Yesterday, Chief Commercial Officer of Schiphol Group Maarten de Groof and Lovers Company director Karel Lovers launched 'Schiphol behind the scenes': a multimedia bus tour that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the airport. This spectacular tour gives access to places at the airport that visitors would not normally see, such as the fire service, the snow clearance fleet, the cargo aprons with their large hangars, and the terminal for private jets. Even the old air traffic control tower has been included. The tour has been specially designed for young and old, day-trippers, tourists and passengers arriving or transferring at Schiphol.
About Schiphol behind the scenes
When boarding the bus, passengers are made to feel that they are entering an aircraft thanks to sounds from the air traffic control tower, the welcome screens and their boarding passes. A video presentation then takes visitors through Schiphol operations, explaining everything that needs to be done to allow air traffic to run at Schiphol. This includes information on the terminal, the runways, flight paths, runway maintenance, baggage and the bird control units.
Past anecdotes also feature regularly, such as the fact that the first flight in 1916 was a military flight, that cargo was also transported during the first passenger flight in 1920, and that there are three different theories on the origin of the name 'Schiphol'.
In short, Schiphol behind the scenes is much more than just a guided tour: it is a way to experience the dynamic nature of the airport.
Schiphol behind the scenes - itinerary
Schiphol behind the scenes starts and ends at Schiphol Plaza, and takes just over an hour. The tour goes past the take-off and landing area towards Schiphol East, along the old air traffic control tower, passes the aircraft hangars, continues on to the snow clearance fleet and fire service post in Sloten, and from there returns to Schiphol Plaza.
Tickets and prices
For the tour schedule and ticket sales, please visit www.schipholbehindthescenes.nl.Tickets can also be purchased at the airport, in the Arrivals hall or beyond passport control at Holland Boulevard between piers E and F. Adults pay €15, children aged 4-12 €7.50. A 10% discount applies to tickets purchased online.
Source Hugin Online
2012-04-12
For the busy Easter travel period, Latvian national airline airBaltic saw increased passenger interest in the carrier’s destinations in Europe, Middle East, and Russia/CIS.
For the Easter holiday and this week, the Top 10 destinations of airBaltic are the following:
1. Barcelona
2. Paris
3. Moscow
4. Berlin
5. Munich
6. Amsterdam
7. Vienna
8. Rome
9. Tel Aviv
10. Kiev
These Top 10 destinations enjoyed high demand from passengers starting their journey from popular origin airports in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region.
As announced previously, airBaltic entered the summer season with an increased number of flights in its network spanning Europe, Middle East, and Russia/CIS and returning leisure destinations on the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian coast. By increasing flight frequencies, airBaltic will improve its service to both local passengers, and those travelling in transit via Riga. The summer schedule of airBaltic also features a number of leisure destinations coming back from hibernation, including Venice, Athens, Budapest, Nice, Dublin, Chisinau, along with other cities on the Mediterranean, Caspian and Black Sea coast.
airBaltic will increase its Riga- Vienna service to 12 weekly flights, up from 7 last summer; the flight will be operated in cooperation with Austrian Airlines. Riga-Zurich flights will be operated daily, as a result of improving frequency from 6 to 7 weekly. airBaltic will also offer 12 weekly flights on the Riga-Munich route, up from 7 last summer. airBaltic will increase its Riga- Amsterdam service to 12 weekly flights, up from 7 last summer. Riga-Brussels flights will be operated 12 times weekly, an increase from 7 times the previous summer. airBaltic will increase its Riga- Billund service to 7 weekly flights, up from 5 last summer. airBaltic will increase its Riga- Moscow Domodedovo service to 7 weekly flights, up from 2 last summer; flights will be operated in code-share with Transaero Airlines. airBaltic offers four daily flights to Moscow Sheremetyevo in code-share cooperation with Aeroflot.
Source AIR BALTIC CORPORATION
HONG KONG's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has announced its chief operating officer Andy Tung will succeed Philip Chow after his retirement as the new chief executive with effect from July 1.
Mr Tung will continue to be an executive director and a member of the executive committee of Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (OOIL), the parent company of OOCL, and managing director and a member of the executive committee of OOCL, said the company statement.
Mr Tung, nephew of Tung Chee-Chen, the chairman, president and CEO of OOIL Group, took the position of COO in January 2009. He has also served the group in various positions, including as director of reefer trade of OOCL between 1993 and 1998.
Mr Tung holds a bachelors from Princeton and an MBA from Stanford. He is currently a member of the executive committee of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.
