Specials

ITJ International Transport Journal 21 · 22 | 23 May 2014 www.transportjournal.com ENGLISH EDITION (also available in an identical German and French version) Specials Asia 44 Iberia 56 AF-KLM stops over at the ITJ Varwijk and van Asch on potential and profitability 21 A trade in transformation Asia–West Africa services en vogue 48 Lusitanian opportunities Portugal restructuring 65 its railfreight sector Contents International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 5 Editorial 6 People and Companies Specials in this issue IBERIA Photo: Thinkstock savings measures some of the rigid In the light of the this can be ascountries recently, transport rolled out in both result. In Spain the sessed as a remarkable a key future has been declared strategy and logistics segment government’s logistics programme. The Spanish Ana Pastor spoke six months ago. Minister 66 projects, in from one is was published priorities, selected one’s own nose when to fail to look beyond suffered of 18 multimodal in Cádiz, adding that EUR 8 billion There is a tendency Portugal, which have presentation held According to problems. Spain and n region, nev- a is planned by 2024. mired in everyday Mediterranea the investment in of worth downturn in Spain employs s last year. Both countries the transport ministry, the industry from the recent economic special support considerable improvement index compiled It is set to receive ertheless achieved legislation 850,000 people today. the logistics performance in to simplified , improved improvement infrastructure registered an Portugal’s figure through improved for instance. In 2014 to 3.70 (18th). of the railways. by the World Bank, are now y), and Spain’s rose and an expansion of contraction, there 3.56 (26th place internationall After a lengthy period Portugal. GDP is of growth again in clear indications according to the by 1.2% in 2014, estimated to grow left the proFund. The country national Monetary Inter International May, which imbailout fund on 18 sector too. tection of the EU’s available to the transport proved the options the downturn, actually rose during exports Portugal’s exports benefiting from more resulting in logisticians Christian Doepgen for instance. to South America, Portugal and Spain on ASIA an upward trajectory Looking ahead 12 Comment 14 15 17 Shipping & Ports Moody’s is optimistic From the market to the demolition range 21 25 27 Aviation Cargolux flying high Europe’s airfreight hubs are doing well 30 33 35 Forwarding & Logistics Takeovers in southern Germany Genoa-based S.T.C. begins a Libyan service 38 38 Intermodal Railways continue to show the way in the CIS 39 75 years of the ITJ: A boom in 2010? 40 Focus on Switzerland 44 47 51 Asia Special HNCA spreading its wings Taiwan building on its strategic position 56 59 61 Iberia Special Bilbao getting ready for 2015 IAG Cargo adds more Central America flights 68 68 70 71 72 Regional Focus Southeastern Europe and Turkey Africa Middle East Americas 73 Miscellaneous / Masthead 74 A Time for Reflection / Advertisers’ Index World Bank sees good 46 47 48 53 55 prospects for countries 44 56 K + N, SDV and Menlo expanding in Southeast Asia World Cargo Airports links east and west Alliance Turbulence on the Asia–West Africa trade Filipino, Japanese and Qatari airlines flying high PSA investment in India’s JNPT gateway given the go-ahead Photo: Thinkstock th engine The World Bank regularly compares economic growth in different the globe. Its latest countries across report illustrates that Asia continues to hold commercial potential. the greatest biggest in the world. But in the meantime, those who argue that this global political Misurata milestone may already Libya: Tripoli, Benghazi, Alexandria by Air have been passed Sea, Cairo Even& if expectations have been getting Air & Sea ypt: Alexandria by Egypt: more of a hearing. Morocco: Casablanca for this year are Algeria: Air & Seaatively rel- erated recently. A World Bank comparison Tunis : Air & Sea modest compared «Stronger global growth the past, Asia this programme Combination takes account of year will help the and Land Seacontinues to be home to international prices chemicals region expand at a By Air, Sea, Land to of gage and dangerous countries that are RECT Emost of those relatively steady pace,» give an accurate measure For normal, out considered he added, «whilst IC, ) to have the of a country’s DI RV it will simultaneousl actual economic U.A.E greatest development AIR& LCL output. The statistics SERpotential. y adjust BY L -SEA P.O.Box: 123766, Dubai- +971-4-8854864 (FC global financial conditions.» to tighter for 2011 have now The World Bank’s AIR Fax: , SEA OR been compiled. The East Asia Pacific Tel: +971-4-8854863 Economic Update figures show that sdxb@eim.ae E-mail: hlfsdxb@eim.ae the Chinese economy has predicted that d-dubai.ae particularly the countries China returns to the was 87% as large Website: www.heavyloa as the USA’s, and top in East Asia’s not Pacific area will China remains at 47%, as output converted experience stable the at market execo- opment perspectives, core of these devel- change rates nomic growth this would have had us year. Economies in despite the fact that believe. the talk has lately region are expected The fact is that China has grown centred on slightly to grow by 7.1% slower faster than much in growth in the 2014, which is only the US since 2011. huge economy. The 0.9 percentage points According coun- to the World lower than the average try’s output grew Bank, China will by 7.7% in 2013, rate recorded bethus beand come the world’s tween 2009 and 2013. the experts seem to largest producer nation agree that a 7.6% improvement is in the before the end of The result, the bank 2014 – which was pipeline for the cursaid, last Asia remains the fastest-growinis that East rent twelve months. the case in 1890. g region in the world. The East The Far Eastern Whenever precisely giant’s prospects Asian Pacific counthis may be the of case is not so tries have served becoming the world’s important. But transport as the world’s main largest industrial growth engine since power sooner rather and logistics enterprises the onset of the globthan later are inshould definitely al financial crisis, tact, however. Up keep a keen eye on Axel van Trotsenburg, until recently analysts further developments the World Bank’s assumed that it would in this matter. Doing regional vice-president so will enable them take another ten for East Asia and years or so before to be ready when Chinese business could the Pacific area, reitthe many decades in overtake that of the which the West called USA and become the economic tune the come to an end. av Second berth shows results 20 Operations at London Gateway’s second berth commenced in May, reason enough for a number of shipping lines to intensify their links to and from the extended port. Other service providers also took the opportunity to improve options. Mumbai’s port is growing 55 The concession to build the Indian port of Mumbai’s fourth container terminal has been awarded. The move is expected to ease congestion in the port and in the region. The process, won by PSA, was criticised by its competitors, however. Investment in Spain 21 29 30 67 The Spanish logistics market is attractive for foreign investors. South American and British companies, for example, as well as ever more Japanese enterprises, such as Mitsubishi, have been entering the sector recently. Interviews with... Eelco van Asch and Erik Varwijk, of Air France-KLM-Martinair Fred Ruggiero, of Cathay Pacific Americas Daniel Jaguljnjak, of A.R.T. Logistics Asia Iberia on Asia’s Pacific rim Still the global grow AFRICA GCC WITH NORTH LINKING UAE & SIZE ANY SHIPMENT SERVICES FOR | PORT TO DOOR | DOOR TO PORT DOOR TO DOOR 3 Cover: An all-cargo aeroplane. Photo: Eva Air Cargo SAFETY FIRST Making sure your freight arrives in perfect condition. Our packaging service provides professional packaging – without compromise. Your confidence is well placed with us! KIFA AG, Kapellstrasse 6, CH-8355 Aadorf | Märstetten | Uzwil | T +41 52 368 41 21 | www.kifa.ch KIFA – naturally well packed. www.turkishcargo.com | +90 850 333 0 777 Editorial International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Dear readers, of taking a break from work, but it has been proven that it Have you got a minute? – I am guessing that this question will cause you some irritation. Time, even just a minute – who on earth has any spare time? No matter whether you are the chief executive officer of a large corporation, or your job is to support operational processes in a mediumsized enterprise – the feeling of facing an ever-growing mountain of work is all too familiar to all of us. And we are always pretty quick in finding out who is to blame. It could be an all-too-exacting boss, your demanding family life or the traffic that is once again jam-packed on the roads on your way home. Every one of our working days seems to be fully-booked by the minute. And yet each one of us has the power in our own hands to have a nice little break every now and then. enhances your creative powers too. Many an issue seems so much clearer after taking even just a short break, and some tasks almost seem to take care of themselves. So close the office door, lean back – and help yourself to a little contemplative time. And if you do need some extra news in between times, then I recommend the ITJ Daily, which keeps you up to date with the latest transport industry events every weekday – a quick fix is guaranteed. Enjoy your ITJ! Yours, I’m addressing the matter of time here because I want to invite you to use this issue of the ITJ to learn about the latest transport and logistics events without any rush. Of course, in these days of instant and around-the-clock information it is tempting to get a quick on-screen news fix in between times. But let us be honest here – how often does this approach enable you to tackle a subject with your undivided attention? Recreation is not only one of the key functions Antje Veregge Head of ports and shipping Our dynamic team has years of experience within the container trading, shipping and transport industries. 85A-18A Elizabetes Str., Riga, Latvia Phone +371 20390529 +371 29788222 Fax +371 67381661 E-mail info@rsgu.eu • Trading and renting sea containers • Offshore containers • Transport and Logistics Services www.rsgu.eu We are pleased to assist you in container trading all over the world. 5 6 Companies & People International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Europe TNT board complete again On 1 July Maarten Jan de Vries will join TNT Express as its new CFO and as a member of the executive board (pending shareholder approval). De Vries’ career developed at Royal Philips Electronics, where he was chief information officer from 2007 onwards. He had previously held the posts of chief supply officer and divisional CFO. In his last job he was CEO of TP Vision, a JV between TPV and Royal Philips. De Vries will succeed TNT’s former CFO, Bernard Bot, who was acting CEO from October 2012 until June 2013. He had announced in April that he planned to resign. De Vries will report directly to Tex Gunning, the CEO of TNT Express. New CEO at Heathrow John Holland-Kaye, who currently works as Heathrow Airport Ltd’s development director, is set to become the company’s new chief executive officer on 1 July. As development director Holland-Kaye has John Holland-Kaye been in charge of several investment proPhoto: Heathrow airport grammes worth a total of EUR 1.2 billion per annum. Holland-Kaye joined the firm in 2009. Colin Matthews, Holland-Kaye’s predecessor at Heathrow, is standing down as CEO after six years of service. Company veterans for CMA CGM Karl Nutzinger leaves Schenker Karl Nutzinger, the member of the board of management of Schenker AG in charge of overland transport, is leaving the firm. Schenker has not named a successor yet. Nutzinger began his professional career with the forwarder Johann Birkart, working in Singapore as managing director in charge of Southeast Asia, amongst others. In 1993 he became managing director of Schenker Eurocargo, and in 2000 was named its regional director for Central Europe. In 2006 Wincanton selected him as its managing director in Germany. Nutzinger has been a Schenker board member since 2008. Alain Wils Photo: CMA CGM The French shipping line CMA CGM announced the nomination of Alain Wils and John Van de Merwe to join the board of directors of Global Ship Lease Inc (GSL). Wils started his career in 1970 with Delmas Vieljeux and was director general of CMA CGM from 1996 to 2008. Today he is a consultant in the shipping and logistics industry. Van de Merwe worked for Sea-Land Service for more than 28 years, including stints as vice-president for Asia and the Middle East. He was CMA CGM’s vicepresident and CEO for the Americas from 2000 to 2006. 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Billitz Austria I email: sales@billitz.com I www.billitz.com Billitz Hungary I email: sales.hungaria@billitz.com I www.billitz.com Schober Inter national Hamburg I email: info@schoberinter national.com I www.schoberinter national.com SCL Antwerpen I p.bisschops@specialcargologistics.com I www.specialcargologistics.com 8 Companies & People International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Imperial to Hoyer Roland Pütz Photo: Hoyer Roland Pütz took charge of Hoyer’s Chemilog division on 12 May. Before moving to Hoyer Pütz worked for the Imperial Shipping Group, which ships ore and coal, chemical products and gas. In his last post Pütz led the fleet management department, was a member of Imperial’s management team and managing director of the unit Imperial Shipping Services. Role change in Poland Marek Staszek has been named CEO of DB Schenker Rail Polska, with effect from 1 July. Staszek is currently the CFO and board member of the Polish rail service provider in charge of finances and controlling. He was previously CEO of the Rybnik-based company PTKIGK, and also worked as CFO of PCC Rail. Both of these companies were taken over by the German state railway Deutsche Bahn in 2009. Staszek, who will report to Hans-Georg Werner, supervisory board chairman of DB Schenker Rail Polska, will replace Christian Schreyer, who has chosen to leave the company on 30 June. Heavyweights for Ceva Michael Schächer is the new COO of Ceva Logistics’ global airfreight activities. Hakan Bicil, in turn, has become the corporation’s CCO. Schächer was CEO of Air Cargo Germany (ACG) to 2013, and has worked for DHL Global Forwarding, Star Broker and Panalpina. Bicil moved to the supply chain management enterprise from Panalpina, where he was in charge of strategic business development. Before that he worked for Toll Global Forwarding and Kuehne + Nagel. Both managers joined the company’s executive board and will report directly to Ceva CEO Xavier Urbain. Expert to manage the fleet Duncan Turk Photo: Prohire The commercial vehicle contract hire and fleet management company, Prohire, has appointed Duncan Turk as its new national fleet engineer. Turk previously worked in senior positions in the commercial vehicle sector with TNT Logistics, Hitachi Capital and Amey, amongst others. Immediately before joining Prohire he oversaw G4S Security Services’ vehicle fleet in Kenya. Prohire now operates a fleet of trucks and vans with more than 3,000 vehicles. Companies & People International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Another new role SIL2014 Monika Ribar has been elected vicepresident of the board of Switzerland’s national railway SBB. She has been a board member since 1 May, replacing Olivier Steimer, who held a board seat from 2003 onwards and who became vice-president in 2010. Ribar was chief executive officer of Panalpina World Transport from 2006 to 2013, where she pre- Monika Ribar viously also held other positions, Photo: Panalpina including that of chief financial officer, at the corporation that she served for a total of 23 years. Ribar is also on the board of Lufthansa and its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines. BARCELONA BLS augments board The Swiss railfreight operator BLS has elected Martin Bütikofer and Ueli Dietiker to its executive board. Renate Amstutz Bettschart was chosen as vice-president. Dietiker was previously CEO of Cablecom, as well as CFO and deputy CEO of Swisscom, amongst other posts. Bütikofer has been head of the Swiss Transport Museum in Luzern since 2011. International Logistics and Material Handling Exhibition 12th Mediterranean Logistics and Transport Forum LCL FCL AIR 3rd Latin American Logistics and Transport Summit From 3rd to 5th June Montjuic Exhibition Center. Fira de Barcelona Y ou M Barcelona-Spain y r dy ta l I n i namic nvocc ILA NO – N – GENO VA – L I V O R N O L AP Organized by: by ES Folow: www.silbcn.com SIL 2013 BARCELONA sil.barcelona @SILBARCELONA Combi Line International S.p.A. Via Fanin, 2 – 20090 Segrate (MI) info@combiline.it - www.combiline.it Tel: +34 93 263 81 50 • E-mail: comercialsil@el-consorci.com 9 10 Companies & People International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Americas Changes at the Hub Group The Hub Group, a Nasdaq-listed US intermodal marketing firm, has announced the retirement of Don Maltby. Chief marketing officer David Marsh will take Maltby’s role as chief supply chain officer, with chief intermodal officer (CIO) Chris Kravas taking Marsh’s role. Hub Group trucking president Dan Burke will become CIO. LISCR London manager The Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based Robert Twell manager of the Liberian registry, has appointed Robert Twell as the general manager of its London office. He succeeded Jonathan Spremulli, who had held the post since 2010. Twell joins LISCR from CMA Ships UK Ltd, part of the CMA CGM Group, where he was a safety and security manager. Engineering officer in Long Beach Long Beach’s board of harbor commissioners has promoted Neil D. Morrison to assistant managing director. Morrison joined the Californian port as director of engineering design in August 2009. In his new role he will oversees the port’s engineering design and maintenance divisions. Photo: LISCR Asia Geodis India names sales manager Geodis India has chosen Sascha von Ometzinski as national sales manager in India. His priorities will be to strengthen and increase the company’s trade lane activities, with a particular focus on Brazil, China and the USA, and to expand business in key market segments. A return to operations Curry and Knatz selected The USA’s Institute for Containerisation and Intermodal Transport will again present two Connie awards in September. Geraldine Knatz, a former managing director of the port of Los Angeles (see ITJ Daily of 10 October 2013), will receive a life-time achievement award. Robert Curry, owner and managing director of the Californian logistics group Cartage, will be honoured for his commitment to green logistics. Cho Yang-ho Photo: Hanjin Shipping The Hanjin Group has named chairman Cho Yang-ho as CEO of its shipping service arm Hanjin Shipping. He replaces Choi Eun-young, who had tendered her resignation. The Hanjin Group said that Choi will remain chairwoman of Hanjin Shipping Holdings, the parent company of Hanjin Shipping. Hanjin Shipping has recorded losses for the past three years. Former CEO Kim Young-min took responsibility for the decline at the end of 2013 and resigned (see ITJ 47-48 / 2014, page 7). Worldwide connected Our worldwide network, covering more than 80 countries and our team of 1,900 dedicated and proficient employees, ensure the right solution for you, encompassing the factors of speed, quality and reliability. Sea Freight ▪ Air Freight ▪ Overland Transport ▪ Package/Courier Services Food & Beverage Logistics ▪ Projects Logistics ▪ Warehousing Logistics a. hartrodt (Schweiz) AG · Dornacherstrasse 8 · 4053 Basel · Phone (+41 61) 337 83 93 · info.ch@hartrodt.com www.hartrodt.com DESIGNED FOR PERFORMANCE Performance translates to highest quality and maximum efficiency. We are your dependable partner for transport- and logistics solutions. ASIA HEADOFFICE Worldwide Network. Skilled Professionals. Logistics connecting MARTINEZ-CAMPO ATLAS * M+R Forwarding (Hong Kong) Ltd. Rm 3501, 35/F, Manhattan Place 23 Wang Tai Road, Kowloon Bay Hong Kong +852 2591 0677 continents. www.mrspedag.com MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS Would you like to set up business in Spain? Ask the specialist in Mergers & Acquisitions for the Forwarding and Logistics field. Further to our Head-Hunting blue ribbon activities in logistics and forwarding, we also lead Merges & Acquisitions assignments offering a variety of transport companies willing to start a joint venture with other European organizations. All enquiries will be dealt confidentially. Martinez-Campo Atlas | atlas@martinez-campo.com | www.martinez-campo.com Lagern auch Sie das Einpacken aus! Wir entwickeln Verpackungskonzepte, bauen Kisten, verpacken Ihre Produkte, lösen Kapazitätsprobleme, entlasten Ihre Resourcen und schonen Ihre Nerven. Verpackungs-Logistik Zürich Würenlos Birr Kleindöttingen Exportverpackungen • Kisten • Verpackungskonzepte • Kartonboxen • Korrosionsschutz-Systeme • www.egolfverpackungsag.ch 12 Companies & People International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Congratulations CargoLine honour The German general cargo alliance CargoLine recently se lected its international partners M. Roelofsen (Rotra), R. Breitwieser of the year for 2013. First place (G. Englmayer) and T. Wertmüller (InterPhoto: CargoLine went to the Austrian forwarding fracht, from the left). company G. Englmayer, second place to CargoLine’s Dutch partner Rotra, and Inter fracht from Switzerland came third. The body honoured its partners at a meeting held in Istanbul recently. Hartmann to head VDR from 2015 The German Shipowners’ Association (VDR) has elec ted Alfred Hartmann, owner of the Hartmann shipping group, as the association’s president with effect from 1 January 2015. Michael Behrendt, who has successfully led and repositioned the trade body since 2008, will fin ish his term of office at the end of 2014. Changes of address Franzosini Building G1 CH–8423 Embrach Embraport Switzerland Telephone +41 (0)44 865 07 44; Fax +41 (0)44 865 07 45 E-mail mogwitz@franzosini.ch www.franzosini.ch Neptune Orient Lines The Metropolis Tower 1 9 North Buona Vista Drive, #14-01 Singapore 138588 Telephone +65 63 78 900; Fax +65 63 71 73 46 E-mail kheng_sheng_au@nol.com.sg www.nol.com.sg Comment Congratulations for staging the biggest elections ever! The world election record is not held by the latest vote for the European parliament, in which 400 million eligible voters will cast their ballot from 22 to 25 May. Nor by the presidential election scheduled for 25 May in Ukraine – brought forward due to recent events. The elections earlier this month in South Africa, with a Andreas Haug vote for every citizen living in the country Editor still not routine in the young republic, does not hold the record either. On 7 May the rainbow nation voted in the fifth free elections to be held in the 20 years since the end of Apartheid. The winner is... the parliamentary