DAILY SHIPPING NEWS - TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Air Freight News :

Dallas adds to cool chain capabilities.

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Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) airport is adding to its cold chain storage facilities in response to the growth in pharma and perishables traffic.

The Texan hub soon will begin installing equipment at the facility, which will be operated by AirLogistix USA. 

Expected to be operational this summer, the transfer facility will give DFW the ability to control warehousing temperatures for shipments of pharmaceuticals, flowers and fresh foods. 

John Ackerman, executive vice president global strategy and development at DFW, said: “There are tremendous growth opportunities for domestic and international cargo customers to ship perishables through DFW to 180 markets. 

“Today, we handle 66% of the air cargo from Texas, and our cargo tonnage increased by more than eight percent over last year and is up 18% this year. This new facility will increase our handling capabilities and open new doors for all our cargo and logistics partners to ship high-value, temperature and time sensitive products through DFW.” 

The airport handles more than 794,600 tons of airfreight per year, with 14 dedicated freighters serving 22 major cargo hubs throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. Belly cargo capacity is also available to more than 200 global destinations on the 26 passenger airlines that serve the airport.

Qatar expands Pharma Express services.

·         Qatar Airways Cargo is adding further frequencies to its Pharma Express services that link the two European pharmaceutical hubs of Basel and Brussels with its home hub of Doha.

An additional weekly frequency, operating on Fridays, was introduced on the route out of Basel on 3 February, while two further weekly Airbus A330 freighter services linking Brussels to Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays will inaugurate from 15 February.

From 18 February, Qatar Airways Cargo will operate a total of nine Pharma Express flights each week.

Qatar Airways’ chief officer cargo, Ulrich Ogierman, observed: “Air cargo standards for handling time-and temperature-sensitive commodities such as pharmaceuticals are becoming more stringent, especially with the stricter guidelines on temperature control requirements.

“At Qatar Airways Cargo, we understand the intricacies involved in safeguarding the integrity of temperature-sensitive commodities during shipment. Therefore, we are committed to offering our customers seamless cool chain air logistics as well as uncompromised service standards compliant with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) requirements.”

The Doha-based freight carrier’s Pharma Express flights were first launched in 2015. Now connecting the pharmaceutical hubs of Brussels, Basel, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad with the Qatari capital, they fly a total of more than 30,000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals each year.

All these routes are served by Qatar Airways A330 freighter aircraft, offering between 65 and 68 tonnes of capacity each way.  Qatar Airways Cargo’s QR Pharma service is its specialist product dedicated to pharmaceuticals and healthcare products. It offers both active and passive technologies to maintain the consistent temperature of a shipment throughout the supply chain.

Etihad celebrates another year of expansion, but cargo volumes remain flat.

·         Etihad Airways has reported on what it describes as “another year of sustained growth” in 2016, expansion achieved off the back of new aircraft deliveries, additional frequencies on various services and the introduction of further product offerings.

During the year, Etihad Cargo carried 592,700 tonnes of freight, a figure not dissimilar to that of 2015’s. In 2015, it flew 592,090 tonnes of freight and mail, a 4% increase on 2014.

However, Etihad’s cargo operation expanded its freighter services to several new markets, including Columbus Rickenbacker, Ohio, in the US; East Midlands and London Stansted in the UK; Copenhagen in Denmark; Brussels, Belgium; Addis Ababa and Casablanca in Ethiopia and Morocco, Africa, respectively; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Muscat, Oman; and Zhengzhou in China. These additions brought the number of freighter-only destinations on the Etihad Cargo network to 15.

Over the course of 2016, parent carrier Etihad Airways – which became part of the wider Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) when the latter was formed in May 2016 – operated more than 109,000 scheduled passenger and cargo flights to a total of 112 destinations. 

Last year, it launched Venice in Italy, Rabat in Morocco and Sabiha Gokcen in Turkey as new destinations on its network.

Also during the year, the airline took delivery of 10 aircraft: two Boeing 777-200 freighters, three Airbus A380s and five B787s. A further 12 aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2017: one A330-200 freighter, nine Boeing 787s and two A380s.

