The Department of Posts and Indian Railways have jointly introduced and expanded the proof of concept (POC) of express cargo service under the Rail Post Gati Shakti Express Cargo Service programme, said reports. This has been done with the integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for the movement of parcels.To take the project forward, a meeting of the Railways and the Postal authorities was held at the head post office here. Manisha Bansal Badal, Postmaster General, Punjab West Region, Chandigarh, and Bhupendra Pratap Singh, Additional Divisional Railways Manager, Ferozepur, headed the teams of their respective departments during the meeting. Representatives of trade bodies of Ludhiana and consumers of the Railways and the Department of Posts were also present. The performance of the POC model of Rail Post Gati Shakti implemented at Surat-Varanasi as pilot project was discussed and modalities were worked out to implement the project from Ludhiana to various locations of the country at the earliest with the joint efforts of the Postal and the Railways authorities. “More such joint meetings will be held before launching the project from Ludhiana city,” the Superintendent of Post Offices said.

BOC Aviation has recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with The Boeing Company to purchase 40 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. All aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028, said release. “We are pleased to continue to build on our existing relationship with Boeing, with this 40-aircraft incremental order for the fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The incremental aircraft takes our total 737 MAX 8 order book with Boeing to 80 aircraft,” said David Walton, Deputy Managing Director, and Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to continuing to provide one of the industry’s most technologically advanced aircraft for delivery on lease to our airline customers, to support their sustainable growth over the balance of this decade.” BOC Aviation is a leading global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 612 aircraft owned, managed, and on order. Its owned and managed fleet was leased to 81 airlines in 38 countries and regions worldwide as of 30 September 2022. “We are proud that BOC Aviation continues to invest in the 737-8 with its industry-leading versatility and ability to fly almost any short and medium-haul market profitably,” said Ryan Weir, vice president of Global Leasing Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We look forward to more opportunities to expand our relationship to support BOC Aviation and its customers.”

The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) is planning to construct seven warehouses in Andhra Pradesh with a total capacity of over 18 lakh tonnes in the next two financial years, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs C R Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha, as per reports. The CWC has already constructed six warehouses in Andhra Pradesh. Another about 1.28 million tonne capacity of warehouses will be constructed at Kadapa, Nandyal, Renigunta, Sattenpalli, Nellore, Nandikotkur and Vadlamudi in the state during 2023-24 financial year, the minister added.

JK Lakshmi Cement has announced a partnership with GreenLine Logistics to roll out the first fleet of LNG (liquified natural gas) trucks in the country. The initiative, which aims to decarbonize the company’s road logistics operations, will start with a fleet of 10 LNG trucks running on the Sirohi (Rajasthan) to Surat (Gujarat) route, with plans to scale up over the next two years. Each LNG truck is expected to reduce around 35 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The move is part of JK Lakshmi Cement’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and improve its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. GreenLine Logistics is a pioneer in green and smart logistics in India, working to become the country’s largest green road logistics company and provide emissions reduction in heavy trucking for ESG-conscious businesses. The adoption of LNG trucks is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 28%, CO by up to 70%, NOx by up to 59%, SOx by up to 100%, and particulate matter by up to 91%. It will also help reduce noise pollution by up to 30%. GreenLine has created an integrated green logistics ecosystem in India to accelerate the adoption of LNG heavy commercial vehicles and promote green trucking in the country.

Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) says with government’s support and initiatives like Gati Shakti and NLP, BIAL is expecting to have an extremely favorable environment to grow its cargo business. He shares, “According to internal analysis, the Airport’s cargo potential is estimated to be 1.7 – 1.9 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2038. With the fast-paced growth in business and rising demands, we intend to remain at the forefront of providing world-class facilities, infrastructure and technology to our customers, partners and stakeholders. We are looking at the development of a new domestic cargo terminal, refurbishing the existing cargo terminals with enhanced capacity and the expansion of cold-chain facility. With the government getting involved and focusing on logistics efficiency and infrastructural development through initiatives like Gati Shakti and NLP, we are expecting to have an extremely favourable environment to grow our cargo business. We believe that we can cater to around 1.5 million MT of cargo annually in the next decade and we are preparing for that.”

In India, to ensure customers can make greater strides in accessing cross border opportunities with ease, FedEx Express has introduced new time-definite international delivery service – FedEx International Priority® Express (IPE) that addresses businesses, heightened demand for trackable, time-definite delivery, ” informed Suvendu Choudhury, Managing Director, International Operations, FedEx Express. “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the foundation of the global economy, representing about 90% of all business and employing half of the world’s workforce, according to the World Bank . FedEx is committed to helping these vital companies succeed and grow. To give SMEs the right resources, tools and solutions they need to accelerate their business on a global stage, we conducted the AMEA Small Business Grant Contest, through which an Indian e-commerce start-up won a business grant of US$ 30,000, amongst 100 participants across 14 markets,” he added. FedEx also recognizes that economic growth and sustainability must go hand in hand for the future of our people and planet. “That’s why we are working every day to help create a more sustainable future. We’ve committed to make our operations carbon-neutral by 2040. Creating a more sustainable delivery fleet is a top priority, which is why FedEx is focused on vehicle electrification, alternative transportation options, and modernizing our aircrafts. We’re committed to operating a fully electric parcel pickup and delivery fleet by 2040. In January 2022, we conducted our maiden EV trails in India, and thereafter contributed electric-bikes to a local NGO. In the year ahead, technology and sustainability will have a substantial impact on how we work to ensure greater efficiencies in the supply chain. The future will witness newer technologies, further digital transformations, and higher levels of …

