Shipping Search - Archive

Some Global Freight Sector Stories You May Have Missed

UK – We start the weekly review of some of the smaller logistics related items with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) response to the government's announcement that it will move forward with dualling the remaining sections of the A66 between Scotch Corner and Penrith. The middle 50 mile section forms one of the key trans-Pennines trunk routes and has one of the worst road-safety records in the UK.

If Goods Are Supposed to Shift from Road Transport There is Little Sign Of It

UK – As we pointed out just yesterday there are those who would say the government is not taking its promises to shift more freight traffic from road to rail as seriously as it might. The just published data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) certainly show a worrying downward trend as the statistics indicate the lowest totals carried since 1996-97.

Formula 1 Technology Gives Extra Capacity Whilst Remaining Green

UK – So Formula 1 has finally come to the commercial delivery sector. Penso is a company formed in the best British engineering tradition and has been directing its efforts to produce innovative products since 2000, mostly in the automotive sector with companies like Mercedes Benz. Now, focusing on a glaring gap in the LGV market the Coventry headquartered outfit has come up with an obvious way to increase the payload of last mile delivery vehicles.

Ultra Violet Light Device Approved to Kill Covid-19

FRANCE – WORLDWIDE – It seems the technology used to wipe out the invasive species found in the ballast water tanks of ocean going vessels has found a place in the fight against the current viral pandemic. BIO-SCAN, the UV-C-based surface disinfectant system announced last month by BIO-UV Group has now received certification from two independent testing laboratories.

Old Competitors Become Ever Closer

FRANCE – WORLDWIDE – As three of the country's major ports continue on their mission to become one company as from 1 January 2021, the largest of the trio, Le Havre, has signed up as a member of the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA).

Logistics Businesses Should Prepare for a New Way of Thinking

UK – Bis Henderson Space, a specialist in the field of warehouse organisation, has just published a new, free to download, white paper 'Warehouse Space: A New Strategy For A New Reality' which suggests that logistics professionals will be seeking to create supply chains that are far more flexible, resilient and better suited to the situation as it will be after it emerges from the Coronavirus crisis.

Pandemic Will Continue to Skew the Figures

WORLDWIDE – Oslo based Xeneta, which provides market analyses for the shipping and logistics industry, has doubts that the effect on the container shipping sector, which have not it says proved as devastating as feared so far, will remain as positive looking into the future, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect all aspects of industry.

More Credibility Needed to Achieve Nett Zero

UK – In March the government called for a response to its 'Decarbonising Transport -Setting the Challenge', which sets out Britain's plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, something it has enshrined in law. The opening pages of the document focus on the future of the transport and logistics industry - with one glaring omission.

Despite the Virus Business Continues Regardless

UK – SWEDEN – Big news from two of Europe's newest port developments this week as Tilbury2 in Essex saw its brand new RoRo freight ferry terminal for unaccompanied trailers and containers open for business, whilst across on the Baltic coast Sweden's newest freight facility, Stockholm Norvik Port, welcomed its own first container vessel.

Free Initial Consultation Offers Real Estate Advice to Logistics Businesses

UK – The United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) national conference in March, and indeed the same event in the preceding year, took close looks at the property market from a logistics company standpoint, noting the changing trends and price fluctuations as the influence of Brexit and climate change policies on the supply chain made themselves felt.

Lack of Mandatory Instructions Leaves Uncertainty Over Requirements

US – To the uninitiated the setting of sanctions would seem to be a simple process, who they are aimed at, what they consist of and an outline of the actions to be taken. Unfortunately this is rarely the case and, under the Trump administration where policy is often produced like a rabbit from a hat, the situation has seemingly gotten even more complex than usual.

Expert Forecast Reveals Depth of Problems

WORLDWIDE – The extensive financial damage being caused to the world's airline industry by the current pandemic is almost palpable and has now been quantified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), making concerning reading for anyone in the logistics industry.

