ANTITRUST fines from the EU and Swiss authorities totalling CHF59 million (US$64 million) has resulted in a CHF40 million first quarter loss for Switzerland's Panalpina Group.
First quarter gross profit amounted to CHF364 million, a fall of three per cent drawn on revenues of CHF1.5 billion, up seven per cent. Gross profit margin increased to 23.6 per cent.
Asia Pacific showed continued growth for Panalpina going into 2012. First quarter gross profit in this region reached a new record of CHF78 million, an increase of four per cent.
Latin America also posted growth. Currency adjusted, gross profit in this region was up by 2.4 per cent at CHF40 million.
Weak consumer markets persisted in Europe, the Middle East and Africa leaving gross profits at CHF178 million, and CHF68 million for North America.
Ocean freight volume was up seven per cent year on year, reaching record highs and "continued to outperform the market", but air freight was down eight per cent reflecting the weakness of the wider market, said the company statement.
"While we did very well in ocean freight, gaining market share, we knew that the first quarter would be a difficult one for air freight, especially in comparison to last year's exceptional first quarter," said Panalpina CEO Monika Ribar.
Panalpina said it expects the air freight market to decline in the first half of 2012 resulting in a zero growth market for the full year. In ocean freight, Panalpina expects a market growth of four to five per cent. "The group's target is to outperform the market - in air freight as of the second quarter," said the statement.
Panalpina said it will appeal the European Commission's antitrust fine. "We believe the amount is not justified; we are going to appeal to the European General Court," said Ms Ribar.
Panalpina was fined with others by the EC for antitrust violations in air freight surcharges made before 2008.
"The economic environment remains volatile and visibility low, but we remain confident that we can reach our targets," said Ms Ribar. "We have acquired a lot of new business and demonstrated cost discipline."
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
ASIAN container lines can expect a rebound in revenue after first quarter losses from Chinese New Year holiday slowdown and depressed freight rates, according to Evergreen Group vice chairman Bronson Hsieh.
April has seen a rash of freight rate increases on intra-Asia routes on the back of Asian export demand with further increases of US$100 expected in coming weeks since the introduction of rate increases from the Intra-Asia Discussion Agreement (IADA).
Mr Hsieh also believes the industry will "rebound moderately this year under these better operating conditions", because of rate increases across the board.
This, he told the Taipei Times, is supported by its leasing of 10 mega-vessels to Korea Infrastructure Investments Asset Management due for delivery in fourth quarter.
In the first quarter, rising oil prices ate into revenue of container shipping with Taiwan's Yang Ming Marine Transport marking its highest net loss of NT$5.39 billion (US$184.39 million), with Evergreen struggling at NT$3.26 billion, but still up year on year. Wan Hai Lines clawed back market share from its shorter intra-regional routes at NT$327.89 million, again better than the deeper loss of NT$533 million loss fourth quarter 2011.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
GLOBAL freight volumes could quadruple by 2050, according to a study from a group representing 34 affluent nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
An OECD unit, the International Transport Forum, said that while the short-term outlook for trade and freight is bleak, "conditions for returning to growth exist".
Faster growth is expected in non-OECD countries. The study anticipates freight growth to be 2.5- to 5.5-times that of less affluent non-OECD countries by 2050, compared to 1.5- to 2.5-times in the richer OECD nations, according to the Transport Outlook 2012 report.
"The impact of the current economic crises could well be a permanent loss of output rather than a direct return to pre-crises growth path. Freight volumes could grow by a factor of four," the report said.
"Governments will have to complete a balancing act between reducing debt while maintaining growth and avoid policy-induced slowdowns. Conditions for growth exist. Pessimism about a prolonged slump need not extend to the longer run," he said.
The study said often freight volumes grow in line with output, but sometimes they are "decoupled" and grow more slowly. But the report also said "for the near- to medium-term and in particular for emerging economies, the high freight growth scenario appears more likely".
