Logistics Operator News

Brazil's largest integrated port and maritime logistics operator Wilson Sons said it is building four tugs that will reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by more than 75%.The IMO Tier III vessels were developed by Damen Shipyards Group and are being built at Wilson Sons' shipyard in Guarujá. The total cost to implement IMO Tier III standards is US$290,000."Nitrogen oxide is a greenhouse gas, which can be 300 times more polluting than carbon dioxide itself. Tier III is a great differential of this project and shows how much we are in the vanguard of the Brazilian naval industry…

South American logistics operator Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. has ordered a fleet of diesel/battery electric pushboats from Belov Engenharia Shipyard, in Salvador, Brazil. Construction has commenced, and the first vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2022.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, the innovative vessels are expected to be the world’s first battery electric shallow draft pushboats when they begin operating to provide terminal assistance in the Amazon River system.The new vessels are of the RApide 2000-E design…

Wilson Sons is the largest integrated port and maritime logistics operator in Brazil, operating more than 80 workboats. Marcio Castro, Executive Director Tugboat Division, discusses with Maritime Reporter the size, shape & technical direction of the fleet.Mr. Castro, to start, how did you come to a career in maritime?I graduated in System Engineering at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), I also have an MBA in Business Administration (Coppead/UFRJ). I joined Wilson Sons in 2003…

Brazilian port and maritime logistics operator Wilson Sons is installing internet and camera systems on its tug fleet to allow real-time visualization of operations and maneuvers, including by customers.Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) and Network Cabling project was developed by the company's innovation laboratory Tuglab, in partnership with the IT management of the company’s towage division.In total, 480 cameras and local internet network will be installed. The equipment has already been installed in almost half of the tugboat fleet…

DP World, a Dubai-based global port operator, announced that it has expanded its business in Peru into a fully-integrated maritime and logistics operation.It has completed the development of the first phase of the deepwater port of Posorja in Ecuador for around $538 million. The whole project is estimated to cost around $1.2 billion.The development of the port by DP World will make Ecuador a trade and logistics hub for South America’s west coast. It will also see large container ships with capabilities exceeding 10, 000 twenty-foot equivalent (teu) arriving at the port of Posorja.Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World…

Czech freight transport operator Advanced World Transport (AWT),  a member of PKP CARGO Group, which is a leading logistics operator in Europe, on 1st July 2019 took over three new multisystem Vectron A17 locomotives from Siemens Mobility in Velim.AWT is complementing fleet of eight multi-system locomotives, which will be used for shipments across Europe and help to implement the PKP CARGO Group development strategy.The AWT Group currently runs a total of seven multisystem locomotives, which are used mainly for international transport, three Siemens ES64U4, three Siemens ES64F4 and from the beginning of last year two Bombardier Traxx…

Italian container terminal, intermodal & logistics operator Contship Italia Group has appointed Alfredo Scalisi as the new General Manager of its flagship container terminal at La Spezia. His appointment was effective on July 1, 2019.Scalisi will report directly to Group President Mrs. Cecilia Battistello, who is currently covering an interim corporate role as managing director of Operations and Sales of Contship Italia Group.Scalisi previously held the role of Deputy General Manager at Gioia Tauro for the Medcenter Container Terminal up until May 2019 and has a strong professional background in various management roles in the energy…

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has won an order to provide Kalmar Fleet Solution of mobile equipment to Australian Container Freight Services (ACFS) operations in Adelaide, Fremantle and Melbourne.This order, comprising a total of three units of DCG100 Empty Container Handlers and two units of DRG450- Reachstackers, has been booked into Cargotec 2018 Q2 order intake.ACFS is the largest privately owned Container Logistics operator in Australia. With extensive knowledge and experience across the warehousing, transport and freight logistic sectors. ACFS facilities are strategically located close to port locations nationally, as they are fully…

One year after the introduction of the rail shuttle between Antwerp and Metz, the intermodal logistics operator Multi-Modal Rail (MMR) has doubled the frequency. As of the middle of January the Dutch-French company provides a second weekly container shuttle. This increased frequency offers shippers the ideal connection to deepsea services in the port of Antwerp, for their import and export consignments in the Alsace-Lorraine region. The shuttle leaves on Monday and Wednesday from Antwerp Main Hub and arrives the following day at the MMS terminal in Metz. "If there is sufficient market demand we will raise the frequency still further, to three times per week," declared MMR general manager Benjamin Hotter.

