HAPAG-LLOYD is launching a new express connection from Germany through the Baltic region called the Russia Express Service (REX) linking Hamburg and Bremerhaven, its two European hubs, to Russia, Finland and Poland.
Two vessels each with a capacity of 1,400 TEU that meet the highest standard for ice-class ships will be used to operate the REX service.
From the beginning of May the service will call weekly at the ports of Bremerhaven, Hamburg, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Gdynia and back to Bremerhaven.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DUBAI's DP World has welcomed the 6,606-TEU PIL Kota Carum, one of the largest ships to call at Aden Container Terminal (ACT), reports TradeArabia News Service.
The vessel, owned by Singapore's Pacific International Lines (PIL), came alongside for 21 hours and 14 minutes, a "premium turnaround time" for loading and discharge of cargo, said the report.
"We congratulate Pacific International Lines and its new vessel on her maiden visit to Aden and the Red Sea, the busiest sea trade transit route in the world," said Faisal Al Qahtani, vice president and managing director of DP World, Middle East.
"This port call once again demonstrates the efficient gateway and transshipment role played by DP World Aden and its importance to Yemen's domestic economy. We commend DP World Aden's team for the meticulous ability with which they safely and efficiently discharged and loaded a ship of this size."
Said DP World Aden general manager Arthur Flynn: "PIL Kota Carum is among the largest ships to visit us and we thank PIL for their confidence in DP World Aden's service capabilities. DP World Aden's natural deepwater harbour and proven operational efficiencies has made it possible for us to handle this mega liner. We are proud that our operations team was able to safely achieve an excellent turnaround time."
With its 16-metre alongside, DP World Aden occupies a strategic position as a gateway port to meet the needs of Yemen's importers and exporters, the statement said.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Port of Savannah posted an 8.3 per cent increase in container volume to 759,000 TEU in March year on year, beating the previous record set in April last year, reported the Georgia Ports Authority.
For fiscal year 2012 through March, the GPA has handled 19.5 million tons of cargo, an increase of 280,035 tons over the same period in FY2011. Of that total, container traffic accounted for 16.5 million tons or 2.2 million TEU, with an export to import ratio of 53.71 per cent to 46.29 per cent.
"We are cautiously optimistic about continued market recovery that will spur additional manufacturing and distribution opportunities," said GPA executive director Curtis Foltz.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Port of Marseilles-Fos has posted a 26 per cent increase in first quarter container volume to 260,000 TEU based on a poor performance last year and only six per cent better than in the first quarter in 2010, say port authorities.
Overall cargo throughput was only up one per cent year on year to 22 million tonnes in the first quarter with boxes leading gains, and general cargo up 23 per cent to 4.2 million tonnes on the back of revitalised container volumes, reported London's International Freighting Weekly, adding that gains were attributed to a "manifest improvement in reliability" following last year's national port reforms.
Ro-ro services contributed 980,000 tonnes, a five per cent increase, resulting from increased trade with Corsica, while conventional cargo was up 27 per cent to 690,000 tonnes rising on increased demand for steel.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
INTTRA, an e-commerce provider for ocean shipping and founder of the Ocean Freight Advisory Board representing the major carriers and forwarders, announced it will expand membership by 25 per cent.
The Ocean Freight Industry EIPP Standards Advisory Board mission is to lead the ocean freight industry towards greater efficiency through automated electronic invoicing and payment.
Member organisations encompasses ocean carriers, 3PL providers, forwarders and NVOCC, Companies that recently joined the advisory board include: Leschaco, Sinotrans, Damco, Ecu Line, Geodis Wilson.
Said Maersk Line's Steen Larsen, a board member: "Our diverse membership is certainly an important and welcome quality that is essential to creating industry solutions that address the needs of the various segments."
Ecu Line CEO Marc Stoffelen said its membership this year supports future electronic presentment and payment standardisation which will benefit his niche market.
"By adopting automated bill presentment and payment, the process will be more accurate, transparent and settlements will be faster and uniform. It provides a better way to analyse payment behaviour and incorrect billing," said Mr Stoffelen.
INTTRA's efforts received a boost last week at the Containerisation International Global Liner Shipping Conference in London when Maersk's chief commercial officer Lucas Vos told delegates of the need to cut administrative costs.
"Invoicing is a complete nightmare" because of all the different charges and surcharges, he said. "We need simple rate structures. Let's rely on companies like INTTRA."
Global ocean freight organisations from North America, Europe, and Asia gather twice a year for general advisory board meetings in addition to working teams that focus on developing specific standards and processes for the industry. The next meeting will be in Copenhagen this week.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
POLISH home improvement retailer, OBI, has signed a two-year warehousing and distribution contract with Kuehne + Nagel to manage its import sea freight for its stores nationwide.
The new contract will oversee the entire OBI supply chain beginning at the container terminal in Asia, including the intermodal pre-haulage and warehousing services in Poland and finishing with the final delivery to the OBI stores. Data exchange with the suppliers is processed via the OBI supplier integration platform.