elections in India! The second most populous country in the world is putting in a sterling logistics performance to stage this exercise. The election commission has had to organise • 814 million voters, 100 million more than five years ago, voting (or not) for 1,600 candidates, • nine electoral phases from 7 April to 12 May, and • 930,000 polling stations. • 543 people will be elected to the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of parliament. • 11 million officials transported 1.4 million electronic voting machines to every corner of the world’s seventhlargest country by plane, helicopter, boat, elephant, camel and donkey. A queue of every Indian voter involved would have stretched eight times around the equator. Happily, an (almost) paper-free procedure has been used since 1998, as otherwise it would be difficult to master the logistics and security challenges, the local weather and the concomitant harvests and holidays and still get the results out just a week after the polls close. European Groupage Deep Sea Specialities Customs Clearance Saint-Louis-Strasse 31 CH-4056 Basel TELEFON 061 385 13 13 FAX 061 385 13 65 info@moortrans.ch www.moortrans.ch Warehousing Distribution Transit Storage © 2013 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Get connected to world class supply chain solutions. Plug into one of the largest established transportation networks in the world. Ask our transportation experts to customise solutions for you. info-europe@chrobinson.com | www.chrobinson.com Ports & Shipping International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 15 Light at the end of the tunnel? No longer negative, now stable The US credit rating and research organisation Moody’s has revised its global shipping industry outlook, predicting that the sector’s aggregate ebitda will rise, now that the trough has been passed. There is no reason for euphoria yet, however, as the analyst believes that overcapacities and volatile freight rates will remain a problem over the next 18 months. high pressure. It predicts that cost reduc tions will drive ebitda growth, rather than incomegenerating improvements. The analyst believes that these basic conditions will prevail for the next 12 to 18 months. Triedandtested measures, however, such as delaying or cancelling individual sailings, scrapping old and inefficient tonnage, laying up vessels as well as slow steaming will probably pre vent further rate reductions. The status of the World Container Index’s Shanghai to Rotterdam contain er freight rate indicator underlines this assessment. On 8 May the rate for hauling an feu from the Far Eastern port to the northwestern European gateway stood at USD 2,447. This corresponds to a 15.2% increase in comparison with the previous week. Another week later it had risen by another 5% to USD 2,570. Moody’s said that it would consider changing its outlook back to negative if there are any signs that the relationship between tonnage supply and demand in the market is likely to widen in such a way that supply exceeds demand by more than 2%. In order for Moody’s to con sider changing its outlook to positive the amount of vessel oversupply would have to decline substantially and the industry’s aggregate ebitda would have to grow by more than 10%. In times such as these it is probably difficult for many an industry expert even to just imagine such develop ments. av World Container Index – Shanghai–Rotterdam container freight rates (USD / feu) 4,000 3,500 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 2012 2013 c De v No t Oc pt Se g Au ly Ju ne Ju ay M r il Ap ch M ar b Fe n 500 2014 Liner shipping reliability – improving but not quite punctual yet The Danish shipping industry analyst SeaIntel’s latest Global Liner Performance report has established that in March the reliability of the global shipping indus try’s schedules increased for the first time since November. Data from the Inttra ecommerce platform shows that punc tual container deliveries increased for the first time since August, from about 47% in February to almost 55% in March. The leading trade lane in this context was the North America to Oceania lane, which reached a record high of almost 83%. Maersk Line was able to improve its performance by 5 percentage points to almost 84% between February and March, thus reinstating it in the top spot of most reliable carrier. It was followed by Hamburg Süd, with a schedule reliability of 81%, and UASC, which attained 76%. Though overall schedule reliability has increased and the performance between February and March improved by 7 per centage points on eastbound transpacific sailings, by 8 percentage points between Asia and Northern Europe and by 13 percentage points between Asia and the Mediterranean region, SeaIntel’s report shows a differentiated picture, with a decline continuing in many trade lanes. This applies particularly to westbound transatlantic departures, which stood 21 percentage points below the level of March 2013, as well as to sailings be tween South America’s west coast and Asia (minus 24 percentage points). av Source: World Container Index / Drewry 3,000 Ja A glint of a silver lining – still relatively weak, but nevertheless recognisable – can just be made out in the clouds covering the seven seas these days. This would be one way of interpreting the recent upgra ding of the prospects for the shipping industry from negative to stable by the New Yorkbased analyst Moody’s. The research organisation said the measure was a result of its expectation that the panindustry ebitda will rise by a singledigit percentage this year in comparison with the previous 12month period. Moody’s calls for its outlook to be classified as stable if annual growth is expected in the –5% to +10% range. The corporation emphasised that the market will continue to be challenging, particularly as overcapacity remains a concern. Moody’s believes that industry conditions have reached their trough, and that the supplydemand gap will not now worsen materially in the foreseeable future. Moody’s has calculated that the supply of vessels will probably not exceed demand by more than 2%. Such an assessment has been rather unusual since 2011. Assessments of the industry’s prospects have consistently been negative since that year. However, Moody’s does not want to deny that the freight rates – particularly in the contain er shipping segment – are still subject to 16 Ports & Shipping International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Positive net result, despite decline in sales Rickmers is cruising The Rickmers Group ventured into a few new business fields last year. It seems that this strategy has paid off, for the corporation achieved a positive net result in 2013. At the The ratings agency Creditreform has updated the rating of the entity Rickmers Holding GmbH & Cie KG, the parent corporation of the shipping firm Rickmers Group, which is headquartered in Hamburg (Germany). Creditreform changed the company’s rating from BB (watch) to B, after the Rickmers Group had published its annual results for 2013. The sustained pressure being experienced in shipping industry markets also left its mark on the corporation’s three business segments, however. The group’s consolidated corporate sales figure came to about EUR 579 million last year, falling by 10.7% in comparison with the previous year. Even though the group’s consolidated ebitda was reduced to around EUR 192 million in total, the net result remained positive overall, coming in at EUR 1.5 million. The group tried some new paths in the year under review that no one in the shipping industry has trodden before. It collaborated with Oaktree Capital Management for the construction of ten 5,400 teu containership newbuildings. Rickmers’ role in the cooperation agreement is to supply consultancy services for the monitoring of the construction work, as well as for technical and commercial ship management activities. Rickmers itself did not invest any funds in the undertaking, however. The enterprise also entered into a joint fund venture with Apollo Global Management. The part- Photo: Rickmers-Linie same time it is pleased about its improved rating. At the end of 2013 the Rickmers Group operated 102 ships, 59 of which it owned. ners focus on investing in used vessels, and currently have a total investment volume of USD 500 million available. The Rickmers Group has also announced that Ignace Van Meenens took over the position of chief executive officer from the head of the corporation Ronald Widdows in May (see ITJ 19-20 / 2014, page 6). av ...we keep track of your business! www.saco.de Ports & Shipping International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 17 Moving across the port of Antwerp ...and ICTSI drawn to other side of the world MSC drawn to the other side of the river... International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) and Anglo Ports have signed a contract with the Port of Melbourne Corporation for the design, financing, construction and operation of a third container terminal at the hub’s Webb dock. The deal was made through ICTSI and Anglo’s joint Australian subsidiary, Victoria International Container Terminal Limited (VICTL). The Maritime Union of Australia has met the announcement with scepticism. A spokesperson for the trade union said that it was concerned that the government of the federal state of Victoria’s decision to mandate the Filipino terminal operator with the management of the project may not be ideal. The union said that the Manila-based corporation was recently involved in labour disputes in the USA and Honduras and that under these circumstances it may not meet international standards for working conditions. av Permission was recently granted by the port authority of the Belgian hub of Antwerp for the shipping line MSC to transfer its activities from the Delwaide to the Deurganck dock. Euro-Med Services TRANSPORT OF ANY TYPE OF VEHICLE, EARTH MOVING EQUIPMENT, FORESTRY PRODUCTS, STANDARD AND SPECIAL CONTAINERS, PROJECT AND HEAVY LIFT CARGO Photo: Thinkstock The Antwerp port authority has given the shipping line MSC, which is based in Switzerland, the go-ahead to consolidate all of its container activities in the Belgian hub in the Deurganck dock on the left bank of the river Scheldt. The measure is due to be completed by the end of 2015. The port said that the transfer will enable MSC to expand in Antwerp. MSC’s terminal in the Delwaide dock, which has been operating at full capacity since 2010, is not equipped to handle latest generation of containerships. The port authority has said that MSC is now planning to make the best possible use of its newly-gained space and use the hub as the base for further growth in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. MSC’s throughput of 4.5 million teu in 2013 makes it the port of Antwerp’s largest container customer. Since 2011, MSC has diverted large parts of its volumes to other ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, leaving its box volumes in Antwerp static. A new box terminal is set to be built in the port of Melbourne. Direct weekly service from / to: • Alexandria • Antwerp • Ashdod • Beirut • Bristol (Prby) • Civitavecchia • Cork • Derince ANTWERP Grimaldi Belgium Tel: +32 3 5459430 Fax: +32 3 5414275 • Esbjerg • Flushing • Gemlik • Hamburg • Izmir • Lattakia • Limassol • Livorno • Malta • Mersin • Palermo • Piraeus • Salerno • Savona • Setubal • Southampton HAMBURG Grimaldi Germany Tel: +49 40 789707 12 Fax: +49 40 789707 71 • Tripoli (Lebanon) • Tripoli (Lybia) • Tunis and Rades • Valencia • Wallhamn LONDON Grimaldi Agency UK Tel: +44 207 9305683 Fax: +44 207 8391961 NAPLES GRIMALDI HEAD OFFICE euromedquotations@grimaldi.napoli.it Tel: +39 081 496111 Fax: +39 081 5517401 www.grimaldi.napoli.it STARKER STANDORT STARKE MARKE SIE UNS! BESUCHEN — CHINA T LOGISTIC TRANSPOR 14 20 I N JU . 17. BIS 19 STAND 325 HALLE N2, www.via-bremen.de www.bremenports.de/standort Ports & Shipping International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Alphaliner presents its latest demolition figures In brief Not scrapping in scraps HHLA Hamburg. The German terminal operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) increased its container throughput by 2.4% to 1.9 million teu in Q1 / 2014. The volume transported to the seaport’s hinterland by HHLA’s intermodal companies grew by 5.1% to 305,000 teu in the quarter. The operating result (ebit) improved by 4.8% to EUR 39.3 million. Group revenue increased by 6.8% to EUR 294 million. A spokesperson for HHLA’s executive board said that strong growth in traffic to and from the Far East was the main factor contributing to the firm improving its container throughput market position. www.hhla.de Shipping lines have reacted to ongoing overcapacity by scrapping approximately 212,000 teu in the first four months of this year. They are now removing ever Photo: Thinkstock larger and ever younger units from the market. The average age of units demolished so far this year comes to 21 years. and 5,300 teu each have been demolished. This figure came to a mere 18 vessels in the same category in the whole of last year. In the years before that the overall figure had come in at 13 units. Alphaliner expects at least another dozen ships of this size to be added to the list by the end of this year. The average age of demolished containerships is expected to reach an all-time low this year. This figure stood at 28 years from 2000 to 2011, and fell to 22 years in 2013. The average age of the 70 vessels scrapped so far this year is 21 years. av Chart: Alphaliner Though overcapacity remains one of the most often-used words in market analysts’ vocabulary these days (see page 15), scrapping is not far behind in the word-of-the-year sweepstakes. In the first four months of 2014 the volume of tonnage scrapped increased by 27% visà-vis the same period last year, to come to 212,000 teu, according to Alphaliner. The analyst does assume, however, that the speed at which shipping lines are currently demolishing their ships will decline again in the next three months. The industry usually registers growing tonnage demand in the peak season in summer, after all – even if this surge was uncommonly weak last year. The overall amount of tonnage lost by the global fleet will probably nevertheless attain a new record by the end of the year. Alphaliner estimates that capacities amounting to approximately 500,000 teu will disappear from the market this year. In 2013, in comparison, the total tonnage scrapped came to 463,000 teu. That a new record may be set this year is largely due to the size of the vessels being taken out of the market. In the past four months, 34 ships with capacities of between 4,000 Scrapped tonnage is expected to attain a new high this year. 19 Zim and G6. The Israeli carrier Zim is launching a new service structure between Asia and the west coast of North America, and to this end is cooperating with the G6 alliance. The latter’s members are the shipping lines APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL, NYK Line and OOCL. The new options include three weekly loops – named NP1, NP2 and NP3 – and are due to start in mid-May. Zim was also in the news recently for having to close its offices in Haifa and Tel Aviv for a few days, due to a labour dispute. www.zim.com Marseille Fos. The French port of Marseille Fos recorded a rise in the volume of containers, dry bulk and cruise passengers in the first quarter of 2014. Despite this, the hub’s overall cargo throughput fell by 6% to 18.8 million t, which was 1.2 million t less than in the like-for-like quarter last year. This was largely due to its oil trade declining, on account of a changing market. Box traffic rose by 9% to 287,929 teu. It was boosted by two new services, a feeder link connecting the port to Spain and Italy, and a direct scheduled liner service to Libya. www.marseille-port.fr NOL. The Singapore-based NOL Group has reported a Q1 / 2014 net loss of USD 98 million, compared to a profit of USD 76 million in Q1 / 2013. The latter included a USD 200 million one-off gain from the sale of the NOL head office building in Singapore, however. The group achieved a 14% improvement in its Q1 / 2014 core ebit though, thus narrowing its ebit loss to USD 65 million from a year ago. APL, NOL’s container shipping business, reported revenues of USD 1.9 billion in Q1, but recorded a loss of USD 83 million. NOL’s transport volume rose by 2%, whilst its average freight rate declined by 6%. www.nol.com.sg Ports & Shipping International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Photo: DP World 20 The launch of operations at London Gateway’s second berth has doubled the hub’s capacity. A flood of new customers London Gateway with more space Operations at the second berth of DP World’s London Gateway port commenced in May. A number of shipping lines have simultaneously decided to benefit from the modern port’s location on the northern bank of the river Thames and launch new services from the hub in recent weeks. The second berth at DP World’s London Gateway facility opened for business in mid-May. Britain’s newest port thus doubled its capacity. As a result the members of the G6 alliance (that is APL, HapagLloyd, HMM, MOL, NYK and OOCL), Hamburg Süd, X-Press Feeders, Freightliner, DB Schenker, Maritime, Pentalver and Prologis have all opted to increase their activities in London Gateway. Five new routes to North America, the South American east and west coasts, the Middle East and Europe have been initiated and new rail, road and container services as well as a new depot been announced. The G6 alliance started calls at the gateway with its Pacific-Atlantic service (PA2) in mid-May. APL, HMM and MOL, the members of the New World Alliance that used to operate a similar service to the PA2 to Felixstowe have now transferred the those calls to the gateway. Hamburg Süd’s service to South America also started early in May, as did Hapag-Lloyd’s link to the Middle East. X-Press Feeders launched a direct weekly connection between London Gateway and Dublin and Rotterdam on 11 May. A new depot and inland links From London Gateway DB Schenker runs overland truck services to Manchester, Daventry, Wakefield and South Wales. Freightliner in turn connects the hub to Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow by road. All of these activities come on top of a recently-announced new Prologis logistics hub in London Gateway’s logistics park. It is set to open in spring 2015. Over and above this, Maritime Transport, which DP World says is the United Kingdom’s largest privately-owned container transporter, has announced a deal to set up a new depot at London Gateway. And last but not least, Pentalver, a leading inland container service operator, recently opened a new box facility at London Gateway. Empty storage, dry repair and reefer services will be provided from the facility. it Aviation International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 21 In conversation with Eelco van Asch and Erik Varwijk of AF-KLM-Martinair Cargo Stopovers optimise operations Erik Varwijk, an executive vice-president of the Franco-Dutch airline AF-KLM, joined the carrier’s executive team in 2013, as did Eelco van Asch, AF-KLM’s senior vice-president in charge of sales and distribution. They met up with ITJ editor Andreas Haug in Amsterdam recently, and shed some light on AF-KLM’s development. There was no talk of disbanding the carrier’s full-freighter fleet. How have AF-KLM’s operational figures developed since we last met in Singapore in October 2013, Mr Varwijk? Erik Varwijk: When I started working for AF-KLM in April 2013 we’d just completed a pretty decent quarter. The market’s dynamics slowed down a little thereafter, it’s true, but by the time we met up in Singapore we were in the middle of a mild recovery. Business has really taken off since around the second half of January, and every month has seen an improvement over the previous one. So, I’m definitely more optimistic now than was the case last summer. To what extent do you think these developments will endure? Varwijk: We can only speculate... One of the key challenges in airfreight is seeing far enough ahead. In the passenger sector you know roughly how many bookings there will be in the coming three to six months, let’s say. In cargo operations you can consider yourself lucky if you know what the situation’s going to be in two weeks. And even then you’re not immune to surprises – as we saw all too clearly in Ukraine recently. How do you expect business to develop in the long term, Mr van Asch? Eelco van Asch: When I joined KLM’s financial department 14 years ago, the aim was to acquire new full-freighters. The Boeing B747ERF was the best choice for us at the time. As Erik Varwijk just reminded us, we experienced huge growth then, with flights from Asia to Europe contributing specially strongly. Today, everything has changed. The largest markets may still be in the Far East, but competition has become substantially stiffer, and overall it’s much harder to make a profit. This pressure is primarily on shippers, but from there it continued on page 23 © PMCE DESIGN we turn cargo into an art form adpcargo@adp.fr aeroportsdeparis.fr Aviation International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 23 aeroplane parts which will serve the grow ing global civil aviation fleets well. Photos: Andreas Haug What about large, heavy parts? Van Asch: The coloading capacities on our widebody planes usually suffice, but occasionally we have to deploy a full freighter. We frequently call on Martinair Charter in these cases. Eelco van Asch (on the left) and Erik Varwijk recently answered the ITJ’s questions. continued from page 22 is quickly passed on to forwarders and subsequently to airlines too. Of course this pressure is omnipresent in other in dustries too. Some people think that of all the transport modes, activities in the air cargo sector are most exposed to competition. Van Asch: That’s obvious to me – though it may be difficult to put in numbers. It may be more or less obvious, depending on the type of freight. We try to create an added value when transporting certain goods, such as perishables. What other strategic and tactical measures have you taken of late? Varwijk: The global economic and poli tical situation strongly influences fuel costs, and secondarily also affects cer tain goods flows. One segment that per fectly illustrates this is the flower trade, in which Russia and Ukraine represent important consumer markets. To what extent does the legal framework influence the industry? Varwijk: Lithium batteries are one exam ple of a rather sensitive subject. Should we move towards a total ban, or is there an other clever solution? No matter whether we go for a bellyhold or a maindeck option – for us, security is always a top priority. Van Asch: One challenge is to keep offer ing speed, the airfreight industry’s major trump, despite stricter security stipula tions, such as transmitting consignment details ahead four hours before departure. Varwijk: Transparent processes are cru cial. As an airfreight manager who ini tially worked in the passenger sector, I’m