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Things You Might Miss but Want to Know

IRAN – US – VENEZUELA – In a follow up to our recent story regarding the seizure by the US of four tankers carrying over $50 million of Iranian oil bound for the sanction hit South American republic, the mystery remains of why Iranian special forces subsequently boarded another Liberian flagged tanker and then apparently left the ship a few hours later.

New System Goes Live in September

UK – Next month the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) is scheduled to roll out a new digital self-audit system that will enable new and existing members to evaluate compliance, quality and continuous improvement, in turn allowing them to manage business risk effectively, while ensuring UKWA standards are being met.

Case Will However Continue to be Subject to More Legal Investigations

NETHERLANDS – WORLDWIDE – The row over whose job it is to secure shipping containers aboard a vessel took another turn yesterday when the Court of Rotterdam declined to order a vessel owner to comply with the terms agreed with international unions. The agreement mandates the use of trained, registered dockers to lash the boxes onboard, rather than the work be undertaken by the ship's crew.

International Hauliers Must Note New Rules from This Month

UK – Anyone reading the Department for Transport (DfT) directive on the changes made to HGV drivers' hours which came into force on the 20th August 2020 would, at first sight, think very little had changed. Listing only the main points on the advisory notice emailed out the main EU rules on driving hours are written thus:

Post Covid Boost in Trade Foretold

UK – PAKISTAN – ITALY – It seems for air freight at least there is some good news as fears over the pandemic subside somewhat. This week Virgin Atlantic Cargo has announced both new, and additional services.

Five Year Captivity Comes to an End

SOMALIA – IRAN – Just a few years ago our news pages creaked under the weight of pirate stories emanating from Somalia and the Indian Ocean. Tales of terror, horror and bravery appeared on a daily basis, whilst now it is Brexit and Covid-19 that dominate the trade press after the introduction of Best Practice protocols and an efficient response from naval forces such as EU Navfor Operation Atalanta, and armed guards aboard merchantmen effectively ended the crimes.

Government Must Take Heed of the Views of the Logistics Industry

GERMANY – UK – EUROPE – Last month Germany, which currently holds the rolling presidency of the EU, called on London to be 'more realistic' in the talks to make a clean Brexit break. Now it seems its frustration has come to a head as it cancelled a meeting next week saying the summer had been completely wasted with no tangible progress on key matters.

Logistics Cool Chain Set Up to Promote Landlocked Country Trade

DJIBOUTI – ETHIOPIA – It seems the powers that be which seized the Doraleh container terminal from Dubai headquartered port and logistics management group DP World back in February 2018 are treating the matter with some disdain and continuing with business as usual.

Sailors Can Find Help and Support as Country Sees Ever More Cases

INDIA – The country, which now has the third-highest number of coronavirus infections in the world after the US and Brazil, may soon prove to be the worst affected as new cases have proliferated faster there than anywhere for the past three weeks. The crisis has prompted the Sailors Welfare Association, an affiliate of international maritime welfare charity Sailors' Society, to launch a dedicated helpline to support seafarers and their families.

Switch to Electric is a 'No Brainer'

UK – The switch from diesel to LPG which occurred decades ago for many forklift users meant changing to a fuel which left less in the way of fumes and particulates hanging in the warehouse air. However the hot exhaust gases still pollute and now it seems the days of gas trucks may also be numbered, certainly in the view of one man who should know.

(and the results are not encouraging)

UK – Descartes, which specialises in supplying software solutions to logistics intensive businesses, has been looking at the preparedness of British companies which trade with the EU for the looming final Brexit, and the outlook is really not good.

Two Historic Shipyards Bought by Infrastructure Development Group

UK – With virtually all shipbuilding in Britain now having moved abroad Eastward comes a tale of investment in the 'historic and highly strategic' Appledore Shipyard in North Devon in a £7 million deal.

Plans for Forty Seven Various Disasters Sets Up Team Which Saw Office Destroyed

LEBANON – As we predicted at the time the death toll in the terrible disaster in Beirut when thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in the dock area, cost the lives of over 180 souls with reportedly as many as 6,000 injured, the bulk of the casualties of course being staff and visitors to the port itself. The shipping industry is of course resilient as proved by one of the logistics groups resident in the immediate area.

