THE Norfolk Southern (NS) railway, covering the eastern United States, reported record first quarter profits, up 26 per cent to US$410 million year on year, drawn on a six per cent revenue increase to $2.8 billion.
This was attributed to more aggressive pricing, common to other US railways, and a 13 per cent general merchandise business as well as an intermodal revenue increase of nine per cent. This more than offset a fall in revenue from coal shipments, which slipped six per cent.
Revenue per carload and intermodal unit increased 5.2 per cent on a 1.1 per cent volume increase. Revenue per intermodal unit increased 3.3 per cent and intermodal volume was up 5.1 per cent year on year. Operating costs increased one per cent to $2 billion on higher fuel prices and other expenses.
"The benefits of our focus on service and operating efficiency are reflected in our results, and we continue to position our franchise for sustained growth through strategic investments in infrastructure," said CEO Wick Moorman.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
AN additional US$46.7 million from the Georgia state budget has been allocated to the Port of Savannah to pay for harbour dredging.
The new money, passed by the state assembly as part of the governor's FY2013 budget request, brings the total of dedicated state dollars to $181.1 million, said the release.
Governor Nathan Deal recently visited the Port of Savannah to mark the passage of the state budget and said: "The strong support that business and elected leaders across Georgia have shown for this project is justified, based on federal findings. A corps of engineers study has shown that investing in our harbour expansion will yield a 5.5:1 benefit to cost ratio - among the best for any corps navigation project."
The governor's visit came after the release of the US Army Corps of Engineers' final environmental impact statement and general re-evaluation report on the Savannah Harbour Expansion Project, which will deepen the shipping channel to 47 feet. The documents are the culmination of 15 years of economic and environmental study, and the final step necessary before federal regulatory agencies can decide on project approval.
"The Corps of Engineers study has shown the project will reduce shipping costs by at least $174 million a year," Mr Deal said. "That's a price advantage that could make US goods more affordable in foreign markets, and a cost savings that will be felt nationwide."
Said Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) chairman Alec Poitevint: "We are honoured that the governor chose to commemorate the passage of this important funding legislation here at the Port of Savannah," adding that the harbour deepening is a vital part of continuing the state's export-dominant status. In fiscal year 2011, export throughput comprised 53 per cent of the GPA's total containerised cargo.
"The larger ships accommodated by the greater channel depth will reduce shipping costs per container, making it more affordable for domestic producers to reach international markets," Mr Poitevint said.
The harbour project is necessary to prepare for a new class of larger containerships that are nearly three times the capacity of those currently able to transit the Panama Canal today. In 2014, the Panama Canal expansion will be completed and increase the maximum draft of vessels travelling to and from the US east coast from 39.5 feet to as much as 50 feet. While the Port of Savannah regularly handles vessels that are too large to transit the Panama Canal today, these vessels cannot load to their capacity," said Mr Poitevint.
Said GPA executive director Curtis Foltz: "Deepening the Port of Savannah is a key part of Governor Deal's broader strategy to improve the movement of goods across and within Georgia, and to expand the state's role as a global gateway for commerce. As we move toward the construction phase of this project, the state's $181 million financial commitment sends a powerful message to the world that we are determined to meet the new demands of international trade."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THAILAND is moving on with developing its ports and supply chain as it positions itself as the hub of Upper ASEAN economies, a senior Thai official told the UK's Port Strategy journal.
The plan is to create a major Thai port on the Andaman coast at Pak Bara instead of waiting for Burma's decision to go ahead with the apparently moribund US$50 million Dawei port project, once billed as the "new global gateway of Indo-China" that would transform 250 square kilometres of scrubland in southern Burma into southeast Asia's largest industrial complex.
Said Thai Deputy Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt: "We can give the concession now. We will go ahead."
The Thai plan calls for creating a combined annual terminal capacity of 70,000 dead weight tons as well as 825,000 TEU, increasing to 2.4 million TEU in 20 years.
The plan also calls for Pak Bara to be connected by rail from the outset just as the Thailand's major Port of Laem Chabang on its eastern coast is with its railways now being double tracked.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DYNAMIC business growth in south Asia has been driving tremendous growth in east-west container trades in the past few years, reports the UK's Port Strategy.
