More than 250 delegates attend cargo airline’s fifth Security Conference

At its fifth Security Conference, Lufthansa Cargo called for swifter implementation of the certified shipper approval process in Germany. Addressing more than 250 delegates from the logistics industry in Frankfurt, Dr. Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht, Lufthansa Cargo Executive Board Member Operations, said, “The fact is that today, with only 13 months to go until EU Directive 185 goes into force, fewer than one per cent of shippers in Germany have been accredited. This shows that there is an enormous need for action. All the partners in the logistics sector must take steps to significantly speed up the approval process.” Lufthansa Cargo was nonetheless making thorough preparations for the time after April 2013, Dr. Rupprecht added, so as to be able to continue to offer its customers seamless security processes.

Speakers at the Lufthansa Cargo Security Conference – besides the airline’s representatives – included representatives of political parties, the logistics industry, the shipping industry and manufacturers of security technology. In addition to the former Minister of the Interior, Gerhart Baum, representatives of the German Aviation Office (LBA) and the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had accepted Lufthansa Cargo’s invitation to attend the conference.

One of the main topics under discussion was the as yet inadequate level of harmonisation of international security standards. Mutual recognition of EU directives and US regulations, particularly as regards transatlantic traffic, was long overdue, Lufthansa Cargo Board Member Dr. Rupprecht said. “It is neither comprehensible nor acceptable,” he added, “that the US authorities recognise security measures for air cargo from France or Switzerland, say, but do not recognise the virtually identical measures that apply in Germany. This results in additional checks on all departures from Germany to the USA.” Insufficient harmonisation was thus creating inefficiencies, lengthy processes and high costs, and did not result in any security gains, Dr. Rupprecht stressed. “In the past few years, Lufthansa Cargo’s security costs have increased more than tenfold. And that trend looks set to continue.”

However, the airline manager also pointed out that, in spite of the scope for improvement as regards processes and harmonisation, security levels in the industry were recognised as being high, and the measures in place ensured a high degree of security for airfreight traffic. “For Lufthansa Cargo the rule will continue to apply that security is not negotiable. For that reason, we will continue to work very closely with the authorities and all those involved in the air cargo industry in order to develop meaningful security measures,” he explained.

Harald Zielinski, Head of Security & Environmental Management at Lufthansa Cargo, stressed that the airline’s Security Conference had a key role to play in this process. “Dialogue between politicians, the authorities and the logistics companies is crucial if we want to further improve security regulations and at the same time ensure smooth implementation as well as competitive processes and costs. With our fifth Security Conference, we have once again brought together top representatives from all the areas involved.”

Source Lufthansa Cargo AG

MAN Truck & Bus the market leader again among European manufacturers in fiscal year 2011

For the second time in a row, MAN has emerged the number one among European manufacturers of commercial vehicles in Russia. With sales of over 7,600 trucks and 220 buses, MAN reached pre-crisis order volumes again in fiscal year 2011. Its market share for trucks of more than 12 tons was 26 percent in 2011 in the European brand segment.

"Efficient transportation solutions, reliable vehicles, and the satisfaction of our customers are the three pillars of our strategy," said Lars Himmer, Head of the MAN CIS Sales Region and Director of MAN Truck & Bus RUS. "Last year we saw clear signs of recovery on the Russian market. Our range of products places us in the vanguard of the growing trend toward efficient and ecologically sound vehicle concepts and will enable us to continue strengthening our position there," emphasized Himmer.

As recently as the end of 2011, MAN was able to conclude two major orders in Russia. 2,188 engines ordered by the company LIAZ have already been delivered. They will mainly be used to equip city buses in Moscow as well as in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. The order for 50 MAN city buses from the city of Vladivostok shows that MAN's reputation in Russia is growing.

Russia is an important sales market in MAN's international growth strategy. In order to consolidate itself further still on the Russian market as a successful manufacturer of efficient commercial vehicles, MAN is investing around €25 million in setting up its own production facility in St. Petersburg.

The middle of 2012 will see MAN start production of heavy TGS WW trucks with Euro 4 engines. In the medium term, the St. Petersburg site is set to reach a production capacity of around 6,000 vehicles a year.  

Source MAN Group

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has appointed a new Regional Operations Manager for Asia Pacific. Brendon Hawley will be based in Jakarta, Indonesia and will be responsible for all operations throughout Indonesia reporting to General Manager Cato Nordskog.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Hawley said: “I am very much looking forward to becoming part of the Wilhelmsen Ships Service team within Asia Pacific and am excited about the challenges ahead. The region is one of growth and I am starting my role at a key time as we roll out new and improved work practices and expand our presence with the opening of additional branch offices in Indonesia”.

