUROPE – Finnish box freight line Containerships, in collaboration with German shipper Arkon Shipping and GNS Shipping along with its parent company Nordic Hamburg, have ordered 2 ‘two-plus-two’, dual fuel container ships, to be used in European short sea freight trade. The new ships will offer the highest flexibility for 45 foot units among the feeder services operating in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and each ship will accommodate up to 639 x 45 foot units with a total capacity of 1,368 TEU’s and each vessel also has 372 reefer plugs.

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image: South Korea Evergreen container shipping line TEU Taiwan Ever Liberal containership

Nineteenth Ship in a Series of Twenty Launched

SOUTH KOREA – The latest container ship constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries on behalf of Evergreen Line, another 8,452 TEU ‘L-type’ vessel has just been christened. The ship, the Ever Liberal follows the launching of the Ever Loyal less than two months ago and is the nineteenth vessel in a series of twenty with the final craft scheduled to be completed in July.

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image: US RoRo ferry container ship maritime aids fender Trelleborg

New Manufacturing and Sales Facility for Global Producer of Maritime Aids

US – Trelleborg, a name familiar to many a RoRo ferry or container ship skipper, and the global group which designs and manufactures all manner of technology for the shipping and maritime associated industries, from navigation aids and buoys to fenders and polymer sealants, is to make a major shift in its North American operations by relocating all of the employees of Trelleborg Marine Systems from its current site in Clear Brook, Virginia just a dozen or so miles down the road to a new, purpose built facility in Berryville.

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image: UK Argentina World Rally air freight forwarder shipping Ford Fiesta RS M sport logistics cargo

18 Flights, 24 Hours Transits and Specialist Packing - All Required to Keep in Contention for World Rally Title

UK – ARGENTINA – Rally cars may be the tough guys of motorsport but shipping them between races for international events still requires careful attention from the cargo carrier or freight forwarder responsible for their transport. When it came to air freighting nine World Rally Cars and race equipment from London to Buenos Aires for the Argentinian leg of the series, American Airlines Cargo were delighted to be chosen.

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image: People's Republic of China ocean freight shipping oil rig Spratly

Age Old Territorial Disputes Ramped Up as Fuel Resources Dwindle

SOUTH CHINA SEA – ASIA – EUROPE – UK –  Two years ago or more we expressed concern over the unstable relations between the governments of the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei over the ownership of the Spratly Islands and areas of the South China Sea in which they lay. Now the latest move by China to establish energy recovery rights in the region have met with a rebuke from the international community. These disputes are of particular interest to the ocean freight shipping community as the area is on the key trade routes between Eastern China and the main South East Asian markets such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

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image: Somalia ocean freight beyond piracy of Marcel Arsenault One Earth Future Foundation Seaman Guard Ohio

Misery of Long Term Captives Revealed as Situation on both African Coasts Compared

AFRICA – Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP), a project of Marcel Arsenault’s One Earth Future Foundation, has released its annual report detailing the economic and human costs of African maritime piracy, a study which in the past has drawn criticism with some critics stating that the costs of maritime crime to freight and passenger interests mentioned are estimated, inflated and sometimes even made up entirely. The report, titled ‘The State of Maritime Piracy 2013’, examines the costs incurred as a result of pirate activity occurring both off the coast of Somalia, as well as in the Gulf of Guinea, and is released just after the most recent attack in the Indian Ocean was thwarted by EU Navfor, thankfully an increasingly rare necessity.

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image: US billion dollar lawsuit cartel anti-trust air freight cargo shipping

Yes, the Tawdry Tales Go On and On and.......

US – The long, on-going multi-district class action lawsuit against air cargo carriers shows no sign of stopping as China Airlines has agreed to pay $90 million, plus an extra $200,000 for administration costs, to settle claims confirming that it was part of a global cartel which inflated charges of air freight shipping services. If approved by the New York court, the plaintiffs would have recovered in excess of $835 million in settlements to date, to compensate victims of the global anti-trust case.

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image: UK multimodal air freight forwarder DB Schenker rail cargo

London Celebration for Cargo Awards which Cover the Globe

UK – WORLDWIDE – The name of Schenker is one associated with the logistics industry since 1872, the year of the first FA Cup (Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0) and when the Marie Celeste sailed away from New York bound for Genoa to create one of the greatest ever mysteries of the sea. Now part of the Deutsche Bahn Empire, of late the group has been more often associated with the rail cargo development which marked the company’s early years but its enduring presence as a multimodal freight forwarder was again recognised recently at the annual Air Cargo News Awards.

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image: Qatar India air freight UK cargo carrier A330 Manchester Airport Group B777

Indian and UK Routes Opened Up

QATAR – INDIA – UK – Two new services from Doha based Qatar Airways Cargo this week with the commencement of a weekly A330 freighter service to Delhi and the addition of a five times per week scheduled B777 service to London Stansted.