convinced that eprocesses are key. In which sectors do you see AF-KLM’s greatest growth potential? Van Asch: We see growth in consumer internetsales related traffic, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas and aero space. In this lastnamed field we’ve de veloped an emergency solution for spare Is that enough to justify the group’s three-brand strategy? Van Asch: This isn’t really a big issue for our customers. We have one single point of contact for all enquiries, and now oper ate with just two AWB numbers – one for AF, and one for KLM, with Martinair. Varwijk: We have no plans whatsoever to change that. Each of these three brands has a great historic value, and we’re con vinced that each of them has a great fu ture ahead of it too. I am The Extra Mile Leonel Alexandre Instructor Cargo Training SWISSWORLDCARGO.COM Air France, KLM and Martinair each has a different geographic focus. Where do you see new opportunities? Van Asch: I look at these matters more from a segmental point of view. Volumes in the Africa trade will not become huge in the near future, but there is certainly some potential in transporting healthcare products to Africa. South America looks interesting, and the USA remains a strong market too. The oil and gas industry in continued on page 25 The fine art of logistics made in Switzerland • Air Freight • Sea Freight • Road • Customs • • Warehouse Logistics • E-Commerce-Logistics • Zürich • Embrach-Embraport Basel • Geneva • Chiasso www.novatraffic.ch over 30 Years • 60 staff • contact nova@novatraffic.ch Aviation International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Perishables across the Atlantic by American Airlines Kazakhstan is also developing along very promising lines. American Airlines Cargo has opened its first controlled room-temperature facility in Europe, at London Heathrow airport. The 28 sqm facility has been designed to maintain temperatures between 15–25°C. The airline believes that this will enable it to enhance the temperature-controlled service options required for passive healthcare shipments, such as pharmaceuticals and biologicals. Tristan Koch, managing director of cargo sales in Europe, said that «the facility will be of special interest to our Irish pharmaceuticals customers with goods transiting through Heathrow.» The Irish capital Dublin is one of two new seasonal destinations that American Airlines will offer in Europe this summer. From 8 May to 25 October it will fly a Boeing B767-300 from Chicago to Dub- So Almaty is more than just a stopover on the way to the Far East? Van Asch: Yes, but we mainly handle imports from Europe there at the moment. This brings me back to your previous question though. Full-freighters used to shuttle directly and as frequently as possible between Hong Kong and Europe. Today they make three to four stopovers, to optimise operations. Central Asia could, thus, assume a similar role to that of the Middle East in future. Who are AF-KLM-Martinair’s partners? Varwijk: We cooperate very well with Delta, and want to expand these efforts. This collaboration enables us – and them, of course – to improve our presence in various markets, such as the transatlantic pharmaceuticals segment. The same applies to Korean Air and our Chinese partners in the SkyTeam Cargo alliance. We also work closely with Etihad, and recently took a 1.5% stake in the Brazilian airline Gol. Let’s see to what extent our cargo sector benefits from their small B737s. Perhaps in the express segment. Tiaca’s Air Cargo Forum seems to have a SkyTeam hub subscription, with meetings in Amsterdam in 2010, Atlanta in 2012, Seoul in October this year and Paris in 2016. Coincidence or design? Varwijk laughs: Well! It probably mirrors these hubs’ global airfreight significance. Though what we’ve achieved until today is no guarantee for the future, the figures do give us cause for optimism. Photo: American Airlines continued from page 23 25 American Airlines transported rally racing cars from London to Argentina in May. lin every day, as well as one from New York JFK to Rome Fiumicino. The same period will also see American Airlines’s Dallas/Fort Worth–Paris CDG connection benefit from a capacity upgrade, with B777-200s serving France, instead of B767-300s. ah Cargolux cuts its losses and adds Zhengzhou The Central European all-cargo airline made a small profit of USD 8.4 million in 2013, having lost USD 35.1 million in the previous year. The rather difficult overall I am Whatever it Takes Shanti Ramnath Manager Cargo Sales & Reservations Mumbai SwiSSwoRldCaRgo.com economic situation had initially led the airline to expect its loss to come to the much more substantial sum of around USD 27 million. Cargolux’s sales rose by 14% to almost USD 2 billion, whilst its Moving business forward! Enjoy the reliability of world- class professionalism and service by China Airlines Cargo. Tel. + 352 34 83 63 - 1 or please consult our website www.china-airlines.com volumes increased by 17% to 753,848 t. Its freight performance also rose, by 19% to approximately 5.7 million ftk. This figures resulted in a market share of 3.5%, putting them in eighth place amongst the world’s freight airlines. CEO Dirk Reich does not expect 2014 to offer much improvement in the market conditions. He does believe that the airline’s four flights a week to Zhengzhou (China, see also page 47), the headquarters of Cargolux’s new major shareholder HNCA, will give the carrier a boost. The new link has been delayed to the end of May. In Europe, Cargolux Italia attained the status of authorised economic operator on 7 May. ah CHOOSE THE SERVICE THAT QUICKLY ADAPTS TO YOUR SHIPPING NEEDS. SDA Airfreight is the new air cargo service which allows you to ship worldwide with no weight or size limitations. 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For information, please contact: airfreight@sda.it www.sda.it Aviation International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 27 Spring feelings abound for all of Europe’s leading airfreight centres Freight throughput at leading European airports in March 2014 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 March 2013 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (8) (7) (9) (10) Airport Frankfurt Paris (CDG) Amsterdam London (LHR) Leipzig-Halle Cologne-Bonn Istanbul (IST) Luxembourg Liège Milan (MXP) Country DE FR NL UK DE DE TR LU BE TR Airfreight in t 192,426 171,000 145,545 132,989 78,348 64,848 64,019 63,737 52,453 43,710 ±% +3.6 +4.9 +7.2 +4.0 +3.3 +7.0 +19.1 +12.2 +6.3 +15.8 Freight throughput at leading Swiss airports in March 2014 1 2 3 (1) (2) (3) Zurich Geneva Basel ter thus almost improved by two instead of just one place. Volumes at the Swiss hub in Geneva grew a little stronger, albeit from a lower base (a plus of 19% to 4,644 t handled). A comparable development can be observed in terms of the quarterly figures. 5.2% more freight was handled at all of CH CH CH 27,354 4,644 3,589 +4.1 +19.3 +8.8 the 194 European locations evaluated between January and March, with Istanbul impressing with 18.5% and Geneva with 18.2% more cargo than in the same quarter in the preceding year. The global transport body Iata expects this trend to continue in spring and summer (see also ITJ Daily of 12 May). In brief Chinese investment in Africa. One of the largest financial deals in the history of both country’s aviation industries was signed during the Chinese prime minister’s recent state visit to Ethiopia. On 5 May IBC Financial Leasing and Ethiopian Airlines signed a declaration of intent which envisages the latter’s comprehensive fleet renewal. A week later it also became known that Hainan Airlines is taking a stake in the Kenyan all-cargo airline Astral Aviation. www.astral-aviation.com; www.ethiopianairlines.com Landing mishap. A Boeing B737-400 freighter operated by the Irish company Air Contractors suffered a mishap at England’s East Midlands airport on 29 April, when the aircraft’s wheel undercarriage buckled on landing. The two crew members on board were not injured. The airport had to be closed for several hours. www.aircontractors.com Crashed after 70 years. A DC-3 which was being used as a freighter by Colombia’s Aliansa Aerolineas Andinas and was more than 70 years old, crashed near San Vicente del Caguán on 8 May. All five people on board the plane, which had been in service since 1943, were killed. www.aerocivil.gov.co South Asia to South America via North America. On 1 May Sri Lankan Airlines became the first South Asian carrier to join a global aviation alliance, namely OneWorld. The body’s new member joined just a month after OneWorld welcomed the Brazilian airline TAM and the US carrier US Airways amongst its ranks. OneWorld now has 15 members overall. www.oneworld.com; www.srilankancargo.com Source: ACI Europe, ADV Olivier Jankovec, the director general of the airports association ACI Europe, cited «solid air traffic figures for Europe» when reviewing the air cargo statistics for March 2014. The growth rate – in the airfreight segment it came to an impressive 6% – reflects the improving overall economy, «especially in the European Union, where consumer confidence has reached pre-crisis levels and GDP growth is set to gain further momentum,» according to Jankovec. The same ten European airfreight hubs which were at the top of the pile one year ago remain the leaders, with each one increasing the volume of goods handled. The top six places are identical, compared to March 2013, with Amsterdam returning above-average results, and Leipzig-Halle developing precisely in line with the average in all German hubs. Cologne-Bonn airport developed better than both the German as well as the European average, but only stayed the relatively small margin of 829 t ahead of the volumes handled in Istanbul. The lat- We care, We handle, We move... Worldwide OVERSEAS AIR FREIGHT SERVICE ITX Cargo is a qualified specialist in INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT TRANSPORT. We are pleased to offer our customers a personalised service, reliable and highly competitive. We always ensure that we provide the best solution for your transportation needs offering you a global service using all modes of transport: • Shipments by ROAD in Europe • AIR & SEA freight services worldwide • Full load and groupage services door-to-door • Shipping dangerous goods • Shipping goods at controlled temperatures • Express services • Insurance (All risks on request) • Customs formalities / clearance at our premises ITX Cargo Overseas S.r.l. Viale Espinasse, 163 20156 MILANO, ITALY Tel: +39 02 87.25.18.1 Fax: +39 02 87.25.18.99 E-mail: info@overseas-itxcargo.com www.itxcargo.com SEA FREIGHT SERVICE THE WORLD IS OUR BUSINESS Munich to Abu Dhabi daily LET US TAKE CARE OF YOURS Otto Kaufmann, Freight Forwarder, Munich, Germany When Otto Kaufmann needed to get 460 alloy wheels to Abu Dhabi, he called Etihad Cargo. With 4 freighters and 28 passenger flights we offer a total weekly capacity of 762 tons from Germany to Abu Dhabi and beyond. So whether it’s auto-parts or computers, visit www.etihadcargo.com for more information, or contact your local Etihad Cargo representative and we’ll take it from there. Aviation International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 29 A visit to Cathay Pacific Americas New freight destinations in the USA Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has expanded its freighter services to the USA and other destinations in North America, including a new twice-weekly service to Columbus OH. ITJ correspondent Manik Mehta wanted to track down the roots of the Chinese company’s soaring confidence, and to that end met up with managers and industry insiders in the USA’s northeast. Great opportunity for both partners Representatives of Rickenbacker airport (with its LCK Iata code) see «huge opportunities» to intensify international trade and the distribution of goods to the northeastern United States through Cathay Pacific’s newly-introduced cargo service, which will tap into the airline’s wide-reaching network in Asia and other major shipping regions. Elaine Roberts is president and CEO of the Columbus regional airport authority, which also operates the Port Columbus airport (CMH), The latter is busier than LCK when measured by the volume of air traffic. She recently told journalists that the entire region would benefit from the new service as well as from the Chinese airline’s international worldwide network. It took some time, she said, to build awareness of this fact, and the airport spent a great deal of time on its effort to steer Cathay Pacific on its course to Columbus. Representatives of Ohio’s business development association see the successful conclusion of these efforts as evidence for the economic strength of the city of Columbus, which is located in the centre of Ohio and has managed to gain increasing acceptance for its position as a commercial hub between Cleveland and Cincinnati. The figures of a big-league carrier The Cathay Pacific group transported a total of 1.131 million t of airfreight in 2013, despite a 3.6% decline to USD 3.1 billion in its cargo revenues over the previous year. But, Ruggiero explained, the company carried more freight in the bellies of its passenger aircraft, in order to bring down costs. The manager, who controls the air cargo business from his Los Angeles office on the west coast of the USA, was recently in New York, where the group’s COO Rupert Hogg gave a talk on the carrier’s future growth plans. According to Hogg, Cathay Pacific continued to modernise its fleet in 2013. As part of that effort, the airline took delivery of 19 new long-haul aircraft, among them five Airbus A330-300s (with one of them going to Cathay Pacific’s subsidiary Dragonair), nine B777-300ERs and five B747-8 freighters. At the same time, the company took five B747-400 aircraft out of service. Cathay Pacific has now become the largest Asian provider on the east coast of I am New Frontiers Astrid Schoenenberger Continuous Improvement & Kaizen Executive SWISSWORLDCARGO.COM the USA, with passenger aircraft flying to New York five times a day – one flight a day more than its service to Los Angeles. In addition, a large part of its fleet of 21 full-freighters completes one of the airline’s 32 weekly flights to North America. Shortly before the service to Columbus started, Mexico City was added to the Photo: Manik Mehta The number of freighter flights operated by Cathay Pacific is growing. Most recently (see ITJ Daily for 21 March 2014) the Hong Kong-based airline connected its twelfth North American air cargo destination to its global network in March. The bi-weekly Boeing B747-8F flight on the Hong Kong–Anchorage–Columbus– New York–Vancouver–Hong Kong route will offer customers «even greater choice and flexibility» in cargo service between the Far East and North America, according to Fred Ruggiero, vice-president for cargo activities in the Americas at Cathay Pacific. Ruggiero says that a wide variety of products will be shipped eastward, but mostly clothing and consumer goods for delivery to big chain stores, such as L Brands, Abercrombie & Fitch and other retail stores in Columbus and throughout Ohio. Fred Ruggiero has an infectious confidence. Cathay Pacific network too as a regional freighter destination (see ITJ 11-12 / 2014, Iberia Special, page 27). Supporting traffic at its home base The Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong international airport is designed to support the development of cargo traffic. According to Ruggiero, Cathay Pacific «put in hard work,» to develop the hub in Hong Kong for both passengers and freight. «We’ll continue to invest in the further development of the terminal and the acquisition of new aircraft,» said Ruggiero, speaking of the carrier’s home base. With a capacity of 2.6 million t a year the terminal, which was established by the subsidiary Cathay Pacific Services and which is used by other airlines too, will contribute to the ability of the largest cargo airport in the world to compete. The USD 750 million project has resulted in the creation of approximately 1,800 direct new jobs. Manik Mehta / ah 30 Forwarding & Logistics International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 An interview with Daniel Jaguljnjak of A.R.T. Logistics «There’ll always be something for us to haul» A.R.T. Logistics, whose acronym stands for air, rail, truck, was founded in 2005 and is growing steadily. Three years after establishing a German branch in Frankfurt CEO Daniel Jaguljnjak met up with the ITJ’s Andreas Haug in Moscow. Jaguljnjak is an experienced logistician, having accumulated his extensive knowledge of CIS markets since 1997. For him no individual shipment is quite like another. Mr Jaguljnjak, you introduced A.R.T. Logistics to our readers last year (see ITJ 21-22 / 2013, page 53). How has business been going since? Let me start by saying that 2013 was really quite a good year, after a sensational 2012. The number of shipments fell in 2013, compared to the previous year, but the company’s seven employees in Frankfurt definitely made a profit. Is this true for the entire group, or only for your German office? It’s fair to say that 2013 went well for all locations. Our 42 employees generated worldwide sales of about EUR 55 million in 2013. How do you see 2014 developing? The year started a little slowly and orders were sluggish, and there is now some market uncertainty, due to the RussianUkrainian crisis. This doesn’t affect us so much in Frankfurt, and indeed as a group generally, as we depend less on shipments to and from Ukraine. So I would say that business is carrying on quite well. The CIS nations and Mongolia import 80% of their goods, so there’ll always be something for us to haul. What are the other factors influencing your business? The currencies of the countries in which we operate are losing value. You can feel the effects thereof here in Moscow, and I experienced it in February during my last visit to Kazakhstan too. When I was there the Kazakhstani tenge (KZT), the local currency, was devalued by 30% from one day to the next. At the same time there was a great degree of uncertainty and unrest on the streets of Almaty, the country’s largest city. What I am getting at is that the currency devaluations are an indication of a stagnant economy, or at least of an economy that is not doing so well in relation to others. A visit to a local supermarket convinced me that I was nonetheless right in thinking that there’s still some work for us. I looked at the broad range �� ! � � � � �� ! �� ! � �� ! � � �� ! �� ! �� ! �� ! �� Forwarding & Logistics International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 What about the flow of goods in the other direction? Very sluggish for us, as is the case for every foreign enterprise. If there are any exports at all they’re usually controlled by local firms. It’s simply difficult to get a foot in the door in the business in Russia or Kazakhstan. Which regions are you targeting in addition to the above-mentioned countries? Mongolia has been developing very fast in recent years. For us that country, even though it has only 3 million inhabitants, is a larger and more promising market for growth than other CIS countries with much larger populations. I’ve been to the capital, Ulan Bator, several times, where they tell me that the natural resources of the country are going to last another hundred years. These kinds of prospects create a great spirit of optimism in the country, with interna- Photo: A.R.T. Logistics of goods for sale, and saw that many of these goods, including clothes, building materials and normal consumer goods, had come from abroad. Daniel Jaguljnjak, the CEO of A.R.T. Logistics. tional mechanical engineering corporations bringing their equipment over to deploy it in the mining industry and send the produce to Asia or Europe. But all this is still in its comparative infancy. How are you involved? We mainly transport construction materials and machinery, that is the tools and equipment required for activities such as the maintenance and repair of gas pipelines. This is a niche business, which is why 95% of our activity in Frankfurt is as a sub-contractor for large well-known freight forwarding corporations. Not eve- ryone can provide rental containers to Novosibirsk or Ulan Bator, for example. And I see yet more potential for us in this field, as our German quality and German work ethic are very much appreciated by all firms operating in the member states of the CIS and in Mongolia. A.R.T. Logistics has the great advantage of being engaged in container transportation in the whole world. If the economy is stagnating in a country – as is currently the case in Spain and Italy, for example – then we’ll still find plenty of goods destined for the CIS. Are you experiencing the effects of a long-term shift in traffic flows? No. In our field of operations we naturally use mainly overland transport. In this sector you’re always obliged to weigh up the pros and cons of whether you want to send a truck to Novosibirsk for several thousand euros, or send a box by rail at half that cost, though it takes seven to ten days longer to get to its destination. Mr Jaguljnjak, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to the ITJ. The difference is in the impact. Worldwide. Send your international mail from Switzerland and score points with your target group in two different ways. Firstly, your promotional mailings stand out much more in the destination country than items sent through the usual postal service. Secondly, you emphasize right on the envelope that this is top quality from Switzerland. Facts and inspiration: swisspost.ch/directmarketing-international In cooperation with: 31 Forwarding & Logistics International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 33 Transalkim goes to Quehenberger, Messingschlager to Universal Transport Michels Southern German takeovers The takeover carousel amongst German logistics SMEs is turning. Recently, ownership of both the Baden-Württemberg-based firm Transalkim Spedition and of the Bavarian The firm Quehenberger Logistics took over Transalkim Internationale Spedition, based in Schwieberdingen near Stuttgart, in May. Quehenberger is thus expanding its German operations. Transalkim is in liquidation. Quehenberger is taking over its headquarters, its offices in Dormagen and Hamburg, and subsidiaries in Romania, Hungary and the Netherlands. Transalkim’s 350 employees will become part of Quehenberger. The new owner is looking into the conditions under which the Hallbergmoos office can have a separate future. Quehenberger’s CEO and co-owner Christian Fürstaller foresees a bright future for all the newly-acquired offices in his company. «We’re represented in 17 countries and offer our customers a wide range of logistics services. This opens up new possibilities for Transalkim’s customers. The newly-acquired offices and sites strengthen our contract logistics capacities as well as our logistics expertise in the fashion, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and electronics sectors. All of these were core industrial sectors for us even before the acquisition of Transalkim.» Another sector affected by recent takeovers is the heavy goods transport segment. Messingschlager Schwertransporte und Logistik, based in Hirschaid near Bamberg, was taken over by Universal Transport Michels, from Paderborn. The deal is retroactive with effect from Photo: ITJ archives company Messingschlager Schwertransporte und Logistik passed into new hands. Transalkim applied to be taken into receivership in February. Two months later a solution has been found – a takeover. 