OBI Poland board member Adam Rosinski said in a company statement: "Combining the international with the domestic shipment flows gives us the opportunities to lever the information across the whole process, which is important in our business which has a strong seasonal focus."
The hub operation is managed in a facility located at the intersection of A1 and S8 in Piotrkow Trybunalski, 130 kilometres south of Warsaw.
In order to provide transparent and reliable distribution services to over 40 OBI stores across Poland, Kuehne + Nagel has developed a booking application which allows all OBI stores to view the central stock in order to avoid shortages. Value-added-services such as labelling and cross docking pallets for some suppliers complement the service portfolio.
The project was implemented within three months following Kuehne + Nagel's proven CTI (Customer Transition & Integration) methodology. The process ensures a smooth transition an integration of the customer's business using experienced project specialists, standardised tools and systematic knowledge transfer.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CEVA Logistics has renewed Ecuadorian state-owned oil company Petroamazonas contract under which it will provide import and export services, expand breakbulk, ocean freight and air freight for drilling operations.
The contract renewal comes as Petroamazonas has opened a new drilling block and taken over fields from another government drilling entity, Petroproduccion.
Said Petroamazonas supply chain chief Augusto Gortaire Cordovez: "We need a partner that can support our expansion opportunities while still maintaining our current operations without letting anything slip."
CEVA has been working for Petroamazonas for nearly three years, providing logistics support for drilling operations as well as services, arranging pickup at origin and managing the freight through to final destination.
Said CEVA account executive Geary Evans: "This renewal signifies our commitment to Petroamazonas and the oil and gas industry."
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
LOGISTICS company, Gefco Romania, has announced its revenue was up 30 per cent to EUR43.3 million (US$56.6 million), reports the newsportal romania-insider.com .
"We continued to conclude successful partnerships, to make investments on the Romanian market, and despite the unstable economic situation, we managed to exceed the objectives set at the beginning of the year," said Christophe De Korver, managing director Gefco Romania.
In 2011 Gefco Romania operated over 20,000 trucks, up from 8,600 trucks in 2010, according to the company. About 1,760 TEU were transported by sea last year, while 545 containers were transported by air.
Last year, the company increased the number of employees by 12, reaching a total of 94.
Gefco Group, which posted a turnover of EUR 3.7 billion in 2011, currently operates in 150 countries around the world with more than 10,000 employees.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
HONG KONG's premier cargo handler, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has set up the first IATA-Authorised Training Centre (ATC) for cargo in Hong Kong to increase the level of competence and the qualification of air cargo workers.
The IATA Training and Development Institute (ITDI), a leading source of international training and professional development programmes serving all sectors of the aviation industry, has developed the IATA International Cargo Training Programme which incorporates distance learning for students wishing to upgrade their professional competence or start a career in the industry. These courses are delivered in hundreds of classrooms worldwide leading to internationally recognised certificates or diplomas through IATA's network of ATCs.
The ATC operators abide by a comprehensive procedure manual, training staff must meet strict criteria regarding experience and qualifications, and the ATC premises and instructors are regularly audited to maintain consistent teaching quality.
The Hactl ATC will start in the second half of 2012 and will provide a wide range of IATA training courses covering subjects such as dangerous goods, live animals, infectious substances and perishables. The centre will use Hactl's large existing training centre which has recently been used to train Hactl staff and its customers in the use of the new COSAC+ IT system introduced by Hactl in late 2011.
The ATC centre will be headed by Simon Yap, in his new position as manager of operation training services.
"Hactl has a long and solid reputation for training. We have trained thousands of airline and forwarding staff in the use of the community IT system which we introduced in the late 70s, and have also conducted airline staff training at various customer locations around the world," said Mr Yap.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
EUROPE seeks a single comprehensive air cargo security standards with the United States to streamline the flow of trade in the first step of accepting Europe's robust standards "as equal to their own", said the Association of European Airlines (AEA).
The adoption of an EU-wide deal will "simplify the process for airlines and remove unnecessary duplication" on both sides of the Atlantic, said AEA secretary-general Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, of its network of 34 carriers.
A number of bilateral agreements with the US and Finland, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom are a "concrete foundation" towards a wider agreement and "highest possible security levels."
"Once we have a critical build-up of US approvals, an EU-wide deal will be a simple next step. These audits should give the US confirmation, if it is really needed, that European regulators take air cargo security extremely seriously," said Mr Schulte-Strathaus.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
LUFTHANSA Cargo Charter Agency has extended the contract it signed almost a year ago with general sales agent, Platinum Air Cargo, to cover additionally California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, according to Heavy Lift magazine.
The initial agreement covered Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma and mainly dealt with the oil and gas industry. Now a further focus will be put on aerospace, high-tech and other industries on the US west coast, said a statement by the air charter services company.
"Platinum Air Cargo was our first try with the GSA model," said Andrew Morch, general manager the Americas for Lufthansa Cargo Charter Agency, "and it has proven to be a success. It brings additional business without having to take the risk of taking on own staff. So whatever the economical ups and downs, you stay flexible."
