Seafrigo’s recently-launched joint venture with Antwerp Cold Stores, combined with its new LCL (Less-than-Container) reefer service between the Belgian city and New York in the USA, is proving so popular with customers that the logistics provider is now looking to further expand its operations and capacity in the port. Antwerp is set to play an important role in the further development of the Seafrigo Group, which is headquartered at Le Havre in France. Demand in the USA for high quality Belgian products such as chocolate and biscuits has surged over the last 12 months and in order to support the further development of the trade lane the Seafrigo Group is now looking at taking on an additional warehouse in the Port of Antwerp with at least 25,000 pallet positions for temperature-controlled cargo. As a result of the joint venture, which became effective in April this year, Seafrigo and Antwerp Cold Stores are already the leading player in Belgium for temperature-controlled perishable goods handling and storage. An expansion of the port facility will further enhance their combined market position.

Alliance networks operating between Asia and North Europe are experiencing delays of up to a month due to worsening port congestion at both ends of the tradelane. Asia-North Europe loops with a pro-forma round-trip transit time of around 75 days are now taking 100 or more, with carriers obliged to juggle schedules at the last minute. According to a Maersk advisory, vessel wait times at Antwerp are already up to 10 days, with lesser – albeit significant – delays impacting all North European hub ports. The consultant said the ULCV’s revised European rotation of Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Felixstowe would now take 18 days, due to waiting times in both Rotterdam and Felixstowe, compared with its schedule of around six days. According to eeSea data, the AE55/Griffin loop has a pro-forma round-trip voyage time of 76 days, of which 62, or 81%, are spent at sea, with 14 days allocated to time at port.

While the government has finally announced the tax refund rates for the much awaited Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme, exporters say the incentives are way below their expectations.Exactly two years after it was announced, and after missing several deadlines, the RoDTEP export promotion scheme has finally been fully launched. On August 13, the Commerce Department announced the much awaited new export refund rates under RoDTEP. But exporters say the many products have been left outside the ambit of the scheme, the rates announced are too small and that and some confusion still persists regarding the functioning of the scheme.Exporters would be given tax rebates, in the range of 0.5-4.3 percent. The rebate would be claimed as a percentage of the Freight on Board value of exports. The government has clarified that rebate on certain products will also be subject to value cap per unit of the exported product.

Ethiopian Airlines Group has teamed up with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to launch a B767-300ER freighter conversion line in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam, said: “In line with our Diversified Aviation Business Model of Vision 2025, we have been increasing our cargo capacity in fleet, ground service infrastructure and cargo connectivity network. Accordingly, we are partnering with IAI, one of the global technology leaders in the Aerospace industry, in building a cargo conversion center in our MRO facilities in Addis Ababa Airport. The Cargo conversion center will commence its first business with three Ethiopian Airlines owned B-767-300 aircraft.” Yossi Melamed, IAI’s executive vice president and general manager of Aviation Group, said, “the partnership comes as the company witnesses a “sharp rise in demand for cargo aircraft” on the back of an acceleration in e-commerce demand due to the Covid-19 outbreak.”

Vietnam Airlines and Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) sign a multi-year contract as the airlines new cargo handling partner at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The contract will see WFS providing full cargo handling services for the airline’s twice-weekly Airbus A350-900 passenger freighter aircraft flights directly connecting freight forwarders, importers and exporters in Amsterdam and Vietnam’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Stephane Scholving, managing director of WFS in the Netherlands, stated, “Winning this new contract is a tribute to the responsiveness of our team in Amsterdam and the quality of our cargo handling operations. Vietnam Airlines initially asked for our assistance to handle an urgent flight and their positive experience of working with WFS has ultimately led to this long-term agreement. We now look forward to supporting the airline’s customers and flight operations in Amsterdam and contributing to Vietnam Airline’s growth in the Netherlands.”