1 January. The change means that 35 employees will be absorbed by Universal Transport Michels. Universal was already active in Strullendorf, 3 km from Hirschaid, and had plans to become more active in this region for some time. With the takeover the firm has acquired a large fleet of vehicles. In addition to the classic transport activities, Universal can also offer its customers newly-acquired covered and open-air storage space. ah IHRE KONKURRENZ KOMMT. SIE AUCH? PACK&MOVE IN BASEL 9. BIS 12. SEPTEMBER 2014 Schweizer Fachmesse für integrierte Logistiklösungen und Verpackungstechnik | Messe Basel | www.packmove.ch Kompetenzpartner Fachpartner GRATIS T IC K E T ree ve.ch/f packmo Your full truck loads in ONE hand The European Transport Organisation Forwarding & Logistics International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 35 New S.T.C. groupage options Photo: S.T.C. From Southern Europe to Libya The Genoa-based Italian company S.T.C. Servizio Trasporti Combinati has established a fast door-to-door courier service to and from Libya. It said that the new link presents SMEs with an opportunity to develop their markets in the North African country. Customers wanting small quantities of goods transported between Libya and Europe can now purchase space ranging from 1 to 105 cbm on an S.T.C. vehicle of their choice. S.T.C.’s groupage connections can transport dangerous goods and out-of-gauge cargo too. S.T.C. guarantees 6 day transit times from warehouses in Genoa, Paris and Marseille to its facility in Tripoli. Movianto in Czechia Movianto CEE, the Movianto Group’s subsidiary in charge of activities in Central and Eastern Europe, has received approval to extend its Brno facility. The centre will have 2,600 sqm added by the end of this year – 2,470 sqm of warehousing and 130 sqm of office space. The hub will then have 3,946 pallet slots, of which 364 will offer cold storage. When the centre goes on stream in 2015, the customers of the Movianto Group, which specialises in pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics, will be able to make use of a total warehousing area of 9,300 sqm and of more than 16,600 pallet slots in Czechia. UTi now bigger in Texas UTi Worldwide, a global logistics service provider based in Long Beach CA (USA), recently inaugurated a new global platform in the greater Houston region of Texas. The facility will focus on offering the energy sector its specialist skills. Bruce Hulings, UTi’s vice-president for the energy, mining and projects sector, said that UTi has expanded its presence in this business field in Houston because it wants to be close to where the major oil and gas industry players operate from, in order to be able to fulfil their essential requirements simply and efficiently. The new centre is three times the size of the old one and is located near George Bush international airport. The goods are shipped across the Mediterranean to Tunis, from where they are transported to Tripoli by road. S.T.C.’s office in Tunis completes the necessary transit formalities and operations in the ports of Radès and La Goulette, as well as at the border-crossing stations of Ras Ajdir and Dehiba / Wazzin. From Tripoli the goods can quickly be dispatched to every major Libyan town. S.T.C operates a fleet of more than 650 owned trucks and trailers. S.T.C. has been operating in North Africa since 1980. This new intermodal option confirms its position as a leader in intermodal transportation to and from the Maghreb region. S.T.C., which is also a specialist for services to and from Malta, has its own offices in the Libyan capital Tripoli. It manages its new Libyan groupage service in partnership with the Tarabulus Shipping Agency. MOVING FORWARD YOUR BUSINESS! FACTS ABOUT LDZ CARGO LDZ CARGO LOĢISTIKA LDZ Cargo is the biggest railway carrier in the Baltic States. LDZ Cargo Loģistika is a subsidiary company of the LDZ Cargo, established in 2008, which provides logistics and forwarding services and offers: LDZ Cargo is a subsidiary company of the State Joint Stock Company “Latvijas Dzelzceļš” (Latvian Railway), providing cargo transportation services to and from the Baltic States, CIS and Western Europe. LDZ Cargo is a reliable partner in the railway transportation market. The company is well-known for its successful projects in transportation of various types of cargoes, including containerized cargoes. The following container trains run on the regular basis:  Baltica – Transit, delivering goods from the Baltic seaports to Central Asia, stable and reliable service has been provided for more than 10 years;  ZUBR, connects Tallinn, Riga, Minsk, Kiev and the Black Sea ports Odessa and Ilyichevsk, providing a strong link between the Baltic and the Black Sea regions. LDZ Cargo Loģistika is the operator of the train in Latvia.  Riga’s Express, runs between Riga and Moscow, delivering goods from Europe to the Central regions of Russia. LDZ CARGO IN FIGURES The result of the dedicated work over a number of years is consistently big cargo volumes transported by the Company – around 60 million tonnes per year. LDZ Cargo owns more than 6700 freight wagons of different types for transportation of practically all types of cargoes, as well as the company owns high-capacity containers. At the disposal of LDZ Cargo there are more than 90 main-line and 50 shunting locomotives, which enables the company to provide the whole range of services to its clients. THE MAIN VALUES OF LDZ CARGO ARE ITS CLIENTS AND PARTNERS There are more than 3000 LDZ Cargo clients – freight owners, stevedores, and forwarding companies. The key to success is a custom-tailored approach pursued by the company.  Intermodal service with the use of different types of transport and infrastructure, implementing the “door to door” principle for local and international carriage. Since 2008 LDZ Cargo Loģistika is the official agent of SJSC TransContainer in Latvia, and from 2013 it is also the official agent of Kazakhstan forwarding company Kedentransservis. LDZ Cargo Loģistika works in close cooperation with LDZ Cargo, ports, terminals and other transport companies in order to provide its clients the best competitive solutions for cargo carriage. LDZ CARGO IN ACTION LDZ Cargo carries different types of cargoes, including dangerous and over-sized cargoes. The leading positions refer to coal, oil and oil products, as well as mineral fertilizers, metals, chemical cargoes, timber, grain and others. LDZ Cargo provides services at 77 stations, including 9 port stations in Riga, Ventspils and Liepaja with well-developed terminal infrastructure for handling practically all types of cargoes. FURTHER STEPS TOWARDS COOPERATION Cooperation with LDZ Cargo is characterised by clients confident of service always provided in due time, precisely, and with a strong sense of responsibility. 38 Inland Shipping / Rail / Road Haulage International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 CIS Council for Rail Transport meets in Kazakhstan The CIS believes in the railways Railfreight operators in the Commonwealth of Independent States are full of optimism about opportunities in their areas. Strategically located between Europe and Asia the CIS, which also includes Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, is indeed making progress. But it is still a long way from The potential of the railways in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia is frequently discussed. It was also raised by Kazakhstan’s prime minister, Karim Massimov, at the 60th meeting of the Council for Rail Transport of the member states of the CIS, which was held in Astana (Kazakhstan) at the start of May. He spoke of the region’s «natural competitive advantage as a trade bridge between Europe and Asia». The region has experienced a slight decline in railfreight traffic. Vladimir Yakunin, CEO of the Russian Railways (RZD), said out that a total of 2.09 billion t of freight was transported in the CIS in 2013, which is 1.8% less than in 2012. There is no turnaround in sight. In the first quarter of 2014, the freight volume handled amounted to about 487 million t, and was thus still 1.2% below Railfreight volumes declined in the CIS in 2013. the figure recorded in the same period last year. Container trans- tions for transit containers. The Bulgarport, on the other hand, performed well. ian state railway (BZD) and the Russian Its freight volume amounted to 26.7 mil- Railways signed an agreement on closer lion t in 2013, or 1.2% more than in 2012. collaboration at the meeting. The deal inYakunin repeated his demands for the cludes sharing a railway ferry service that partners to agree a tariff policy, and for operates between the ports of Varna and the authorities to waive customs inspec- Kavkaz. cd Hesitant start to the year First app for navigation on the river Danube The Swiss Rhine ports suffered a drop in imports in the first quarter of this year, with slightly increased exports resulting in a 2.7% overall decrease in freight volumes. The port’s March result was particularly weak. Container traffic declined slightly, with the cyclical transport of empty containers dwindling by 8,452 teu, or approximately 15%. The amount of agricultural products carried increased by an above-average figure of 8.7%. The Vienna-based Austrian firm via donau Österreichische Wasserstrassen-Gesellschaft mbH has launched the first mobile phone app with information services for inland waterway navigation in Austria. It provides users of the canals and rivers with comprehensive and upto-date information in German and English, including news on water levels, the status of locks and route availability, as well as a navigable water overview and information on shallow sections along the Danube. The free app supports all devices that use iOS and Android. The fast way to connect Asia and Europe 14 days door-to-door Our advantages • • • • short transit-time short term capital commitment small losses of commercial interests environment friendly www.fareastlandbridge.com Included in our service • • • • 40ft HC, 40ft DV & 20ft DV daily tracing door-to-door service up to 30t gross weight Visit us at our stand! Transport Logistic | June 17 – 19, 2014 | Hall N2, Stand 609 | Shanghai Photo: IRW integrating its railway systems and introducing consistently effective IT. 75 International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Anniversary YEARS ITJ 1939 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 20 April 2010 Oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico In the Gulf of Mexico the oil rig Deepwater Horizon explodes, killing eleven people. After sinking it leaves a well open on the seabed, spilling 500 l of oil into the sea every minute. 2010 39 2014 11 March 2011 Earthquake off Japan A massive earthquake triggers a tsunami, which leaves about 18,500 people dead or missing, as well as 8,700 injured. Growth for terminal operators in emerging markets The boom is yet to come The onset of the global financial and economic crisis led the maritime industry to increasingly identify growth opportunities in emerging economies from 2008 onwards. However, the euphoria over market conditions in these countries, particularly in the BRIC states, was greater in 2010 than it is today. Brazil is one of the examples to illustrate this. The shipping industry is banking on the so-called emerging economies as the great hope for better results. This fact was already on everybody’s lips in 2010, and it still applies today. The growth of the gross national products in the BRIC countries in particular was seen as a promise of high returns four years ago. In an article on the investment plans of the Dutch terminal operator APMT we quoted Christian Moller Laursen, the Maersk subsidiary’s vice-president, who emphasised that in No 45-46 / 2010 the new markets, capacity utiOn 12 November lisation and growth were just 2010 we reported waiting to be scooped up by on growth in new terminal operators, and that markets. growth potential at a far greater level than in lies along the country’s northdeveloped countries. In theory, ern and northeastern coasts. To that was correct. Over the past ten years, the BRIC countries have increased take advantage of that potential, howtheir share of gross global economic out- ever, infrastructure improvements are essential. Among the new facilities that put from 18 to 28%. Terminal operators had and have high are urgently needed are new road and airhopes for positive business results, espe- ports and expanded or new ports. cially in Brazil, the largest Latin American country both in terms of land mass Private equity for national progress as well as when measured by economic Nevertheless, the Brazilian government power. Analysts believe the greatest recently denied APMT and other private operators preferential treatment in calls for tender for the operation of container The ITJ is turning 75 this year! terminals in the north and northeast In issue 27-30 / 2014, which is set to be pubof the country. The argument was that lished on 18 July, the ITJ will be celebrating the government wanted to strengthen the 75th anniversary of its publication with its economy independently. APMT had a special issue commemorating our long and been planning to invest in Suape, near varied history. Recife, and in Manaus, in the interior. Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has initiated an investment programme with approximately USD 100 billion of private equity capital in the context of this development effort. So far, mostly roads and airports have benefited from the new infrastructure expansion plans. A number of elements therefore have to be set in motion for «growth to be scooped up». But some hope is in sight. The minister in charge of ports, Antonio Henrique Silveria, has announced that a bidding process for private companies is set to begin rather soon – even though the Brazilian fiscal court has actually vetoed the plan. Meanwhile, the Rotterdam port authority has come to an agreement with Terminal Presidente Kennedy Logistica for the construction of a new port in Vitoria. Antje Veregge 40 Focus on Switzerland International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Hupac wants faster upgrading of Luino route to Milan’s western terminals Less noise at the Gotthard The new Gotthard base tunnel will bring enormous increases in capacity for combined transport. The Swiss transport company Hupac is planning to establish a new business unit in preparation for the growing volume of traffic. It is simultaneously making substantial investments in low-noise rolling stock. Photo: Hupac Hupac is currently also investing in a wagon fleet of its own in Russia. Bertschi said that a prototype 60 ft container wagon specially developed for Russia’s broadgauge tracks has been in operation with Hupac’s Moscow-based subsidiary since last autumn. 100 wagons of this type have already been ordered, and are expected to be brought progressively into service on the east–west axis from mid-2014. Hupac is planning to deploy only low-noise railfreight wagons from 2016 onwards. Trains are scheduled to run through the new Gotthard base tunnel, the first flat railway route on the north–south axis, from the end of 2016 onwards. The new Gotthard route will be 50 km shorter than the existing route, and can be transited by freight trains from end to end without multiple traction. «This will reduce costs, but it will also bring more competition into railfreight operations across the Alps,» Hupac board chairman Hans-Jörg Bertschi said at his company’s annual results media conference in Zurich. However, the complete north–south axis will not reach its full capacity until 2020, when the Monte Ceneri base tunnel opens and the entire corridor has an uninterrupted 4 m profile. As the plans now stand, new passing tracks that will also bring further increases in productivity will not be ready until that date. They will be 750 m long (up from 550 m) and are needed for the operation of longer trains. Hupac, one of the driving forces behind efforts to transfer traffic from the roads to the railways in Switzerland, is now urging the government to press ahead with upgrading the infrastructure faster than was originally planned, and to complete the work by 2017. Italy has already held out the prospect of completing the passing tracks on its territory by 2017, with Swiss financial support. The Busto Arsizio / Gallarate Hupac terminal, west of Milan, is also already equipped for long trains. And for the planned terminal at Smistamento, east of Milan, the combined transport operator has submitted a request for financial support to the Swiss transport department, together with its partners. If this is approved, Bertschi stated, then the terminal can begin operations in 2017 too. Only low-noise trains from 2016 The combined transport operator also intends to make major investments in low-noise rolling stock. Hupac already acquired the first trains with so-called whisper brakes in the 1990s. From 2016 onwards, only low-noise freight wagons will be in operation. Trains with composite plastic material brake pads are roughly 10 dB quieter than those with old metal brake shoes, which represents a reduction to about half of the subjective noise level. At the same time as re-equipping units with whisper brakes, Hupac is also planning to carry out tests with new disc brakes. These are expected to reduce noise levels by a further 5 dB (or 30%). New company shuttle service The intermodal operator sees new market opportunities for its new product called company shuttle. From next autumn Hupac wants to organise blocktrains for customers who are willing to bear the capacity-utilisation risk themselves. «The product meets a growing need. More and more transporters have a sufficient volume for blocktrains,» Bertschi explained. The introduction of the company shuttle is an extension of Hupac’s slot concept, which was introduced in 2003 and which enabled customers to reserve a certain number of slots on a firm basis. Hupac director Bernhard Kunz has observed growing interest in multimodal transport among West European forwarders. They see a way of maintaining their ability to compete against East European carriers and their low-wage drivers by increasingly transferring traffic from the roads to the railways. By making greater use of combined transport they can keep their lorry fleet available for local transport solutions. Kunz described the 2013 business year as satisfactory. Hupac increased its turnover by 5.7% compared with the preceding year, and generated revenues of CHF 480 million. Its net profit came to CHF 6.6 million (+50%). Transport volumes increased by 1.7%, with a total of 656,877 road shipments handled. In transalpine transport, the company’s core business, the carrier transported a total of 380,502 consignments last year, representing an increase of 1.9% over the previous year. Claudia Benetti Packaging International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Photo: Cargo Composites Honeycomb eases JAL’s burden The new air cargo boxes are made of synthetic resin. Japan Airlines recently started introducing 480 new light-weight cargo containers on its international routes. The units, manufactured by the US producer Cargo Composites, only weigh 58 kg each, 41 kg less than the Nordisk aluminium boxes that JAL currently deploys. The new container is lighter because it is made of synthetic resin in a honeycomb structure, which also gives it a higher intensity and durability than aluminium units. 44 such containers can be loaded on a Boeing B777300ER, which JAL deploys on its long-haul flights, and this saves 1.8 t of payload. This reduces fuel consumption on a one-way trip between Tokyo Narita and New York by around 800 l. JAL additionally sees the highintensity materials reducing the frequency of repairs. 