Extension Needed or Trade Interruption Likely (you're not basing this one on the science!)

UK – When dealing with the delicate matter of finally exiting the EU one might imagine government would seek the input of experts in the field before drawing up plans. Sadly, according to the body which represents its native freight forwarders, the UK authorities seem to be pursuing a course which is likely to end in a fractious outcome of delays and expense for all concerned unless a changed tack is considered.

Death Rates Show Better Management, Infrastructure and Regulation are Needed to Cut Casualties

EUROPE – WORLDWIDE – Perhaps, as traffic levels begin to return to more normal rates, it is a good time to examine two recently published reports, both of which aim to highlight and inform regarding the risks run on the road every day, particularly by professionals in the haulage and logistics sectors.

Partnership Aims to Produce Hydrogen, Methanol, Electricity and More

DENMARK – WORLDWIDE – The Danes are leading the charge to sustainable maritime fuels with a new project headed up by some of the biggest names in the shipping and logistics business. Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller - Maersk, DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS and Ørsted have formed a multi-industry partnership linking supply and demand for greener vessel fuels and more with a vision to develop a new ground-breaking hydrogen and e-fuel production facility as soon as 2023.

Social Status and Remuneration Levels for the Profession Delivering Freight Around the World

US – UK – WORLDWIDE – The shortage of competent HGV drivers is one spread across continents, and in many countries it will require a social shift before this particular crisis can be solved. As it happens we are currently seeing a catalyst for change as road haulage companies attempt to keep the integrity of the supply chain intact and freight freely flowing to millions of concerned customers.

Appointments Continue Despite the Virus

UK – Pall-Ex has appointed Colin Hawkins to the newly created position of Owned Operations Director. In his new role, Hawkins will oversee all Pall-Ex’s owned operation depots including: Cranleigh Distribution Services, Pall-Ex London, Cornwall-based Intercounty Distribution and Shears Bros (Transport) Ltd in Bournemouth, as well as sitting on the UK operating board.

A Few Bits and Pieces You May Have Missed

UK – The government announcement which we reported this week regarding £35 million in funding for key European trade routes during the pandemic was generally favourably received, with the British International Freight Association (BIFA) Director General Robert Keen saying it provided a measure of reassurance for his membership of forwarding agents.

Local Authorities Reintroduction of Restrictions 'Beyond Belief'

UK – There was unanimity with regard to the immediate reintroduction of the London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) from the logistics community with both the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Freight Transport Association (FTA) strongly critical of the timing. Portsmouth City Council also came in for a broadside for its naivety.

Five ISO Units Can be Moved as One as Design Gets CSC Approval

US – WORLDWIDE – Staxxon LLC, the New Jersey headquartered outfit that produces ISO containers which are foldable, enabling up to five empty containers to be folded, bundled, and moved together as a single container, has had a boost this week with the announcement has received Container Safety Convention (CSC) certification for the latest version of its 20-ft folding shipping container.

Grant Winners Aiming at a Cleaner Marine Environment Announced

UK – The proposed funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) through the Maritime Research and Innovation UK (MarRI-UK) organisation which we reported on during London International Shipping Week (LISW 2019), has now been awarded to the ten successful applicants from the group of fifty five submissions received, with the overall funding of £1.4 million disbursed as part of the Clean Maritime Call initiative.

LR2 Vessels Still Command Comparatively Lofty Prices

WORLDWIDE – BIMCO's shipping number of the week reveals freight rates for oil product tankers have returned to more 'normal' levels following a spike in late April when rates across all ship sizes reached record highs. Large Range 2 (LR2) earnings peaked at $169,829 on 27 April on the benchmark Naptha condensate trade from the Middle East to Japan.