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image: China freight container Shipping Lines COSCON CSCL Sinotrans SITC HASCO

State Owned Outfits Commence Joint Operations

CHINA – JAPAN – In an effort to remain competitive on Sino-Japan ocean freight trade routes, Chinese shipping lines have reached two separate co-operative agreements. The first contract, signed earlier this week, will see the three state owned shipping companies, COSCON, CSCL and Sinotrans, commence joint operations later this month whilst the second alliance, involving SITC Container Lines and HASCO, will begin on May 9.

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image: Australia US Sweden multimodal terminal port reach stacker mobile harbour crane

Manufacturers Receive Repeat Orders for Cutting Edge Equipment

AUSTRALIA – SWEDEN – US – Crane maker Liebherr has sold another mobile harbour crane to Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS), the stevedoring and logistics company which operates in all of regional Queensland’s major port facilities. The new unit, a type LHM 420, will be sited to operate on Berth 3 and 4 in the Port of Townsville and is the third LHM crane for the freight handler which has been operating an LHM 550 and an LHM 1300. NSS General Manager Chris Ullett, commented:

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image: US hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicle electrolyzer Toyota Sandia H2FIRST

Scheme to Roll Out Better, Cheaper Filling Stations

US – WORLDWIDE – Amongst all the talk of bio-gas and dual fuel technologies, not to mention the use of commercial electrically powered vehicles, the once popular discussion of hydrogen fuel cells and their place in the use of new technology seems to have taken a back seat of late. There is however a strong argument which says that, in the battle for technical supremacy in the new fuel race, hydrogen may well prove the eventual victor.

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image: Armkor cargo handling freight supply chain materials truck dock scissor lift

New Facility to Back Up Heathrow Head Office

UK – Langley headquartered warehouse supplies company Armkor has announced it is to expand its presence northward with the news that it is to open an office in Manchester. Opened in 2006 the company works with the supply chain sector to provide a full range of essential materials handling related goods such as truck docks and scissor lifts for sale or rental, backed up with planned maintenance and facilities services for every freight warehouse situation.

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image: Bakken crude oil disaster freight train of Lac-Mégantic

Advisory Notices May Not Satisfy Those at Risk

US – CANADA – This week the US Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an Emergency Order regarding the transport of crude oil by rail tank car which many residents in the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic will consider good news, if a little late, after the disaster in July 2013 in which a runaway freight train exploded killing forty seven people in Canada’s fourth worst ever rail accident. The oil involved, Bakken crude, is particularly flammable and there are several factors which both led to that incident and this subsequent legislation.

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image: Denmark shipping containers Ireland Hungary Italy sale rental reefer

Continued Expansion for Danish Based Group

DENMARK – IRELAND – HUNGARY – ITALY – It has been a busy time of late for Danish headquartered container supply group TITAN. Having recently extended the company’s range of ArcticStore refrigerated containers to include the supply of new reefer units in the Rome area across the entire Italian capital plus Lazio and nearby regions, comes news of further expansion.

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image: UK HRH The Princess Royal Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society

175 Years of Aiding Victims of the Sea

UK – Fresh from her appearance at Multimodal last week, HRH The Princess Royal unveiled a special plaque commemorating a major milestone of one of the UK’s oldest maritime charities and its historic and continuing role in supporting UK fishermen, mariners and their dependants in need. The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society (Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society) celebrated its 175th anniversary by returning to the traditional North Devon fishing village of Clovelly where in 1838, during the reign of Queen Victoria, the tragic loss of 9 fishing vessels and 21 men prompted the Charity’s formation the following year.

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image: UK Mexico project freight forwarding contract flat rack container maafi

Moving Pictures Help Gauge the Scale of Cased Contract

UK – MEXICO – They say a picture is worth a thousand words so what value can we put on a video, particularly one which brings to life one of the larger project freight forwarding movements we love to feature. Recently Tuscor Lloyds, Manchester based logistics specialists, were tasked with shipping two huge turbo generators to separate ports in Mexico and took the trouble to film the first part of the movement, giving an idea of the scale of the task.

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image: Asia West Africa container shipping box lines WA1 service routing MOL COSCO Evergreen

Three Box Line Launch Sailings to Improve Coverage

ASIA – AFRICA – Three container shipping lines jointly announced the commencement of a weekly direct service between Asia and West Africa this week with the inauguration of the ‘WA1’ routing which will commence westbound operations next month. Japanese Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Taiwan based Evergreen and Chinese company COSCON say that the new link will enable each to enhance coverage in their African markets.