41 New pharmaceuticals inspection facility Bosch Packaging Technology, which calls itself a leading provider of solutions for process and packaging technology, recently moved into a new facility in Musashi, 70 km north of Tokyo. More than 100 employees now develop and manufacture inspection technology for the pharmaceuticals industry on the 3,200 sqm premises. EUR 1.6 million was invested in the new site. The company’s relocation from Honjo to the much larger Musashi site has provided the enterprise with considerably more space for development as well as assembly. The company said that demand for product safety and quality, which automatically includes inspection solutions, is rising in the pharmaceutical industry. Joachim Baczewski, Bosch Packaging Technology’s general manager in Japan and the head of its unit for pharmaceuticals inspection technology in the country, pointed out that his firm plans to «build on the experience we’ve gathered in Japan over many decades and use it to offer our customers ideal and optimised technology all over the world.» The company’s inspection technology unit was established in 2012, following the acquisition of Eisai Machinery, a Japanese specialist. It offers manual, semi-automated and fully-automated inspection machinery designed to identify particles in pharmaceutical products. It also includes the cosmetic inspection of containers or tablets, to help detect defects such as scratches or discolouration. Musashi is one of Bosch Packaging Technology’s four sites in Japan. Processing and packaging machines and robotics for the food and pharmaceuticals industries are developed and assembled at the firm’s Funabashi site, east of Tokyo, while the company also has sales offices in Tokyo and Osaka. ah Badly-packed hazardous goods The USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a part of the governmental Department of Transportation (DOT), has proposed five fines totalling USD 634,000 this year, for the alleged violation of DOT’s hazardous materials regulations. On 9 May the FAA proposed a USD 63,000 civil penalty against Skinfix Inc, of Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), for allegedly shipping ethyl alcohol on a UPS aircraft flying from Nova Scotia to California in July 2013. In a UPS sorting facility workers discovered that some of the hazard class 3 flammable liquid had leaked out. FedEx workers reported two metal containers of paint on a FedEx aircraft flying from Virginia to North Carolina in July 2013. The FAA proposed a USD 91,000 civil penalty against VT Milcom. The authority’s proposed civil penalty against Unilever BestFoods Inc amounted to USD 77,000. The firm is said to have transported through FedEx flammable liquid styling spray and flammable gas hair spray in November 2012. The highest of the five proposed fines was the one for USD 325,000, levied on Alfa Chemistry. The FAA alleges that Alfa Chemistry shipped undeclared hazardous material that DOT regulations prohibit from being transported on passenger and cargo aircraft on two FedEx cargo flights. And last but not least, the FAA proposed a USD 78,000 civil penalty against Amazon Fulfillment Services in February. The firm was said to have contravened the regulations concerning the transportation of paint. ah » Holzverpackungen » Kartonverpackungen » Verpackungsservice » Verpackungsservice Wegmüller AG Holz- und Kartonverpackungen Bahnstrasse 14 CH-8544 Attikon ZH Telefon 052 320 99 11 Telefax 052 320 99 10 www.wegmueller-attikon.ch info@wegmueller-attikon.ch Gut verpackt kommt gut an, weil... . n ..i di vi du el l ... v zu er lä ss ig ... sc hn el l 42 IT / Logistics Software International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Implementing the AP+ cargo community system Integration proceeding in Dunkirk predecessor Gemini system and was happy to share its experience. The Gecom economic interest group is made up of freight forwarders, maritime and shipping agents, terminal operators as well as further professional entities in Dunkirk’s trade and maritime association. Dunkirk’s port community implemented its new cargo community IT system a year ago. With the assistance of various industry specialists the port became the first hub to Photo: Port of Dunkirk introduce an interface module for processes within and outside the hub. The AP+ system contributes to the port of Dunkirk optimising its supply chain. In April 2013 the Dunkirk port community replaced its Gemini IT cargo processing system with AP+, a cargo community system (CCS) developed by MGI. The AP+ cargo community system is an electronic and unified portal that is deployed in the hub’s public and private supply chains. The software solution has been designed to simplify processes, ensure greater cargo transport security and traceability, and simultaneously optimise transactions in the supply chain. Dunkirk’s AP+ system now has 118 business departments listed in it. The French customs authorities and the ports of Le Havre and Marseille were also involved in its development. The developer MGI additionally collaborated very closely with the port’s Gecom economic interest group, which had managed the Inland waterway solutions included Gecom and MGI together added new functions to the CCS, including a module to plan the stuffing of containers in temporary customs storage facilities outside of the port compound, using electronic data interchanges between consolidators’ private systems and AP+. The AP+ system also has a solution for river / shipping procedures on the Dunkirk–Lille– Dourges inland waterway route. Furthermore, a ship declaration module has also been adapted, to enable it to collect port dues. And last but not least, the team has created of an out-of-port consolidation module, an interface for the management of inventories on the docks or outside the port, as well as for customs stock accounting in temporary storage facilities. Dunkirk thus became the first port community to implement the AP+ interface module for this inventory management inside and outside of the port in temporary customs warehouses. av Optimisation – with no special programming skills Traditional systems for managing shipments and warehouse stocks are designed to support the most common standard processes in the logistics industry dependably and comprehensively. This is not the case, however, when it comes to niches in which special service providers have developed individual processes adapted to customer requirements, such as plausibility checks for dangerous goods data, for instance. Standard software cannot always be adapted to these special approaches. If it can be adapted, then complicated programming may be necessary. Active Logistics’ so-called dynamic logic engine module (DLE) was developed by the company itself. The DLE module is designed to enable freight forwarders and logistics companies to individually adapt their existing IT systems to the specific requirements of their different processes, even without the help of certified IT experts. The solution can also be used to generate stand-alone applications for various types of tasks. The product makes it easier to adapt existing software to a company’s needs, as well as to customers’ requirements. At the same time, the tool is compatible both with the software packages offered by Active Logistics and the software programmes on offer from numerous other providers. Active’s DLE module can also be used to specify additional checking routines, such as postal code checks, postage calculation and weights, and parameters for tracking shipments, for example. This increases process quality and, as a result, customer satisfaction as well. All that is needed to create the customised checking routines is employees who know how to define individual rules and processes and set them up in an IT system. No programming skills are necessary, because Active’s DLE module comes with a graphic user interface that easily guides users through the menu. Two days of training with the IT service provider are all Active says takes for firms to gain the capability to implement adaptations to their processes themselves. av The future of transport! Vehicle space Pia, freight forwarder, only ever picks out the cherries. Freight exchange Tracking Tendering platform Pia is a woman who knows what she wants: plenty of freight and vehicle offers. No surprise that she counts on the market-leading freight exchange TimoCom. Because TC Truck & Cargo® saves her not only expensive empty runs and precious time, but also reduces environmental impact. So Pia can make the right choice when it comes to to finding new business partners as well, we verify each user for her in advance. No strings attached − but up to 450,000 Europe-wide offers daily: test the freight exchange TC Truck & Cargo® for 4 weeks in live operation now. Phone: +800 10 20 30 90 (free of charge from landline numbers)* or direct download at www.timocom.co.uk Not yet a fan? *Calls are usually free of charge from landline numbers. Different prices may apply depending on the network and the rates of the carrier used. www.timocom.co.uk ASIA 46 47 48 53 55 K + N, SDV and Menlo expanding in Southeast Asia World Cargo Airports Alliance links east and west Turbulence on the Asia–West Africa trade Filipino, Japanese and Qatari airlines flying high PSA investment in India’s JNPT gateway given the go-ahead Photo: Thinkstock World Bank sees good prospects for countries on Asia’s Pacific rim Still the global growth engine The World Bank regularly compares economic growth in different countries across the globe. Its latest report illustrates that Asia continues to hold the greatest commercial potential. Even if expectations for this year are relatively modest compared the past, Asia continues to be home to most of those countries that are considered to have the greatest development potential. The World Bank’s East Asia Pacific Economic Update has predicted that particularly the countries in East Asia’s Pacific area will experience stable economic growth this year. Economies in the region are expected to grow by 7.1% in 2014, which is only 0.9 percentage points lower than the average rate recorded between 2009 and 2013. The result, the bank said, is that East Asia remains the fastest-growing region in the world. The East Asian Pacific countries have served as the world’s main growth engine since the onset of the global financial crisis, Axel van Trotsenburg, the World Bank’s regional vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific area, reit- erated recently. «Stronger global growth this year will help the region expand at a relatively steady pace,» he added, «whilst it will simultaneously adjust to tighter global financial conditions.» China returns to the top China remains at the core of these development perspectives, despite the fact that talk has lately centred on slightly slower growth in the huge economy. The country’s output grew by 7.7% in 2013, and the experts seem to agree that a 7.6% improvement is in the pipeline for the current twelve months. The Far Eastern giant’s prospects of becoming the world’s largest industrial power sooner rather than later are intact, however. Up until recently analysts assumed that it would take another ten years or so before Chinese business could overtake that of the USA and become the biggest in the world. But in the meantime, those who argue that this global political milestone may already have been passed have been getting more of a hearing. A World Bank comparison programme takes account of international prices to give an accurate measure of a country’s actual economic output. The statistics for 2011 have now been compiled. The figures show that the Chinese economy was 87% as large as the USA’s, and not 47%, as output converted at market exchange rates would have had us believe. The fact is that China has grown much faster than the US since 2011. According to the World Bank, China will thus become the world’s largest producer nation before the end of 2014 – which was last the case in 1890. Whenever precisely this may be the case, transport and logistics enterprises should definitely keep a keen eye on further developments in this matter. Doing so will enable them to be ready when the many decades in which the West called the economic tune come to an end. av 46 Asia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Kuehne + Nagel updates presence in Cambodia SDV establishes Myanmar firm Menlo expanding in Singapore Logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel has opened a new container packing station in Phnom Penh. The second largest special commercial zone in the Cambodian capital, located on national highway 4, in the immediate proximity of the capital’s inland shipping hub and airport, features a logistics area covering 3,000 sqm with four loading ramps, a vehicle-accessible high-bay racking unit and video surveillance. The most important services offered at site include inventory management and order processing, bar coding as well as sales and freight management. National and cross-border truck transportation is also processed by Kuehne + Nagel at the new site. «We’ve been working in Cambodia since 1999, and the new facility underlines our intention to further expand our logistics infrastructure in this strategic market,» commented Gino Marzola, managing director of Kuehne + Nagel in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. The French logistics service provider SDV is strengthening its position in Southeast Asia by establishing a new office in Yangon. SDV Myanmar officially began operating in the growth market on 1 May. «While the country is moving towards democratic and economic reforms, many of our customers are exploring opportunities in the region, and a lot of them have already risked large investments,» explained Julien Loiret, who is the managing director who oversees sales and development in the new subsidiary. «There are plenty of business opportunities in the country,» added director Elizabeth Shwe. These include logistics activities for commodities such as oil and gas, but also supplying a population of 62 million people with anything from healthcare products through to telecommunications equipment. In light of expected demand for transport and logistics services, SDV plans to offer services for a whole series of industries. Menlo Logistics, a subsidiary of the US company Con-way that manages global logistics and SCM activities, opened a new distribution centre in Singapore on 6 May. The 50,000 sqm facility makes Menlo the largest logistics service provider in the Mapletree Benoi logistics hub, which covers a total of 92,500 sqm The Mapletree Logistics Trust has invested a total of USD 127 million in the new centre. For Menlo the new site represents its second expansion in the Southeast Asian city state over the past two years. The logistician now operates on a total area of 219,700 sqm in seven facilities at the strategic hub. The opening of the latest facility, a distribution centre on Sunview Way, took place in November 2012. Menlo employs approximately 400 people in Singapore, one quarter of whom work in the new Benoi facility. They will primarily manage the transportation of wine and spirits. ah Asia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 47 Photo: Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding Chinese airports establishing European presence New friends spell trouble for old friends The Henan Province Airport Group signed cooperation contracts with two German airfreight hubs early in May. This caused a degree of consternation in Luxembourg. The German airport operator Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding (MDAH) got a new Asian partner on 8 May. MDAH manages Leipzig-Halle airport, the country’s second-largest and Europe’s fifth-largest air cargo centre, amongst others. Its new ally, Zhengzhou XinZheng international airport (Iata code CGO), located in an important central Chinese economic region, is not just one of the ever more numerous major Chinese air hubs, however. It is the home base of the Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Company (HNCA). The issue is that HNCA acquired a 35% stake in Cargolux a few months ago. The Luxembourgian firm’s managers were even more surprised when the Henan Province Airport Group (HPAG) closed another similar deal with Frankfurt Hahn airport (Germany) the next day. The aim of the partnership is to develop air traffic Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung, airport manager Markus Kopp and An Huiyuan (from the left) at the signing of the contract. between the hubs, in the context of the World Cargo Airports Alliance, founded to support the recent moves. The allies said they are planning to increase the three weekly flights between their two hubs to six in the next twelve months. The southwest German airport Hahn is roughly 100 km by road from the city of Luxembourg in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Cargolux hopes its first flight to Zhengzhou, postponed in April due to incomplete formalities, will take off on 29 May. Air China Cargo planning to stop over in Hahn on its world tour Air China Cargo, a joint freight venture owned by Air China and Cathay Pacific, is set to launch transatlantic flights. It has asked the USA for air traffic rights to fly between the USA and Frankfurt Hahn airport (Germany). Air China Cargo wants to launch thrice-weekly flights from Shanghai Pudong to Anchorage and Chicago this summer, as well as twice-weekly services from Shanghai Pudong to New York JFK and Hahn, before flying the units back to Shanghai. ah In brief Fleet modernisation. Uzbekistan Airways is set to modernise its freighter fleet. Amongst the measures that the Central Asian carrier envisages are the decommissioning of its two Airbus A300 full-freighters and the conversion of two of its nine Boeing B767-300ERs to full-freighters. The Boeing aircraft, which will be converted in Singapore and which are expected to be ready for service as early as November, will fly to Asian destinations such as Shanghai Pudong, Hong Kong and Guangzhou from Tashkent. www.uzairways.com Revamp. The Dhaka-based Bangladeshi firm Sky Capital Airlines is a new entrant to the world’s all-cargo airline market. At the beginning of May it renamed itself Sky Air. The air worthiness certificate of its L-1011 Tristar was recently withdrawn by the national aviation authority, prompting the full-freighter operator to initiate steps to modernise its fleet. It thus acquired a Boeing B737-200 full-freighter aeroplane from the Malaysian all-cargo operator Transmile Air Services in February. www.skycapitalairlines.com Scheduled flights. Air Incheon, South Korea’s only all-cargo air carrier, has commenced regular aviation services to Yantai (China), Tokyo Narita airport (Japan) as well as to Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, on the Russian Pacific Ocean island of Sakhalin. Up until now the airline, which was founded in 2012, had primarily carried out flights from Seoul Incheon airport to Sakhalin on demand, as well as to other regional destinations. Its aim is to become a key reference point in the Pacific rim’s freight flight market. (kulke) www.air-incheon.com Helping you ride a wave of success. In every region of the world. Road transport and sea freight. eight. Air cargo and logistics. Ziegler (Schweiz) AG Netzibodenstrasse 23c 4133 Pratteln Phone +41 61 815 53 53 Fax +41 61 811 51 11 info@ziegler.ch www.ziegler.ch 48 Asia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Developments in the Asia–West Africa trade Turmoil on the West African trade Growing exports from Asia to West Africa have ensured that ships plying their trade in that lane have been operating at nigh-on full capacity. So far the range was one of the few where shipping lines were able to benefit from a relatively stable business environment. This could be due to change now, for larger gearless ships are shaking up the status quo in the market. The Asia–West Africa trade is currently developing very dynamically. The London-based analyst Drewry has established that China alone exported 14% more containerised goods to the region last year than it did in the previous twelve months. Nigeria, to put it succinctly, is one of the important driving forces behind these developments. The oil producer’s gross domestic product came to USD 510 billion in 2013, according to Drewry. This makes it the continent’s largest national economy. South Africa’s GDP in the same year, in contrast, came to USD 370 billion (see also ITJ 15-16 / 2014, page 28). Investment in Nigeria’s existing maritime infrastructure, as well as the development of new port facilities, have led analysts to predict further solid economic progress for the country. The region as a whole offers lines comparatively attractive overall business conditions. It is thus not particularly surprising to note that in the past few weeks, several lines have announced the expansion of services between the Far East and Africa. So far, carriers operating in the trade benefited from a relatively stable business environment. The new options that are being introduced to the market, as well as the increasing size of vessels deployed there, have caused ever more competitive market conditions in this trade in the meantime too, however. New services introduced by two of the industry’s major players have caused a furore in the market recently, with Maersk Line and CMA CGM adding new connections between Asia and West Africa. The new links will reduce the two corporation’s weekly services in the trade from six to five. However, the 68 vessels that previously plied their trade there offered a cumulative capacity of 250,000 teu, but now the 61 ships deployed can carry 275,000 teu, according to Alphaliner. The average capacity per vessel has thus risen from around 4,100 to about 4,400 teu, as Drewry has illustrated. Refrigerated goods – freshness at its best More than 60 years ago, Lamprecht Transport made headlines with refrigerated transports... …and until today we have been keeping up our level of excellence. Wherever the destination in the global trade of goods is, our logistics services become your success. ae-werbung.ch FRESH FISH Reach the world: www.lamprechtlogistics.com REACH THE WORLD www.lamprechtlogistics.com Lamprecht Transport Ltd. Peter Merian-Strasse 48 CH-4002 Basel Phone +41 61 284 74 74 Asia Special Photo: Thinkstock International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 There are some radical changes taking place in the Asia–West Africa trade. The latest report sees CMA CGM introducing the largest units, namely 5,700 teu ships. The French and Danish enterprises are in good company with their services. MOL, Evergreen Line and Cosco are also launching a joint new weekly direct link from Asia to West Africa, called the WA1, at the beginning of June. Six of the ships in the WA1 will be operated by MOL, four by Evergreen and two by Cosco. Improved port infrastructure and new terminal developments in West African ports is in the process of removing geared vessels from routes. Previously deployed units with a capacity of between 2,000 and 3,000 teu are becoming redundant. Gearless vessels One interesting element is the increasing deployment of gearless units in the trade, which is a first for the region. According to Alphaliner around 40 gearless units are now to be deployed on this route. The firm Winning Logistics Investments, a division of Singapore’s Winning International Group, has ordered three more Terex Gottwald floating cranes from Terex Port Solutions. The floating cranes are G HPK 8200 B four-rope-grab With capacities of up to 5,700 teu, new units are also substantially larger than those previously deployed in this range. MSC is also set to start a direct link between Asia and West Africa for the first time soon. The shipping line, which is headquartered in Switzerland, will deploy vessels with capacities of between 4,000 and 4,400 teu. The new options will replace transhipment opportunities in Valencia (Spain). In mid-May Nile Dutch and PIL also launched a joint weekly service with 3,500 to 4,500 teu ships, replacing connections that used to use smaller ships. This means that six out of eleven direct services now deploy vessels that can carry more than 4,000 teu. av Terex floating cranes for seas off Kalimantan models, and will be used off the coast of Kalimantan (Indonesia), bringing the total floating cranes in action there to eight. They will be phased in from this autumn, and will handle bauxite on the open seas. Dunkerque : a new hub in Europe ND STA 331 LL HA 49 N2 June 17-19,2014 Shanghai New International Expo Center CONTACT Commercial Direction marketing@portdedunkerque.fr Tél : +33 (0)3 28 28 77 20 /DunkerquePort Asia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 51 Taiwan investing in its ports The development and representation of the interests of the port of Taiwan on a private basis began with the establishment of the Taiwan International Ports Corporation two years ago. Time now to take stock on the expansion and marketing of the island’s ports. Planning is everything. In Taiwan, which considers itself to be a logistics hub for freight transport in Asia, is currently developing a programme to improve its ports. It is scheduled to run until 2031. The government’s National Development Council (NDC) earmarked investments amounting to EUR 1.75 billion for this purpose for the current 2012–2016 period. The programme focuses on the four most important ports of the island, namely Kaohsiung, Taichung, Keelung and Hualien. Since it was established in 2012 the Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) has been in charge of coordinating and implementing Taiwan’s port development programme, and also of finding suitable investment facilities abroad. Initial stocktaking The TIPC celebrated its second anniversary on 1 March 2014 in a ceremony with its members. In addition to the major shipping lines Evergreen, Yang Ming, Wan Hai, OOCL and APL, the membership also includes logistics companies such as Chenergy Global and Tonglit Logistics. The TIPC’s stocktaking