Timothy Pfeil, vice president sales and airline relations, Platinum Air Cargo, said: "Adding our know-how and customer relations to the Lufthansa Cargo Charter expertise makes us a great team. We've done some very good jobs together and will do a lot more now with the extended reach."
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
SWISSPORT International has been awarded ground handling licences for international airports in Morocco to become operational in July.
The award of the licences by the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA, Office National Des Aeroports) Tender Commission follows an open tender process.
Swissport will now engage with stakeholders to ensure a smooth and efficient start-up and is committed to selecting and deploying qualified, motivated handling staff from existing providers. An experienced management team will be put in place shortly for the start-up preparation.
"The market entry in Morocco is an important milestone in Swissport's geographical expansion in Africa," said company vice president Juan Jose Andres Alvez of the tender win.
Besides its provision of ground services, Swissport wants to add value and support to Morocco's aviation industry and the wider national economy. Alongside existing operations in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Algeria, the award of the Morocco licences will strengthen Swissport's position in North Africa, said Mr Alvez.
Zurich-based Swissport International moves 3.2 million tonnes of cargo a year using 98 warehouses covering 350,000 square metres for 650 client companies. It employs 35,000 people and is active at 177 stations in 36 countries. It generated US$1.86 billion in revenue in 2011.
Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
In response to the announcement by the PSVOA that they will re-enter the Alaska salmon fishery into assessment toward MSC certification, Kerry Coughlin, MSC Regional Director, Americas, said:
“The Marine Stewardship Council welcomes continuing partnership with Alaska salmon fishermen and processing companies and appreciates the willingness of the Purse Seine Vessel Owner’s Association to serve as the client organization for the whole of the Alaska fishery.
“The Alaska salmon fishery has been a long-standing model of sustainable fishery management, and has been part of the MSC program since 2000. Over the last twelve years buyers in seafood markets around the world increasingly have made commitments to adopt the MSC standard as part of their seafood sourcing policies. Our many commercial partners who appreciate providing MSC certified Alaska salmon to their customers will be pleased at this decision to re-activate the assessment with the intention of continuing MSC certification of the Alaska salmon fishery.
“Under the MSC program, a fishery is formally recognized as entering assessment when an accredited, independent, third-party certifier files documents with the MSC. We look forward to officially announcing the re-activated re-assessment of Alaska salmon when those documents are received, which is anticipated in the next few days.”
MSC
Back in the world's top 5
At this year's Passenger Terminal Expo in Vienna, passengers have awarded Amsterdam Airport Schiphol 'Europe's best airport'. Although Schiphol had already won the award of 'Western Europe's best airport' several times, this is the first time it is recognised as 'Europe's best airport'. Additionally, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is back among the world's top 5 airports, ranking fourth (compared with sixth on last year's list).
We are particularly proud of this award because it are the passengers who have voted us Europe's best airport. This award is not only a sign of recognition, it also provides an added impetus for us to fulfil and continue to fulfil our ambition to be Europe's preferred airport,' says Maarten de Groof, Executive Vice President & CCO of Schiphol Group.
Among the top 5 best airports in the world
The top 5 list of best airports in the world is headed by Incheon International Airport (South Korea), followed by Singapore Changi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Beijing Capital International Airport.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is renowned not only because it so easy for transfer passengers to find their way around, but also on account of its many excellent recreational and leisure facilities. For these reasons Amsterdam Airport Schiphol now also ranks as the world's third-best transfer airport, after Singapore Changi Airport and Incheon International Airport.
The awards were presented to Senior Design and Review Manager Jan van der Linden at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Vienna yesterday.
Skytrax
The World Airport Awards, also known in the travel industry as the Passenger's Choice Awards, are considered the most significant benchmark for measuring the quality of airports worldwide. For the 2012 edition, Skytrax carried out a survey among more than 12 million travellers from over a hundred different countries on the quality of 388 airports around the world. This independent survey has been conducted since 1999.
Skytrax, a British consultancy, conducts research into the quality of various aspects of civil aviation, such as airlines and airports.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
HONG KONG's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has posted a 5.4 per cent increase in container volume to 1.24 million TEU year on year, but suffered a 0.9 per cent decrease in revenue to US$1.32 billion.
Loadable capacity increased 12.6 per cent in the first three months of the year, but the overall load factor was five per cent lower year on year. Overall average revenue per TEU also shrank six per cent from the same period last year.
For individual trade lanes, revenue was up more than 11 per cent in the transatlantic and intra-Asia/Australasian trades, but down in the company's larger transpacific and Asia-Europe trades. All four major trade lanes experienced growth in cargo volume, said the OOCL statement.
Transpacific volume increased 3.4 per cent to 306,571 TEU year on year yet revenue fell 4.4 per cent to $452.3 million. Meanwhile Asia-Europe volumes increased 3.2 per cent year on year to 202,452 TEU, despite a revenue decline of 21.2 per cent to $219 million.
Transatlantic volume increased 18.2 per cent to 107,516 TEU with revenue rising 11.3 per cent to $174.3 million.
Intra-Asia/Australasia volume was also up 5.2 per cent to 628,100 TEU as was revenue, which increased 11.7 per cent to $471.3 million year on year.
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