Transmodal News

Driver-less heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be to ship freight between the UK and continental Europe in the future, according to a new white paper published by the British Ports Association (BPA) and the specialist freight transport consultancy MDS Transmodal.Commercial and environmental pressures will encourage freight operators to look at autonomous trucks and they would transform the way the ro-ro market works in Great Britain."Changes anticipated include significant growth in the market share of ‘driverless accompanied’ RORO traffic – particularly through North Sea and Western English Channel ports," it said.Technical developments…

A recent dry dock rehab project in Chicago provides new options and money saving opportunities for inland and Great Lakes stakeholders alike.From software to steel plating, Indiana-based TPG Marine Enterprises provides a range of services in the Great Lakes and inland waterways markets. River based tug and barge services are based in Jeffersonville and Mt. Vernon, IN, on the Ohio River, as well as on Kentucky’s Green River. The company also owns TPG Chicago Dry Dock, located on the Calumet River.

The finalists of the 2017 Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIAs) have been announced. The winners will be revealed at a prestigious black tie dinner that will have a Ministerial presence and promises to bring together the best of the maritime industry right across the Maritime, Logistics and Energy spectrum in the region. The MMIAs are organised by sector representative body Mersey Maritime and the Awards recognise the excellence and diversity that exists across all sectors of the maritime industry in the North West. Chris Shirling-Rooke, Chief Executive, Mersey Maritime, said: “The number and quality of entries for the 2017 MMIAs has risen for the third consecutive year, which will make for an exciting awards evening when the winners are announced on 9th March.

Tomorrow 23rd June international law firm Hill Dickinson LLP will be holding  its UK Ports Conference focusing on ‘The Future of UK Ports: changing regulation, shipping trend updates and new opportunities in the supply chain’. The 7th Annual UK Ports Conference will allow senior representatives from across the ports, shipping and maritime sector to network and discuss policy updates, shipping trends and the latest logistics and supply chain guidance. The day will also look at how to approach port development and funding and hear from UK ports on how ports can support the economic development of the local area and the wider UK. Another discussion point will be on EU state aid and the key risk factors are for UK ports.

Growing consumer demand within China coupled with a worldwide decline in the West’s ability to consume Chinese-made goods, may herald long-term changes in the pattern of world trade. This is the prediction from MDS Transmodal, a specialist transport and trade consultancy, after analyzing for The Shippers’ Voice, the Chinese trade data for the second quarter 2009 as one of the inputs to its World Cargo Database. “The impact on the import/export balance of container traffic is dramatic,” said Mike Garratt of MDS Transmodal. “In Q2 2008 there were only 56 tonnes of Chinese imports for every 100 tonnes exported. One year later, that figure has grown to 80 tonnes. He said that Chinese exports drive the overall demand for global shipping capacity. “Here the picture is bleak.

One of the conclusions of the Shippers’ Voice seminar discussing Portcentric Logistics Solutions at the Multimodal 2009 exhibition was that now maybe even the best time for shippers to reassess their logistics patterns and structure. Nick Lindsay, General Manager LM Logistics Group, told delegates that “this is the time to think as far outside the box as you want and you’ll find the solution.” His Felixstowe-based company, originally built on container haulage, is now offering direct small parcel deliveries into retailers as well as home delivery of furniture for customers. “The name of the game is to find ways and means to cut costs,” said Vincent De Saedeleer, Vice President of the Port of Zeebrugge Authority.