New and Returning Customers Boost Figures

US – The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, renamed in 2006 after a leading local politician, has issued figures showing that increases in cargo volumes and new and returning business from national retailers has helped it in achieving a surge in month-over-month numbers in July, evidencing its continued rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Niche Market Continues to Tick Over

HONG KONG – WORLDWIDE – As we have said before, although the virus has had a debilitating effect on virtually every type of business, there are parts of the transport and logistics sectors which have actually witnessed an increase in turnover, and it seems one area which is holding up for some is the airline repair business.

Event Celebrates All From Young Freight Forwarders to Inspirational Leaders

UK – Like so many events in this 'the Lost Year' the 2020 Talent in Logistics Awards will be an online event, but the team responsible were determined to go ahead and celebrate the stars of the industry which has done so much to normalise a situation which, without it, would have literally seen the breakdown of civilisation.

Transport Related Personnel Moves

DENMARK – Svitzer has announced that effective September 1, Lise Demant will leave the role as global Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and take up the position as Managing Director for Svitzer’s Europe region to take over the role from Kasper Friis Nilaus, who was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Svitzer. Also effective September 1, Videlina Georgieva will succeed Lise Demant as global CCO and enter Svitzer’s global Leadership Team.

Tales Ranging From Container Service Amendments to Robots in the Warehouse

US – CARIBBEAN – For those wishing to pack their yachts up and avoid the miseries of the pandemic, specialist heavy lift boat transporters Peters & May has announced it has spaces remaining in August and September on vessels going from/to Antigua, St Maarten, St Lucia, Tortola, St Thomas, going to/from Fort Lauderdale and Newport. The Southampton, UK headquartered outfit suggests interested parties contact their local office.

Old Technology Set to Return (Yet Again)

JAPAN – 'Nothing new under the sun' is an oft used expression which could be applied to the latest maritime project to come out of Japan. With the announcement that its most recent innovation has received approval in principle from ship classification society Class NK, K Line is treading ground walked previously in centuries past.

An Addition Designed to Last for Two Centuries

UK – The much vaunted 'Super Sewer' which is the Thames Tideway tunnel moved a step closer as the first train load of primary tunnel precast rings arrived at Hutchison Ports London Thamesport. Despite the astonishing feats of engineering in Victorian times by Sir Joseph Bazalgette and his team the capital's expanding population has meant an upgrade to the system has become essential.

Brexit Hangs Like the Sword of Damocles with Possible Shortage of Permits

UK – EU – As talks resumed in Brussels over the future trade relationship post Brexit, both the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and LogisticsUK had concerns over British hauliers access to the European market after December 2020.

In Addition New Vessels are to Join Mixed Fleet

DENMARK – Tanker outfit Norden AS is all over the news this week having set up a joint venture which sparked a reallocation of staff, including a rejig of the board, and also announced additions to the company fleet of dry bulk and product carriers.

Crisis Will Likely Continue Both on the Ocean Shore and in the Courtroom

MAURITIUS – When the capsize bulk carrier MV Wakashio foundered on a coral reef of the Pointe d'Esny south of the island on the 25th July the incident was described by some as 'the worst environmental disaster the region has ever suffered'. Despite the fact the tanker was not laden with oil, and strenuous efforts were made to pump out leaking fuel, an estimated 1,000 tonnes escaped into the pristine waters.

Another Set of Acquisitions for Port and Logistics Subsidiary

DUBAI – INDIAN SUBCONTINENT – FAR EAST – Denmark based Unifeeder, now part of the DP World empire, has made major acquisitions this week via its Unifeeder ISC (Indian Subcontinent) platform. The container shipping group has purchased, subject to regulatory approvals, Transworld Feeders FZCO, Avana Logistek Limited, including its subsidiary Avana Global FZCO, and Transworld Feeders Pvt. Ltd., plus the containerised Indian coastal and EXIM feeder shipping operations of Shreyas Shipping and Logistics Limited, excluding vessels and bulk operations.