AD Ports Group has signed a shareholder agreement with KMTF (Kazmortransflot), a fully-owned offshore logistics and services subsidiary of the Kazakh National Oil Company (KazMunayGas), to launch an exclusive joint venture, 51 percent owned by AD Ports Group and 49 percent owned by KMTF, to provide offshore and shipping services for energy companies in the Caspian Sea. Furthermore, the two parties have signed an agreement to pool tanker resources, said reports. The joint venture, which will look at investments opportunistically will offer a broad range of services, including offshore support vessels, integrated offshore logistics and subsea solutions and, at a later stage, will offer container feedering, ro-ro and crude oil transportation in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. The enterprise will tender for a number of identified projects with estimated maritime contract values of more than USD780 million. AD Ports Group and KMTF also signed a seven-year vessel pooling agreement, the joint venture includes the provision of several tankers for the transportation of crude oil internationally. Furthermore, the agreement will see KMTF’s fleet working alongside SAFEEN Group’s existing AFRAMAX tanker, with intent to acquire further vessels in the short-term. The objective is to jointly carry 8-10 million tonnes of crude annually in the medium-term.

Uttar Pradesh is planning to develop a network of dry ports and freight container stations to boost exports, said reports. The state plans to develop a modern logistics ecosystem in partnership with private players. “A dry port is an inland intermodal port directly linked to a seaport by roads or railway to facilitate faster movement of export cargo. Under the UP Warehousing and Logistics Policy 2022, the state will fast-track land allotments for logistics parks and offer a string of subsidies and incentives to attract private investments. The state will support the private sector for the development of storage facilities, cold chains, multi-modal parks, container depots, and container freight stations infrastructure in the state,” the reports added. “The fresh policy has been framed with an objective of developing a strong logistics ecosystem and fostering an international business and investment environment to achieve the trillion-dollar economy vision,” a government official said. The state targets to hike merchandise exports from Rs 1.56 trillion to nearly Rs 3 trillion in three years, reports added.

According to IATA’s 2023 Trends – Transport of dangerous goods by air, more than 1.25 million dangerous goods (DG) shipments are transported by air every year, and with the volume of air cargo expected to increase, the number of dangerous goods shipments will also grow, particularly those containing lithium batteries. Consumer demand for electronic devices such as tablets and small personal mobility devices such as e-bikes is a key factor in driving this increase. As a result, there are new entrants in the market, which creates a need for training, process improvement and adoption of new technologies. As per the report, Compliance will continue to be a challenge as supply chains evolve and regulations are developed and refined. To keep pace, it is critical for organizations to assess their DG operations to identify opportunities within their compliance infrastructure and processes. Improving and streamlining your DG operations can be implemented in phases and through a blended approach including: *Technology: Automate DG operations and establish repeatable and reliable processes across the supply chain utilizing DG software and integrating it with your ERP or other systems; *Training: Utilize gamification or 3D training experiences to better train and recertify employees, and do so quickly and remotely; *Packaging: Refine your packaging strategies to further improve efficiency, safety and compliance throughout the supply chain; and *Regulations: Keep your employees and supply chain partners up-to-date on the latest regulations using digital regulatory materials.”

“As 2022 comes to a close, we have seen demand for air cargo soften when compared to 2021. While forecasts have been adjusted downwards, the air cargo sector is still projected to grow and outpace pre-pandemic levels in 2023. We will likely see a reduction in capacity constraints, especially out of the Asia Pacific region,” says Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group. He adds, “We can expect to see some softening of global yield levels with the return of more belly-hold capacity. However, an imbalance between strong demand and available supply in key cargo origin markets along with a relatively high share of freighter capacity will continue to demand higher yields. Some of the challenges we have faced in 2022 will remain in 2023. We will need to closely monitor macroeconomic factors, high fuel prices, supply shortages and ongoing border and travel restrictions. However, even with these challenges, tremendous opportunities are available to carriers who are agile, work collaboratively with stakeholders across the sector, and can adapt to evolving market conditions. We are continuously exploring introducing new territories and countries and focusing on our existing network to provide market-leading services based on customer demand. As we come to the end of 2022 and look ahead to 2023, we will continue to evaluate new markets and opportunities to grow our offering to our customers as part of Etihad Cargo’s wider cargo strategy.”