Sea Freight News :

Chabahar Port in Iran expected to open in a month: Afghan Consul Business Standard The strategic port of Chabahar in Iran which is being developed to build a transport-and-trade corridor through Afghanistan giving India an access to global markets is expected to be opened in a month's time, said Afghanistan Consul General Mohammad Aman Amin. "The port is likely to open in a month's time and it will provide impetus to the trade between India and Afghanistan," said Amin in Nagpur on Monday. The construction of this port assumes significance as it will allow bypassing the route through Pakistan for accessing markets in Europe and Central Asia and also save on time and cost of doing business. India had in May 2016 signed the historic deal with Iran and Afghanistan. Amin also hoped that Mumbai to Kabul flight services will be started very soon on the lines of Delhi to Afghanistan route.

Dedicated Freight Corridor to be operational by 2020 Tribune perations of goods trains on Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) will start by December 2020, claimed Adesh Sharma, Managing Director of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL). Expected to be a game-changer in the freight transportation sector after it becomes fully operational by the next three years, the Rs 81,459-crore DFC project will also be free from all level crossings, a major safety hazard in rail network. Contracts worth Rs 18,000 crore were awarded during 2016 for the DFC project, Sharma said, adding that while 100% contracts in the 1504-km-long Western DFC have been awarded, for the 1840-km-long Eastern DFC, it is 87%. Ensuring unhindered movement of freight trains, Sharma said, “A total of 1,003 level crossings are planned to be eliminated which will help seamless movement of both rail and road traffic.”

CCI rejects complaint of unfair business practices at JNP Money Control The Competition Commission has rejected complaints that Gateway Terminals India Ltd indulged in unfair business practices with respect to services of container freight stations at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai. It was alleged that Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd (GTIPL) diverted traffic from its terminal in Mumbai to Pipavav port in Gujarat to increase profits and compelled shipping lines to either use its services or select container freight stations (CFSs) at JNP. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) considered 'market for provision of container terminal services in Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai,' as the relevant one. Observing that market share of GTIPL has been declining since last three years and that there are other CFSs operating at JNP, CCI noted the company is not in a dominant position in the relevant market.

Goa to cut cargo trafffic, promote shipping with new jetties DNA As many as nine new jetties are likely to come up in the coastal state of Goa to decongest it's road. The move is likely to drastically bring down cargo traffic from the road to promote coastal shipping of cargo. An initial survey by Public Works Department (PWD) of Goa has short-listed nine locations for have new jetties, namely, Raibander, Old Goa or Divar, Banastarim, Borim, Shiroda, Durbhat, Cortalim or Rassaim, Aldona and Bicholim. Now, a detailed project report will be prepared on these nine jetties, a consultant for the same will be appointed soon. "The traffic on the roads has increased manifolds. Due to high density of traffic and narrow roads, accidents on roads are also increasing. This will take off the cargo traffic from the road and will promote coastal shipping of cargo," read a report by Indian Ports Association on development of jetties in Goa.

Government is working for sustainable trade relationship between India and China, says Shaktikanta Das Financial Express Talking about sustainable trade relationship and balance of trade between India and China, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das on Monday said that the government is working towards increasing exports to China to balance a wide trade deficit and formulate a sustainable trade relationship. “We have trade deficit with China, and we would like to increase our exports to China,” said Shaktikanta Das at meeting with the Chinese media delegation in New Delhi here today. “Our commerce and trade dept is working with China to increase our exports there. So that there is parity in trade with China,” he added while saying that for sustainable trade relationship, balance of trade is required between India and China. He further said that the total trade between India and China in 2016 was USD 71 billion, and India had a very wide trade deficit of USD 46 billion.

Cargo ship with Chinese sailors on board detained in India China.org A cargo ship from Jiangsu province with 23 Chinese crew members on board has been detained at India's Haldia port for more than a month. The ship set off from Nantong, east China in July last year, unloaded at Haldia port in December, and has been detained since then. The freighter "Union Demeter" is owned by Nanjing Tranvast Holdings Limited and all crew members are from Nanjing Yuanteng shipping company. Captain Dai Xiaosong contacted Jiangsu News Radio and asked for help. Dai said other boats owned by Tranvast didn't pay refuelling expenses, thus the "Union Demeter" was detained by order of a court in Bombay. In the same month when "Union Demeter" unloaded, the ship owner declared bankruptcy. Sailors said they haven't been paid for five months and the total unpaid wages reached 1.5 million yuan, or 218,000 US dollars.