Meantime We All Have to Consider the Pandemic as a Guide to Assist Lockdown Exit Published

UK – The Northern Ireland protocol paper, announced by Michael Gove MP this week has been well received by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), whilst the industry lobby group has also simultaneously launched a Good Practice Guide for dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

Hope for Hoppe as the EU looks to Lift Restrictions

GERMANY – The news that the German Federal Government has been discussing opening further external borders with the rest of the EU has, unsurprisingly, gone down well with the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG) which represents the interests of more than 100 national and international airlines in scheduled, charter, low cost and air cargo businesses.

Property Platform Aims at e-Commerce Market

EUROPE – Real estate specialist Meyer Bergman has ambitious plans to create a tranche of property it values at £2 billion available as a pan-European, last-mile logistics platform targeting single tenant assets, calling the platform project Crossbay.

As Virus Leaves Crews In LImbo Mission Steps Up to Help

PHILIPPINES – The Mission to Seafarers is supporting the Government of the Philippines with the transfer of seafarers, who have completed their quarantine, back home to their local communities, during Manila lockdown. With the city of Manila adhering to curfews, checkpoints and 14-day mandatory quarantine, seafarers are left in isolation, without transport options to their local villages and paying for rented dormitories. Additionally, many seafarers are unable to disembark vessels, with 18 cruise ships and 7,000 seafarers waiting to disembark in Manila bay.

Webinar Reveals Lack of Mitigation Should Marine Fuel Costs Rise

US – Headquartered in Connecticut and with offices in Texas, Paris and London, LQM provides marine fuel oil brokerage and trading, risk management and tailored, outsourced procurement solutions and this week expressed concerns that, despite the currently low cost of bunker fuel, many companies seem oblivious to potential future price rises.

Successful Trial Leads to Global Roll Out

WORLDWIDE – Back in 2018 we published details of a trial taking place along the most polluted stretch of road in Germany, the Stuttgart Neckartor intersection, in which 23 Mann+Hummel filter cubes aimed to cut the high levels of particulate matter and hazardous gases. The results, showing drastically reduced levels of pollutants, have convinced municipal authorities and developers outside Germany to install the technology.

Haulage Boss Points Out the Importance of Logistics on the Street

UK – The relationship between 'vulnerable road users', in particular cyclists, and truckers, tends to be a sort of uneasy peace. Apart from the vociferous bigots in either group, most level headed from each community can appreciate the other party's point of view. After all cycling is generally considered healthy with no direct detrimental impact on the environment, whilst without the road freight industry there would literally be no food on the shelves.

We Have Video Conferencing and Cashless Transactions so Why Not the eB/L?

WORLDWIDE – One of the keystones of the international shipping trade is the Bill of Lading (B/L), a document that has been around, in one form or another, since medieval times. Older readers will have memories of the purple ink printed Roneo documents which accompanied every ships manifest, and some may indeed recall the copperplate, hand written examples turned out by the River Thames barge skippers.

Any Brexit Extension Looks Very Unlikely as Britain Moves to No Deal

UK – Passing through the veil of smoke and mirrors which is inherent in almost any government pronouncement is often particularly tricky, and so it is with the announcement today of its post Brexit UK Global Tariff (UKGT), the eagerly awaited 'Most Favoured Nation ' (MFN) document. One interpretation of this is that, come hell or high water, there will be no request for an extension to the negotiated transition date to exit the European Union.

International Distribution Centres to Benefit from Investment

UK – Iconic fashion brand Superdry, which last year turned over £870+ million, has always sorted its 60,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) mainly by manual processes. Now the company has launched a major initiative to roll-out intelligent goods-to-person robotic systems across its international network of regional distribution centres.

Multi Million Pound Plan to Ensure Stability of Supplies

UK – Having promised to support vital sea freight routes during the viral emergency the government has released details of a plan to protect ferry traffic on the 16 of the most important routes, covering the Channel, the Short Strait, the North Sea and routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Ceremony Will Take Place in the Video World

UK – Everyone with half a brain is now aware we are seeing the dawning of a new reality. For many people the world of work will have changed forever due to the restrictions and conventions imposed by the Covid-19 virus. As far as the shipping industry goes most companies appear to have made the shift almost seamlessly and, whereas some sectors are hopeful of a swift return to a semblance of normality, some are a little more pragmatic, such as this year's Talent in Logistics Awards.

