Logistics Giant News

Weeks of attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants on vessels in the Red Sea have disrupted shipping in the Suez Canal, the fastest sea route between Asia and Europe, carrying around 15% of global sea trade.For the European economy, already skirting a mild recession as it tries to shake off high inflation, prolonged trade disruption could derail plans by central banks to start cutting interest rates this year.Here are some factors policymakers are considering as they assess the implications of the disruptions.WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT ON THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY SO FAR?In macroeconomic terms…

UAE-based logistics giant DP World announced its BOXBAY high-bay storage system will be installed to boost container handling efficiency at its terminal in Busan, South Korea.BOXBAY was developed by DP World in a joint venture with German plant technology supplier SMS group, who first created and proved the system for handling heavy metal coils. Refined for port logistics, the fully automated rack-like container storage system allows direct access to each container at any time…

Danish shipping and logistics giant A.P. Moller-Maersk has appointed a pair of executives to lead transformation at its towage and terminals subsidiaries.Sabrina Weymiens has been named Head of Transformation at towage provider Svitzer, and Charlotte Guillaumie has been named Head of Strategy and Transformation at port operating company APM Terminals.Kasper Nilaus, CEO at Svitzer said, “We are delighted that Sabrina has accepted this new role and will help secure steady progress on our transformation roadmap.

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday a supply chain pilot data-sharing project aimed at easing bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports has begun exchanging data and doubled in size.USDOT announced the planned project in March with truckers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and ports "to develop a digital tool that gives companies information on the condition of a node or region in the supply chain."The effort known as the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program included 18 initial participants including FedEx…

Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS announced Mathieu Girardin has been named its new head of ferry, succeeding Peder Gellert Pedersen, who is retiring on August 1, 2022.Girardin will join DFDS as a member of the company's executive management team in October 2022.Girardin is currently senior vice president at French shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM. He is responsible for short sea lines in Europe and containerships.DFDS CEO, Torben Carlsen, said, “I am delighted to welcome Mathieu Girardin.

As the maritime industry collectively struggles to chart the course toward decarbonization, Crowley today committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across all scopes by 2050, pursuing a path aligned with the latest climate science to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.What this means is an overall reduction of 4.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year for the maritime and logistics giant.“Crowley is on a mission to become the most sustainable and innovative maritime and logistics company in the Americas,” said Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO.

CMA CGM Group, a shipping and logistics giant, has agreed to make a €25 million investment, including €10 million in quasi-equity, in Brittany Ferries, the largest ferry company operating under the French flag, to support Brittany Ferries’ post-Covid-19 recovery.Brittany Ferries said the partnership would help to unlock synergies between the two companies in passenger and freight transport. "By harnessing the respective areas of expertise of the CMA CGM Group and Brittany Ferries, it will also help promote the development of cross-Channel shipping and underpin France’s position in the sector.

Damen Shiprepair and Conversion (DSC) said it is wrapping up a ship repair and maintenance program involving seven vessels owned by French shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM. The projects took place at Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm) in the Netherlands and Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (DSDu) in France, with the last vessel scheduled to leave DSDu later this monthIn a continuous operation running between June and August, DSAm performed back-to-back maintenance and repair works on CMA CGM Cayenne, CMA CGM Saint Laurent and CMA CGM Marseille – identical 190 meter, 2,100 TEU containerships.

The global container company A.P. Moller – Maersk has started end-to-end cold chain logistics solution for its customers exporting grapes from Nashik and Sangli in India to North Europe.With this new offering, Maersk is enabling the exporters from the region to supply high quality Indian grapes to global market and helping fetch higher returns for the farmer community in and around the Nashik district. Leveraging its variety of services throughout the supply chain, Maersk is improving the overall turnaround time to North Europe by 4 days.Gearing up for the peak grape season and helping exporters based in Nashik, ‘The Grape Capital of India’…

