Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Kottayam (Kottayam port) announced to work together with the Kuwait-based Azimar Shipping & Logistics LLP in container movement and setting up modern consolidated cargo warehouse in Kottayam. Abraham Varghese, managing director of the Kottayam port, and Ani Peter, managing partner, Azimar, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard at a function held in the presence of Industries Minister P. Rajeeve and Registrations Minister V. N. Vasavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. As per this, Azimar will invest in building a new barge with a capacity to carry 30 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of cargo. “At present, we have more than 400 units of container transactions per month. With the arrival of Azimar, we expect that to cross 600 units in the beginning and touch 1,000 units later,” said Roopesh Kumar, general manager, Kottayam port.

Cargo owners at India’s hinterland points of Chennai and Kolkata are rerouting more shipments to JNPT (Nhava Sheva) or Mundra instead of feedering to hub or intermediate ports in South Asia for mainline, long-haul connectivity. These are usually Colombo (Sri Lanka), Singapore and Port Klang (Malaysia) . Jayesh Tanna, VP of FCL-air freight for India & Dubai at Mumbai-based multimodal solutions provider Allcargo Logistics, said there had been a change in the market, albeit transient, where more shippers tended to shift cargo away from Colombo, or other hubs caught up in lingering congestion and sailing reliability issues. “Shipments are slowly moving in and out from Kolkata to Nhava Sheva. This trend will likely continue, at least, for the next three to four months, as the space is not fully open.” said Tanna

DB Schenker announced the extension of its partnership with Atlas Air for charter flights on the transpacific route. The flights which are part of the forwarder’s global flight network, which was launched in 2020, will receive dedicated capacity on multiple flights each week by Atlas. “We are excited to extend our current partnership with Atlas Air on our transpacific charter operations. The timely and reliable operation of Atlas Air fits perfectly into our commitment to provide our customers a reliable service for air transportation in their supply chain.” said Björn Eckbauer, senior vice president, global operations and procurement airfreight, DB Schenker. When the forwarder launched its “global flight operations program” in 2020, the service-connected Beijing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, and Hong Kong to Chicago and Frankfurt ten times a week with exclusive full charter flights.

The Inland Container Depot (ICD) Birgunj, Nepal and Indian ports Kolkata and Visakhapatnam aims to offer greater flexibility and reliability for regional shippers with thw new link. Sudhir Sudhakaran, Inland Steering Manager Area India, said, “By expanding its presence in the hinterland bordering eastern India, the firm is able to capitalise on the booming import-heavy niche market.” The rail connection is a regular service, offering greater reliability for planning than previous road arrangements. Customers additionally will be able to receive a Through B/L and can directly take delivery of cargo in Nepal. “The partner we have chosen in Nepal is the ICD operator and now runs a private railroad, which ensures us access to infrastructure and strengthens our ability to deliver quality to our customers,” the company added. Customers can book their cargo up to ICD Birgunj with the choice of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam as gateway ports.

With the exponential rise in e-commerce activity, GEODIS is offering brands a new level of end-to-end logistics support ‘GEODIS e-Logistics’ to help them offer their customers the same buying experience online as they do in-store. For this, GEODIS relies on its network of e-commerce warehouses and transportation service at locations worldwide, and on its new digital platform for the processing of orders in real time. “The current crisis has benefited e-Commerce, a fundamental sales channel that is experiencing profound accelerated growth, from France to China via the United States. Responding to this new consumer demand requires brands to be able to orchestrate both orders and inventories, while overcoming major logistical obstacles. This is why ‘GEODIS e-Logistics’ has been developed. This new offering, based on the power of digital technology, is aimed at strengthening brand autonomy”, explains Marie-Christine Lombard, chief executive officer of GEODIS.

Landmark Capital, managing real estate investments through SEBI registered alternative investment funds (AIFs) and managed accounts, announced the launch of Landmark Warehousing & Logistics Fund. The fund is targeting a corpus of INR 500 crores, including a green-shoe option of INR 200 crores. Landmark Capital presents avenues to invest in the warehousing and industrial space in India. This is a unique opportunity presented by the changing landscape of logistics industry in India due to regulatory changes like GST, infrastructure development, and rise of digital platforms to buy goods and services. The fund is launched with an objective to generate superior risk-adjusted returns by investing in high-quality Grade-A warehousing and logistics opportunities. Landmark Capital is focusing on non-speculative built-to-suit assets and diversification across geographies to ensure effective risk mitigation. The fund’s deal pipeline accounts for over 400 acres of land with marquee names as potential anchor tenants.

After the conclusion of the COP 26 conference in Glasgow, DB Schenker and Volta Trucks, a leading and disruptive full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, have confirmed an intensive partnership and pre-order of nearly 1,500 full-electric Volta Zero vehicles – the most significant order for large zero-emission trucks in Europe to date. Cyrille Bonjean, Executive VP, Land Transport at DB Schenker, Europe, said, “We have many challenges to overcome on the road to carbon neutrality. The large-scale partnership with Volta Trucks allows us to significantly increase the pace of electrification of our fleet and invest in greener transport solutions, brings us closer again to our goal of carbon neutral logistics.” Essa Al-Saleh, CEO, Volta Trucks, confirmed the agreement with DB Schenker, “I am delighted to welcome DB Schenker as a Volta Trucks customer. Working with DB Schenker on Europe’s largest full-electric truck order demonstrates the confidence that major freight distributors have in our ability to deliver a world-class zero-emission vehicle on time and to the highest possible quality.”

Brussels Airport launched Stargate project, receiving a grant within the European Green deal. In the next five years, Brussels Airport will be working with a consortium of 21 partners on some 30 concrete projects to make aviation and airports greener and more sustainable. Stargate includes building a biofuel blending installation at the airport, electric ground handling material and testing a new innovation that will make engine test runs much quieter. At the end of 2020, following a call of the European Commission, Brussels Airport took the initiative to submit an ambitious programme (“Stargate”) together with 21 partners, including three European airports, airlines, mobility and knowledge institutes and local authorities, to develop innovations and initiatives for an accelerated transition to greener aviation. Brussels Airport’s Stargate project was selected and has received a 24.8 million euros grant within the European Green Deal to implement these projects in the coming years.

Air Charter Service (ACS) recorded its busiest quarter for the cargo division with 1,445 charters in the third quarter of August-October 2021 (the financial year for ACS runs February-January). Along with other divisions, ACS reported its highest revenue in a single quarter of £321.1 million ($430 million) as against £212 million ($282 million) in Q2. “The incredible increase in revenue was, of course, in part due to the current supply chain crisis,” said founder and chairman Chris Leach. “Firstly, revenues have increased due to demand becoming more long haul on larger aircraft which, naturally, are more expensive. The majority of this demand has been from Asia, which has seen an especially significant reduction in belly capacity due to travel restrictions in the region, meaning charter options have also been extremely limited. Our speciality in finding these solutions, along with our strong presence in Asia, has meant that we have been able to find solutions that others simply haven’t.”

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. has expanded the My FedEx Rewards (MFR) program in India, a point-based loyalty program designed to reward customers for choosing FedEx. The rewards program is open to owners of corporate shipping accounts, enabling them to earn points for all eligible shipments. My FedEx Rewards will empower FedEx customers with more personalized services. Members of the MFR program can earn points as they ship with FedEx to redeem rewards such as gift vouchers and other goodies like electronics, health and beauty items, household products, luggage, bags, sporting goods and more. Eligible customers will receive an email invitation to the program and welcome points to kickstart their rewards journey