Essex Facility Due to Open for Freight Ferry Traffic

UK – The country's newest and largest unaccompanied freight roll on/roll off (RoRo) terminal at Tilbury2 took a step closer to opening with the successful completion of ship trials at the weekend. Two of P&O's chartered freight ferry fleet, the Bore Song and the Norstream, arrived at the new terminal on the Thames on Sunday 17 May to trial the facilities.

Public Accounts Committee Report Backs Critical Arguments

UK – Regular readers will know of the passion with which Lord Tony Berkeley has put over his points of view regarding the HS2 project. Nobody would wish to see an expansion of a successful rail freight sector more that he, and he has warmly welcomed the just published Public Accounts Committee report which supports many of his arguments, particularly that the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd have misled parliament.

Established Electric Power and Propulsion Systems Transfer to a Variety of Vessels

US – WORLDWIDE – With the world suddenly aware of how dramatic a change can be achieved in air quality with reduced emissions due to traffic levels having dropped during the lockdown, the push for electrification on the roads is assured, and now those technologies already established are being seen on the water as well.

Not too Many Staff Moves as the Virus Persists

CANADA – The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) has announced the election of Fiona Murray, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs at Canada National Railway (CN) as its new Chair, the first female Board Chair in the association's 103-year history.

As Thieves Rob NHS Workers of Protection Some Smaller Items You Might Have Overlooked

UK – Specialist logistics insurer Peter Lole is urging clients moving or storing PPE equipment to reassess their current security arrangements after 80,000 face masks were stolen from a warehouse in Manchester. The high quality respirator masks were stolen after thieves cut a hole in the steel warehouse shutters which avoided triggering the security alarm system.

Technology Advances to Aid Recovery

WORLDWIDE – Airlines and airports are under some of the most severe financial pressure engendered by the current pandemic and so naturally are at the forefront of trying to find any technology either available, or in development, which will allow them to return to some sort of semblance of normality.

Cautious Welcome for Government Undertaking on Road and Rail Infrastructure

UK – The announcement that the government is to invest £2 billion in upgrading transport infrastructure has been met with some caution by the various groups which represent the freight community. Promises have been made previously and there is bound to be a degree of cynicism, along with the obvious welcome, until details of whether these are new funds and how and where the money will be allocated.

Motorway Service Network Status Now On Line

UK – Suddenly the logistics profession has found itself in the spotlight as the public at large begin to recognise the importance of an industry that supplies them with all their material daily needs, and now the road haulage drivers responsible for all those vital last mile deliveries, some far from their normal routes, can spot at a glance where they can find the key support all on the road need, the nearest service station.

Virtual Meeting for Popular Network

UK – It seems we were a little premature when we suggested recently that all operations of the British International Freight Association's (BIFA) Young Forwarders Network (YFN) were suspended due to the Covid-19 situation. Apparently it takes more than a global pandemic to stop young British freight forwarders from getting together, even if it's got to be a virtual event.

Still More Progress to be Made on Extended International Links

UK – Maritime union RMT welcomed the publication of legislation to extend the National Minimum Wage to cover all seafarers working on merchant ships on domestic routes, regardless of where the ship is registered, something it had been calling for some time. General Secretary, Mick Cash however did not sound as happy as one might expect, saying:

LNG Tanker Seafarers in Parlous State After Four Months

PHILIPPINES – There is never a good time to be abandoned at sea on a ship with no rudder and dwindling supplies of food, water and electricity, but certainly the situation is further exacerbated when the world is in the grip of a global pandemic.