Born in Durban and educated in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa, Hawley began his seafaring career in 1971 with UK-based shipowner T & J Harrison Lines, before joining Safmarine Corp & Unicorn Lines during which period he obtained his Masters License, serving on a range of vessel types, before becoming a Master on General Cargo Vessels.

After coming ashore in 1986, he took up a position as P&I Surveyor in the Port of Richards Bay and went on to become a Director of P&I Associates (South Africa). In 1993, Hawley joined Gearbulk Shipping South Africa where he stayed for 18 years in various positions including a secondment to Quebec City, Jakarta & Port Sudan. Most recently, Hawley was Head of Operations Asia.

Cato Nordskog, GM WSS Indonesia said: “We are delighted to welcome Brendon to the team and look forward to seeing how he brings his vast experience of the owners and charterers segment to his role in Asia Pacific”.

Source Wilhelmsen Ships Service

Following a slight downturn in 2010, volumes in container handling between the Port of Hamburg and Poland recovered notably in 2011. Feedership container traffic with Poland, for instance, grew by 33.3 percent to 238,000 TEU (20-feet standard containers) and with Eastern Europe as a whole by 38.7 percent to 1,07 million TEU. So it comes as no surprise that feeder connections between Hamburg and the Polish ports were further expanded during 2011. Altogether five new feeder services commenced operation between Hamburg and Baltic ports in 2011.

The Polish ports of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Świnoujście and Szczecin are served from Hamburg by eleven feeder services with a total of 20 sailings per week. In addition, Hamburg with its well-developed rail connections and its dense autobahn network fulfills an essential hub function for traffic with its East Europe hinterland. For instance, provisional estimates by Port of Hamburg Marketing indicated that between Hamburg and Poland a comparable transport volume to 2010 of approximately 240,000 TEU was reached on truck and rail container traffic. A precise calculation of the 2011 figures is not yet available.

For the Port of Hamburg and its marketing organization Port of Hamburg Marketing, this very positive throughput trend is reason enough to participate in the Intermodal Conference being held as part of Transport Week in Gdańsk from 6 – 8 March. Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, will be attending this conference and delivering a presentation on the topic “The European market seen from the North Sea hub port Hamburg”.

Transport Week is designed for experts from port, shipping and transport companies as well as institutions and trade associations. Approaches are also made to the financial sector and universities. The conference aims to broaden knowledge of the transport market for those present, and to bring together international experts from different sectors of the shipping and transport industry. With lectures, discussions and a gala dinner, the three days of the conference offer participants a very varied program. The keynote themes of Transport Week will be considered during the Port Strategy & Investment Conference, the Baltic Container Conference, and the Intermodal Conference. Additional details can be downloaded from www.actiaconferences.com

Source Hafen Hamburg Marketing e.V.

Estimated $7.8B settlement expected to be paid from $20 billion Trust

BP has reached a settlement with the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee (PSC), subject to final written agreement, to resolve the substantial majority of legitimate economic loss and medical claims stemming from the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill. The PSC acts on behalf of individual and business plaintiffs in the Multi-District Litigation proceedings pending in New Orleans (MDL 2179).

"From the beginning, BP stepped up to meet our obligations to the communities in the Gulf Coast region, and we've worked hard to deliver on that commitment for nearly two years,” said Bob Dudley, BP Group CEO. "The proposed settlement represents significant progress toward resolving issues from the Deepwater Horizon accident and contributing further to economic and environmental restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast."

BP estimates that the cost of the proposed settlement, expected to be paid from the $20 billion Trust, would be approximately $7.8 billion. This includes a BP commitment of $2.3 billion to help resolve economic loss claims related to the Gulf seafood industry.