China’s largest offshore oil and gas producer China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Chinese state-owned shipping and logistics giant China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement.Capt. Xu Lirong, Chairman of COSCO Shipping, Wang Dongjin, Chairman of CNOOC, Mr. Fu Gangfeng, Director of the Board and President of COSCO shipping and Xu Keqiang, Vice President of CNOOC witnessed the signing of the agreement.Huang Xiaowen, Executive Vice President of COSCO Shipping and Ms. Wen DongFen, Chief Accountant of CNOOC inked the agreement on behalf of the two sides.Han Jun, Assistant to the President of COSCO Shipping and Chairman of COSCO Shipping Logistics…

Danish integrated logistics giant A.P. Moller - Maersk appointed Vincent Clerc as CEO of Ocean and Logistics and Henriette Hallberg Thygesen as CEO of Towage, Manufacturing & Others.“A year ago, we integrated our customer facing roles across the company. We are now ready to accelerate the execution of our strategy through increased commercial and operational integration,” says Søren Skou, CEO of A.P. Moller - Maersk and continues:“With the new leadership structure announced today, I am confident that we will increase the pace. We have a simple and agile foundation for profitable growth and the new Executive Board is united in the goal of integrating our value proposition and maximizing the value creation across the business.”Effective immediately…

Dubai based logistics giant DP World has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a free economic zone for industry and logistics in Namibia.The port operator said the agreement with Namibia’s Nara Namib Free Economic Industrial Zone will support the growth of Namibia as a regional hub for southern Africa.The development will help Namibia grow as a center for industrial operations and logistics, creating opportunities and jobs across multiple sectors including agriculture, fishing, automotive and mining.The facility at Walvis Bay will provide businesses with development-ready land for industrial and logistics operations…

Since 2015, CO2 emissions per container transported per kilometer have been reduced by 17%, said CMA CGM Group, the shipping and logistics giant."The Group has achieved a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions per container transported per kilometer between 2005 and 2015. It has achieved a further 17% reduction between 2015 and 2018, in line with its 2025 objective of -30%," said the French container transportation and shipping company in a press release.Testimony to its ambition for the energy transition of the maritime industry, the Group has become a pioneer in the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. This energy source reduces CO2 emissions by up to 25%…

Danish container shipping and logistics giant AP Moller – Maersk has closed the first quarter of 2019 with a 33% increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to USD 1.2bn while revenue grew by 2.5% to USD 9.5bn compared to Q1 2018. Operating cash flow improved significantly to USD 1.5bn and free cash flow was USD 3.5bn, including sale of shares in Total S.A.“We had a good start to 2019. In Q1, revenue grew by 2.5%, operating earnings improved by 33% and cash flow from operations doubled to USD 1.5bn. With a strong free cash flow of USD 3.5bn after the sale of the remaining shares in Total SA., we have significantly strengthened our balance sheet.

Japanese shipping and logistics giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has signed a contract with Edison SPA, a Milan-based energy company, to charter out a newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier for up to 20 years, including optional extension periods.The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2022 from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. The newly built LNG carrier will be propelled by WinGD-manufactured, dual-fuel slow-speed diesel engines.Dual-fuel slow-speed diesel engines are two stroke large bore slow-speed diesel engines able to operate on marine gas oil or boil off gas stored as liquid at cryogenic temperatures.The carrier will also feature an Air Liquide–manufactured Turbo-Brayton refrigeration system that can tap surplus boil-off gas.