Additional Handling Equipment to Boost Port TEU Throughput

IRELAND – CANADA – It seems Termont, the freight handler which has two terminals operating in Montreal, really likes Liebherr container cranes. Termont, which has a long term contract with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), already had five Liebherr ship to shore (STS) and eleven Liebherr rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and now has ordered two more additions to its fleet.

Intent is to Promote Cleaner Marine Fuel

JAPAN – In July 2018 Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Chubu Electric Power, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) formed a joint venture entitled Central LNG Shipping Japan Corporation (CLS), and announced that the new operation had ordered an LNG bunkering vessel (LBV) from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, scheduled to be delivered around September to December 2020.

Lower Oil Costs Not Being Passed on to Consumers

UK – FairFuelUK, the body which has lobbied hard on successive administrations to reduce, or at least maintain, the level of fuel duty must be concerned that, with the whiff of higher taxes post virus in the air, plus the government's avowed intent to promote cycling and walking, that its next battle may be the hardest.

Information Being Continually Updated to Offer Current Picture

WORLDWIDE – With the Coronavirus decimating travel, particularly with suspension or reduction of freight and passenger flights, and the different regulations regarding arrival at each country, the picture concerning individual points of departure and destinations has been extremely confusing, with no central register where one could gain intelligence on the precise, current nature of the situation.

Return to Work Needs Safety Measures in Place

UK – The extension of the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has received a welcome from all sectors with employers and unions alike agreeing that the policy is a sound one. There are drawbacks and reservations of course and two parties from opposite sides of the transport and logistics table have laid their cards accordingly.

As Ocean Carriers Avoid Suez so Rail Freight Consolidation Can Benefit

CHINA – UK – It seems that the silk road rail service of one of Britain's independent freight forwarding agencies which it established a couple of years ago is going, well, like a train. And now it seems a side effect of the Covid-19 virus is making the route even more attractive to shippers using the traditional ocean freight container services.

Boost for Innovative Electric Bicycle Technology Company

UK – A societal disaster such as the viral pandemic we are currently suffering was always bound to bring tragedy and despair to many. However such situations also provide opportunities for some, intentional or not, and it seems the government policy to encourage two wheeled travel over four is providing an inadvertent boost for one innovative East London based company.

Face to Face Training Now Available Online - and Probably Here to Stay

UK – With much of the senior management of our major logistics and other companies and corporations associated with the shipping profession for too long consisting of, shall we say, gentlemen of a certain age, the idea of video conferencing has often been viewed as an anathema and no substitute to the look in the eye and the firm handshake.

Government Under Fire for Omissions Regarding Freight Transport Operations

UK – There has been widespread criticism from a variety of sectors regarding what are seen as anomalies and omissions in the government's latest guidelines to manage the pandemic. Now the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has complained that the recent statement on post-Covid-19 active travel by transport secretary Grant Shapps MP failed to contain recommendations on the use of road space for logistics movements.

Free to Learn Resource Aimed at Sparking an Interest in the Freight Sector

UK – Whilst everybody involved is always banging on about logistics being the invisible industry that the general public knows so little about, some have recognised, including the government, that keeping the supply chain unbroken is in fact right up there as a vital factor in preserving the fabric of society. Now another group is turning the lockdown into an opportunity to educate kids at home about what it is the profession actually does.

Report Two Years in the Making Identifies Likely Outcomes

WORLDWIDE – In 2018, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) commissioned DNV GL to perform a study on the use of electrical storage systems in shipping, with the objective of providing an overview of technology, research, feasibility, regulations and safety of battery systems in maritime applications.

Company Seeking Trial Fleets for Remora Style System

NORWAY – WORLDWIDE – Biofouling is a very hot topic as it hits two environmental targets simultaneously, hull borne alien marine organisms have the potential to wreak havoc in established ecosystems in foreign waters, whilst the traditional method of preventing build up using hull coatings often so toxic they devastate native marine species is simply no longer acceptable. Furthermore the build-up of organisms results in poorer performance from the vessel itself which uses extra fuel to compensate.