Prior to the proposed settlement, BP had spent more than $22 billion toward meeting its commitments in the Gulf. BP has paid out more than $8.1 billion to individuals, businesses and government entities. In addition, BP has spent approximately $14 billion on operational response.
This proposed settlement is not expected to result in any increase in the $37.2 billion charge (which included the $20 billion charge taken in respect of the Trust) previously recorded in BP’s financial statements. BP’s current expectation is that the provision for litigation and claims, which includes the claims covered by this proposed settlement, will increase by approximately $2.1 billion with no net impact to either the income or cash flow statements, because this is a settlement that is expected to be payable from the Trust. The amount that can be further provided with no net impact to the income statement therefore is expected to be reduced from approximately $5.5 billion to approximately $3.4 billion. While BP has sought to reliably estimate the cost of this proposed settlement, it is possible that the actual cost could be higher or lower than this estimate depending on the outcomes of the court-supervised claims processes. In accordance with its normal procedures, BP will re-evaluate the assumptions underlying this estimate on a quarterly basis as more information, including the outcomes of the court-supervised claims processes, becomes available.

The Trust was established to satisfy not only legitimate individual and business claims but also a number of other costs related to the accident and oil spill. Other costs to be paid from the Trust include state and local government claims, state and local response costs, natural resource damages and related claims, and final judgments and settlements. It is not possible at this time to determine whether the $20 billion Trust will be sufficient to satisfy all of these claims as well as those under the proposed settlement. Should the Trust not be sufficient, payments under the proposed settlement would be made by BP directly.
The proposed settlement does not include claims against BP made by the United States Department of Justice or other federal agencies (including under the Clean Water Act and for Natural Resource Damages under the Oil Pollution Act) or by the states and local governments. The proposed settlement also excludes certain other claims against BP, such as securities and shareholder claims pending in MDL 2185, and claims based solely on the deepwater drilling moratorium and/or the related permitting process.

The proposed settlement is comprised of two separate agreements, one to resolve economic loss claims and another to resolve medical claims. Each proposed agreement provides that class members would be compensated for their claims on a claims-made basis, according to agreed compensation protocols in separate court-supervised claims processes. The proposed agreement to resolve economic loss claims includes the financial commitment for the Gulf seafood industry and a fund to support continued advertising that promotes Gulf Coast tourism.

The proposed agreement to resolve medical claims involves payments based on a matrix for certain currently manifested physical conditions, as well as a 21-year medical consultation program for qualifying class members. It also provides that class members claiming later-manifested physical conditions may pursue their claims through a mediation/litigation process. Consistent with its commitment to the Gulf, BP would also provide $105 million to improve the availability, scope and quality of healthcare in Gulf communities. This healthcare outreach program would be available to all individuals in those communities, regardless of whether they are class members. It would include expanding capacity to address community health needs, including primary care, mental health services and access to environmental health specialists, as well as enhanced training and education related to Gulf Coast health issues.
Under the proposed settlement, class members would release and dismiss their claims against BP. The proposed settlement is not an admission of liability by BP.

The proposed settlement also provides that, to the extent permitted by law, BP will assign to the PSC certain of its claims, rights and recoveries against Transocean and Halliburton for damages not recoverable from BP.

The proposed settlement is subject to reaching definitive and fully-documented agreements within 45 days, and if those agreements are not reached, either party has the right to terminate the proposed settlement. Once there are definitive and fully-documented agreements, BP and the PSC would then seek the Court’s preliminary approval of the settlement. Under federal law, there is an established procedure for determining the fairness, reasonableness and adequacy of class action settlements. Pursuant to this procedure, and subject to the Court granting preliminary approval of both agreements, there would be extensive outreach to the public, including through advertisements and direct mail, to explain the settlement agreements, class members’ rights, including the right to “opt out” of the classes, and the processes for making claims. The Court would then conduct fairness hearings at which class members and various other parties would have an opportunity to be heard and present evidence. The Court would then decide whether or not to approve each proposed settlement agreement.
The proposed economic loss settlement provides for a transition from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) administered by Kenneth Feinberg. "Ken Feinberg has overseen the GCCF since it began operating in August 2010, and we thank him and his team for their dedication and professionalism," said Mr. Dudley. "During Mr. Feinberg's tenure, BP has paid approximately $6.1 billion to resolve more than 220,000 claims from individuals and businesses through the GCCF."

A court-supervised transitional claims process for economic loss claims will be in operation while the infrastructure for the new settlement claims process is put in place. During this transitional period, the processing of claims that have been submitted to the GCCF will continue, and new claimants may submit their claims.

Payments in class action settlements typically are not made until after final approval of a settlement, but BP has agreed not to wait for final approval of the economic loss settlement before claims are paid. The economic loss claims process will continue under court supervision before final approval of the settlement, first under the transitional claims process, and then through the settlement claims process established by the proposed economic loss agreement.
"This settlement reflects our commitment not only to the Gulf region, but also to the United States as a whole," said Mr. Dudley. "BP has operated in America for more than 100 years, employs nearly 23,000 people in the U.S., and invests more in the U.S. than in any other country."