for 2013 is satisfactory. Container handling in the ports came in at 14.5 million teu and it says that the freight volumes handled rose to 14.9 million t. The lion’s share was handled at Kaohsiung, with 9.94 million teu, +1.6% compared to 2012. The hub marginally failed to achieve the 10 million teu target set by the port authority, which has only ever been achieved in 2007. With the expansion of the Kaohsiung international container terminal, amongst other things, 19 deep-water quays are being planned in the port, with five docks and quays for hazardous petrochemical goods. Opportunities and risks In the port of Taichung, which handles about 1.4 million teu annually, the focus is on ro-ro traffic and machine exports. At Yongang the first and only unloading station for LNG on the island is being expanded in the port. Taiwan’s economic situation is quite stable at present. In Photo: Kaohsiung urban development bureau Improving its position Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s biggest port, is set to expand its capacities by one third by 2020. the World Bank’s logistics performance index for 2014 the island maintained its 20th position, behind its regional competitors Singapore (4th), Japan (10th) and Hong Kong (15th). The island state had moved up one place in 2012. One key to Taiwan’s further development can be found in Beijing. Since 2008, the island has concluded six agreements with the People’s Republic of China, including a framework agreement on economic cooperation. Since an official exchange took place in February, the political issues seem to present less of a hurdle. But it remains unclear whether Taiwan can become a member of the important US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership or of Asean’s planned extended RCEP free-trade agreement. Christian Doepgen YOUR FRENCH PARTNER FOR PROJECT CARGO AIR AND SEA Heavy lift – oversize cargo, industrial projects, chartering, LCL – FCL – Airfreight parcels FRANCE CARGO INTERNATIONAL CIE SA Paris Head office – 17 av. Marc Sangnier – 92390 Villeneuve-la-Garenne Tel 33 01 40 85 07 76 – Fax 33 01 40 85 08 06 – fci@fci-cie.com FRANCE CARGO INTERNATIONAL, PERSONAL CARE with 25 years in Project Forwarding Industry for any request: administration@fci-cie.com, operations@fci-cie.com www.fci-cie.com 27th International Air Cargo Forum and Exposition SEOUL, KOREA October 7-9, 2014 The premier air cargo industry event RES YOU ERV E R SP ACE COEX Convention Center TOD AY INCREASE YOUR VISIBILITY WITH A PRIME LOCATION BY BOOKING EARLY WHY EXHIBIT? Leading air cargo and air logistics companies have already booked over 30% of the exhibition space. Exhibiting puts you in front of air cargo industry leaders, forwarders, shippers, stakeholders, suppliers, regulators and other key decision makers. Asian markets will lead growth in air cargo for the next 15 years. Decision-makers made up over 80% of ACF 2012’s attendees. Incheon Airport is the 2nd busiest international cargo handler (as of 2011). Organized by: Hosted by: For more information about exhibiting at ACF 2014, contact Jennifer Paris, Director of Sales, at jparis@tiaca.org www.tiaca.org Asia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 A partnership with Etihad is part of Philippine Airlines’ growth strategy. Ramon Ang, the president and COO of Philippine Airlines (PAL), and James Hogan, the president and CEO of Etihad Airways, agreed a fresh partnership at the end of April in Abu Dhabi, which also covers closer collaboration in the airfreight segment. In 2013 the volume of trade between the Philippines and the UAE amounted to USD 1.4 billion. PAL also said that it is upgrading its fleet and retiring its last three ageing Boeing B747s in May. For its transpacific links to Los Angeles and San Francisco (both USA) it will use its six new Triple Seven aircraft in the future. Freight service to Delhi Singapore is a new intermediate destination of a service that the Japanese airline ANA Cargo offers from its night hub on Okinawa island to Tokyo Narita. The option, flown six times a week with a Boeing B767-300F, will predominantly transport fresh and high-quality Japanese food to Singapore. ANA relocated its Asian freight management unit from Hong Kong to the city state in 2013. Emirates is also expanding its operations in Singapore. The airline from Dubai (UAE) has announced that it will operate a fifth daily connection to the Southeast Asian hub from 1 August. ah ANA Cargo landed in Singapore, coming from Okinawa, for the first time on 14 May. Photo: Qatar Airways New links to Singapore Photo: Singapore airport Photo: Etihad Airways PAL and Etihad team up 53 In May Delhi became Qatar’s second Indian destination, in addition to Hyderabad. Qatar Airways launched an airfreight service to Delhi on 4 May. The weekly flight, operated with an Airbus A330F, supplements the twice-daily passenger flights of the Middle Eastern airline from its Doha hub. «Delhi has a large and strongly-growing retail sector, and is the most important Asian economic centre,» said Qatar’s airfreight head Ulrich Ogiermann. «Thanks to our increased traffic we processed more than 600,000 t of freight there last year, up by 11% on the previous year,» said a satisfied airport CEO Indana Prabhakara Rao about the new prospects. The No.1 port in Scandinavia We have no limits. Explore your possibilities at www.portofgothenburg.com Meet us at Hall N2, Stand 310 at Transport Logistic in Shanghai, June 17–19 International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Asia Special 55 PSA building in JNPT The new winner is... the old one Uncertainty concerning the construction of a fourth container terminal in the port of Mumbai has definitely come to an end. A PSA International subsidiary and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust signed a concession agreement for the facility at the beginning of May. The project for a fourth container terminal in the port of Mumbai is taking shape. At the beginning of May the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) signed a concession agreement for the realisation of the undertaking with the entity Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT), a 100% subsidiary of PSA Bharat Investments, which in turn is a part of the PSA International conglomerate. The company BMCT will thus finance, design and build the facility, also called the BMCT, and then operate it for 30 years before transferring it back to the port operator. Direct foreign investment The western Indian terminal on the Arabian Sea is PSA’s fourth Indian facility, with the company already present in Kolkata, Chennai and Tuticorin. Financial closure of the project is expected by the end of July. The new terminal, in turn, should be finished and ready to commence operation by early 2018. The local media has reported that the entire project will be funded by direct foreign investment. The new BMCT facility, located at India’s largest container gateway, will have berths with a depth of 16.5 m alongside, the deepest in the JN port. A second phase will see the terminal expanded to six berths. The facility will be equipped with the latest technology and equipment, to enable it to adequately serve industrial and manufacturing centres in the gateway’s extensive hinterland. The BMCT is additionally well-connected by major highways and the rail network, linking it to key Indian markets. These are important elements, enabling it to efficiently serve markets in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and India’s national capital region around New Delhi. Decongesting Mumbai Once all of the construction work on the BMCT is fully completed it will have a quay length of 2,000 m, with an annual capacity to handle 4.8 million teu. The development will thus almost double capacities on India’s west coast. The neighbouring ports of Mundra and Pipavav, which had benefited from the congestion plaguing the port of Mumbai, will probably also feel the knock-on effects of this latest development. The JNPT has not had its capacity expanded since 2006. Last year did see JNPT award the concession for the construction of a new terminal with a 330 m quay to Mumbai’s JNPT port is a key gateway to many regions of India. Map: Thinkstock Dubai-based DP World, however. JNPT’s throughput stood at 4.1 million teu in 2013, a figure that owed a lot to the capacity bottlenecks mentioned above. Competitors withdrew PSA was not the only terminal operator in the running for the concession. Originally the Indian corporation Adani Ports had also sought to win the contract for the new terminal. Other contenders, including DP World, Sterlite Ports, APMT, United Linder Agencies and ICTSI, had withdrawn on account of an alleged lack of clarity concerning the implementation of the project. PSA was already awarded the terminal contract previously, in a team with AGB Ports. The Singapore-based corporation later withdrew its tender again, however. The move was harshly criticised by market observers. The Indian shipping ministry’s decision to award the concession to PSA again, in a sort of fast-track authorisation process, was met by a degree of incomprehension in the market. Antje Veregge UNISPED QUALITY IN FORWARDING AND LOGISTICS Airfreight Logistics Surface Seafreight Head quarter P.O. Box 1379 • CH-8021 Zurich / Switzerland Tel. +41 44 245 44 88 • Fax +41 44 245 44 77 E-mail info@unisped.ch • www.unisped.ch Branch offices Hong Kong Beijing Nunca antes la cadena logística había tenido tanto valor. GEFCO ENGINEERS YOUR PRODUCTIVITY El control de la cadena de suministro es un factor clave para el crecimiento y la rentabilidad de su actividad industrial. En GEFCO nos dedicamos a diseñar y aplicar a diario soluciones logísticas globales e internacionales. Para más información, visítenos en www.gefcoengineersyourproductivity.com IBERIA Photo: Thinkstock Portugal and Spain on an upward trajectory Looking ahead There is a tendency to fail to look beyond one’s own nose when one is mired in everyday problems. Spain and Portugal, which have suffered from the recent economic downturn in the Mediterranean region, nevertheless achieved considerable improvements last year. Both countries registered an improvement in the logistics performance index compiled by the World Bank, for instance. In 2014 Portugal’s figure improved to 3.56 (26th place internationally), and Spain’s rose to 3.70 (18th). In the light of the some of the rigid savings measures rolled out in both countries recently, this can be assessed as a remarkable result. In Spain the transport and logistics segment has been declared a key future programme. The Spanish government’s logistics strategy was published six months ago. Minister Ana Pastor spoke of 18 multimodal priorities, selected from 66 projects, in a presentation held in Cádiz, adding that EUR 8 billion worth of investment is planned by 2024. According to the transport ministry, the industry in Spain employs 850,000 people today. It is set to receive special support through improved infrastructure, simplified legislation and an expansion of the railways. After a lengthy period of contraction, there are now clear indications of growth again in Portugal. GDP is estimated to grow by 1.2% in 2014, according to the International Monetary Fund. The country left the protection of the EU’s bailout fund on 18 May, which improved the options available to the transport sector too. Portugal’s exports actually rose during the downturn, resulting in logisticians benefiting from more exports to South America, for instance. Christian Doepgen LINKING UAE & GCC WITH NORTH AFRICA DOOR TO DOOR | DOOR TO PORT | PORT TO DOOR SERVICES FOR ANY SHIPMENT SIZE Libya: Tripoli, Benghazi, Misurata Egypt: Alexandria by Sea, Cairo & Alexandria by Air Tunis : Air & Sea Algeria: Air & Sea Morocco: Casablanca Air & Sea By Air, Sea, Land and Land Sea Combination For normal, out of gage and dangerous chemicals P.O.Box: 123766, Dubai- U.A.E Tel: +971-4-8854863, Fax: +971-4-8854864 E-mail: hlfsdxb@eim.ae Website: www.heavyload-dubai.ae ECT DIRRVIC, E L) SE BY CALIR&SLECA F A ( IR SE OR A Iberia Special Port of Bilbao benefits from its industrial hinterland Basque country a driving force The port of Bilbao is well-positioned with a broad range of services. Besides the important container shipping segment, the hub has also established its role as a specialist for Photo: Port of Bilbao the handling of cargo from the fields of heavylift and renewable sources of energy. The port of Bilbao handled no less than 3,445 project cargo consignments in 2013. Freight throughput in the northern Spanish port of Bilbao fell in the first two months of this year, a decline that was largely blamed on poor weather conditions. March then proved to be more positive, with growth attaining 4%. The port is equipped to handle any type of ship, from giant containerships to bulkers, gas carriers, tankers and roro vessels, as it can offer impressive draughts of up to 32 m alongside some of its docks. The port authority assumes that 12,000 teu units will be able to call at the gateway from next year onwards. The hub plays an important role as a container shipping centre, and has recently also established itself as a specialist for heavylift and project cargo activities. This speciality is steadily growing, thanks above all to the internationalisation of the industrial manufacturing base in the port’s hinterland. Bilbao has become a key special cargo centre, with shipments including large boilers, transformers, presses, wagons, and heavy machinery. The renewable energy sector is an industry that has also become an important client of the project cargo segment in recent years. There is enough space in the Basque hub for nacelles and blades for wind turbines, for example. Several factors have enabled the port to develop new services, which have benefited from about EUR 46 million of investment in new equipment. av 59 Portsmouth included Transfennica has responded to growing demand and included a twice-weekly direct call at Portsmouth (England) in its service from Bilbao (Spain), with effect from 13 May. The connection sails from Bilbao every Tuesday and Friday evening, and will call at Portsmouth on Thursday and Sunday mornings. Thence the vessel departs for Zeebrugge (Belgium), enabling clients to easily forward cargo there. As well as transporting driver-accompanied boxes and unaccompanied containers the direct service to Portsmouth can take on board out-of-gauge, heavy, project and hazardous cargo, as well as Mafi vehicles. In January Transfennica replaced two smaller vessels, which it had chartered in, with larger ones. These have capacities for 100 trailers, 150 doublestacked containers and twelve drivers. Transfennica director Eric de Wit said that «our new unaccompanied trailer solution, connecting Spain, the UK and Belgium, allows transport companies to make efficient use of their own trucks in the UK and simultaneously use the Portsmouth to Zeebrugge sailing to balance cargo flows.» Ferry operator Transfennica is a part of the Spliethoff Group, one of the largest Dutch ship management enterprises. av Photo: Transfennica International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Transfennica now calls at Portsmouth too. Iberia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 FedEx completes a century in Sevilla More Central American links from Madrid FedEx Express opened a new station in Sevilla in southern Spain recently. This milestone – the 100th centre in the firm’s European growth programme – sees FedEx complete another important stage of the programme. The expansion plan was initiated in October 2011 and was designed to promote the corporation both through organic growth as well as through takeovers. Reaching this milestone means that the courier provider has opened a new station almost every week over the past 30 months. The growth programme also saw more than 3,600 employees added across Europe, and domestic services introduced in 13 countries. The announcement comes at a time when the Memphis-based corporation is entering the second phase of its European development plan. This will see it concentrating on the optimisation of its existing network of 198 stations. The new locations enable FedEx customers based in Spain and all across Europe to benefit from more direct connections to approximately 90% of the world in the space of just one or two working days, the firm said. IAG Cargo, the joint freight unit of British Airways and the Spanish airline Iberia, has increased frequencies on flights between its Spanish hub in the country’s capital Madrid and the promising region in and around Panama. IAG Cargo’s Madrid–Panama City service will see the addition of a sixth weekly flight in June. Thereafter it will immediately be upgraded to a daily link in the following month. At both ends the service naturally offers connecting flights to dozens of European and Latin American destinations. Iberia has operated this option since 1971. It now deploys Airbus A340-300s, A340-600s as well as its brand-new A330-300s, thus raising its freight capacities by 24% from this summer onwards. Panama is said to be the strongestgrowing country in Latin America. The International Monetary Fund expects its GDP to grow by 6.9% this year. Rodrigo Casal, IAG Cargo’s sales manager for the region, said that «this connection is particularly attractive for perishables from the entire region, including cut flowers from Colombia, for example.» ah 61 In brief Up from five to six. TAP Portugal is increasing its frequencies between Lisbon and Miami from 24 June to 28 September. The Star Alliance member has been operating this link since 2011, and in this period has increased capacities on the route by adding a sixth flight during the summer months. TAP Portugal deploys an Airbus A330-200 on the connection. www.tapcargo.com Boeings to replace Airbuses. SkyTeam member Korean Air increased the capacity on its thrice-weekly service between Seoul Incheon and Madrid on 9 May. The airline will deploy a Boeing B747-400 (with space for 32 ULDs) in place of an Airbus A330-200 (which can handle 26 ULDs) until 17 June. cargo.koreanair.com New Barcelona link. Air China resumed connections to the Austrian capital Vienna on 5 May. The new addition to the network comes 15 years after the link was discontinued. The Chinese flag carrier will make use of its new European destination to also link up with Barcelona. The whole Beijing–Vienna–Barcelona connection will be offered four times a week, with the airline deploying an Airbus A330-300 on the route. www.airchina.com The experience of 30 years in the market, in freight forwarding by land, air and sea. T. +351 229 479 990 | email. geral@grupolis.pt | www.grupolis.com | www.facebook.com/grupolis 62 Iberia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Catalonian port of Barcelona welcomes positive developments An industrial agglomeration The port of Barcelona achieved a record result in its car handling segment last year. The hub’s import volumes, which had suffered of late on account of the unsatisfactory economic development in the country, are now on the mend. Sixte Cambra, the president of the port of Barcelona, elaborates the details in a conversation with the ITJ. Mr Cambra, the Spanish economy managed to leave the recession behind in the third quarter of last year. How did the port of Barcelona fare in 2013? The port registered container throughput of 1.7 million teu. This is approximately 2% less than in the previous year. Foreign trade played an important role in driving the hub’s activities in 2013. We handled more than 973,000 teu of import and export traffic in the twelve months. This is an identical figure to the record achieved in 2007, before the economy slid into recession. The total of all types of cargo processed in the port in 2013 stood at 42.4 million t, which is also virtually the same result as the one we achieved in the previous year. What type of cargo led the field? New vehicles, with a total of 705,374 units. This was up by 6% year-on-year, and confirms our role as a market leader in this business segment. «Car exports in 2013 were higher than the record that we set in 2007.» With more than 380,000 units handled, car exports in 2013 were even 18% higher than the record result that we reached in 2007. Imports increased by 4.4% in the same period under review. These results clearly illustrate the crucial role that we play as a logistics distribution hub for car makers in the Mediterranean region and in Southern Europe. What is your main competitive advantage, in your view? Barcelona provides services to the largest industrial agglomeration in Southern Europe, with a core in automobile manufacturing, component suppliers and automobile auxiliary industries. The presence of the two major car makers Nissan and SEAT near the port, and Tuscor or Lloyds INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT www.transnatur.com ROAD SEA AIR ROAD YEARS SMOOTH SAILING www.tuscorlloyds.com +44 (0) 161 868 6000 shipping@tuscorlloyds.com AS AGENTS ONLY 20 Smooth Sailing Years M EN media 50 BUSINESSWEEK GREATER MANCHESTER FASTEST 1000 BRITAIN COMPANIES TO INSPIRE WINNER CUSTOMS SEA EXHIBITIONS AIR LOGISTICS BARCELONA - ALICANTE - VALENCIA - MADRID SEVILLA - IRÚN - ZARAGOZA - BILBAO VIGO - TENERIFE - LAS PALMAS - TARRAGONA PORTO - LISBOA Carrer Ca l’Arana, 15-17 - ZAL II 08820 El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) Tel. +34 93 480 45 00 • Fax +34 93 480 45 01 e-mail: transnatur@bcn.transnatur.com • www.transnatur.com Iberia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 63 Photo: Port of Barcelona EUR 150 million in the second phase of the terminal’s expansion. The port of Barcelona handled 1.7 million teu in 2013. What is the situation regarding import versus export volumes? The port of Barcelona handled 581,377 teu of exports last year, which spells an increase of 4.5% compared to 2012. «Imports handled in Barcelona are also increasing steadily.» This all-time record for the port is 33% higher than the peak reached in the precrisis period, in 2008. I think that these results illustrate that the strategy applied by manufacturing industry around the port to cope with the economic downturn is working. What does this strategy look like? Corporations have had to deal with very sluggish domestic consumption, so now they are increasingly focusing on internationalisation, as well as on gaining access to new markets. This involves a variety of countries. The United Arab Emirates, China, Algeria, Brazil, Turkey, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Mexico are the most significant recipients of goods from the port of Barcelona. Over and above this, trade between the hub and Colombia and Uruguay also grew by more than 30%, and goods going to Australia and Malaysia leapt by approximately 40%. What is the situation regarding imports? Import container traffic, which declined throughout the recession, began a gradual recovery in June 2013, allowing us to close 2013 with a cumulative growth rate of 2% and a total volume of 391,000 teu. This improvement in imports indicates that domestic consumption is picking up, which was severely affected by the crisis. In this context, China has