International Forwarding Association Wins Argument for More Concise Interpretation

US – International freight forwarding association FIATA has welcomed the US Federal Maritime Commission's (FMC) new landmark guidance on its approach to assessing the reasonableness of detention and demurrage regulations and practices of ocean carriers and marine terminal operators, a bone of contention which the Association raised last month with regard to a worldwide problem for its members.

Covid-19 Has Increased Criminal Portfolios - but Solutions are Out There

WORLDWIDE – Like it or not those forming each link of the supply chain have a duty of care to ensure that anything they pass along is free from the whiff of criminality. This applies particularly to freight forwarders who now find themselves carrying more responsibility than ever before to ensure that every consignment is exactly what it says on the tin.

Fifth Status Report Published

WORLDWIDE – It appears the crisis brought about by the pandemic is hitting European ports harder than those overseas according to the fifth report prepared and released by the WPSP-IAPH World Ports Covid19 Task Force. The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) say that the impact of reduced calls by shipping have led to a progressive overall decline in utilisation being reported.

(and apparently there's some sort of virus going about)

UK – FRANCE – Le Shuttle Freight carried almost 80,000 trucks in April 2020, which operator GetLink says was mainly due to the demand for food, pharmaceutical and e-commerce goods. With four departures an hour, and particularly the speed of transit meaning social distancing is considerably easier, the tunnel route under the Channel appears to be more resilient to this crisis than the alternative of ferries.

Roadmap Back to Normality Sent Worldwide by Logistics Associated Organisations

WORLDWIDE – A supply chain coalition of transport associated unions and stakeholders from across the logistics sector has published details of a road map and twelve step solution to enable governments to free seafarers safely from the Covid-19 lockdown. The group says the plan, issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), provides a route forward for governments on how to facilitate ship crew changes during the pandemic.

Neither Chancellor Nor Banks Are Performing as Promised

UK – It seems the chance which banks had to claw back some of the credibility they lost when the sector suffered humiliation in 2007-8 is slipping away fast if the Freight Transport Association (FTA) is to be believed. Whilst the government has expressed a keen interest in backing loans given out to aid businesses through the tribulations spawned by Covid-19, the lenders themselves are apparently not so enthusiastic.

Vice President 'Despised' Group's Behaviour

US – WORLDWIDE – In reporting on the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) Conference in March, we headlined on the changing face of business. In this day and age, and probably more so when the viral dust has settled, more and more customers want to know their purchases are environmentally neutral at the least, and produced using standards nobody will latterly be ashamed of. And these standards apply equally to the logistics companies responsible for delivery to the end user.

Claims That DVSA Approach Has Been Wrong from the Start of the Crisis

UK – The chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), Richard Burnett, has written to roads minister Baroness Vere strongly voicing the concerns of the RHA and its members about the DVSA regarding commercial vehicle roadworthiness testing. Burnett says the RHA was concerned about the relaxation of HGV testing, and DVSA's approach to it, even before the viral outbreak took hold.

Detailed Evolution from Maker of Unique Door Free Boxes

WORLDWIDE – The 26th April is a date on which a wide variety of notable things have happened throughout history. The first non-stop flight from the UK to India was completed (1929), Second Lieutenant William Rhodes-Moorhouse became the first airman to win a Victoria Cross (1915), but more importantly for almost every human on earth since, the SS Ideal X, carrying just 58 shipping containers, sailed from Port Newark to the Port of Houston.

Several Plants Now Producing Electricity for Use and Sale

AUSTRIA – With a drive for all of industry to think about saving both money and the environment, the international logistics company Gebrüder Weiss is setting a good example. The Lauterach headquartered group has just opened its fifth solar power plant at its facility in Pöchlarn producing a total of some 1,725 megawatt hours (MWh) per year on a total surface of 16,000 square metres.