Productivity week at VOC Port The Hindu ‘Productivity Week’ celebrations of V.O. Chidambaranar Port here commenced on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, S. Natarajan, Deputy Chairman, V.O. Chidambararanar Port Trust, and chief guest, emphasised the need for improving productivity to handle the increased throughput, according to a statement issued by the port trust. Mr. Natarajan said the port was all set to handle 85 million tonnes of cargo by 2025. In order to achieve the traffic forecast, the port was in the process of creating necessary infrastructure. Inviting suggestions from employees and stakeholders for increasing the productivity of the port, he said a committee would be constituted to scrutinise their suggestions for implementation. As part of the celebrations, essay, slogan writing and elocution competitions on productivity aspects would be conducted for the staff.

Shipping department inks deal with India for certification The Daily Star Bangladesh and India yesterday signed an agreement for certification in maritime, industrial survey and inspection in Bangladesh. Syed Ariful Islam, director general of the Department of Shipping and Vijay Arora, joint managing director of the Indian Registrar of Shipping (IRS), signed the deal on behalf of their respective sides in Dhaka. The IRS can now certify the raw materials for shipbuilding and oceangoing vessels. Currently, companies from France, Germany and Italy certify Bangladesh's oceangoing vessels on shipbuilding, safety and inspection. “For signing the agreement, our businesses through the coastal line will be more cost-effective, time saving and safe, as the IRS will have a local representative and can certify swiftly,” said Sakhawat Hossain, managing director of Western Marine Group, which owns Zenith Test and Inspection Services, IRS's Bangladesh partner.

India Can Save $33.3bln If Trade Moves near to Ports Maritime Professional India can save up to USD 28 billion in infrastructure spend and another USD 3.3 billion in transportation cost if 50 per cent of overall trade moves closer to ports by 2020, PTI said quoting an EY report. The EY report said that India ranked as low as 126 out of 189 countries on total cost of trade while China and Germany are ranked at 98 and 18 respectively. The non-major ports on the eastern and western coasts can play a pivotal role in port centric industrial development thereby achieving cost competitiveness through optimsation of network and logistics. Backed with credentials, the report highlights the potential role of non-major ports on the east-coast of the country in leading the sustainable growth path for the country’s maritime trade. While major ports are facing increased congestion owing to constraints in their ability to expand any further, non-major ports in India have a bigger scope for development, according to the report.

GCC countries focus on future strategies Break Bulk Well before oil prices tumbled to their recent historic lows, oil economies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, region had already turned to economic diversification programs to develop non-oil sectors. Retail, logistics, tourism and infrastructure all featured heavily in plans to lessen the degree of dependence on hydrocarbon revenues. Of those, concentration on logistics was a shrewd move: the Middle East Gulf nations’ geographical location puts them neatly at the meeting point of the Middle East, Europe and Africa, connecting more than half of the world’s population. As the natural next step, efforts are afoot to develop the region as a major transshipment hub for all kinds of goods, including project cargo. There is a pressing need for such expertise with Dubai’s hosting of the World Expo 2020 and Qatar’s organization of the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Maersk and MSC add new Asia - Europe and transpac services Seatrade Maritime The 2M alliance of Maersk Line and MSC is launching new Asia – Europe and transpacific services to provide space for volumes from Hyundai Merchant Marine and Hamburg Sud. The new AE7 connects Shanghai, Ningbo and Tanjung Pelepas in Asia with North European ports, with calls in North Africa and the Middle East on the backhaul. On the transpacific the TP18 service connects Chinese and South Korean ports with the US East Coast via the Panama Canal claiming to offer the fastest connection from Hong Kong to Miami. Maersk said the new services would allow the line and MSC to accommodate incoming volumes from HMM, which has a cooperation agreement with 2M, and Hamburg Sud via slot purchase agreements. Neither HMM nor Hamburg Sud will operate vessels on the services.