Hong Kong's Hutchison Ports has acquired a 50% shareholding in Amsterdam-headquartered terminal and logistics operator TMA Logistics. TMA has a variety of general cargo terminal operations together with warehousing, shipping, logistics and project cargo activities at three sites in Amsterdam and one in Antwerp as well as at Hutchison Ports Amsterdam (former known as Amsterdam Container Terminal). Commenting on the acquisition, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director, Hutchison Ports, said: “The acquisition of a 50% stake in TMA Logistics complements both our existing operations in Amsterdam and the activities of Hutchison Logistics. We have developed a good working relationship with TMA over the last three years which has brought a range of operations to ACT.

Ferry and logistics operator DFDS has many activities and 2,200 employees in the U.K., placing it at the heart of the ongoing “Brexit” process following the U.K.’s vote to leave the EU and making the firm an early indicator of changes in trade and passenger movements. In a post on its website, the Danish based firm addressed Brexit’s immediate and long-term impact, stating that it has seen little to no effect on trade so far. “We also discuss our experiences and expectations from the Brexit situation with customers.

The Port of Ngqura is poised to play a vital role in ensuring the security of South Africa’s fuel supply, while creating a new petroleum trading hub for Southern Africa in anticipation of the relocation of existing liquid bulk facilities from Port Elizabeth. This follows the conclusion of an agreement between Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and Oiltanking Grindrod Calulo (Pty) Ltd (OTGC)to plan, fund, construct, own, maintain and operate a new liquid bulk handling facility at the Port of Ngqura. The project is one of the Section 56 initiatives that TNPA has identified to encourage private sector participation as a key element…

The new rules, adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and incorporated into Chapter VI of the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention, specify that the shipper (forwarder, logistics operator or owner of the goods) shall be responsible for weighing the full container before shipment. The Port of Barcelona is the first port in Spain to complete and make available such a procedure to its customers and users in line with the new rules, and its Port Community is preparing to adapt to the new requirements. The obligation to declare container weight before shipment is designed to improve the safety of seafarers and of everyone involved in the logistics chain.

Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited in its latest ship2shore Magazine takes a look at methods of weighing containers. Half a century after containerization first emerged to transform the world of shipping, a landmark new regulation is on the horizon. From 1 July 2016, an amendment to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention will require every packed export container to have its weight verified before it is loaded on to a ship. The new regulation puts this responsibility firmly on the shipper – but how many shippers are actually ready for container weighing? The Freight Transport Association recently warned that shippers could fall foul of the new legislation after 1 July 2016 if they don’t put measures in place to verify the gross mass of their containers.

The consortium formed by CMA CGM, Bolloré and CHEC won the bid process initiated by the Cameroonian government Following the bidding procedure initiated by the Cameroonian government, the consortium formed by the French companies - CMA CGM and Bolloré - and the Chinese CHEC (China Harbour Engineering Company) won the 25 years concession. The Cameroonian government has chosen a French-Chinese consortium offering all the technical and financial guarantees. It is composed of CMA CGM - a worldwide leading shipping group and international port operator - Bolloré Africa Logistics - a reference logistics operator in Africa – and the Chinese company CHECH - one of the first civil engineering and building company in the world.