It highlighted that cargo volumes handled by the major ports of India, according to data from the Indian Ports Association. Cargo volumes rose to 569.9 million tonnes in 2011 while container throughput grew 9.37 per cent to 7.5 million TEU year on year.
India's major ports handle 67 per cent of the nation's total cargo throughput, with the nation's largest container terminal on the west coast, JNPT is emerging as the star performer after registering double-digit growth for several years.
Indian Shipping Minister GK Vasan has announced plans for port growth, to raise India's capacity to 3.2 billion tonnes by 2020, up from today's one billion tonnes through the 12 main ports of Mumbai's JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust), Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin, Kandla and Port Blair.
The report said that Shri Vasan has written to coastal state governments of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala asking them to identify and provide land for setting up a new major port or shipbuilding yard. The response will determine the number of ports to be developed, timelines and costs.
It said that there is also the emerging belief that new transhipment hub ports are needed, possibly one each on the east and west coasts.
According to a study by the Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad, it is important to focus on developing a few ports on both the east and west coasts with deepwater to handle larger vessels and strategic locations that would have the potential to reduce total transport costs using hub-and-spoke arrangements.
At present, much of the country's container traffic goes through Colombo, Singapore, Dubai or Salalah, which entails the double handling of cargo that ought to be handled in India.
It is estimated that by 2015-16, India's container traffic will amount to 21 million TEU and about nine million TEU will be hubbed, almost all of it overseas.
The report also noted problems, such as the position of Mumbai, the country's biggest container port today. But because Mumbai's JN port lacks adequate draft there is a question whether it can remain the obvious choice as a hub port in years to come, said the report.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
HELSINKI's Wartsilla Hamworthy, a provider of power and integrated systems for the marine markets, has signed an agreement with Norway's ro-ro carrier Wilh Wilhelmsen to retrofit its ship Tamesis with a Krystallon Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS).
The multi-stream scrubber system will remove sulphur and particulates from the exhaust gasses of the vessel's main and auxiliary engines and will be the world's largest in order to manage the exhaust gasses produced by the 38,486 dead weight tons Mark IV RoRo's combined engine power of 28,000kW.
Its installation will prepare the Tamesis for coming sulphur emissions regulations that take effect in January 2015, obliging ships to burn low sulphur fuel when operating within Emissions Control Areas (ECAs).
The scrubber installation will be carried out during the vessel's scheduled docking in the first quarter of 2013. Following the commissioning a comprehensive third party measurement and verification programme will be carried out over two and a half years, partly funded by the Research Council of Norway.
By using a scrubber to reduce sulphur and particulate matter emissions from main engines and auxiliaries, Tamesis will be able to operate in ECAs from 2015 on a business-as-usual basis, avoiding the US$300 to $400 price premium that standard vessels must pay for the distillate fuels they will need to burn to remain compliant.
"Installing Hamworthy Krystallon scrubber unit is a major step in preparing our fleet for the regulatory compliance," says Wilh Wilhelmsen project manager Thamba Rajeevan.
"When new, stricter emissions regulations come into force in 2015, our experience with this technology will be a valuable tool for taking the right decisions for the rest of our fleet. In the end, we want to see both a significant savings in emissions and a strong return on investment for the scrubber installation," he said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
NEW YORK-listed United Continental Holdings (UAL) posted a year-on-year first quarter net loss of US$286 million - excluding one-off special charges - drawn on revenues of $8.6 billion, an increase of 4.9 per cent.
The loss excluded $162 million in one-off costs, mostly related the United-Continental merger process. Including that figure, first-quarter net loss stood at $448 million.
"This was a difficult quarter, but we made significant progress with our integration and we're now able to serve customers as a single airline. We can look forward to delivering more benefits from the merger in the remainder of the year," said UAL president and CEO Jeff Smisek.
First quarter consolidated passenger revenue rose 5.5 per cent to $7.5 billion year on year and consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 5.2 per cent year on year.
During the first three months, consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and consolidated capacity (available seat miles) both increased 0.3 per cent year on year, resulting in a first-quarter consolidated load factor of 78.1 per cent.
Air cargo and other revenue in the first quarter of 2012 was up 0.8 per cent or $9 million year on year.