Japanese shipping and logistics giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) announced that two of its subsidiaries that provide harbor tugboat and other related services, will merge on July 1, 2019.Yokohama, Kanagawa-based Wing Maritime Service Corporation will merge with compatriot Kaiyo Kogyo Corporation to form an unnamed entity, a press release said. NYK holds 100% stake in both the companies.Yukihiro Tatara is the president of both firms. Wing Maritime Service Corporation has a paid-in capital of JPY 490 million and Kaiyo Kogyo Corporation has JPY 90 million.The social structure and the business environment surrounding the NYK Group is dramatically changing…

Japanese logistics giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and French multinational integrated oil and gas company Total S.A. signed an agreement which will make travelling across Europe easier for their corporate customers.The agreement provides for acceptance of MOL Group Cards by Total in its network of stations in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany. At the same time, the Total fuel cards will be accepted in the MOL’s and Slovnaft’s network of stations in Hungary, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia.As a first step, starting from February 2019, Total fuel cards are accepted in MOL’s network in Hungary and Romania. MOL Group Cards’ owners are able to benefit in return from the acceptance of their cards in Total network in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Germany.

Adnoc Logistics & Services (Adnoc   L&S) announced that it has reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 23% across a fleet of 27 vessels.The marine and logistics subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc ) said in a press release that the ‘Al Daffah Energy Efficiency Project’ is one of many ongoing initiatives by the shipping and logistics giant to deliver greater operational efficiency and a more competitive offering to its customers.As the owner and operator of 27 shipping vessels and a total fleet of 122 shipping and offshore vessels, the impact of the project has been significant, as bunkering costs represent one of the largest operating expenses for operators.Since 2013, Adnoc L&S has reduced its CO2 emissions by 1 million tons.

The container shipping and logistics giant MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is increasingly introducing smart container solutions for customers at many locations around the world, using IoT solutions developed by its partner TRAXENS.MSC is committed to equipping 50,000 dry cargo containers in the coming months to meet the growing demand from shippers for TRAXENS solutions, said a press release from the company."MSC’s partnership with TRAXENS will enhance supply chain management for shippers through unprecedented visibility of dry cargo flow from door-to-door, adding efficiency, safety and predictability," it said.TRAXENS provides shippers with an Internet-connected device to permanently fix on dry cargo containers.

Japanese shipping and logistics giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has signed long-term contracts with Diamond Gas International Pte. Ltd. (DGI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) located in Singapore, for DGI to charter from NYK three newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.Previously, NYK concluded long-term time-charter contracts for three new LNG vessels for MC’s Cameron LNG project, so these most recent contracts bring the total to six carriers for MC.The NYK Group will be responsible for ship management for the three ordered LNG carriers, one which is scheduled to be delivered in 2020. For about 18 years, that ship will transport LNG from the U.S.

Qatar-based maritime and logistics conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) has signed an agreement with Oracle Cloud applications to drive a major digital transformation across all its core business operations and its subsidiaries.The initiative will help Milaha create new revenue streams by introducing innovative services and drive operational efficiency with automated processes, said a press release from the Qatari logistics giant.Abdulrahman AlMannai, Milaha’s President and Chief Executive Officer said “In line with State of Qatar 2030 vision and in a world of increasingly complex supply chains, constantly challenging the status quo is imperative to drive sustained growth and deliver on fast-evolving customer expectations.

Japanese logistics giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that naming and launching ceremonies for the company's LNG-fueled tugboat, built at Kanagawa Dockyard  were held on September 28.According to a press release from the company, the tugboat was named Ishin after the name of MOL's technology development project, the 'Ishin Next MOL Smart Ship Project'.Ishin, slated for delivery in February 2019 after the completion of outfitting work, will be the first LNG-fueled tugboat serving Osaka Bay starting in April.In addition, Ishin's excellent environmental performance – including an estimated 25% reduction of CO2 emissions in comparison to tugs that run on A fuel oil – earned the top rating of four stars from the Ministry of Land…

National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia  Bahri announced that the Ministry of Transport under the supervision of the Public Transport Authority (PTA) has completed the registration of ASLAF, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) owned and operated by Bahri, under the flag of Saudi Arabia. The move reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position in the global maritime industry and gives a further boost to Bahri’s efforts to register all of its VLCCs – now numbering 39 – under the national flag by the end of 2017. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea, the 300,000-dwt ASLAF arrived in the Kingdom yesterday, docking at Port of Ras Tanura near Dammam…