The parties will seek guidance from the Court as to the schedule for future proceedings in MDL 2179.

Source BP press office

EUROPEAN carbon emission taxes on commercial aircraft - and pressure from Beijing - have prompted Hong Kong Airlines to re-consider its order for 10 European-made Airbus A380s.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China recently told mainland carriers not to comply with the emissions trading scheme, saying the tax breaches international law, and Hong Kong Airlines said it was under pressure to call off its planned purchases.

"We cannot do something which is against our country's interest," said Hong Kong Airline president Yang Jianhong. Hong Kong Airlines is 45 per cent owned by the mainland Hainan Airlines.

Recently, state-owned China Daily amplified the complaints against Hong Kong Airlines from an American and a Hong Kong environmental group, questioning its probity in shipping live dolphins from Japan to theme park interests in Vietnam. Hong Kong Airlines said the shipment was handled in compliance with all known official standards and regulations.

An Airbus spokesman said HK Airlines' purchase had been included in the aircraft maker's end-of-year order book, reported Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

The EU tax is collected through an "emissions trading scheme" in which air carriers buy and sell carbon credits. It is opposed because most taxable emissions overwhelmingly occur beyond EU territory.

Tax proponents say such measures are justified security measures of one country's law requiring another to enforce it, such as the removal of shoes at European airports demand by the US. The European high court has backed the carbon tax after legal challenges from US airlines.

China has intimated that Airbus sales would become problematical. The US government has told airlines not to comply. India is also considering counter measures. Individual airlines have announced intentions of levying a surcharge.

Last week, 23 countries met in Moscow and declared they were ready to enter a trade war, said the SCMP, adding that they agreed to apply uniform retaliatory measures against European airlines Air France and British Airways.

Hong Kong Airlines has also announced plans to triple the size of its fleet to 60 by 2015. New routes to be launched this month include London, Taipei, Kaohsiung and Nanjing.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

FEDEX Express is setting its sights on expanding in India's pharmaceuticals sector, according to Richard Smith, managing director of the company's Life Sciences and Specialty Services division.

To facilitate the company's goal of supporting the nation's export trade, Mr Smith says, "The (Indian) government has got to make it easier to do business from a regulatory and tax standpoint."

According to Mr Smith, "India is an extremely important market for FedEx, and we believe it is the place to be in," he was quoted as saying in a report by India's Business Today.

"We are bullish on India not just as an export market but also as a consumption market. India is already a huge export market and we are hoping to see the import and intra-India business starting to grow soon. We believe that there are opportunities in several key sectors such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals and health care as well as gems and jewellery, which we think can propel the growth of the express logistics industry in India," he said.

"Right now there is a trade imbalance with India and China. We would like our purple-tail flights to go back and forth very, very full."

He added: "We can connect manufacturing hubs, which have shifted to emerging markets like India and Eastern Europe, to any part of the world in one or two business days. This is a huge advantage for pharma because pharma is perishable, high value, and is often shipped in large quantities.

"We continue to add more points in India and around the world, especially as we take possession of our new Boeing 777s, which can fly farther, with bigger payloads. Last year, we acquired AFL, adding significant logistics and warehousing capabilities. We will gear that towards healthcare and high-tech, both high-value industries that are a good fit for express transportation. We are also offering targeted services that health care customers need. This includes prevention of theft, which is possible if we have custodial control. It also allows us to do things like protect temperature, useful in climates like India's."

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

AVIENT Aviation has awarded a cargo GSA contract in France to Globe Air Cargo, a member of the ECS Group, to market its growing freighter network linking Europe and Africa.

Globe Air Cargo will sell cargo capacity to customers in France for the company's MD-11F and DC-10-30F all-cargo services ex Liege in Belgium. The airline currently operates eight regular flights a week from Europe as well as frequent charter services.

The carrier currently operates freighter flights to Bamako in Mali, Entebbe in Uganda, Khartoum, Lagos in Nigeria, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Pointe Noire in Republic of the Congo and Port Harcourt in Nigeria.

"With strong demand from freight forwarders, particularly those serving the petroleum industry, Avient Aviation will be adding more destinations to its network, including Pema/Port Amelia in Mozambique and Mtwara in Tanzania," a statement from ECS said.

