UK – British ferry routes are proving to be more than a little contentious in the current situation. With Stena and P&O both furloughing workers and making redundancies the odd contrast between passenger carriage and essential freight services are, as with air cargo, making for a completely revised situation for the carriers involved.
FINLAND – EUROPE – A group of companies with a wide span of abilities have embarked on a three year trial to explore how suitable fuel oils made from biomass and waste plastics are for power plants and marine diesel engines. The aim is to determine the most ecologically and economically sustainable way to replace fossil fuels, particularly for use in ships and heavy equipment on land.
UK – We have written previously illustrating the views of Lord Tony Berkeley on the future of Britain's rail infrastructure, a subject he knows a considerable amount about having headed up the Rail Freight Group (RFG) and as a board member of the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA). He was also Deputy Chair on the Oakervee HS2 enquiry, until summarily dismissed, along with the rest of the panel leaving only ex HS2 Chairman Douglas Oakervee to complete the report on the project alone.
UK – IRELAND – Having made much last week of how it was going to maintain the bulk of its European freight and passenger ferry services, this week Stena Line has announced that it plan to furlough 600 employees with 150 redundancies across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The move has met with some disapproval from the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) whose union represents the company's shore based employees.
UK – One side effect of the current crisis sees a softening of the government's attitude toward export guarantees with the news that the Department for International Trade (DIT) today outlined measures to take the pressure off exporters and investors trading internationally, offering details of financial support, assistance with customs matters, as well as the already proposed measures to supply export insurance cover.
UK – One of the advantages of the professional Associations which represent different sectors of the logistics industry is the opportunity they have to discover the true statistics on any given subject courtesy of their membership, all of whom tend to be serious players in their profession. Today it is the turn of the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) which has been looking at the current impact of the Covid-19 virus.
CHINA – UK – WORLDWIDE – Court cases which decide on matters of law with regard to incidents at sea or in port are often of much wider interest due to the points raised or clarified, and of which other vessel owners or operators might otherwise remain ignorant, placing them in a situation where they themselves may one day be adversely affected. Such a case was decided recently in the Court of Appeal.
ABU DHABI – WORLDWIDE – Whilst people across Europe lean from their windows on Thursday nights to clap hands and bang pans to show gratitude to those helping manage the Covid-19 pandemic, on the seas of the world a slightly noisier acknowledgement in recognition and support of the maritime, healthcare, and critical sector personnel who continue to work in mission-critical roles to address the impact is occurring each evening.
WORLDWIDE – So, with all the self-acclaiming plaudits from stakeholders in the trade that the logistics industry continues to work through and keep the whole of society supplied by maintaining reliable supply chains, let's take a look at just a few of the instances around the globe of how sector players are actually helping the situation as the count of confirmed virus cases, and sadly the death toll, keep rising.
BALTIC SEA – Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, Viking Line will continue to keep services on the Baltic Sea at a reduced level. Four of the company's seven vessels will sail primarily with cargo between Finland and Sweden, the Åland Islands and Estonia to ensure security of supply. Passenger traffic has virtually come to a standstill following the authorities' restrictions. Demand for cargo transport remains high.
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