Transport Companies News

Elisabeth Cosmatos, Managing Director of Cosmatos Group, has been elected President of The Heavy Lift Group (THLG), an international association for specialised heavy transport companies.The appointment was made as part of the executive committee election during the 68th THLG Conference on June 5.Taking over from FOX Brasil’s Murilo Caldana, Cosmatos becomes THLG’s first female president. She is joined on the executive committee by Rhenus Projects’ Colin d’Abreo, Alessio Bianchi of DCS Liburnus…

Western officials are in talks with Turkish counterparts to resolve oil tanker queues off Turkey, a British Treasury official said, after the G7 and European Union rolled out new restrictions on Dec. 5 aimed at Russian oil exports."The UK, U.S. and EU are working closely with the Turkish government and the shipping and insurance industries to clarify the implementation of the Oil Price Cap and reach a resolution," the official told Reuters."There is no reason for ships to be denied access to the Bosporus Straits for environmental or health and safety concerns."The G7 group of countries…

Russia is concerned about a build-up of oil tankers in the Bosphorus Strait and is discussing the issue with insurance and transport companies, RIA cited Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Wednesday.At least 20 oil tankers queuing off Turkey face more delays to cross from Russia's Black Sea ports to the Mediterranean as operators race to adhere to new Turkish insurance rules added ahead of Europe's ship insurance ban and a G7 price cap on Russian oil…

The European Commission said on Thursday it would work with EU governments to help Ukraine export millions of tonnes of grain stuck in the country because the Russian navy is blocking Ukrainian ports.Ukraine was the world’s fourth-largest grain exporter in the 2020/21 season, International Grains Council data shows, selling 44.7 million tonnes abroad, mainly to China, Africa and Europe. It is also one of the biggest producers of sunflower oil.Before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.

The U.S. is going to need a fleet of Jones Act-compliant vessels to support its budding offshore wind industry. The good news is that several of these vessels are currently operating or on order. Even better, there are plenty more in the pipeline.In 2016, Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) put into service the U.S.’ first-ever vessel purpose-built for offshore wind services. The 21-meter crew transfer vessel (CTV) Atlantic Pioneer was constructed by Blount Boats to serve America’s first commercial offshore wind project…

The pandemic has brought about sudden changes for cargo transportation, impacting shippers and transport companies around the world and potentially increasing the risk environment, particularly for high-value and temperature-sensitive goods. In a new risk bulletin AGCS highlights steps for cargo owners to consider when developing contingency plans.While in most cases initial government directives have established cargo transportation as an essential activity, permitted during any quarantine period…

Top shipping, retail and transport companies are looking to develop an alternative marine fuel which aims to reduce carbon emissions from ships, in another step to push the sector to go green.International shipping accounts for 2.2% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), more than aviation's 2% share.The IMO, a United Nations agency, has said it aims to halve greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 levels by 2050.Investor and activist pressure is prompting companies to look to speed up reducing the industry's carbon footprint.Denmark's A.P.

Almost a third of companies who ship goods to Britain through the Netherlands have failed to complete the necessary paperwork for their trucks to embark on ferries after Brexit, the Dutch transport association TLN said on Wednesday."The registration is absolutely necessary, without it trucks will be sent away at terminals after Brexit," TLN spokesman Elmer de Bruin said.The Netherlands is home to Europe's largest seaport in Rotterdam, making it a major hub for trade with Britain.To keep the traffic across the North Sea flowing after Brexit…

The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) will launch a test voyage of a feeder vessel along the Black Sea container route Batumi-Constanta by September 20.The vessel will sail every 10 days (3 times a month). If cargo volumes increase, the growth in the number of vessels and the regularity of sailings on the line is also expected.Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, hosted  general meeting of an association of legal entities – the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor International Association.Rauf Valiyev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO), as well as representatives of railway and sea transport companies from Georgia…

APM Terminals has become the first Peruvian port to introduce a customer platform that logs, streamlines and coordinate General Cargo operations in the port of Callao.During the pilot phase, the platform, which was developed together with maritime and customs agents, enabled users to complete transactions 67% faster and operations were completed 12% faster.APM Terminals Callao invested nearly USD 1 million in the implementation of MOST, a new state-of-the-art platform that can be used by maritime agents, customs agencies and carriers, among others.MOST can be used to register cargo and view real-time information, make online payments and generate authorizations for the loading and unloading of all types of General Cargo, from anywhere, anytime.

U.S. furniture company RC Willey Home Furnishings is so concerned that new global clean air rules will cause transport disruption that it brought forward the shipment of arm chairs and sofas from China by two months.The tougher regulations, set by the United Nations shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), come into force on Jan 1. Costs will rise for ships towards the end of this year and there will be a knock on effect for trucks and other transporters…

The leading companies operating in the city of Venlo in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is one of the largest logistics and transport hubs in Europe, have started cooperation with Baku International Sea Trade Port CJSC.Last week, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the government of the state of Limburg, which includes the city of Venlo and leading companies with the Port of Baku.The Memo envisages cooperation with the government of the province of Limburg, companies Cabooter Group, SMART Logistics Centre, the Limburg Development & Investment Company, Greenport Venlo, KLG Europe, the Council for the Development of Northern Limburg…