Adrien Thominet, chief operating officer of ECS group, said, "The airline's extensive and growing network in Africa, combined with our strong presence and knowledge of the European and African cargo markets, means we can quickly establish a strong partnership."

Already present at 51 locations in 31 countries, the ECS group has been growing its global network outside of Europe. In 2011, ECS opened new offices in India, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

 

CENTURION CARGO has appointed Globe Air Cargo, part of the ECS group, as its exclusive cargo GSA partner in Germany to provide full general sales and services for its MD-11F flights to and from Latin America departing Amsterdam and Luxembourg.

"There is strong demand from customers in Germany for the destinations served by Centurion Cargo, which extend beyond Miami, Mexico City and Sao Paulo to further points in Central and South America," said Globe managing director for Germany, Heiner Sass, of a contract it hopes to generate annual throughput of 10,000 and 11,000 tons.

"Winning this contract further strengthens our market position in Germany. Customers here will be especially attracted to the maindeck cargo capacity Centurion offers to such prime destinations."

The airline currently operates three all-cargo flights each week to Mexico City and Miami and a further two services a week to Viracopos-Campinas International Airport in Sao Paulo. The MD-11 offers over 80 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight.

Globe Air Cargo is responsible for sales and marketing for Centurion Cargo across Germany and will co-ordinate activities through Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. ECS Group already represents Centurion Cargo in Sweden.

As well as general cargo, Globe expects to see regular shipments of automotive parts, machinery, chemicals and electrical products.

Already present at 51 locations in 31 countries, ECS Group is actively growing its global network outside of its European stronghold. In 2011, it opened ECS offices in Hong Kong, India and Vietnam.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

LONDON's SBS Worldwide, an air and ocean forwarder, has appointed Michael Mohan as its new UK air freight general manager to its senior management team to further develop the division's continued growth in key markets.

Mr Mohan, of more than 30 years' industry experience at Ceva Logistics, K&N and Schenker, has been tasked with delivering SBS's new strategic business plan across its air freight operation and support its drive to become fully integrated into customers' logistics operations through further IT developments.

"SBS Worldwide's ability to offer local expertise backed up by the buying power and software solutions of a larger group means it is in an ideal position to drive growth," said Mr Mohan, who will also lead the company's recently launched consultancy division of Virtualised Logistics.

"Michael will play a key role in implementing our strategic global development plan and will strengthen company and group structure," said group chairman Steve Walker in a company statement. "Michael is very experienced and we are confident he can meet this challenge," he added.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

CHINA Southern Airlines launched two ad-hoc cargo flights from Shanghai to Sydney in late February to try out the Shanghai-Australia cargo market, Xinhua reports.

In view of rapid growth of capacity on the Guangzhou-Australia line, China Southern has conducted an in-depth research on the Shanghai-Australia line potential before launching the two flights as preparation of breaking into the market.

At present, 90 per cent of the cargo bound for Sydney from Shanghai choose Sydney as their destination. Other destinations include Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

ROYAL Jordanian Cargo is preparing to levy a surcharge from March 1 on customers to offset a carbon tax proposed by the European Union. However, the new EU fee is not expected to be introduced for another year.

According to India's Economic Times, there are concerns that the airline's plan may be adopted by the nation's air freight industry. Royal Jordanian currently operates in India mainly through Mumbai and Delhi.

However, such fears have been dismissed by Kapil Kaul, CEO South Asia of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, saying, "Royal Jordanian does not have a significant presence in India. These are some isolated cases. And the fight is no longer an airline-versus-EU fight. It is countries versus the EU."

The move also comes in the wake of protests from governments in India, the US, China and Brazil over Europe's "insistence on making airlines flying to most of the continent pay for the carbon they emit," the report said.

"We have sent a communication saying that EU tax applies only from next year and why you are jumping into it now. They have not replied yet," said Asad Cassim, secretary general of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India. "According to one of the scenarios, others might follow suit. This will add to our cargo charges in an already slowing operating environment."

According to the report, the airline is proposing to implement a carbon surcharge of INR2.40 per kg from March 1, which would be a first in India.

Under the EU plan, airlines would be offered allowances to cover 85 per cent of their emissions. The calculations of carbon emissions are to start from January 2012. But the actual tax is to be implemented in 2013. Airlines that do not comply could face fines of US$130 for each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted for which they haven't surrendered the allowances. Persistent offenders could also face bans, the report added.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

SINGAPORE'S Changi Airport Group (CAG) will close it's Budget Terminal for demolition on September 25, 2012 to make way for the construction of a larger passenger building, Terminal 4, to cater for continued growth at the airport.