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CSAV's recovery programme seems to be working if the monthly revenue of US$1,797 per TEU is anything to go by, says London's Containerisation International, adding that that level or return has not been achieved by the troubled Chilean carrier since late 2010.
CSAV's "evolution of liftings" charts the dramatic decline in the liner's throughput following its strategy to dispense with uneconomic services and/or slot charter business to reduce exposure.
Only 146,000 TEU was carried by CSAV in March compared to the 309,000 TEU peak a year previously at the height of its expansion, said the report.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
UK-BASED Freightliner, previously part of British Rail before 1990s privatisation has placed an order with rolling stock supplier VTG for a fleet of two-FEU Ecofret Shortliner railcars.
Ecofret Shortliner railcars enable Freightliner to maximise port and inland capacity, reduce CO2 emissions and increase network utilisation by maximising the number of boxes that can be moved on one service, reports the British International Freight Association's (BIFA) newsletter.
Freightliner, through the use of new railcars and its ability to haul longer, heavier trains, using the state of the art PowerHaul locomotives, is creating Shortliner services, which enables it to increase the number of FEUs hauled per train by 42 per cent in comparison to a standard Class 66 service hauling 24 wagons while still fulfilling TEU market demand.
Freightliner says the new cars complement its existing 60-foot car fleet ensuring maximum utilisation of both FEUs and TEUs. Its capability to haul longer, heavier trains ensures more containers can be moved by rail removing trucks from the roads.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
GEORGIA's inland capital of Tbilisi, far away from the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumiin, is emerging as the key logistics hub of the country with better connections to other national urban centres as well as Azerbaijan, Armenia and other central Asian nations.
"Out of 4.5 million tons of containerised cargo which moves in Georgia - 50 per cent have a relationship with Tbilisi. Tbilisi Logistics Centre (TLC) will cater for the demand for first class warehouses. It will be focused on import warehousing and commissioning/distribution of consumer goods," said TransCare AG chief executive Ralf Jahncke.
"The centre has a direct railway connection to Georgia Black Sea ports - direct railway connection to Azerbaijan and Armenia to cut transport costs and consolidate different types of cargo storage into one facility," said Mr Jahncke.
Today, old renovated Soviet-era storage facilities, with a few private centres built by companies will soon be augmented by the TLC, scheduled to open by the end of 2013, reported Tbilisi's The Financial newspaper.
Near the Avchala Railway Station on the Tbilisi Railway Bypass Project, the TLC will stand as a centre for multi-modal transport in the region, said the report. The project was developed as a result of a joint venture between Germany's TransCare AG and TLC Property Management, the latter being a landowner and co-investor.
With US$26 million to $38 million to be invested, the centre is expected to generate a return of 25-35 per cent in the coming seven to eight years. The main shareholder is TLCPM (45 per cent), while five per cent of the funding was secured by TransCare AG, said the report, which added that the project is supported by the US Government's Economic Prosperity Initiative (EPI).
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
GERMANY's Weiss Rohlig has opened a new project forwarding division in Taiwan to meet growing demand for outsize cargo solutions in its latest development to build a regional project cargo network across Asia.
The company said the expansion is being managed by the corporate project division in Vienna, headed by Franco Ravazzolo, who said: "We are looking to expand our footprint across the region as well as focusing on opportunities in the fast expanding intra Asia market. This development will also enhance the global co-operation between Gebruder Weiss and Rohlig Logistics."
The new business unit will be headed by Willie Tseng who spent more than 30 years with NYK Line. Mr Tseng has extensive experience of managing and costing a wide range of multimodal cargo projects in Taiwan.
"We are delighted that Willie Tseng has joined the Weiss Rohlig team to head up the project cargo department in Taiwan. He brings with him a wealth of experience in this dynamic sector of the industry," said Holger Stoelker, managing director, Weiss Rohlig, Taiwan.