Provider of insurance and related risk management services to the transport and logistics industry TT Club said it welcomes the initiative of the World Shipping Council (WSC) in its recent publication of guidelines to the industry in relation to implementing the SOLAS requirements that become mandatory on July 1, 2016. Unlike the CTU Code, which forensically seeks to identify the chain of responsibility for everyone involved in the movement of freight, the amendment to the Safety…

CEVA Logistics, a leading global supply chain management company, was awarded the Best Green Logistics Operator award at the 28th Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA) held in Shanghai recently. The annual awards organized by Cargonews Asia are designed to honor leading organizations for demonstrating leadership as well as consistency in service quality, innovation, customer relationship management and reliability. Nominations for each category were voted for by readers of Asia’s leading shipping, supply chain and cargo transport publication, Cargonews Asia. The results are finalized by an independent auditor and CEVA was named as a finalist in the Best 3PL and Best Green Logistics Operator categories. The winners of the awards were announced at the AFSCA 2014.

Over the past three years, DELO Group, a Russian private transport company, has implemented an investment program, including rail and other adjacent port infrastructure, construction of stevedoring and inland storage terminals for oil products, construction of the KSK grain terminal, acquisition of 50% of the NUTEP container terminal from its JV partner and an expansion program turning the terminal into a chief container terminal throughout Russian coasts. “We are planning to double capacity at NUTEP from 350,000 to 600 - 700,000 TEU,” said Andrei Bubnov, CFO of DELO Group.

XPO Logistics has made a deal to acquire Bridge Terminal Transport (BTT) Services, one of the largest motor carriers serving ports and intermodal facilities in the United States, for $100 million. A few days ago, XPO spent $3.5 billion to purchase French third-party logistics provider Norbert Dentressangle. Based in Charlotte, N.C., BTT is a drayage provider, which transports goods over a short distance, offering international and domestic transportation services at major port locations and inland rail sites throughout the U.S. BTT has 28 terminals and some 1,300 independent owner-operators. BTT had revenue of $232 million for the 12 months ended March 31. The XPO statement said the acquisition price represents a multiple of 8.1 times BTT’s tax-free cash flow over the same time.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has announced an order from Vix Logistica S.A, Brazil, for 18 heavy forklift trucks. The order consists of eight Kalmar DCF300-12LB, two DCE120-6 and eight DCF200-12LB forklift trucks, adding to Vix Logistica's substantial existing Kalmar fleet of 16 heavy forklift trucks. They will be employed primarily on materials handling applications allied to steel products. The delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2015. Vix Logistica is Brazil's leading logistics operator and is currently expanding to meet the growing needs of the industry. The company offers different services including stowing cargo in ships, bonded cargo transportation, port building/cleaning, and cargo handling - all relying heavily on the use of forklifts.

In a speech to be given at the TOC Container Supply Chain: Middle East Conference on December 9, Andrew Kemp, Regional Director EMEA of the freight transport insurance specialist TT Club will warn of the additional liability that freight forwarders and other logistics operators are open to as a consequence of dynamic changes in global trade. Statistics compiled by the World Bank reflect the fast-growing influence of the so-called South-South trade routes between Latin America, Africa and Asia. The value of exports on this trade now exceeds that between the developing and developed countries of the world, representing 32% of total global trade.

DSV has launched an intermodal service between Turkey and the U.K. to add to its portfolio of road, air and short-sea services between the two countries. “We have seen an increasing interest in intermodal services as shippers seek more cost effective ways of sending their goods,” said Morten Joergensen, Managing Director DSV Road, Turkey. There are two options: three times a week direct by rail from Halkali train terminal in Istanbul to Zeebrugge or Rotterdam, or by short-sea services from Istanbul to Trieste in Italy and then by rail to Zeebrugge or Rotterdam…

APM Terminals operated Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd (APM Terminals Pipavav) and NYK Auto Logistics (India) today announced setting up of a dedicated automobile yard (RoRo) at Pipavav Port. Under the arrangement, NYK Auto Logistics (India) Pvt. Ltd. has been sub-leased land parcels by Gujarat Pipavav Port inside its premises for developing a dedicated common user integrated RoRo terminal with India’s first port based PDI and Vehicle Processing Center. Gujarat Pipavav Port will provide all the port and related facilities to the logistics operator for ensuring smooth and seamless flow of automobile cargo. The Yard is expected to be commissioned in Q2CY15. Commenting on the new business opportunity, Managing Director of APM Terminals Pipavav, Mr.