Category Archives: International

John Menzies has approved a takeover proposal from Agility subsidiary National Aviation Services (NAS) Holding following its rejection of earlier offers. The board of Menzies has received a further revised “final” proposal from Agility subsidiary NAS regarding a possible all cash offer for Menzies of 608 pence per share. The deal has been valued at around £550m. This follows earlier approaches from NAS to the board regarding possible all cash offers for Menzies at 460 pence, 510 pence and 605 pence per Menzies share. Menzies ssid, “The Board has considered the Final Proposal and indicated to NAS that it would be willing unanimously to recommend an offer at the financial terms of the Final Proposal to Menzies shareholders subject to the satisfactory resolution of all the other terms of the offer, including the approach to the customary regulatory approvals required to complete any transaction.” The board of Menzies is now in talks with NAS regarding the terms and will be providing NAS with access to management and due diligence information.

Qatar Airways Cargo approves Envirotainer’s the Releye® RAP container. Able to accommodate 5 pallets, the Releye® RAP is the largest and most technically advanced product in Envirotainer’s new generation container series. Its unique features are now available to Qatar Airways Cargo customers wherever and whenever required, complementing the airline’s existing range of pharmaceutical transport solutions. Qatar Airways Cargo has offered its customers Envirotainer’s RAP and RKN active pharma containers since 2014, and was an early adopter of the first Releye® RLP, launched last summer. Envirotainer’s Releye® series is based on five pillars: Control, Monitoring, Autonomy, Value, and Sustainability. Similar to the smaller 3-pallet Releye® RLP, the Releye® RAP’s unique air flow technology controls and maintains maximum temperature stability in the cargo bay. Monitoring is carried out by the Envirotainer Control Tower – a unique, dedicated service team that monitors each Releye® shipment 24/7 and is immediately on hand in the case of any deviation. Extended battery life ensures greater container autonomy, whilst value is generated by the optimum use of cargo space within the container. The Releye® RAP has the largest internal volume on the market. Added to this, its low weight and efficient performance result in both, the best value operating costs, as well as the lowest CO2 footprint in the air cargo industry: up to 90% reduction in CO2 emissions can be achieved. Fredrik Linnér, Chief Business Development Officer at Envirotainer said, “Qatar Airways Cargo and Envirotainer share a strong focus on innovation, supreme quality, and sustainability. The Envirotainer Releye® RAP is part of the Releye® series, and the RAP solution for the future. It not only allows Qatar Airways Cargo to offer its customers the newest, fully …

Pacific International Lines (PIL) will impose a fine of US$30,000 per container for any misdeclaration of the cargo weight, a charge that is already effective from 15 February. Misdeclaration includes but is not limited to incorrect/partial declaration, late declaration, alteration, or omission of such declaration, according to the company’s notice. “A charge of US$30,000 per container globally will be imposed as part of PIL’s tariff upon the shipper and/or consignee making any misdeclaration of the cargo weight which in effect exceeds the maximum payload of the container used for the carriage,” said the Singapore-headquartered carrier in a statement. In addition to this charge, amongst others, the shipper and consignee will be held liable and responsible for all corrective measures, claims, fines, liabilities, losses, delays, damages or expenses arising in consequence of such misdeclaration, according to the notice. Failure to properly declare cargo weight constitutes a breach of contract which violates the applicable law, endangers lives and adversely affects the operations of the entire supply chain, according to PIL, which said, “we focus on making continual improvements to our safety practices to protect our crew, ships and cargo.”

SEKO Logistics has streamlined international cross-border e-commerce for more than 10m parcels worldwide each month. The supply chain specialist, which in January launched e-commerce business unit Seko ECommerce, is using Descartes’ solutions for air cargo and e-commerce security filings, speeding the customs clearance processing time. David Emerson, global VP, e-commerce solutions at SEKO Logistics, said: “Cross-border e-commerce is growing significantly and more customers are looking to us to simplify the complexity of filing security and customs entries as goods travel by air between countries. “Descartes’ high-level filing automation enabled SEKO to further manage the extraordinary volumes we’re shipping. As SEKO expands internationally and regulations change, such as Brexit, Descartes has the solutions we need to grow.” Descartes provides connectivity and air messaging services to customs authorities around the world, helping shippers and freight forwarders to comply with security and customs requirements by filing air waybill information electronically for shipment clearance.