Weiss Rohlig has a global network with more than 6,000 employees and 153 branches in 43 countries. In Asia, the joint venture of Gebruder Weiss and Rohlig Logistics is represented at a total of 37 locations in seven countries.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
JAPAN's Yusen Logistics posted a 30.2 per cent year on year net profit decline in fiscal 2011 to US$31.2 million, despite a 92.2 per cent increase in revenue, which produced a 26.8 per cent rise in operating profit to $77.4 million.
Blaming weak US and European demand, the logistics arm of Japanese shipping giant NYK said another factor was a slow down in Asian economies, as well as the Japan's earthquake and tsunami and floods in Thailand.
"Although volumes increased in some regions temporarily, due to demand related to recovery from the twin natural disasters in Japan and heavy floods in Thailand, the international logistics market was generally stagnant," said Yusen of severely disrupted supply chains.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
RUSSIA's Global Container Service Group (GCS), of Rostov on the Don, has begun taking delivery of 224 railway flatcars ordered from Moscow-based Transmashholding's Engels plant.
The flatcars are to be used on block trains operated by GCS intermodal subsidiary Ruscon, which moves 150 000 TEU a year on routes from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk to European Russia, reports London's International Railway Gazette.
Traffic includes automotive components for factories in the Elabuga special economic zone operated by Ford, Isuzu, Voith Turbo, Saint-Gobain, Rockwool, Air Liquide and PD FibreGlass. GCS said it also plans to increase its fleet of long-term leased flatcars to more than 450 units.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
AIR France-KLM recently announced an operating loss of EUR597 million (US$783 million) for the first quarter of 2012, down 82 per cent year on year, drawn on a six per cent increase in revenue of EUR5.6 billion.
The airline described the first quarter as "tough" in its statement due to tremendous increases in fuel and employee costs as well as the slowdown in airfreight activities.
During the first quarter, cargo traffic declined 6.1 per cent, capacity reduced two per cent and load factor dropped 2.9 points to 64.9 per cent. Revenues on cargo shipment shrank 3.3 per cent year on year to EUR744 million and the operating result was a negative EUR68 million.
Operating costs rose nine per cent and by six per cent without fuel expenditures. The fuel cost increased 17.9 per cent by EUR255 million to EUR1.68 billion. Also, increase in salary and rise in pension costs push employee costs up six per cent to EUR1.91 billion. This attributed to a negative EUR597 million in operating result.
Looking ahead, the airline reaffirms cost-cutting position. It expects the annual fuel bill to increase EUR1.1 billion and the first half results will be "below the level of last year." But it hopes the results will improve in second half due to the gains from its "Transformation 2015" programme, which has been implemented to drive the company to achieving sustainable growth through measures to reduce controllable costs by 20 per cent to restore an industry average, to refocus on customer service and to simplify the entire organisational structure.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
UNITED Airlines has launched a daily service between its Washington hub at Dulles International Airport and Doha, Qatar via Dubai.
The extension of the existing Dubai service to Doha is the first of three new, previously announced United services from Washington Dulles. The airline has also introduced nonstop service between Dulles and Manchester, and between Dulles and Dublin on June 7.
"We are delighted to add Doha to United's global route network," said James Mueller, vice president Atlantic and Pacific sales. "Our customers in both the US and Qatar will benefit from increased opportunities and options with this new service."
United operates the Washington/Dulles-Dubai-Doha service with a Boeing 777 aircraft.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
JAPAN's Yusen Logistics has announced it has opened a 297-square-metre medium-temperature bonded warehouse in the Narita Logistics Centre near the Narita Airport, in addition to the company's two similar facilities for frozen refrigerated warehousing.
To be operational later this month, this new facility features a temperature setting of between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius, and an additional eight power plugs for rechargeable temperature-controlled containers. Plus the existing power plugs, the Narita Logistics Centre is now equipped with a total of 12 power plugs, enabling the simultaneous delivery work of a large number of rechargeable temperature-controlled containers, said the company statement.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of South Korea will help Kazakhstan to construct a shipyard at the Caspian Sea and overhaul a shipyard, agency Novost-Kazakhstan reported citing the Press Service of Kazakhstan Engineering National Company.