After stepping down as OOCL's chief executive, Mr Chow will stay at the carrier's parent company OOIL Group, in which he has served for more than 36 years, as a non-executive director.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE big three Japanese carriers have announced the consolidation of two loops that NYK calls ALEX (Asia Latin America Express), the ALEX-1 and the ALEX-2, into a single string starting April 26.
"K" Line now markets this a single ANDES loop, deploying 11 postpanamax vessels and a new feeder service (MSX) will be launched between Mexico and the west coast of South America.
NYK will supply five of the 11 ships, between 5,600 and 6,500 TEU, while "K" Line and MOL and will provide three each.
The new service will add a direct link between Ningbo, Chile and Peru and offer wider service. Buenaventura and Guayaquil are served via MSX service with transshipment at Manzanillo and Callao, respectively, said "K" Line.
The 77-day rotation will call weekly at Keelung, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Da Chan Bay, Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Busan, Manzanillo, Callao, Iquique, Valparaiso, Lirquen, Callao, Manzanillo, Tokyo and Keelung with the first sailing from Keelung on April 26.
"The ports of Honolulu, Buenaventura, and Guayaquil, which were part of ALEX-2, will now be served through new services of ours" said the NYK announcement.
Buenaventura and Guayaquil will also be part of NYK's new MSX (Mexico South America Express) service with transshipment at Manzanillo (Mexico) and Callao on the following 21-day rotation, deploying three 2,100-TEU on a weekly basis calling at Manzanillo, Buenaventura, Callao, Guayaquil and then back to Manzanillo with the first sailing on May 26.
Honolulu will be served by our new AHX (Asia Hawaii Express) service. A separate press release (http://www.nyk.com/english/release/1964/NE_120411_2.html) contains service details.
Additionally, shipments linking Asia with the west coast of Central America will continue to be offered through the MAREX-Neo service via transshipment in Manzanillo (Mexico).
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
ISRAELI flag carrier Zim is to enhance Europe-to-Asia services with changes to East Med Express Service (EMX) by adding a new direct call to the Black Sea ports of Odessa and Novorossiysk.
The addition of these ports will enhance its connectivity to Russia and CIS countries and improve transit times to its major Asian ports with the addition of a call to Busan.
The EMC revised port rotation is now Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Dachan Bay, Port Kelang, Haifa, Ashdod, Istanbul, Odessa, Novorossiysk, Gemlik, Istanbul, Haifa, Mundra, Colombo, Port Kelang and back to Busan.
Zim is to launch a new weekly Asia-Black Sea service (ABS) to connect Asia with ports of Constanta, Romania and Illichivsk, Ukraine as well as the ports of Piraeus and Istanbul.
The ABC port rotation will have the following rotation: Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Shekou, Singapore, Port Kelang, Piraeus, Istanbul, Constanta, Illichivsk, Port Kelang and back to Shanghai.
Said Zim: "Together, these two additions constitute a significant upgrade, part of the company's strategy is to strengthen its leading position in the Black Sea with two weekly sailings, wider port coverage, improved transit times and higher reliability."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DUBAI-based Emirates Shipping Line has announced it will increase the rates for services from Far East and southeast Asia to east Africa by US$250 per TEU, as well as from Far East and southeast Asia to Indian subcontinent by $300 per TEU from April 15.
Headquartered in both Dubai and Hong Kong, Emirates Shipping Line is the world's 59th largest carrier, according to Alphaliner Top 100 League.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DUBAI's Emirates Shipping Line has announced it will participate in the Korea-East Asia-Middle East loop (KMS) with Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) with first sailing on April 24 from Kwangyang.
Port rotation of the KMS is Kwangyang, Busan, Ningbo, Keelung, Shenzhen-Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang, Jebel Ali, Bandar Abbas, Karachi, returning to Singapore and Hong Kong.
Emirates said in a statement this service offers a direct call from the Middle East to Karachi and connects Korea and the Far East to the major Middle East Gulf ports, making it "a comprehensive and competitive service in the North Asia to the Middle East Gulf trade lane."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CONTAINER import cargo volume at American major ports is expected to increase 3.2 per cent in April year on year with such gains continuing through summer, says the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
"Retailers are continuing to watch rising gas prices, but job gains and other indicators show the economy is strengthening," said federation vice president Jonathan Gold. "All of this should improve consumer confidence and lead to increased spending, so retailers are building up their inventories."
American ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.04 million TEU in February, the latest month for which records are available. With February traditionally the slowest month of the year, volume was down 16 per cent from January and 5.7 per cent from February 2011.