But mainline RPMs dropped 0.2 per cent on a mainline capacity increase of 0.2 per cent year on year, resulting in a first-quarter mainline load factor of 78.5 per cent. Mainline yield for the first quarter rose 4.5 per cent year on year and the mainline PRASM grew 4.1 per cent year on year.
UAL's first-quarter consolidated fuel expense increased 20.8 per cent or $557 million year on year.
"Our revenue results were impacted by the integration of our revenue management and booking systems, which included reducing our booking levels so we could better serve our customers during the reservations conversion," said UAL vice president and revenue officer Jim Compton.
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,605 flights a day to 374 airports on six continents from Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
NIGERIAN Aviation Minister Stella Oduah has won moral support for her idea of re-establishing a state-financed national flag air carrier from Air Gold Aviation managing director Ifeanyi Okocha, reported Nigeria's This Day.
But other than This Day's newspaper article, little appears on the web about Air Gold Aviation or Mr Okacha, other than sparse Facebook and Linkedin entries, the latter listing him as a "civil engineer at Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria".
Mr Okocha urged the federal government to establish a national carrier, noting that this would provide employment to 19,500 Nigerians, adding that a NGN985 billion (US$6.27 billion) loan would be enough to start the airline.
Mr Okocha said that he and his team of aviation professionals had carried out a feasibility study which would soon be submitted to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
"If Nigeria Airways Limited was managed professionally, the national carrier would still be operating today. But it was run on a civil service structure," he said.
Mr Okocha claimed that as at the time NAL was liquidated, the national carrier had four large maintenance departments, which should have been converted to maintenance, overhaul and repair facilities.
"Instead, NAL was closed down, thereby denying the government the opportunity of generating revenue. If NAL had been in existence, other domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria would have been carrying out their maintenance checks from NAL hangars, thereby generating revenue," he said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
VISAKHAPATNAM, a major port city on the south east coast of India, is to launch air cargo services to allow exporters to get products to Europe, Africa and the US, reports the Deccan Chronicle.
At least two to three freight operations will be launched from the city commonly referred to as Vizag by US and Dubai-based NAKI Air from June with frequency to go up should cargo loads increase, the cargo operator told the Air Travellers Association (India) (ATA).
NAKI Air has been invited to visit the city to meet exporting companies including IT companies and other industrialists of the products its exports of pharmaceutical products, sea food, fresh vegetables and fruits, automobile products and other exports.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
INDIA's Ministry of Civil Aviation ministry is considering reviving public-private partnerships (PPP) to modernise 35 non-metropolitan airports and a few larger ones in major cities, after scrapping the idea in the face of airport union resistance.
"We are exploring the PPP mode for developing airports," said Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, reported Live Mint-Wall St Journal.
The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) modernised Chennai and Kolkata airport with cost overruns and missed deadlines rather than face down union opposition to privatisation.
"AAI has no money to modernise all airports of the country. It has invested substantially in two airports-Chennai and Kolkata. PPP is the most acceptable mode," said a senior aviation ministry official.
After eight years, the bidding process for modernisation of the Mumbai and Delhi airports started in May 2004 and bids were finally awarded in January 2006, signalling a landmark deal in Indian civil aviation history.
Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL), a consortium headed by the GMR Group, won the mandate to manage and develop the Indira Gandhi International Airport for 30 years, which can be extended by another 30 years.
Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd, a GVK group-led consortium, won the bid to manage and operate the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, on the same terms.
Many of India's large industrial groups, including Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd, Essel Group and DSC Ltd had participated in the bidding. Companies such as IVRCL Infrastructures and Projects Ltd, Zoom Developers Pvt Ltd, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd, L&T Infrastructure Ltd, Soma Enterprise Ltd and Unitech Ltd, apart from the groups that bid for the Mumbai and Delhi airports, took part in the government's plans to modernise 35 non-metro airports.
In August 2008, the government approved AAI's modernisation and expansion programme for the airport at Chennai at an estimated cost of INR18.08 billion (US$34.4 million) and for Kolkata airport at INR19.4 billion. Chennai airport was expected to be completed within 26 months of the award and Kolkata in 30 months. Both airports have missed their deadline.