Netherlands-based Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, has signed a partnership with the North Brabant region, the region of Eindhoven, north of Belgium, to realise increased container transport via inland shipping.In 2018, over 8.6 million containers were transhipped in the Port of Rotterdam (14.5 million TEU). With over 1 million containers, North Brabant is one of Rotterdam’s most important hinterland regions, but with a relatively high share of road transport is facing increasing pressure on its road networks.More freight volume per inland shipping instead of by truck (modal shift) will result in a more accessible port and region.Emile Hoogsteden…

Sweden’s Stena and Bermuda-registered Stolt-Nielsen are reviewing their UK-registered ships ahead of Britain’s departure from the European Union, the two leading transport companies told Reuters separately on Wednesday."In the light of the Brexit process we are considering whether the UK flag can become a possible issue for us when it no longer will be an EU flag post the 29th March 2019, but we have taken no decisions and are reviewing different scenarios," said Ian Hampton, chief people & communications officer and Brexit spokesperson for Stena Line.A spokeswoman for Stolt-Nielsen…

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules the extension of the existing Danish tonnage tax scheme to additional types of vessels.This will encourage ship registration in Europe and contribute to the global competitiveness of the sector without unduly distorting competition.At the same time, Denmark will amend its existing scheme to ensure that it applies only to genuine maritime shipping activities by limiting revenues from non-core activities to an acceptable level.Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in charge of competition policy, said: "Denmark's revised tonnage tax scheme will help the shipping industry remain competitive on the global market. It will preserve jobs and promote high environmental standards in the maritime transport sector.

Avantida, an INTTRA company, announced that CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, two of the world’s largest liner shipping companies, are offering reUse container management services in Mexico. reUse is a container triangulation service for transporters made available on Avantida’s online platform. It is the first time that this service is offered in Mexico, and for Avantida it is their first step into the North American market.This is how reUse works: once an import container has been unloaded it must be taken back to the port or assigned depot. With reUse, transport companies can request the liner shipping company to use that same container and bring it straight to their export customer to get loaded.

Declaration of Nijmegen was signed by the inland shipping sector, along with Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure and Water Management) on Friday (April 13). This agreement reflects the commitment of the sector to expending its best efforts to expedite the greening process in the years ahead. The goal is to uphold its competitiveness vis-à-vis road and rail transport, and to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2030. ‘Inland shipping has a substantial lead if you compare its CO2 emissions to those of trucks and trains. In order to retain this lead, inland vessels need to convert to even cleaner engines and fuels,’ to quote Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen. ‘A vessel gives some forty years of service, whereas trucks are obsolete after no more than six or seven years.

In spite of the ongoing Brexit discussion, DFDS continued to increase its volumes on the North Sea freight routes to and from the UK. Continued growth in the UK and EU economies is good news for all, said a press release from Northern Europe's largest shipping and logistics company. DFDS' recently published Q2 results were the best ever recorded in the company and this was among other things due to a very positive development in trade across the North Sea. DFDS' routes carried 6% more trailers between ports in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium and ports in the UK. "The UK is our largest freight market, and we are encouraged by the positive development which we have seen year-on-year in spite of the discussion about possible Brexit effects," says Niels Smedegaard.

Four major Japanese shipbuilders are in discussions to form an alliance in hopes of riding out the industry slump. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) announced in a press release today that it has entered talks with Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. “The move toward forming these alliances targets the integration of MHI's strengths in shipbuilding technology and engineering with the three prospective partners' manufacturing capabilities and cost competitiveness,” MHI said.

Following markedly slow growth of just 3.5% in 2015 due to decreased rental demand, the global leased container equipment operating fleet is forecast to increase by little more than 1% in 2016, according to the latest edition of the Container Leasing Industry Annual Report 2016, published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. By the end of 2015, leasing companies were again having to shift a sizeable factory stockpile, as well as contending with rental rates at an all-time low. New and used container prices had also fallen to their lowest in more than a decade because of weaker demand and a recent steep drop in the cost of steel and factory running costs.

The Port of Barcelona is pursuing an active policy to increase the competitive edge of its customers, fostering the development of efficient and operational services that respond to their needs for international shipping and logistics services. To do this, it provides port companies, customers and users with various tools such as multi-sectoral business missions, specialised courses and seminars on foreign trade matters. Now it has incorporated the methodology of a company called GettingContacts, which provides networking with a customised agenda, which has proven to be a high-performance format especially designed to provide a rapid response to the needs of transport and logistics companies.

Drewry’s Z-score carrier financial stress index sunk to its lowest ever point following the first-half 2016 results. After Hanjin’s bankruptcy shippers are demanding more financial transparency from carriers. There is still much work to be done to clean up the logistical chaos created by Hanjin’s bankruptcy, but even so there are lessons from the sorry mess that need to be learned to avoid a repeat occurring. Firstly, all stakeholders must understand that no carrier is too big to fail. The hitherto expectation that some white knight would rescue an ailing carrier has been erased forever. Secondly, while Hanjin’s financial position was at the extreme edges and its demise is not expected to create a domino effect…

Brand owners and representatives from the international shipping industry have joined forces in signing an historic declaration of intent aimed at preventing the maritime transport of counterfeit goods. Leaders from global shipping firms, freight forwarders, brand owners – whose products are counterfeited – and industry organizations, representing both industries signed a joint "Declaration of Intent to Prevent the Maritime Transport of Counterfeit Goods" today in Brussels. It marks the first time the global shipping industry and brand owners have made a public commitment to work together to stop the transport of counterfeit goods on shipping vessels.