March was estimated at 1.19 million TEU, up 9.6 per cent from a year ago, and April is forecast at 1.25 million TEU, up 3.2 per cent from last year. May is forecast at 1.29 million TEU, the same as last year; June at 1.29 million TEU, up 3.6 per cent; July at 1.35 million TEU, up 1.9 per cent, and August at 1.42 million TEU, up 7.4 per cent.
The first half of 2012 should total 7.3 million TEU, up 2.2 per cent year on year. The total for 2011 was 14.8 million TEU, up 0.4 per cent from 2010's 14.75 million TEU. The federation continues to project 2012 retail sales will grow 3.4 per cent to $2.53 trillion.
"Our forecast for the remainder of the year has brought us back to the traditional peak season patterns," Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. "Hopefully the importers and the carriers can work closely together to ensure sufficient capacity and a solid supply chain."
Global Port Tracker covers the ports of Long Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah and Houston.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
The Port of Humen, in Guangdong's Dongguan city, has applied to set up a three-square kilometre bonded port area and aims to become an important international free port in the Pearl River Delta in 10 years' time, Xinhua reports.
Humen Bonded Port Area will be situated at the Shatian port area Xidatan operation area, offering bonded logistics, export processing, trading, exhibition and financial services, according to the local Nanfang Daily.
Once becoming a free port, Humen is set to be a locomotive for the development of industries in Dongguan and the regions around, the paper said.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Fujian provincial government has been authorised to merge three port areas, Quanzhou, Putian and Meizhou under the name Meizhou Bay Port, whose administration is already functioning, Xinhua reports.
Meizhou Bay Port will focus on domestic container shipping and large bulk volumes. The port plans to spend CNY22 billion (US$3.49 billion) on upgrades during the 12th National Five-Year Plan period and raise its annual capacity to 200 million tonnes by 2015.
After the merger, Meizhou Bay will have eight port areas, including Xinghua, Dongwu, Xiuyu, Xiaocuo, Douwei, Quanzhou, Shenhu Bay and Weitou Bay.
A senior official from Fujian Provincial Transport Department said that Fujian will develop three port clusters each with their own function to avoid overlapping. Meizhou Bay Port in the centre of the province and Fuzhou port in the north will mainly focus on domestic container shipping and bulk. Xiamen port in the south will concentrate on foreign trade.
Meizhou Bay port has 147 berths in operation. Twenty-four have a capacity of more than 10,000 tonnes. The port has a capacity of 102 tonnes in terms of tonnage and 1.45 million TEU. Last year, throughput increased 12.2 per cent to 114 million tonnes, accounting for 31 per cent of provincial seaport volume.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE Port of Rotterdam Authority announced a 10 per cent year-on-year net profit increase to EUR186 million (US$243 million) in 2011 driven by higher harbour dues paid by ships that visit the port and from rental revenue.
Harbour dues rose six per cent to EUR305 million, partly due to the one per cent increase in throughput, but mostly because the seven per cent 2010 "crisis discount" was cut to a three per cent "recovery reduction".
The income from the letting out of sites rose by seven per cent to EUR267 million because of price indexation, the extension of a number of contracts at prices more in line with market rates and the allocation of new sites in Maasvlakte 2.
In total the operating income increased by almost seven per cent to EUR588 million, EUR37 million more than in 2010. The operating expenses increased slightly. The income from participating interests amounted to EUR9 million in 2011, mainly due to the favourable development of the participating interest in the Sohar Port in Oman.
The port authority invested a record EUR494 million in 2011, of which EUR379 million was invested in Maasvlakte 2 and EUR116 million in the existing port area. Investment in 2012 will amount to about EUR500 million.
Said port financial director Paul Smits: "These figures mean that we can continue with our planned investments in the port. That is very important for the development of the main port in the long term."
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is moderately positive about the developments in 2012 and anticipates an increase in throughput up to one per cent. Net income is expected to continue developing positively in 2012, due to income increasing slightly while expenses remain constant.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CHINA registered record-breaking 11.06 million tonnes in its daily railway cargo volume in March while the number of loaded railcars also climbed to a new high of 172,883 cars a day, Xinhua reports.
China needed 228,000 rail cars per day in March, 37,000 cars more than in February. Railway cargo totalled 344.21 million tonnes, up two per cent over February. Both Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company posted a freight volume increase of 14.8 per cent while the Nanning Railway Bureau grew 12.6 per cent.