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image: WISTA freight logistics ocean shipping supply chain everywoman FTA awards

One Women's Group Highlights Maritime Role Whilst Another Celebrates its Finest Exponents

UK – The voices of women seeking equality in the freight and logistics supply chain sector are gradually being heard, at least in Britain where good organisation has meant that the glass ceiling, if not exactly broken, is definitely showing a few substantial cracks. The importance of impartiality within the industry is now so well accepted generally that one representative association hardly mentions its original raison d’être these days, as in a recent press release when launching a campaign to make the general public more aware of the importance of shipping to all of our daily lives.

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image: Cargolux Luxembourg cargo carrier freight only airline

Troubled Year Sees Better Results Than Anticipated

LUXEMBOURG – Freight only airline Cargolux has seen any amount of changes this past year including both senior personnel and shareholders but the publication last week of the company’s audited financial statements for the last financial year (to December 31st 2013) at least show that the cargo carrier is on the right track to recovery.

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image: Japan freight logistics container shipping car carrying staff moves appointments departures

World Holidays See Fewer Appointments and Departures than Usual

JAPAN – CANADA – This week’s round up of staff movements in the freight and logistics sector, somewhat foreshortened by a swathe of world holidays, begins with movements at one of the leading container shipping and car carrying companies as MOL has announced a series of changes to its senior staff, starting with the retirement of its CEO Akimitsu Ashida, who will remain at the company in an advisory capacity. MOL has also announced the retirement of Director Sadyuki Sakakibara, Corporate Auditor Sumio Iijima, and Senior Managing Executive Officer Takashi Kurauchi.

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image: Kuehne + Nagel Cambodia freight forwarding garment logistics terminal container

Influx of Manufacturers Causes Need for Investment in State of the Art Facility

CAMBODIA – Sitting as it does on a key South East Asian logistics route bordered by both Vietnam and Thailand with Laos to the North, Cambodia is currently the centre of attention for several international freight forwarding groups looking to extend or maintain their involvement in the region. Now, with the opening of the second largest facility in Phnom Penh, Kuehne + Nagel has continued to reinforce its presence in the region.

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image: UK freight quiet logistics DfT CILT FTA RHA road haulage contractors

Latest DfT Reports Identify Points Regarding Out of Hours Deliveries with which Road Haulage Contractors are Well Familiar

UK – The Department for Transport has just released an online set of four new papers under its ‘Quiet deliveries: good practice, principles and processes’ guidelines giving advice to specific trade areas and one of these is targeted directly at freight interests with a view to shifting logistics operations, particularly in city areas, out of congested peak hours. Titled ‘Quiet deliveries good practice guidance: principles and processes for freight operators’ the thirty six page report acknowledges input from sources as varied as the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Noise Abatement Society.

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image: US Nigeria UK tyre retread freight logistics PSV HGV ADR environmental value

Viability of New Tyre Retread Plant in Nigeria Postulated by Local Company

NIGERIA – US – UK – Following yesterday’s story in which we highlighted the request to the freight and logistics sector by transport charity Transaid with regard to assistance with the supply of HGV, PSV and ADR training personnel to Africa, comes news of someone else in the region with similarly high aspirations for a project with potential environmental value.

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image: US whistle-blower oil pollution cargo container hull crack Long Beach ship

Penalties for Transgressors on Both Sides of the Atlantic as Whistle-blowers Collect Half Million Dollar Windfall

UK – EUROPE – US – The operator of a UK registered container ship has been fined £17,311 by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency for breaching oil pollution legislation, whilst over in the US a German shipper has been sentenced to pay a $1 million fine and another $250,000 to support environmental causes after pleading guilty to two felony environmental charges related to a cargo ship that entered the Port of Long Beach last year with an open crack in its hull that may have caused oil to leak into the port’s Californian waters.

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image: US fossil dinosaur freight logistics Nation’s T-Rex Tyrannosaurus Smithsonian National Museum FedEx

Taking the Remains of a Creature Which Walked Faster than a Man can Run Right Across the US

US – Historically the old fossils on the News Desk here at the Handy Shipping Guide have always been inundated by emails of the latest and greatest freight shipments, and our skeleton staff have no bones about discarding the boring ones. Sometimes however something comes along that is truly deserving of a rapturous round applause when a subsidiary of an international logistics behemoth, FedEx Custom Critical, safely transported the remains of a rare Tyrannosaurus Rex from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana way east to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

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image: Transaid charity road haulage Freight Forwarding Logistics Sponsors FTA Princess Royal Anne UK Africa

Transport Charity Transaid Very Publicly Gains a New Supporter at Multimodal

UK – AFRICA – The list of road haulage, freight forwarding and logistics companies willing to back the fundraising of transport charity Transaid continues to grow and the latest company to offer assistance, the Malcolm Group, managed to attain the personal approval of the organisation’s actively involved patron, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, during her visit to Multimodal 2014.

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