To facilitate the construction of Terminal 4, airlines operating in the Budget Terminal will transfer to Terminal 2 from 6am September 25. Affected airlines are Berjaya Air, Cebu Pacific, Firefly, South East Asian Airlines and Tiger Airways.

The new terminal, to be known as Terminal 4, will have a capacity of 16 million passengers a year with a design to enhance quick turnaround of passengers from aircraft without the use of aerobridges. Construction of the terminal will begin in 2013 and to be operational by 2017.

CAG has had discussions with the airlines operating at the Budget Terminal since late last year regarding the terminal's closure. It will work with the respective airlines to ensure a smooth transition of their operations, and will endeavour to minimise inconvenience to passengers as far as possible.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News

Following a slight downturn in 2010, volumes in container handling between the Port of Hamburg and Poland recovered notably in 2011. Feedership container traffic with Poland, for instance, grew by 33.3 percent to 238,000 TEU (20-feet standard containers) and with Eastern Europe as a whole by 38.7 percent to 1,07 million TEU. So it comes as no surprise that feeder connections between Hamburg and the Polish ports were further expanded during 2011. Altogether five new feeder services commenced operation between Hamburg and Baltic ports in 2011.

The Polish ports of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Świnoujście and Szczecin are served from Hamburg by eleven feeder services with a total of 20 sailings per week. In addition, Hamburg with its well-developed rail connections and its dense autobahn network fulfills an essential hub function for traffic with its East Europe hinterland. For instance, provisional estimates by Port of Hamburg Marketing indicated that between Hamburg and Poland a comparable transport volume to 2010 of approximately 240,000 TEU was reached on truck and rail container traffic. A precise calculation of the 2011 figures is not yet available.

For the Port of Hamburg and its marketing organization Port of Hamburg Marketing, this very positive throughput trend is reason enough to participate in the Intermodal Conference being held as part of Transport Week in Gdańsk from 6 – 8 March. Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, will be attending this conference and delivering a presentation on the topic “The European market seen from the North Sea hub port Hamburg”.

Transport Week is designed for experts from port, shipping and transport companies as well as institutions and trade associations. Approaches are also made to the financial sector and universities. The conference aims to broaden knowledge of the transport market for those present, and to bring together international experts from different sectors of the shipping and transport industry. With lectures, discussions and a gala dinner, the three days of the conference offer participants a very varied program. The keynote themes of Transport Week will be considered during the Port Strategy & Investment Conference, the Baltic Container Conference, and the Intermodal Conference. Additional details can be downloaded from www.actiaconferences.com

Source Hafen Hamburg Marketing e.V.

Scania is now taking a further step in its efforts to reduce the climate impact from its own operations. Using renewable bioethanol as a fuel rather than fossil-based diesel will help reduce the climate impact of carbon dioxide emissions from Scania’s own goods transport services at its production facilities in Södertälje, Sweden, by approximately 70 percent. The eight ethanol trucks that are now being put into operation will contribute to a decrease in CO2 emissions equal to that of 12 normal homes heated by fossil-based electrical energy.

“As a supplier of transport solutions, it is important for us to take the lead in developing sustainable alternative solutions and demonstrate how sustainability and efficiency are linked in practice,” says Anders Nielsen, Scania’s Head of Production and Logistics.

Scania currently offers a series of climate- and energy-efficient products and services – Ecolution by Scania – that helps transport companies reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and maximise revenue from their truck and bus operations. Ecolution by Scania is a comprehensive solution including optimised vehicles, driver training and continuous monitoring of both vehicles and drivers. In distribution services, switching to vehicles that run on biofuels will lead to a substantial reduction in climate impact.

In Södertälje, Scania primarily operates trucks to transport components and packaging material between its various production and assembly workshops. These internal freight traffic operations were recently taken over by the Scania Transport Laboratory, a wholly-owned subsidiary that tests and evaluates vehicle characteristics and performance in commercial haulage. Its task also includes developing and monitoring Scania’s drivers with regard to economic and safe driving.

“By switching to ethanol, Scania is demonstrating that sustainable solutions can be achieved – here and now – with technology that is already available today,” says Anders Nielsen.

To help increase the availability of renewable fuels for commercial vehicles, Scania will open a public filling station in Södertälje later this year with fuel dispensers for RME (rapeseed methyl ester), ED95 (ethanol) and biogas.

Source Scania