consolidated its position as the leading economy of origin of the goods received by the port, with 21 % of containers imported by our port coming from there. What is the latest news concerning your investment in port expansion? In 2013, the first phase of the new Barcelona Europe South Terminal (Best) became fully operational. The platform will be completed over the coming years so that it can offer its maximum configuration and capacity. It is located in the Prat wharf and managed by the company Terminal Catalunya (Tercat), a subsidiary of Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH). It is the most advanced semi-automated terminal in the Mediterranean region and one of the best of its type in the world. HPH is investing Barcelona port president Sixte Cambra. What is on your agenda for this year? The Barcelona Europe South Terminal continues to grow. Phase two will see the building of 500 m of additional berthing capacities and the installation of three super-postpanamax gantry cranes and nine more automated container blocks. «Soon the port will be able to serve the latest generation of containerships.» The port of Barcelona has already invested approximately EUR 1.8 million in preparing these additional 500 m of berthing line at the Prat wharf, which will be completed next June. In future, the terminal will cover 100 ha and have 40 automated container blocks and 18 gantry cranes. This will provide us with the capacity to serve the latest generation of containerships. Photo: Port of Barcelona their car export role, has strengthened this position. Autoterminal and Setram, the two terminals that specialise in new vehicle traffic in the port, have the operational capacity to make Barcelona a key regional vehicle hub. This includes space, regular calls from shipping lines, service quality and the ability to compete. The enlargement of the port and the growth in terminal capacity have laid the foundations for the continued increase in this traffic for years to come. What about the Terminal de Contenidors de Barcelona and the Grimaldi terminal? Terminal de Contenidors de Barcelona, which is located in the southern wharf, is about to finish the enlargement of its facilities, adding 24 ha to its operating area and giving it an overall terminal area of 81 ha. The Italian company Grimaldi’s new short sea shipping terminal opened in September. The fertilizer and chemical products manufacturer ICL announced a EUR 100 million investment in the construction of a new breakbulk terminal at the end of last year. Regarding liquid bulk facilities, Tradebe officially opened its new hydrocarbon terminal at the port of Barcelona, which saw a total investment of EUR 65 million, in April. What about road infrastructure for the new areas that are being developed? Work on new access roads to the port of Barcelona is due to begin in September. Investment in this segment will be worth about EUR 196 million. The project includes a 10 km motorway, which will connect the Ronda Litoral (coastal ring road) with the southern enlargement scheme in the port. This will allow trucks to enter and exit the important logistics area, and remove some traffic from roads that provide access to the new port extension. The Best facility has been operational there for 18 months. Antje Veregge EUROPE IS HOME Phoenix Freight International Ltd. Tel. +44 (0) 1268.50.29.00 sales@phoenixfreight.com WWW.PHOENIXFREIGHT.COM LONDON · HULL · LISBOA · PORTO Your Latin American Project specialist with turn key deliveries to the most remote location. Su especialista de proyectos en América Latina con entregas llave en mano hasta los lugares más remotos. www.KOGTRANSPORT.COM BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE – SMALL ENOUGH TO CARE Truly a Project Forwarder, we work with our clients from feasibility to execution, no matter where the cargo originates or destined, specializing in North America, Europe, The Middle and Far East. KOG Project Logistics Alameda Mazarredo, 15-5ºA 48001 Bilbao – SPAIN Telephone: Telefax: Email: +34 946 540 544 +34 946 540 546 operations@kogspain.es OffICES IN: USA, CANADA, SwITzERLAND, ITALY, GERMANY, HOLLAND, SPAIN, U.K., UKRAINE, ABU DHABI, INDIA, THAILAND, PAKISTAN, INDONESIA, CHINA AND jAPAN Iberia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 65 The Portuguese transport and logistics market is changing Portugal making a great effort All the signs are pointing to further structural change in Portugal. The privatisation process covering several state enterprises is set to continue for the rest of 2014, and markets will be further liberalised. In the logistics sector this is especially going to affect the Portuguese postal services CCT, as well as parts of the railfreight company CP Carga, the airline TAP and the shipyards Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo (ENVC). Brazil as investor? On the other hand, the Portuguese government postponed the privatisation of the state-owned airline TAP Portugal, after it received only a single bid for it in a first offering, namely from the Avianca group of Brazil. The state secretary in charge of disinvestment, Sérgio Silva Monteiro, said that the sales process would resume after the company’s «good year in 2013.» TAP, as well as the shipyard ENVC, will both be on the agenda for discussion during the state visit of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in June. Market liberalisation for railfreight After several delays the privatisation of CP Carga, a subsidiary of the state-owned railway company Comboios de Portugal (CP), is to receive serious attention. CP Carga has approximately EUR 100 million in debts. Its CEO Manuel Queiró announced in mid-May that CP Carga’s 13 cargo terminals will be transferred to the infrastructure enterprise Rede Ferroviária Nacional (Refer) in June. The measure is intended to lay the groundwork for the sale of CP Carga in 2014, and for the fur- Photo: A. Padeiro In September 2013 the French Vinci group completed the takeover of airport operator Aeroportos de Portugal (ANA) for EUR 3.1 billion, acquiring the concessions for ten airports in Portugal, the Azores and Madeira for the next 50 years in the process. In December 2013 a public offering of 70% of the shares of the Portuguese state postal service operator Correios de Portugal (CCT) saw more than half of the 105 million shares issued go to foreign investors, according to media reports. The remaining 30% that remained in state hands will be sold in October 2014. Such developments speak for themselves. Portugal’s railfreight market is set to be opened up to foreign competition in 2014. ther liberalisation of the overall national railfreight market. Portugal took these measures to be able to exit from the EU’s bailout fund, which it did on 18 May of this year. Christian Doepgen New exclusive Chapman Freeborn agent for Portugal The aircraft charter specialist Chapman Freeborn has appointed the new company ALS Portugal Aviation & Logistics Solutions as its exclusive agent for the Portuguese market. Gatwick-based Chapman Freeborn has collaborated closely with the management team of ALS Portugal – CEO Anthony Beirao and executive director Fernando Costa – for many years. ALS Portugal, an aviation and logistics services specialist based in Cascais, 30 km west of Lisbon, operates on the basis of a 5PL model. It offers its customers all of the classic logistics services, and additionally specialises in on-board courier options. cd MORE THAN 20 YEARS BERTSCHI IBÉRICA Bertschi competence in bulk logistics • Innovative Solutions • Intermodal network • Door-Door Services: Safety first • Premium customer service BERTSCHI IBÉRICA S.L. Poligono Industrial Riu-Clar • Carrer de l‘or • E-43006 Tarragona Phone: +34 977 54 00 61 • Fax: +34 977 54 06 90 E-mail: markus.widmer@bertschi.com • www.bertschi.com Iberia Special International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 67 Investors in and around Spanish ports wanted Ex oriente lux The Spanish state considered the country’s ports as a strategic asset under its own control for a long time. Now Madrid is enabling private investors to acquire a stake by changing the laws, which is not equally enthusiastically welcomed by all port authorities. Private business – from The partially high costs for services in some national ports have been the subject of complaints by the chairman of the Spanish port authorities, José Lorca, for some time. After a comparatively weak 2013 for the ports industry, Lorca most recently referred to trawler services in Valencia, which are twice as expensive as those in Barcelona. These distortions were particularly costly for transhipment last year, according to the opinion of the authority. Opening the door to investors To strengthen the hubs’ ability to compete, the Spanish government has now opened the door to private investors, allowing them to acquire shares in ports by entering into public-private partnerships. Against the background of competing ports, such as Portugal’s Sines and Morocco’s Tanger Med, Rafael Catalá, a state secretary in Madrid, reminded the public that costs need to be reduced for customers. For instance, in the first quarter of 2014, Sines achieved a new record in container handling, with 271,000 teu. Tanger Med, in turn, even managed to Photo: VVCL Spain or Japan, for instance – is interested in a stronger collaboration. outperform last year’s re- Private investment in Spanish hubs, to make them more competitive. sult by 40%, by posting a volume of 2.5 million teu in 2013. (see ITJ 17-18 / 2014, page 12). The benefit can be mutual. For instance, given the Japanese partners welcome Foreign investors are also interested in the new Seca standards in the EU, the Spannew opportunities. One indication is the ish shipping group Elcano ordered two recent investment of Japan’s Mitsubishi 24,000 cbm LNG vessels basis from the in Spain’s TCB in April 2014. The Japa- Japanese Imabari shipbuilding yard at the nese firm purchased a 25% stake in the end of April. They are scheduled to be Christian Doepgen subsidiary TCV in the port of Valencia delivered by 2017. Investment fund enters Spanish logistics market The Spanish investment fund Corpfin Capital has more than EUR 145 million available for ventures over the coming four years. It has now made a start by investing in the logistics sector, acquiring FCC’s logistics sector for EUR 32 million. Corpfin’s investment proves that the Spanish logistics sector is thought to have quite some potential. FCC Logística, a subsidiary of the construction and energy firm FCC, has been active in the market for 30 years, and post- ed sales of more than EUR 250 million last year, according to its media releases. The 3PL employs 3,300 people in Spain, but also in Portugal, where it generates 10% of its sales. FCC Logística operates about 800,000 sqm of warehousing areas. The firm’s portfolio has been devised to focus on five industry sectors. Nearly one third of FCC Logística’s sales comes from food logistics activities, and it is followed by automobile, pharmaceuticals and electronics logistics services. cd LE DEBUT D’UN NOUVEAU MONDE POUR RITSCHARD Rue Emma-Kammacher 8 - Case postale 16 - 1217 Meyrin 2 - www.ritschard.ch 68 Southeastern Europe & Turkey International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 A root-and-branch reform of Croatia’s railfreight operations is not on the horizon No alternative to a rescue plan Railfreight operations in one of the newest members of the EU are in the doldrums. Early this year it looked as if the state-owned Croatian firm HŽ Cargo may receive a new lease of life, thanks to privatisation. But Romanian investor Grampet’s interest did not lead to concrete results, and a competitor has appeared in the form of Rail Cargo Austria. HŽ Cargo, part of the state-owned railway company Hrvatske Željeznice (HŽ), is still in charge of managing Croatia’s railfreight operations. Despite enjoying a monopoly on the provision of railfreight services in Croatia for almost 25 years, the financial results of HŽ Cargo have been little short of disastrous. Last year HŽ Cargo recorded a loss of HRK 248 million (EUR 33 million). It has additionally run up more than HRK 1 billion worth of debt (EUR 132 million). Since Croatia joined the European Union on 1 July 2013 it is now also subject to EU rules – including, most importantly in this case, those concerning the inadmissibility of state support measures for companies. The Croatian government has now presented the details of a restructuring plan for HŽ Cargo for the years 2014 to 2018. A number of assets, including almost a third of HŽ Cargo’s 6,000 rail wagons, will be sold off. A first phase will also see the company’s workforce cut by roughly 800 employees by the end of September. In return the government has agreed to grant HŽ Cargo a HRK 230 million loan (EUR 33 million) with a 15 month term, to cover the cost of servicing its pension payments and current liabilities – but not salaries, as that contravenes European Union regulations governing state aid. The restructuring plan will only enter into effect once it has been approved by the EU authorities involved. Despite these relief measures the overall news is not good for HŽ Cargo. Rail Cargo Austria has announced that it plans to haul its freight in Croatia itself (see ITJ 19-20 / 2014, page 21). But there are no Russian or Chinese white knights in shining armour on the horizon for HŽ Cargo. In neighbouring Serbia such enterprises have shown an interest in railfreight operations. Christian Doepgen Milsped Albania, the Serbian transport and logistics enterprise Milsped’s national subsidiary in Albania, has completed its first month of operative business without any major problems. Milsped Albania is a joint venture between the Milsped Group and the Balkan Finance Investment Group (Balfin). It was established in order to achieve a presence in the Albanian logistics service market. The company garnered CBM Albania as its first client. The customer is a part of the Greek company Marinopoulos, which is the exclusive manager in the Balkan region of the French enterprise Carrefour’s franchises. Milsped signed a multi-year contract, which is now being implemented by its Photo: Milsped Milsped in Albania The Serbian company Milsped is active in Albania and has plans to expand to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Albanian branch office. A Milsped Albania warehouse situated next to the highway linking Tirana, inland, and the port of Durrës, approximately 30 km away, forms the logistics basis of the company’s regional activities. The cutting-edge facility covers approximately 4,800 sqm. Parts of the warehouse offer various temperaturecontrolled regimes, ranging from –20 to +6°C. Milsped is planning to establish another facility in the Balkan region in the second half of 2014. The firm will improve its coverage of the regional market by starting operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. cd Southeastern Europe & Turkey International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 69 Terminal modernisation in Gemlik Record volumes – systematised The Turkish maritime hub Gemport, located in Gemlik, recently implemented the latest version of the Navis N4 terminal programme. The operator Yilport is seeking to simplify processes and integrate various functions into one system. The terminal and the programme passed their trial by fire, for the facility handled as many boxes in April as never before in a single month. 2 million teu capacity The application is an important element of the overall port modernisation programme, which includes the commissioning of four new MES cranes from Japan. The equipment can process 18,000 teu containerships. Yilport envisages each unit offering an anticipated baseline productivity of 35 moves per hour in Gemport, the first private port in Turkey. The first phase will see capacity brought to a Photo: Yilport The terminal operator Yilport, which is based in Istanbul, is in the process of implementing extensive modernisation and expansion measures in its Gemport facility in the Turkish port city of Gemlik on the Sea of Marmara. In this context the enterprise recently introduced the latest version of the Navis N4 terminal programme in the hub, located south of Izmit. Yilport, has already centralised the vessel planning, berth management and logistics operations there. Yilport is implementing a modernisation and expansion programme in its Gemport facility in Gemlik. total of 1 million teu. A subsequent second phase will see capacity exceed 2 million teu. The newly-introduced system has already passed its initial test. Just after it was installed Gemport handled a record monthly volume in the hub. The number of containers processed came to nearly 40,000 teu in April. With an all-time record of 50 containership calls the hub also received more ships in the month than ever before in 30 days. Now that Yilport has standardised on the Navis system it will next look to advance its terminal modernisation programme by deploying the APS crane and OCR systems, the latter being a gate-system application. av Arkas Line expanding its West Africa services Turkey’s Arkas shipping line is continuing to upgrade its weekly West Africa service. It is adding two new vessels – the Kemal A and the Gisele A – to the fleet it currently deploys in this trade lane. They will replace the ships Bernard A and Mario A. With this additional tonnage Arkas Line increased its owned container fleet to 34 units and raised its overall capacity to 50,344 teu. The Kemal A was handed over to Arkas in China in March. It has the capacity to carry 2,755 teu, and offers 400 reefer plugs. The unit will be phased into operation early in June. The 2,764 teu Gisele A in turn, with 400 reefer plugs, was delivered in Spain in April and started operating in May. Arkas Line makes use of the Spanish port of Algeciras as its transhipment hub for services to and from West African destinations, and links the Black Sea as well as the Mediterranean region with Algeciras in both directions. av INTERCONTOR HELLAS SA offers strong sales, professionalism and demanding quality from all (ATHENS – THESSALONIKI – PIRAEUS – KOROPI – ATHENS AIRPORT) Groupage Trucking Europe – Seafreight – Aircargo – Commercial Trading Customs clearance – Logistics – Distribution – Hot Line after sales service Phone: +30-210-6021032, 6021429, 6021432, 6021508, Fax: +30-210-6021736 E-mail: hermann@intercontor.gr – www.intercontor.gr Werner Hermann (Pr.) 70 Africa International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 Kenya seeking third-party support to develop its logistics infrastructure A funding mix for the future The Kenyan economy cannot develop its full potential, partially on account of inadequate infrastructure. The East African country has nevertheless managed to substantially improve its place in the World Bank’s logistics performance index for 2014. In the medium term Kenya is thought to have a good chance to advance, thanks to its good education system, raw materials and good geographic position. Need to improve infrastructure Now Kenya has announced that it plans to further improve its rather dilapidated logistics infrastructure. It is banking both on private investors as well as on a inflow of funds from abroad. A key lacuna in Kenya concerns the lack of connections between the ports on the coast and the metropolitan centres in the hinterland. In May the China Exim Bank was given government permission to finance a large part of the renewal of a 600 km railway line running between Nairobi and the southern port city of Mombasa. The line is being adapted to standard gauge. The bank is set to provide 85% of project funding, which is said to amount to about EUR 2.8 billion, to be spent on construction work. This is scheduled to begin in autumn 2014 under the aegis of the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and be completed by the end of 2017. Future extensions are planned for Uganda, with branch lines to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Kenya’s railway network is outdated. It is set to be renewed with Mombasa, the coun- the help of private and foreign investors. try’s only deepsea port, has 16 quays and five containership through a mixture of public and private berths, and is a key transit gateway for funds. The Public-Private Partnership the surrounding region. Especially the (PPP) Act was passed in November 2013. countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi It is designed to ease private enterprises’ and South Sudan (all landlocked) as well access to public projects. as the Democratic Republic of the Congo One of Kenya’s core transport industry are very interested in improving freight aims is to develop the port of Lamu, an links through Kenya to the coast (see also airport in the same city, and to construct ITJ 9-10 / 2013, page 39). the so-called Lapsset transport corridor across Kenya’s sparsely-populated northern region to South Sudan and Ethiopia. It Ambitious programme The above-mentioned railway line is is expected to include highways, railways only one of many links in a soon-to- and pipelines (see also ITJ 47-48 / 2012, be-improved supply chain. The Kenyan page 51). Work on the new Lamu seaport, state compiled a list of priority projects due to begin early in 2014, has been dein 2013. The 47 projects include a sig- layed. 