Covid has Reshaped Our Working Lives - But What Lies Ahead?

WORLDWIDE – Just when we thought Brexit would be the most despised word of 2020, along came Covid, a pandemic which has had a profound and lasting effect on all levels of our civilisation. To imagine the future, and be prepared to deal with it, Container xChange has organised a virtual summit with a variety of expert opinions to offer an opportunity for everyone involved in shipping to have their questions answered by some of the brightest minds in, and around, the industry.

Multi-Million Dollar Export to Venezuela Now in Custody

US – The US authorities, which on 2 July filed a complaint seeking to forfeit all petroleum-product cargo aboard four foreign-flagged oil tankers, obtained a seizure order and last week successfully executed the seizure order and confiscated the cargo from all four vessels, totalling approximately 1.116 million barrels of petroleum.

Agriculture Giant Backs Revival

UK – Last week saw the official opening of PD Ports new multi-million pound bulk handling facility at Teesport by Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Simon Clarke. The Teesport Bulks Terminal is situated on the refurbished site of the old SSI Steelworks Steel Export Terminal after the final demise of the company in 2015.

Strife for Travel Industry Brings Work to Some

UK – With much travel cancelled during lockdown it seems one company which did not suffer to much was Southampton Marine Services (SMS) group which has been working on vessels which normally would have been plying their trade. These include supporting the Woods Silver Fleet, refitting the Silver Sturgeon in Lowestoft and fabricating their new Central London facility, Woods Quay, in Southampton.

Unique Box Ship Design to Ferry Freight in Louisiana Tributaries

US – Sitting just a few miles south east of New Orleans it seems Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District (PPHTD) on the banks of the Mississippi River is about to get its own container terminal. The port authority has signed a Letter of Intent with several potential partners with a view to developing a multimodal distribution facility for the benefit of local businesses.

Road Haulage Group Opens Up to More of the Sector

UK – Whether pandemic related or not it would appear the beginnings of a turf war has broken out between two of the country's leading lobby groups representing different sectors of the industry as they strive to attract new members. The formerly titled Freight Transport Association (FTA) which rebranded last month to become LogisticsUK, claiming it represented the whole of the sector, has seemingly stirred the Road Haulage Association (RHA) into action.

A Small, but Perfectly Formed, Round Up

UK – JAPAN – It seems that the latest tactic to try and show Britain managed to extract a better deal than the EU in current talks with Japan on trade might well have backfired. Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade Liz Truss is a woman who often attracts more criticism than plaudits and she was accused of walking away from negotiations this week over tariffs on cheese.

Dramatic Drop in Lorry Emissions Deserves Consideration

UK – The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is looking to the authorities for a change to the existing approach to Clean Air Zones to take account of the impact of Covid-19 and the continued improvement in the NOx emissions from road haulage. It points to the government's own statistics which it says evidences haulage operators have slashed NOx emissions from trucks by at least 59% in only six years.

Star Rating Postponement Can Not Avoid Possible Problems for Truckers

UK – London Mayor Sadiq Khan's drive to improve road accident statistics by insisting on better visibility from large road haulage vehicles has been accused of being ill thought out before. The Mayor's proposals have changed over time, something which has cost hauliers as more restrictions are imposed.

All Pharma Shipments are Practice Runs for What May Lay Ahead

RUSSIA – GERMANY – BELGIUM – AFRICA – NETHERLANDS – CHINA – Talk of vaccines at the moment, particularly those emanating from Russia, and thoughts go immediately to President Putin's reported claim this week that his country had come up with a way to deal with Covid-19, so safe he has given it to his own daughter. Whilst doubts have been expressed over this item, what is certain is that some other vaccines are being shipped from the country.

Huge Surge in Every Type of Online Offence During Lockdown

WORLDWIDE – This month INTERPOL has released a report with regard to patterns of cyber-crime, the online cancer of the age of internet technology, and its evolution during the current pandemic. And the details should make every business, big or small, whether in logistics or otherwise, sit up and take notice.

