The Weekly Look at Those Useful Titbits of Freight and Logistics News You Probably Missed

SPAIN – Anyone in the market to outfit a port, harbour or shipyard may wish to take a look at lots available at the auctioning off of the assets of the La Naval shipyard running on the surplex.com site until 30th November. The yard designed and made suction hopper dredgers and offshore oil, gas and wind turbine equipment over a century of production.

Lots for auction and direct sale can be seen HERE and include numerous overhead cranes, double boom cranes, plasma cutters, trolleys, compressors, shot blasting equipment, hydraulic presses etc.

CHINA – Staff from across AAL Shipping offices in Shanghai, Beijing, and Qingdao have raised money through sponsorship for the Labu Hope Primary School in the Yunnan Province of China, 3,000 kilometres from Shanghai in a remote mountain region. There 120 underprivileged local children are provided with safe accommodation and an education thanks to the Project Hope operation.

The money will buy school uniforms, bed sheets, quilts, pillows, and stationery for the project, a Chinese public service project launched in 1989 to build schools in poverty-stricken rural areas of China, providing disadvantaged children an elementary school education. Project Hope also seeks to improve the quality of teaching facilities and standards across the country.

BAHRAIN – As reported in our appointments this week Commodore Don Mackinnon, the Royal Navy commander of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) and Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel, recently took command of the construct. Mackinnon spoke about the eight-nation coalition’s strong foundation and his vision for the future of the mission, saying:

“Now, more than ever, it is vital we develop new and innovative ways to deliver the mission of deterrence and reassurance. This coalition was built on a strong foundation of co-operation and each member of IMSC will remain vigilant.” The full message can be seen in this short video.

BAHRAIN – UAE – MENA Cargo has partnered with Awery Aviation Software for the Bahrain based air carrier to use the UAE headquartered group’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) product, as well as its CargoBooking tool. Awery ERP is a web-based, customisable platform, which MENA Cargo will initially use for flight and crew operations, and charter sales management.

The CargoBooking tool delivers instant quotes, manages bookings, and has full Application Programming Interface (API) integration. MENA Cargo provides scheduled as well as charter air cargo services across underserved markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The company says its assets and operations are structured to afford maximum flexibility and agility at minimal costs.

UK – There will be mixed reactions to the response of the Road Haulage Association (RHA) to the latest government pronouncements on zero-emission HGVs following COP26. The RHA makes the point that although the news starts the process of creating the certainty hauliers need to begin planning their vehicle replacement programmes, it believes firms need proper phasing in of new technology with realistic timescales that will meet the needs of all users.

As a result the RHA calls for the authorities to accelerate investment in the electric vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure needed to realise net zero objectives in transport, but controversially for some urges ministers to ensure that new diesel trucks over 18 tonnes are given a minimum use period of 15 years, an extension of 5 years over that currently proposed.

UK – Volta Trucks and its design partner Warwick based Astheimer Design have won the 2021 Design Award from Dezeen, the architecture and design magazine. Volta has often been featured here as a new concept, all electric urban cycle HGV which has many significant and unique features including a central driving position and all round vision.

UK – With electricity prices dominating the headlines National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) has partnered with Siemens to create a free online tool to help UK ports meet their net zero targets. With the support and guidance from the British Ports Association (BPA), the decarbonisation tool will help ports forecast the future infrastructure required to meet potential increased demand for electricity from zero emission port operations.

The decarbonisation tool hopes to help accelerate the transition by modelling future peak demand for electricity and give an estimate of the connections required, both to the local distribution network and the national transmission system. It does this by asking questions about the assets a port has on site, from the number of berths and types of cranes, to the number of car parking spaces, matching it with estimates of the peak power demand for the site.

The tool is offered in two versions. One version makes assessments based on the asset information input; the other version is customisable, allowing the port to change the assumptions if appropriate. The idea is to make the tool simple to use, and to give ports preliminary guidance to allow for a more detailed insight to meet their requirements.

ITALY – AP Moller Maersk has announced it is to cease operations to Catania in Sicily as from 22 December 2021. The company says all cargo contracted to be shipped to or from the port or transhipped there which is currently being processed will be unloaded or shipped to destination in the timeframe.

Maersk also assures customers than any change to this will be advised immediately and, whilst the port of Catania will no longer be in service as a part of the ocean products offered, the port of Gioia Tauro will continue to operate as usual. This however is 150 kilometres north, on mainland Italy, and as the long planned Strait of Messina bridge has never been constructed presumably means a ferry trip for any cargo travelling to or from Sicily.

SWEDEN – Whilst in April last year we told how the Ports of Stockholm had introduced ‘smart’ buoys into the sea lanes approaching the port a new model is now being trialled with the major difference that the latest navigational markers utilise solar power. The change makes the essential equipment more sustainable and it can also withstand severe icy weather conditions. Finnish company Arctia-Meritaito is running the project together with Ports of Stockholm and the Port of Naantali as project partners as part of the Intelligent Sea EU project.

Photo: Kids from the Labu Hope Primary School in Yongning Town, Lijiang City.