Early Launch to Help Operators Through Virus Trucking Problems

UK – The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has tied up with road cargo exchange platform Haulage Exchange to deal with the problems of finding suitable carriers or suitable loads, particularly in these confused times when regular traffic may have become disjointed and the driver shortage exacerbated by furloughing and the Covid-19 situation.

Injection of Financial Aid Assists Combating Peak Malaria Season and Covid-19

UK – AFRICA – Despite the lockdown and many of its staff having to be flown home during the pandemic, transport charity Transaid is still working at the sharp end as it continues its vital work bringing medical treatment, and hope, to far flung communities in sub Saharan Africa, with much of its funding derived from the UK shipping and logistics community.

Shortage of Space and Rising Traffic Levels and Costs Hitting Industry

WORLDWIDE – One side effect of the current crisis is the way that the huge variety of transport and logistics associations, lobby groups and other various industry representatives have kept themselves busy, all pushing to get their members and clients' interests to the top of the heap. From road haulage to ocean shipping we have witnessed a flurry of open letters and press releases.

Requirements for Regulatory Compliance Keep Expanding

WORLDWIDE – As the world changes over time new fields spawn businesses in hitherto unimaginable sectors. With the passing of the industrial revolution and entry into the age of plastic and that of the carbon fuelled internal combustion engine, the current generation has suddenly awoken to the crisis of climate change, an insidious threat less immediately visible than our current pandemic, but ultimately far more dangerous.

Leases Slanted Toward Port Authorities May Prove Catastrophic as Cargo Levels Drop

US – With just about every industry in every country suffering from the toxic effects of stopping the virus spreading, businesses everywhere have to re-evaluate their approach and try to mitigate the financial impacts. To this end Federal Maritime Commissioners Carl W. Bentzel and Louis E. Sola wrote on Friday to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, urging the Congressional leaders to assist the country's maritime related service companies.

Plans to Commercially Operate Heavy Item Resupply Service Shortly

SINGAPORE – Having obtained the necessary permissions and completed preliminary trials late last year, F-Drones, a company aiming to complete the development of its 'HyperLaunch Heavy ' drone by next year, has received support from another major shipping and logistics group.

Who Got the Industry Jobs This Week

UK – The UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) has announced that Neil Bowker, Commercial Director of Bowker Group, one of the longest serving members of the Association, has accepted the role of Vice Chair on the UKWA Management Board. Bowker will be supporting Nicola Ridges-Jones, Managing Director of MS Holdings, in her role as Chair of UKWA.

Shipping Press Releases Just Cannot Avoid Being Infected

UK – As has become the norm, this week the weekly round-up of smaller stories is mainly concerned with Covid-19 related matters. We kick off in West Yorkshire where a local road haulage operator and Pall-Ex network member has made a contribution to spreading the 'stay at home' message by adding the NHS plea to the rear doors of the company trucks.

Nominations Close Next Month Looking Ahead to a Return to Normality

UK – With the whole world rocked to its foundations by the Covid-19 pandemic it's good to know that some in the world of logistics are unfazed, and looking forward to celebrating the year in transport just before Christmas, and the terms for Brexit, finally arrive.

Call for Stakeholders to Come Together to Solve Vulnerability to Any Crisis

AUSTRALIA – The transport unions in the country must stare enviously at the situation in the US when it comes to who controls the nation's shipping resources. Whilst the depredations of World War 1 produced the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act, probably such protection for native maritime workers and resources does not exist almost anywhere else outside America, except within communist state run regimes.

Any Upturn in Freight Will Not Match the Loss of Passenger Flights

WORLDWIDE – The begging bowls are out in all sectors of the economy as many companies struggle to face a post-pandemic future, and none is likely to face a bigger challenge than the global air transport industry. Currently passenger flights have virtually dried up and nobody imagines that any upturn in freight carriage as aircraft are converted to carry cargo, is going to redress the revenue balance.