"The terminal building of Chennai airport has been completed and it should be ready by the end of May. The civil works at Kolkata airport are finished and it will ready by July," said AAI official GK Chaukiyal.
Apart from the delay in completion, there has been a cost overrun as well. AAI is investing INR20.1 billion to build a facility that can handle 23 million passengers a year at Chennai and 25 million passengers at Kolkata INR23.2 billion. That translates into an overrun of 11.4 per cent at Chennai and 19.7 per cent for Kolkata.
"It missed the deadline for both the airports. AAI-led modernisation is not going to change the way airports are being operated. It's not their cup of tea," said a second unidentified civil aviation ministry official.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
NEW YORK-listed United Continental Holdings (UAL) posted a year-on-year first quarter net loss of US$286 million - excluding one-off special charges - drawn on revenues of $8.6 billion, an increase of 4.9 per cent.
The loss excluded $162 million in one-off costs, mostly related the United-Continental merger process. Including that figure, first-quarter net loss stood at $448 million.
"This was a difficult quarter, but we made significant progress with our integration and we're now able to serve customers as a single airline. We can look forward to delivering more benefits from the merger in the remainder of the year," said UAL president and CEO Jeff Smisek.
First quarter consolidated passenger revenue rose 5.5 per cent to $7.5 billion year on year and consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 5.2 per cent year on year.
During the first three months, consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and consolidated capacity (available seat miles) both increased 0.3 per cent year on year, resulting in a first-quarter consolidated load factor of 78.1 per cent.
Air cargo and other revenue in the first quarter of 2012 was up 0.8 per cent or $9 million year on year.
But mainline RPMs dropped 0.2 per cent on a mainline capacity increase of 0.2 per cent year on year, resulting in a first-quarter mainline load factor of 78.5 per cent. Mainline yield for the first quarter rose 4.5 per cent year on year and the mainline PRASM grew 4.1 per cent year on year.
UAL's first-quarter consolidated fuel expense increased 20.8 per cent or $557 million year on year.
"Our revenue results were impacted by the integration of our revenue management and booking systems, which included reducing our booking levels so we could better serve our customers during the reservations conversion," said UAL vice president and revenue officer Jim Compton.
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,605 flights a day to 374 airports on six continents from Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
NIGERIAN Aviation Minister Stella Oduah has won moral support for her idea of re-establishing a state-financed national flag air carrier from Air Gold Aviation managing director Ifeanyi Okocha, reported Nigeria's This Day.
But other than This Day's newspaper article, little appears on the web about Air Gold Aviation or Mr Okacha, other than sparse Facebook and Linkedin entries, the latter listing him as a "civil engineer at Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria".
Mr Okocha urged the federal government to establish a national carrier, noting that this would provide employment to 19,500 Nigerians, adding that a NGN985 billion (US$6.27 billion) loan would be enough to start the airline.
Mr Okocha said that he and his team of aviation professionals had carried out a feasibility study which would soon be submitted to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
"If Nigeria Airways Limited was managed professionally, the national carrier would still be operating today. But it was run on a civil service structure," he said.
Mr Okocha claimed that as at the time NAL was liquidated, the national carrier had four large maintenance departments, which should have been converted to maintenance, overhaul and repair facilities.
"Instead, NAL was closed down, thereby denying the government the opportunity of generating revenue. If NAL had been in existence, other domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria would have been carrying out their maintenance checks from NAL hangars, thereby generating revenue," he said.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
VISAKHAPATNAM, a major port city on the south east coast of India, is to launch air cargo services to allow exporters to get products to Europe, Africa and the US, reports the Deccan Chronicle.
At least two to three freight operations will be launched from the city commonly referred to as Vizag by US and Dubai-based NAKI Air from June with frequency to go up should cargo loads increase, the cargo operator told the Air Travellers Association (India) (ATA).
NAKI Air has been invited to visit the city to meet exporting companies including IT companies and other industrialists of the products its exports of pharmaceutical products, sea food, fresh vegetables and fruits, automobile products and other exports.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
INDIA's Ministry of Civil Aviation ministry is considering reviving public-private partnerships (PPP) to modernise 35 non-metropolitan airports and a few larger ones in major cities, after scrapping the idea in the face of airport union resistance.