70% of the costs are expected to nificant number of undertakings in the be borne by private enterprise or foreign Christian Doepgen transport sector, which will be financed investors. Photo: Twa South Africa is frequently the standard against which to compare other African nations. From a logistics point of view, Nigeria and Kenya are closest on the heels of the rainbow nation, with the East African country performing particularly well of late. It substantially improved its position in the World Bank’s logistics performance index for 2014, climbing from 122nd to 74th this year. South Africa, ranked 34th, continues to lead the African nations, but it must be noted that it lost eleven places vis-àvis the previous year. Nigeria, in contrast, moved 46 places up the table, coming 75th overall. Growing retail logistics opportunities all across the continent Africa’s growing middle class is driving local development – and is thus also an important field for the logistics industry. Statistics published by Deloitte, an audit and finance consultancy, sees the class growing to 1.1 billion people by 2060. A recently-released index analysing African retail industry developments, published by the management consultancy A.T. Kearney, has established that Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania and Gabon are the Sub-Saharan African countries highlighted as the continent’s most attractive new retail markets. Demand for logistics solutions serving the African retail trade is high. DHL Express has thus expanded its role there, bringing its retail outlet presence to more than 2,400 centres in Africa. Imperial Retail Logistics has won a 3PL contract in Africa. It will deliver, store and distribute Red Bull drinks in South Africa. And in May the South African firm RCL Foods acquired 49% of the Botswanan reefer logistics enterprise Senn Foods Logistics, through its subsidiary Vector Logistics. Retail logistics activities are thus recognised as growth opportunities in Africa, despite the well-known high infrastructural hurdles on the continent. cd Middle East 71 Photos: ADPC International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 The first phase of the Kizad logistics park has only just been completed, and already ADPC has signed the next construction contract, with Hyundai. Between Kizad and Zayed Plenty of space in the emirates Gary Lemke, the Abu Dhabi Ports Company’s vice-president for port development, has plenty to smile about. Logistics projects in the oil sector as well as in other industries not related to the oil business are currently making great strides. The Hyundai Engineering & Construction corporation is now a tenant in the port of Zayed in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), the port operator, made details of the deal public at the beginning of May. According to ADPC the South Korean construction and development group has set up shop on a 40,000 sqm area with 4,500 sqm of warehouse space. Hyundai, a long-time ADPC customer, needs the space to import and export cargo needed by the Satah al-Razboot offshore oil project. The Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company commissioned the strategically-important Satah al-Razboot project. The ADPC says that the project has reached a stage where significantly higher volumes pass through the Middle Eastern port. Half of the 200,000 additional barrels of oil that the emirate plans to produce every day are expected to come from this offshore facility. The property and the warehouse will also include a temporary storage facility, as well as a workshop where light assembly work will take place and where housing modules and other components for the drilling platforms can be temporarily placed. Reliance now present in Doha too Dubai-based Reliance Freight Systems, the Famous Pacific Shipping group’s network agent for Dubai, Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi (all UAE), has opened an office in the Qatari capital Doha. Reliance Doha will provide a full range of multimodal services, including import, breakdown of LCL consolidations, customs clearance and international road freight services. Banz and Geodis Wilson JV Geodis Wilson, the freight forwarding subsidiary of the Geodis Group, has formed a joint venture with the Banz Group, a Bahraini regional warehousing and distribution specialist. Banz Geodis Wilson will be based in Juffair (Bahrain) and operate an 8,000 sqm warehouse. It offers state-of-the-art safety and security standards and includes ambient, chilled and frozen storage space. A diverse range of non-oil-related industries are also moving into the Kizad Logistics Park (KLP), which has seen the completion of its first phase. It was turned over to the first tenants in April. According to the management of the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), 34 of the 41 warehouses (83% of the area (46,500 sqm) available in the first of three construction phases) have already been leased to national and international logistics and shipping companies. Among the tenants are Agility and United Printing & Publishing, as well as Protect Middle East, Al Sabah Foodstuffs, Creative Communication and Galaxy Building Materials Trading. Kizad, which will ultimately have a 120,000 sqm logistics area, plays a critical role in the emirate’s «Vision 2030» plan. 72 The Americas International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 US Congress passes a new maritime port law Simply getting deeper Maritime ports in the USA are preparing for larger vessels, which are expected in the context of the widening of the Panama Canal. A new law aims to Photo: Port Everglades facilitate expansion plans. The House of Representatives and the Senate, the lower and upper houses of Congress, the US parliament, have reacted to ongoing work on the expansion of the Panama Canal by passing a new law. It authorises the deepening of a number of ports in the country and is the first measure of its kind in seven years. One section is particularly interesting. It allows ports to pay the costs incurred for dredging and deepening work out of their own pockets in advance of approval, and then seek reimbursement from the government once a particular project has been authorised. The new law means that, under favourable circumstances, construction time could be reduced by several years for transport and shipping hubs such as Port Everglades. In an interview with the financial data and media company Bloomberg the chairman of the house transport committee, Bill Shuster, said «that’s a big part of this bill. They’ve got money ready to go.» The so-called Water Resources Reform and Development Act, HR 3080, is one of the few laws submitted in the current legislative period that the politically-divided Congress could actually agree on. av Back to work in Panama San Antonio in front All about market share After a two-week strike labourers widening the Panama Canal went back to work early in May. A union leader said that the demand for higher wages had been met. On the other hand it is still unclear when the project currently underway will be completed. The date was originally set for the middle of this year, but had previously already been postponed to December 2015. At the start of this year there were further delays, because of uncertainties linked to increased spending (see ITJ 11-12 / 2014, Iberia Special, page 7). The consortium that has been tasked with building the project is led by the Spanish company Sacyr and the Italian company Salini Impreglio. The firms have not yet made any comment on whether the strikes will lead to further delays in the completion of the project. The Chilean port of San Antonio recorded greater volume growth in container throughput last year than any other Latin American port. The hub is Chile’s largest container port, and handled a total of 1.23 million teu in the period under review. This represents an increase of 15% compared to the previous year, more than regional rivals Kingston (Jamaica) or Lázaro Cárdenas (Mexico) were able to achieve, for example. The results reported by Valparaíso, Chile’s second-largest port, stood in stark contrast to San Antonio’s. There was a 3.4% contraction in container throughput, nothing like the growth experienced by its southern competitor. The turnover in Valparaíso totalled just 0.94 million teu. There are plans to open a new port between Valparaiso and San Antonio in 2020. Shipping lines are growing increasingly uneasy about the numerous changes taking place in services on routes between Asia and the west coast of the United States of America. This was reflected in a recent round of contract negotiations with shippers. According to Drewry carriers were more intent on maintaining market share than on negotiating increases in freight rates in the period between March and mid-May, and their overall strategy was very risk-averse. A whole range of long-term contracts for eastward traffic are currently being renegotiated, but shipping lines have not been able to achieve any significant freight rate hikes. Given continuing overcapacity in the industry, it is not very likely that this situation will change radically this year, according to the analyst Drewry. av Port Everglades is expected to be one of the beneficiaries of new US financing procedures. FMC 1037 NF – IATA NO. 01-1-5000/0014 MANACO INTERNATIONAL FORWARDERS, INC. AMMAN BUILDING P.O. BOX 13081 PORT EVERGLADES FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33316 · (954) 463-6910 Telefax (954) 463-3509 · E-Mail: manaco7@aol.com www.mifi.com WORLD WIDE SHIPPING BY LAND, SEA & AIR OUR SUCCESS IS BUILT ON SERVICE NEWYORK/NEW JERSEY OFFICE: 22 McCLELLAN ST. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 07114 · (973) 622-3990 Miscellaneous International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 73 Aircraft and airfreight There is still no trace of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft that went missing over the Indian Ocean. Web users worldwide, in contrast, can locate Lufthansa Cargo planes in real time. Virgin Atlantic Cargo, in turn, supported an Easter egg hunt in New York. Lufthansa Cargo’s website makes it possible to get an instant overview of the current position of every cargo and passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. The firm’s partnership with Flightradar 24 enables anyone to establish the destination of any plane and its flight number online. This year Fabergé, a jeweller, sponsored the annual Big Egg Hunt, created by the charity Elephant Family, which raises money for disadvantaged children and endangered wildlife. The event received British support too. Virgin Atlantic Cargo, the airfreight unit of the airline that styles itself Britain’s flag carrier, transported eleven eggs from London free of charge. The giant eggs were designed by Masthead A publication of swissprofessionalmedia AG Grosspeterstrasse 23, PO Box, CH – 4002 Basel Tel: +41 58 958 95 00 Fax: +41 58 958 95 90 Administration e-mail: info@transportjournal.com Editorial office e-mail: transport@transportjournal.com E-mail person: firstname.lastname@transportjournal.com Web site: www.transportjournal.com Managing director: Oliver Kramer Editor-in-chief / Publishing director: (cd) christian.doepgen@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 10 Editors: (ah) andreas.haug@transportjournal.com (av) antje.veregge@transportjournal.com (it) jutta.iten@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 22 +41 58 958 96 58 +41 79 776 51 30 Plus our worldwide network of contributors: Johannes Angerer (Feldkirch) Eckhard-Herbert Arndt (Hamburg) Rüdiger Arndt (Ferrol) Dr André Ballin (Moscow) Sebastian Becker (Warsaw) Claudia Benetti (Effretikon) Eckhard Boecker (Kisdorf) Lutz Ehrhardt (Hamburg) Joseph Richard Fonseca (Mumbai) Björn Helmke (Hamburg) Harald Jung (Milan) Beat Keiser (Lugnorre) Ralf Klingsieck (Paris) Dr. Robert Kluge (Leipzig) Torsten Kollande (Schwarmstedt) Dr Christine Kulke-Fiedler (Berlin) Iris Martin (Hamburg) Manik Mehta (New York) Josef Müller (Vienna) Barbara Odrich (Yokohama) British artists, including Marc Quinn, Ben Shine and Ronnie Wood. The 2012 Big Egg Hunt earned the organisers more than GBP 1 million and made it into the Guinness Book of Records – as the world’s largest Easter egg hunt. This year the eggs, up to 110 cm high and weighing between 15 and 30 kg, were hidden around New York City. Saatchi & Saatchi NY developed a smartphone app to help explorers search for 270 eggs, which also included designs by Tracey Emin, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. The airline also designed its own bespoke egg sculpture, entitled The Frying Lady and created by its award-winning in-house design team. It was a playful in- Photo: Virgin Atlantic Cargo Lost and (not) found The Frying Lady was the title of one of the eleven Easter eggs transported from London by Virgin Atlantic Cargo. terpretation of Virgin Atlantic’s famous flying lady, who features on its aircrafts’ livery. The lucky finders of the eggs won a variety of special treats, all based on the location in which the eggs were found. Three lucky main prize winners took home Fabergé eggs worth a combined USD 125,000. And at the end of the event all of the eggs involved went under the hammer at Sotheby’s, with the proceeds going to helping disadvantaged children and endangered wildlife. ah French and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland, Swisstrans, Swiss Shipping Guide, Propeller Club Directory: werner.kestenholz@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 16 Mobile +41 79 674 29 52 Katja Ridderbusch (Atlanta) Dirk Ruppik (Surat Thani) Holger Schlote (Istanbul) Armin F. Schwolgin (Weil am Rhein) Angelo Scorza (Genoa) Wilf Seifert (Zurich) Heiner Siegmund (Hamburg) Frank Stier (Sofia) Representative for Latin America: ernst.littig@transportjournal.com Mobile: +41 79 225 18 78 Translators: andree.schwarz@transportjournal.com gyan.sharan@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 23 +41 58 958 95 21 Layout: olivier.kilchherr@transportjournal.com david.jentzen@transportjournal.com nicole.huebner@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 11 +41 58 958 95 17 +41 58 958 96 04 Subscriptions / Distribution: carolyn.piele@s-p-m.ch +41 58 958 96 49 Sales: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Nordic countries, UK, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, South Africa: siegfried.angeli@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 04 Mobile: +41 78 688 87 90 United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, United Kingdom (freight forwarding and aviation),German-speaking parts of Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria (postcodes 8 and 9), Job Market / Real Estate Market: roland.hofacker@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 07 Mobile +41 79 305 48 40 Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Greece, Cyprus: elina.marauska@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 95 27 Mobile: +41 78 688 87 92 France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Balkan States, Malta, North Africa, Israel: mirko.vasiljevic@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 96 88 Mobile: +41 79 466 35 95 +41 58 958 95 14 Advertising service: patricia.hunziker@s-p-m.ch vreni.haab@s-p-m.ch +41 58 958 95 12 +41 58 958 96 29 Marketing: caroline.johnson@transportjournal.com +41 58 958 96 54 Accounts: brigitta.meyer@s-p-m.ch fax: +41 61 564 37 00 +41 58 958 96 18 Printing and dispatch: Printec Offset, DE 34123 Kassel Bank details: Credit Suisse, Basel, Swift CRES CH ZZ 80A IBAN: CH23 0483 5030 8286 3100 0 CHF IBAN: CH75 0483 5030 8286 3200 4 EUR Place of jurisdiction and applicable law: Basel, Switzerland The reproduction of articles or pictures, either as a whole or in part, is only allowed with the express permission of the publisher. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material. 75th year ISSN 1420-5688 Published fortnightly / Subscription: CHF 220 + postage Swissprofessionalmedia AG is an associated member of Fiata and Tiaca. 74 A Time for Reflection / Advertisers’ Index International Transport Journal 21-22 2014 On volatility «Anything that is merely likely, is likely to be false.» René Descartes (1596–1650), French scientist and philosopher Buzzwords are thrown up with each turn of the tide, ebbing and flowing in the ocean. Their half-life is equally limited, however – no sooner have they appeared, they lose their luminosity to use the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s description of the quality of words. If a concept gains traction and its use proliferates and grows exponentially, then such a word can become part of the accepted long-term vocabulary. Have we not had our fill of the phenomenon known as globalisation in the last 30 years? The term has had to stand in for countless disparate phenomena. And what about the work-life balance, and hype? Just a few years ago volatility was still one of the words that one had to look up. Having assured one’s self that the terms Latin root is ideologically neutral (volatilis: fleeting or fugitive), one is immediately thrown into confusion over the origins of its present-day usage. Political and economic scientists lay claim to authorship, as do mathematicians and natural scientists. The use, however, is undisputed – something is volatile if it deviates from a standard value over a given period. So far, so good. Let us however look into the use of the word in more detail. When the word is used to describe economic trends and relationships, especially of stocks and shares – which is where this buzzword is most commonly used after all – the overall impact is pretty sobering. On the other hand, when hard-nosed analysts on Wall Street use it, they wax lyrical. «Volatility is no friend of the bull market» was recently on CNN, and was relatively harmless. Reuters, on the other hand went, further and claimed to have discovered «a volatile love affair between funds and indices.» So has volatility suddenly become human? Is its personified quality now suddenly able to express likes and dislikes that invite us to reach out to it? Let me be perfectly clear. No! Not only does volatility not have good intentions towards humanity, it even lurks menacingly around street corners. Its dark power is a constituent element of all living organisms in the form of volatile hydrocarbons in the microscopic world, and it also reaches all the way into space, to Nasa’s Mars mission called Maven (Mars atmosphere and volatile evolution). If that is too far away for some, the reader is referred instead to the contemplation of his nightly glass of red wine. Wine connoisseurs will tell him that the volatile acidity at the bottom of his glass might well turn his wine into vinegar. So volatility is all around us. But we may be able to outwit it if we turn the definition around. How and why do we choose to define standards and parameters on the basis of mere extrapolation? And why do we consider deviation from the standard to be risky, that is volatile, even though volatility is actually doing nothing other than behaving according to its nature, that is to say, according to objective circumstances? Volatility, that is to say uncertainty, is surely in the eye of the beholder, and not in the deviation from the norm in a period of time artificially determined by anyone. This may indeed be all there is to it; but human beings need firm foundations. And so it is likely that they will continue to want to predetermine the future and to plan on the basis of experience, even if experience teaches them that the future rarely is troubled by the plans of mere mortals. Perhaps the golden mean in this matter is best summed up by the Slovenian writer Žarko Petan (1929–2014), who wrote succinctly and rightly about the value of now. «The present is the state between the good old days and the beautiful future.» Christian Doepgen  Issue 23-26/2014 of the International Transport Journal, with an Iran/Iraq Special, will be published on 20 June 2014. The deadline for printing data is on 28 May 2014. Advertisers’ Index Egolf Verpackungs AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Intertrans International Transports . . . . . 68 Phoenix Freight Internat. Ltd . . . . . . . . . 64 Swiss World Cargo Swiss Internat. Emirates Sky Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 ITX Cargo Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Göteborgs Hamn AB Gothenburg Port Air Lines Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 25, 29 a. hartrodt (Schweiz) AG . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Etihad Airways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Aéroport de Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Thai Airways International PLC . . . . . . . . 22 Far East Land Bridge Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Kifa AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Air Bridge Cargo Airlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 France Cargo International Company SA KOG Project Logistic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia . . . . . . 58 TIACA The International Air Cargo A.R.T. Logistics Business Group . . . . . . . . 35 (FCI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Lamprecht Transport AG . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Die Schweizerische Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Barth+Co Spedition GmbH & Co KG . . . 54 Furness Shipping Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 LDZ Cargo Latvian Railway Cargo . . . . . . 36 Bertschi Iberica S.L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Gefco Espana SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 LKW WALTER Internat. Transportorgani- Alessandro Billitz Nfg. GmbH . . . . . . . . . . 7 Genel Transport Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 sation AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 bremenports GmbH & Co. KG . . . . . . . . .17 Globalink Transportation & Logistics M+R Spedag Global AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, INC. . . . . . . . .13 Worldwide LCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Manaco, International Forwarders Inc. . . 72 China Airlines Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Globelink West Star Shipping LLC . . . . . . .71 MARTINEZ-CAMPO ATLAS Management IFC COLOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Grimaldi Cia di Navigazione . . . . . . . . . . .17 Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Combi Line Int. S.p.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Grupolis Transitarios Lda . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 MEETING Y SALONES, S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Contship Italia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Heavy Load Freight Services L.L.C. . . . . . 57 MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG . . . . . . 33 D’ALESSANDRO Espace Méditerranée . . 50 I.F.A. Int. Forwarding Association Dunkerque Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Cooperatie U.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ECU INTERNATIONAL NV Headquarter Ecu-Line Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Qatar Airways Cargo Doha International TimoCom Soft- und Hardware GmbH . . . 43 Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 TransContainer JSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 QCS-Quick Cargo Service GmbH Interna- Transfennica Nederland B.V. . . . . . . . . . 66 tionale Luft- und Seefracht Spedition . . . 53 Transnatur S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Ritschard S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Turkish Airlines Inc. Türk Hava RS Container Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Yollari A.O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Russian Railways JSC RZD OAO . . . . . . . . 2 Tuscor Lloyds (UK) Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Saco Shipping GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Unisped AG Internationale Transporte . . 55 Salvat Logistica, S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 UTIKAD International Freight Forwarders Moor Transport AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 SDA Express Courier SPA . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Nova Traffic AG Internationale SNTL Société Nationale des Transports Wegmüller AG Holz- und Kartonver- Incargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Transporte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 et de la Logistique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 packungen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Intercontor Hellas S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 OneExpress Italia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sparber Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Ziegler (Schweiz) AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

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