APM Terminals Pipavav is delighted to cater to the largest container vessel ever to arrive at the port. MV Express Athens from Hapag Lloyd is deployed in the TP1 INDAMEX service that caters to the USEC trade. EXPRESS ATHENS has a length overall (LOA) 349 m, beam 49 m, gross tonnage of 113973 and deadweight of 122959 was built in 2011 and can carry appx 10114 TEU. The vessel came from Charleston terminal [US] and will go to the Port Muhammad Bin Qasim [Pakistan]. By handling such large ship at our port showcases our infrastructural capabilities to handle larger vessels safely and quickly. We are eager to welcome more such vessels to keep moving the wheels of the supply chain. The current annual cargo handling capacity includes 1.35 million TEU Containers, 250,000 Passenger cars, 2 million metric tons of Liquid bulk and 4 million metric tons of Dry bulk. APM Terminals Pipavav is India’s first public private partnership (PPP) port in India and is a part of the APM Terminals global terminal network.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has firmed up an order for seven Airbus A350F freighters, with options for five more aircraft. The agreement was signed at the Singapore Airshow 2022 by Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines, and Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, Airbus. The A350Fs will replace SIA’s seven Boeing 747-400F freighters. The Airline will be the first carrier to operate this new generation widebody freighter aircraft when deliveries begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. The A350F burns up to 40% less fuel on similar missions to the 747-400F, reducing SIA’s carbon emissions by around 400,000 tonnes annually. This supports the SIA Group’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The A350F is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. Please see Annexe A for more information on the aircraft. The range and payload of the A350F will provide SIA with greater flexibility in its freighter deployment, bolstering its cargo business and cementing its leading position in the sector. SIA has strengthened its cargo capabilities over the last few years in key segments including e-commerce, fresh produce, and pharmaceuticals. It has also rolled out several digital initiatives that provide greater value and options for customers. Please see Annexe B for more information on SIA’s cargo business. The A350F deal with Airbus includes a swap with 15 A320neo and two A350-900 passenger aircraft in the SIA Group order book. This allows SIA to manage its capital expenditure while continuing with its essential freighter renewal programme.

CEVA Logistics connects Turkey, while offering daily connections between the Halkali terminal in Istanbul and Duisburg in Germany. A block train solution links Vietnam and Germany via China. At the same time, the company also increased its multimodal services linking China with southeastern Asian destinations like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The multimodal connection between China and Southeast Asian countries was already there for CEVA. The company launched it in June 2020, at the peak of the Covid pandemic, as a response to the decreased flights, capacity limits, operational restrictions and waiting times in border crossings. Between the Halkali terminal in Turkey and Duisburg in Germany, CEVA Logistics will run daily trips with a transit time of six days. In this direct connection, it will deploy its own mega-box trailers and 45 High Cube Pallet Wide (HCPW) containers. As for Vietnam-Germany, the company launched a block train service that runs to Europe after passing through China. CEVA says that this service can also be combined with other multimodal truck-rail and sea-rail solutions to enhance connectivity between Southeast Asia and Europe. The service’s launch results from a very successful year, where CEVA saw its China-Europe services more than doubling. In 2021, the company operated 135 block trains compared to 50 in 2020.

CDB Aviation has ordered an additional twelve A330-300 P2F conversions with Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), expanding its fleet of this type to fourteen aircraft. The lessor, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Leasing, is also on track to launch the A330-300 P2F freighter type in China in 2022, with lease commitments from Sichuan Airlines and Jiangxi Cargo Airlines. “We have strategically positioned our platform to be the A330 P2F program frontrunner among lessors,” commented Patrick Hannigan, CDB Aviation’s chief executive officer, adding that the A330 P2F marked the lessor’s first entry into the air cargo space. CDB Aviation’s first two A330-300 P2Fs are currently being converted in EFW’s facility in Dresden, Germany, and will be re-delivered to its launch operator, Mexico-based MasAir, in early 2022. Andreas Sperl, EFW’s chief executive officer, said: “The A330 P2F program is proving highly popular, and we now have over eighty aircraft on order. EFW is leading the overall A330 P2F programme, which is a collaboration between ST Engineering, Airbus, and EFW.”

Chennault International Airport in Louisiana, US is nearing completion of a $4m facility to enter into the air cargo sector. Construction of the 10,000 sq ft air cargo pass-through facility began in June 2021. It is expected to be completed this summer, according to Chennault Airport executive director Kevin Melton. “We believe there is value for companies to move goods through Chennault,” said Melton. “We provide a low-cost alternative to the larger markets where expense, ground delays, and airspace delays affect the efficient flow of goods.” The facility is anticipated to be certified for international cargo by federal agency U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As the facility is being built, ongoing discussions are planned with potential ground handling partners on such related issues as ramp handling, warehouse operations and securing unique ground equipment to service large aircraft.

AirAsia X (AAX) has secured full belly space utilisation for one third of its widebody A330-300 fleet as it strives to boost its air cargo revenue. Teleport, the logistics venture of Capital A (formerly AirAsia Group), will use the additional capacity from AAX for an initial period of one year. AAX is the medium haul, low-cost affiliate of the AirAsia Group and operating an all widebody A330-300 fleet. In 2021, the airline was successfully restructured and is now relaunching service as a combination carrier with equal emphasis on both cargo and passengers. The company aims to boost its regional presence by working in partnership with global freight forwarders. It recently announced a strategic partnership with global logistics leader GEODIS, to mount several weekly dedicated cargo flights throughout Asia Pacific for an extended period. CEO of AAX, Benyamin Ismail said, “We are also in discussions with several other major global clients that have air cargo requirements, particularly to where we have established bases and flying rights. It’s just two months post our restructuring and the appetite for expansion of our cargo operations is significant. This dovetails neatly into one of the core pillars of our combination carrier strategy. For the foreseeable future, cargo revenue will underpin our route strategy and passenger revenue for the first time, will be ancillary.”