"We are exploring the PPP mode for developing airports," said Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, reported Live Mint-Wall St Journal.
The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) modernised Chennai and Kolkata airport with cost overruns and missed deadlines rather than face down union opposition to privatisation.
"AAI has no money to modernise all airports of the country. It has invested substantially in two airports-Chennai and Kolkata. PPP is the most acceptable mode," said a senior aviation ministry official.
After eight years, the bidding process for modernisation of the Mumbai and Delhi airports started in May 2004 and bids were finally awarded in January 2006, signalling a landmark deal in Indian civil aviation history.
Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL), a consortium headed by the GMR Group, won the mandate to manage and develop the Indira Gandhi International Airport for 30 years, which can be extended by another 30 years.
Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd, a GVK group-led consortium, won the bid to manage and operate the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, on the same terms.
Many of India's large industrial groups, including Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd, Essel Group and DSC Ltd had participated in the bidding. Companies such as IVRCL Infrastructures and Projects Ltd, Zoom Developers Pvt Ltd, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd, L&T Infrastructure Ltd, Soma Enterprise Ltd and Unitech Ltd, apart from the groups that bid for the Mumbai and Delhi airports, took part in the government's plans to modernise 35 non-metro airports.
In August 2008, the government approved AAI's modernisation and expansion programme for the airport at Chennai at an estimated cost of INR18.08 billion (US$34.4 million) and for Kolkata airport at INR19.4 billion. Chennai airport was expected to be completed within 26 months of the award and Kolkata in 30 months. Both airports have missed their deadline.
"The terminal building of Chennai airport has been completed and it should be ready by the end of May. The civil works at Kolkata airport are finished and it will ready by July," said AAI official GK Chaukiyal.
Apart from the delay in completion, there has been a cost overrun as well. AAI is investing INR20.1 billion to build a facility that can handle 23 million passengers a year at Chennai and 25 million passengers at Kolkata INR23.2 billion. That translates into an overrun of 11.4 per cent at Chennai and 19.7 per cent for Kolkata.
"It missed the deadline for both the airports. AAI-led modernisation is not going to change the way airports are being operated. It's not their cup of tea," said a second unidentified civil aviation ministry official.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
2012-04-28
IRU General Assembly calls on the European Union and its Member States to support the Smart Move campaign, reintroduce the TIR system in the EU, lift restrictive barriers on international freight and passenger road transport and acknowledge the vital role that road transport has to play in driving economic growth in Europe.
The IRU General Assembly adopted a Resolution on Driving the Europe 2020 Growth Strategy calling upon the European Union and its Member States to lift, without delay, the impediments and barriers imposed on the road transport sector and to recognise the vital role of road transport in driving economic growth.
IRU President, Janusz Lacny stressed, “The European Union’s 2020 Growth Strategy aims to create a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. Commercial road freight and collective passenger transport have a pivotal role to play in each of these mutually reinforcing principles. To ensure that the road transport sector can play its role in driving EU growth, it is imperative that road transport is facilitated and further promoted, and restrictive barriers on road transport repealed.”
The IRU resolution specifically calls for:
- an end to the indexation and introduction of new taxes, charges and duties on road transport and the earmarking of revenues to support investments in road transport and infrastructure initiatives;
- the creation of a level regulatory playing field between transport modes in taxation, excise duty, and VAT;
- an end to the continual subsidies for unprofitable rail freight services and to the discrimination between modes, created by the railways through the use of public funding to purchase road transport firms;
- the adaptation of the legal framework to ensure a return on the investment in innovation, efficient, clean and safe technologies, to encourage further innovation and greening at source;
- the facilitation of access for road transport operators to investment funds for the greening at source of their services;
- the modification of the EU Customs Code to allow the use of the TIR system in the EU for goods transported under customs control and thereby releasing 600,000 road transport companies from the constraints of the current T system;
- an increase in the efficiency and capacity of the EU’s transport system by promoting the use of the European Modular System (EMS) for all inter- and intramodal applications;
- the promotion of an EU policy, based on the Smart Move principle objective of doubling the use of buses and coaches within the next decade.