Damaged Undersea Pipe Demanded Instant Response

UKRAINE – BELGIUM – TURKEY – With a fleet that includes seven AN-124-100 aircraft (payload 150 tonnes) and the largest aircraft in the world, the AN-225 with a 250 tonne capability, the AN-22 with a capacity of just 60 tonnes might seem the minnow in the tank. That would be until you stood under one.

Allegations of Fraud at Oil Trader May Have Repercussions for Shipping Group

SINGAPORE –The Xihe Group, which owns 136 vessels, ranging from small harbour tugs to VLCCs that spans the entire spectrum of the oil tanker market, has appointed V.Group, a global provider of ship management and marine services as the technical manager for 16 of its modern tankers.

Member and Management Shared Ownership Model

UK – Pallet distribution group Pall-Ex has acquired the Fortec Distribution Network via a new subsidiary company For-Ex Distribution Network Ltd. The two firms, which were both founded in Leicestershire in 1996, have a combined total of 168 network members, claiming the largest such contingent in the UK and the new company will trade as a separate pallet network under the For-Ex banner.

Liner Groups Opting to Adopt Environmentally Approved System

CANADA – CHINA – SINGAPORE – WORLDWIDE – With everyone in the shipping industry focused on environmental improvements it seems Thordon Bearings continues to make inroads into the traditional shipbuilding market with its seawater lubricated offerings.

Beirut Blast Shows Up Frailty of Flags of Convenience as Ongoing Protest Adjudged Legal

AUSTRALIA – The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), now known as the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, but still for some reason sending news items out under the old name, chose not to comment directly on the tragedy in Beirut. Whilst similar international unions such as the ILWU decried the loss of port and logistics workers' lives, the MUA focused on the dangers to its own members, choosing to express regret via International Transport Federation President and MUA National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin's own ITF statement expressing shock and sorrow.

Musk Shapes Up for Low Orbit Technology Revolution

US – WORLDWIDE – What is it about Elon Musk? Whilst the rest of us debate about electric and autonomous vehicles, he turns Tesla into the world's 'most valuable' car manufacturer, bypassing Toyota. With stock valued at almost $210 billion that means a company that has never recorded a profit overtaking a rival that sold thirty times more cars last year with 1000% more revenues.

Once Again Covid Also Muddies the Waters

UK – In the final paragraph of the piece we wrote last week about the government's latest pronouncements on business after Brexit we commented there were still a lot of gaps to be filled in. It seems that was an opinion shared with others, including the British International Freight Association (BIFA).

Units Oversee Safe Transit for Shipping

UK – BAHRAIN – Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel, the British-led operational arm of the multi-national International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) which oversees the transit of shipping as it passes through key waterways in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Oman, has a new headquarters.

Appointments Start with a Cultural Bent

US – XPO Logistics has announced the appointment of LaQuenta Jacobs to the newly created position of Chief Diversity Officer, effective since August 3. Jacobs will provide cultural leadership and strategic direction as an advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion at XPO. She will report directly to Bradley Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Pieces You May Have Missed This Week

WORLDWIDE – Shell has signed up for six more dual fuelled LNG carriers, increasing its commitment in the sector to fourteen new builds. The 174,000 m³ vessels are to be constructed in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and will all feature dual-fuel X-DF engines, boil-off management plants, air lubrication systems and shaft generators for auxiliary power.

Government Policy Post Brexit Prompts New Partnership

UK – Whilst the major port operators are seen by outsiders as rivals, those involved in ocean freight know that behind the scenes there are always a number of high level contacts between them. Now it seems government's avowed intent to promote a series of freeports around Britain has spawned a collaboration on the River Thames.

Industry Organisations Urge Companies to Take Action Now

UK – WORLDWIDE – As the world attempts to crawl from the slough of viral despond which has impacted every place and industry, the emphasis from many in the logistics associated industries is on the routes to recovery, with a determination to come back stronger than before.