In the passenger traffic, China moved 145 million people by rail in March, up 2.7 per cent. Eight railway bureaux recorded growth in passenger volume. Leading in growth was the Jinan bureau up 15.2 per cent and the Urumqi bureau up 13.6 per cent.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
BRISTOL based maritime software developer AtoBviaC, has introduced an anti-piracy route device in the BP Shipping Marine Distance Tables, reports Digital Ship.
The anti-piracy route system is based upon information on pirate activity obtained on a regular basis from Joint War Committee bulletins, and from specific route requested by ship operators.
All routes calculated are navigable, taking account of the need to keep suitable distances off shoals, wrecks, coasts and obstructions, and also avoid oil field development areas.
The routes are reviewed weekly and updates are issued at two-monthly intervals, or more frequently if significant changes need to be made.
"Anti-Piracy Control allows ship operators to make informed decisions on voyages which may need to avoid piracy areas," said AtoBviaC director and master mariner Trevor Hall.
"With the amount of uncertainty in the industry and the depressed freight rates being experienced, the implication of avoiding piracy has to be carefully measured," said Capt Hall.
"The AtoBviaC tool enables the ship operator to select routes based on the most current intelligence, and accurately calculate the time and fuel implications of the voyage," he said. "In many cases this can work out to be considerably more accurate than the other available options and provides a level of self-determination that is missing from other solutions."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
LOMAR, the ship owning and management subsidiary of the Libra Group, has signed a new order with the Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard for up to six new 2,190-TEU containerships.
Scheduled for delivery starting from early 2014, the vessels have been designed by Chinese design institute Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) and are said to meet the highest standards for fuel efficiency and environmental compliance.
The investment reconfirms Lomar's return to the container shipping sector in recent years, and follows the company's order earlier this year for up to six new bulk carriers from China's Cosco Group, said a statement from Libra Group posted on PRNewswire via COMTEX.
The order takes Lomar's current fleet to close to 50 vessels. These new hull-optimised ships are said to offer improved performance compared with existing container vessels of the same size by providing significant savings on fuel consumption at a wide range of speeds in comparison to those on the market.
"We are re-investing in our fleet with these new vessels," said Lomar CEO Achim Boehme. "Wenchong has a very strong reputation for delivering excellent quality container vessels and being among the best shipyards in the 'feeder' size sector. We look forward to taking delivery of these newbuildings which will enhance our existing portfolio and allow us to stay competitive, continuing to offer a comprehensive service across the whole of Lomar with a modern, fuel-efficient fleet."
After 35 years of buying and selling mixed class vessels, Lomar sold almost its entire fleet between 2004 and 2007. However, the company re-invested in shipping in late 2009 with the US$325 million acquisition of the Allocean fleet of 26 vessels.
Nowadays, the company has a mixed fleet of vessels including bulk carriers, containerships, LPG and chemical tankers as well as offshore vessels.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE United States does not intentionally block Chinese investment and imports, says US Ambassador to China Gary Locke, according to China Business News.
"We encourage Chinese trade and investment," Mr Locke said. "Growing Chinese demand for American products will help to create more jobs in the US. We are trying to unlock the full potential of the US-China economic relationship by becoming more open and appealing. The export control reform is underway although it may take a few more years, and we are also trying to remove barriers for new investment.
"The US is responding to Chinese concerns about American economic practices - for example on inbound investment and export control restrictions on high-technology goods - so that together we can find ways to further unlock the economic potential of our two countries," he said.
Mr Locke said Chinese investment into the US was vital to economic growth, job creation and productivity, and the world's largest economy welcomed such investment.
"Many Chinese firms are reluctant to invest because they misunderstand that their investment will be blocked by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and that all Chinese investment in the US requires US government approval." To change that perception, he said the US had beefed up efforts to attract Chinese investors.
He said the US Foreign Commercial Service had regularly been organising investment fairs and conferences targeted at attracting Chinese investment, and the embassy had commissioned a video in Chinese to dispel "false myths" about investing and guide investors on how to become successful in the US.
"The video will be ready in a month and we will show it all over China," Mr Locke said. "The reality is that only a handful of all foreign investment in the US is reviewed by the US government, and very few of these involve Chinese companies."
The US is also in the midst of a major reform that will enable more high-tech goods to be exported to China, Mr Locke said.
It has granted 46 out of 141 high-tech items that China listed as hoping to purchase from the US, he said. For the remainder, China needs to offer additional details so the US can determine whether and under what conditions they can be exported.
In May, Mr Locke said, a delegation of American companies will be in Shanghai to meet Chinese companies interested in purchasing high-tech goods, including items on the list.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
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