“Through simple measures the EU could help to create up to 4 million new green jobs in the bus and coach sector, by adopting the IRU lead Smart Move campaign goals and stimulating growth and trade by freeing 600,000 road freight operators from the constraints of the T System by allowing the use of TIR in the EU for goods transported under customs control. Simple actions can have a major impact in creating a growing, dynamic, greener and more efficient Europe,” the IRU President concluded.
IRU
"The setup of a transnational logistics network in the south-eastern Baltic Sea region is the most important goal"
The potential of the Amber Coast region and its natural hinterland for the transport and logistics sector in Europe must not be wasted. This and other postulations were expressed by representatives of the transnational project called "Amber Coast Logistics" at the Baltic Sea Days in Berlin. Guests included international ambassadors, members of the Bundestag and representatives of companies and associations, besides German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
"The southern and eastern Baltic Sea region as well as Northwest Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine are among the most promising logistics regions of Europe. However, development of the transport and logistics infrastructure in these countries has been inadequate at best," said Axel Mattern, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, the marketing organization for the Port of Hamburg, as he explained the background of the "Amber Coast Logistics" project (ACL) during the foreign trade conference "Baltic Sea Forum on the Baltic Sea Region” in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. "There are regions with low accessibility for the transportation of goods. We want to change this with ACL." Port of Hamburg Marketing is the lead partner of the EU-funded project, which has existed for around half a year. 19 other partners from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Denmark and Germany are involved, including representatives of ports, logistics locations, public authorities and research institutes.
The Baltic Sea Forum took place as part of the Baltic Sea Days to which invitations were extended by the Federal Foreign Office on the occasion of the 2011/2012 German Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. The conference was mainly directed at companies and institutions of industry and trade from member states of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle opened the event. He reminded everyone that cooperation between neighbouring Baltic Sea countries is not self-evident. There must be consistent and continuous work on the establishment of this important economic community.
ACL workshop at the foreign trade conference
During its presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Germany put modernisation of the south-eastern Baltic Sea region on its agenda, especially elimination of the economic and infrastructure difference between the north-western and south-eastern Baltic Sea region. Through the project "Amber Coast Logistics" this task will be conferred on the transport and logistics industry. Backgrounds and the objectives of ACL were discussed at the foreign trade conference with around 50 international guests in the context of a workshop. The event was moderated by Kurt Bodewig, Federal Minister (ret.) and Chairman of the Board of the Baltic Sea Forum: "The Baltic Sea Forum on the Baltic Sea Region with around 550 participants provided a unique opportunity for the project to establish additional contacts to representatives of neighbouring Baltic Sea countries. The establishment of a transnational logistics network in the south-eastern Baltic Sea region is one of the most important goals of ACL. This is because only with strong partnerships can we also achieve the necessary organisational improvements for optimisation of the transport connections." The Baltic Sea Forum, a non-governmental association for promotion of the Baltic Sea region, is one of the 20 partners in the project. Besides Axel Mattern, speakers included Dr. Eugenijus Gentvilas, CEO of the Klaipeda State Sea Port Authority, as well as Mathias Roos, Project Manager of the EU project "East West Transport Corridor II" and Project and Communication Manager at Region Blekinge.
Parliamentarians informed about ACL
ACL project partners also presented their goals and results thus far to around 20 parliamentarians in Berlin during the course of the 11th port breakfast in the Hamburg embassy. Marina Rimpo, Project Manager of "Amber Coast Logistics" with Port of Hamburg Marketing, pointed out a few examples of some problems that confront logistics players in the southern and eastern Baltic Sea region. They included the different gauges of the railway network between the former Soviet Union and Western Europe as well as different VAT rates for imports from third countries into the common customs union of White Russia, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. During the course of the project, challenges like these are analysed and recommendations for improvement are compiled in policy papers that are submitted to politicians at national and EU levels. "The port breakfast brought together members of the Bundestag from all fractions and informed them about the EU project. We are delighted that the parliamentarians have already signalled their support," says Kurt Bodewig.
Port of Hamburg Marketing e.V.
.jpg)
The magazine SEA has been published since 1935
International business magazine JŪRA MOPE SEA has been published since 1999
The first magazine in Eurasia in the four languages: English, Chinese, Russian and Lithuanian
|
|