United Cargo has launched a new customer facing website as it continues its digital development. The carrier said that new features include improved shipment tracking, simplified navigation and a mobile friendly design. “The new website launch will pave the way for a streamlined, enhanced and industry-leading digital experience for our customers around the world,” the carrier said. The carrier added that the new website is the first of several steps in United Cargo’s “digital transformation”, with more features and expanded functionality coming later this year.

Budget airline SpiceJet today announced that it was transferring its cargo and logistics services with all the related assets and liabilities, including, know-how, trademark, licenses, franchises, customer contracts, distribution network etc on a slump sale basis to its subsidiary SpiceXpress and Logistics Private Limited. As per the last quarterly segment reporting by the company ended June 30, 2021, the logistics arm reported a net profit of INR 30 crore. The revenue increased by 285 per cent to INR 473 crore for the reported quarter as compared to INR 166 crore in the same quarter last year. “The proposed transfer of business to SpiceXpress will allow the new company to rapidly grow its innovative logistics platform and its unique fulfilment as a service business model.” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet SpiceXpress will also be able to raise capital independent of SpiceJet to fund this growth, he mentioned. Singh said he was confident that the performance of SpiceXpress as an independent entity will leverage and unlock significant value for SpiceJet and all its shareholders.

John Menzies plc (“Menzies”), the global aviation services business announces the expansion in Central America with the acquisition of Interexpresso and additional contract wins in the Oceania region. Menzies has agreed to acquire 51 percent of Interexpresso Costa Rica Corporación ILC, S.A. (“Interexpresso”) which will see Menzies’ footprint expand in Central America. Philipp Joeinig, chairman and CEO, said: “I am pleased to announce our expansion in the Central American region. We have found a knowledgeable partner in Interexpresso and, working together, we will be able to open doors in new, attractive, higher margin and emerging markets in the region.” Interexpresso is an aviation service provider operating in Central America and headquartered in Costa Rica. Interexpresso’s core business relates to cargo handling and aviation security services, primarily consisting of cargo document handling, cargo security screening and aircraft access control.

The Irkutsk Polymer Plant (IPP) project was executed in close cooperation between deugro (Japan) Co., Ltd., deugro Projects, LLC, Russia and deugro (Korea) Co., Ltd. Due to the transport via the Northern Sea Route and critical conditions of navigation on the Lena River, the navigation period was limited to a maximum of three months. The vessels were accompanied by the nuclear ice breaker Yamal. The cargo contained 45 oversized heavy lift (OSHL) components and was shipped simultaneously on two full-charter vessels from Masan, South Korea via Tiksi in the Arctic Ocean to Ust-Kut, Russia. As most of the OSHL cargo came from South Korea and the transit time to Tiksi via the Bering Strait was the fastest, it was consolidated and loaded at the port of Masan. After 4,500 nautical miles, both vessels arrived at the anchorage points in Tiksi. Due to a low draft at the Port of Tiksi, the simultaneous transshipment from both vessels onto nine barges was executed outside the port area. All barges were certified for an exit to the sea, and the river transportation from Tiksi to Ust-Kut took about 24 to 26 days by barge.

Singapore-based Xander Investment Management (“Xander”) recently announced that its industrial platform has acquired an additional 1 million square feet of warehousing space in Free Trade and Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) located at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Xander which already owns 1 million square feet of warehouses in the FTWZ with this acquisition has immediately doubled its ownership in the park to 2 million square feet. Notified as the first FTWZ in India, and recently approved as a Multi-Sector SEZ, the park provides Grade-A warehousing and industrial facilities to global operators and manufacturers. Many big names such as DHL, DB Schenker, Kerry Indev, TVS Supply Chain, and Seaways Supply Chain are currently the occupiers of the facility. “The expansion in JMFTZ is fueled by strong tenant performance and enhanced demand from existing and new occupiers. The new facilities will provide a further thrust to the logistics and manufacturing sectors in the region and act as a catalyst for more rapid economic development in Tamil Nadu. We are leveraging our expertise and knowledge to design best in class industrial/ logistics infrastructure with an emphasis on ESG and sustainability,” said a Xander spokesperson.