Power Station Relies on Delivery of Biomass - Come What May

UK – In the decade since GB Railfreight (GBRf) and the Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire started working together the technology has shifted from the original wagons, coal carriers converted with lids to haul the biomass, to new purpose-built trucks to carry the pellet fuel.

Fines, Banishment from Kent for Wrong Documents, Proposed Systems and a Consultation

UK – EUROPE – Earlier this week the Department for Transport (DfT) published its latest information regarding proposals to adapt the infamous 'Operation Brock', the plan to control traffic on the link roads between the Channel Strait ports and the rest of the country. Having had to withdraw its plan for a lorry park at Stanford West due to its own failings, the back-up is to use the Kentish motorways as a truck park in busy times.

Port Workers Feared to Have Suffered Biggest Losses as Stored Fertiliser Ignites

LEBANON – The huge explosion, estimated to have had a force equivalent to 10% of the blast that devastated Hiroshima 75 years ago, has stunned the country, and even the world at large, as the recriminations begin. The fact that such a vast quantity of deadly cargo was left in storage within the Beirut port area will doubtless engender the full enquiry being called for by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch amongst others.

Comprehensive Report Looks Back at the Past and to the Future

WORLDWIDE – The long awaited fourth International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Study was published this week and the outlook is not particularly what the shipping industry, and indeed the world at large, would have hoped for.

Virus Complicated a Multimodal Challenge

BRAZIL – MEXICO – According to Dachser USA the first approach to the company from a customer seeking someone to manage their latest project freight forwarding contract was the simple request 'Are you up for a challenge? '

Capital Intensive Investments Require a Carefully Managed System

DUBAI – SINGAPORE – If you ever wondered how a major concern like DP World selects and procures its vast array of capital intensive equipment, the latest press release from web based software procurement solution iSpec gives some insight.

Award Applications Show the Global Strength of the Industry Even as Virus Spreads

WORLDWIDE – As with so many events this year the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Awards (YIFFYs) will have to rely on video links, but now we know the identities of the four regional finalists who go forward to decide this year's ultimate winner of the much sought after trophy sponsored by the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and international freight transport insurer TT Club.

Motorsport Back Despite Virus for A Grandstand Season Finish

WORLDWIDE – OK, the link between racing cars and logistics can be viewed as fairly tenuous, however when it involves electrically powered vehicles and major sponsorship from a leading player in the industry that is just about sufficient grounds for us to use a decent image that isn't a ship, plane or truck.

International Push to Standardise and Communicate

WORLDWIDE – Whereas national governments squabble over security sharing arrangements in the light of such things as Brexit, the Huawei controversy and the like, it seems the world's major airports have realised that such pettifogging cannot be endured when it comes to facing up to terrorism at the coal face.

Whistle Blower Reports Vessel for Dumping Oily Water Offshore

US – Florida was the latest state successfully prosecute one of the 'fly tippers of the ocean' when the federal court before US District Court Judge Paul G. Byron in Orlando sentenced a Japanese-based company engaged in international shipping, Misuga Kaiun Co. Ltd, to pay a fine of $1.5 million.

Gateway Continues to Grow

UK – As the latest tenant moves into the logistics park which lays in the hinterland of DP World's London Gateway deep water container port it is good to see a project which was born amongst doubt as ecological arguments were raised and a financial storm restricting investment in maritime projects raged, coming to fruition.

Industry Accreditations Vital for Logistics Companies - No Matter Their Age

UK – No matter how long a company has been in business, moving freight is a constantly evolving process with an unceasing slew of new regulations leading to an ever growing list of possible accreditations. With 150 years in the trade under its corporate belt, logistics group Davies Turner this month has added yet another formal authorisation recognising its environmental attributes.

Freight and Logistics Weekly Update

DENMARK – WORLDWIDE – Following the fashion of both shipping lines and major ports Maersk has continued a policy of widening the logistics services on offer by introducing Maersk Flow, a digital platform to assist SMEs with their supply chain operations. Maersk says many of these enterprises operate manually via spreadsheets, emails and phone calls and claim the new system ensures that the flow of goods and documents is executed as planned.