On the sidelines of the KADEX-2012 international weaponry exhibition in Astana Kazakhstan Engineering and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. signed an MoU.
The sides intend to consider joint projects such as construction of a shipyard at the Caspian Sea shore and modernization of one of the current shipyards, involving transfer of South Korea’s shipbuilding technology. A special working group is to be launched to work out recommendations on possible projects.
Kazakhstan Engineering is fully owned by National Welfare Fund Samruk Kazyna, holding of this company comprises 25 defense industry facilities. Since April 2010, the Company has been managed by the Defense Ministry.
STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. engages in the shipbuilding and ship repair business. It designs and builds product tankers, container ships, gas carriers, bulk carriers, LNG carriers, ultra large-sized container ships, VLCCs, VLOCs, cruise ships and ferries, and offshore plants. STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. was founded in 1967 and is based in Jinhae, South Korea.
Central Asian News Service, en.ca-news.org
The MSC certified Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG) North Sea herring fishery has entered MSC re-assessment in order to maintain its certification beyond 2013. MSC fishery certificates last for five years and – for a fishery to maintain its certificate – it must be reassessed in time for the expiry of the original certificate.
Claire Pescod, UK Fisheries Outreach Manager for the MSC says, “This is great news from a key fishery in Northern Europe. The SPSG’s stalwart support for the MSC has been a real driving force for the organisation in the region, with the four SPSG fisheries in the MSC programme accounting for 98% of SPSG’s annual catches of around 220,000MT. This is great timing from the SPSG – coming so closely after the certification of the West of Scotland herring fishery – and they have allowed themselves plenty of time to get the fishery recertified for its 2013 deadline.”
SPSG Chairman, John Goodlad said: “Our decision to seek re-assessment of our North Sea herring fishery illustrates the ongoing commitment of SPSG to the MSC program. North Sea herring was the first fishery we had certified and our experience of certification has been such that there was never any question that we would not seek re-assessment of this important Scottish fishery.”
The SPSG North Sea herring fishery supplies key markets across Eastern and Northern Europe, Russia and former Soviet Republics with filleted frozen herring. Fishing takes place during summer months – starting in June.
The assessment will be carried out by independent certifier, Food Certification International. Anyone with a stake in the fishery is invited to take part. If you would like to be involved, please contact Martin Gill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Source MSC
Accolades for German carrier from Air Cargo News and Hellmann
Lufthansa Cargo stood out once more as the best European cargo carrier at the “Cargo Airline of the Year Awards”. As in previous years, thousands of international forwarders again voted for the carrier as the best of Europe’s cargo airlines. At the Gala Awards night held in London, Thomas Egenolf, Director Italy & Malta, accepted the award on behalf of Lufthansa Cargo as well as additional accolade as best cargo carrier on Asia/Pacific routes.
The British Air Cargo Media Group has conferred the coveted awards for 29 years. “This year Lufthansa Cargo has had to contend not only with a general market slump – but also the damaging news of the introduction of a night-time ban at its busy Frankfurt hub. Undeterred, the German carrier has continued to outpace its rivals, particularly in Asia and Europe, stated Air Cargo News managing director Nigel Tomkins.“
Thomas Egenolf emphasised that the award was above all an incentive to continue convincing customers by delivering the topmost quality. At the London presentation ceremony, he reaffirmed that the air cargo industry is and remains a highly competitive business. “Staying up front in the industry is only possible with high quality products, an extensive network and excellent service. Those will remain our aims in the future.”
Lufthansa Cargo’s quality has also won recent acclaim from Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. Theglobal logistics provider presented its European Award to the Lufthansa airfreight subsidiary in Wiesbaden. Hellmann branches across Europe had evaluated cargo airlines on the basis of six criteria, on which Lufthansa Cargo outperformed its global competitors.
Source Lufthansa Cargo AG
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