Category Archives: International

DSV has added Shanghai Pudong to its B747F Globetrotter air cargo charter service after initially avoiding the airport because of congestion at the facility. It would operate a flight once a week between Istanbul, which connects with Liege, and the Chinese airport. “We have added an additional stop to the route in PVG as the airport’s ground handling operations are improving after recent Covid-19 outbreaks,” DSV said. The service will also continue to call at CGO, while offering links across the Atlantic to Chicago Rockford and Viracopos. DSV has run a temporary charter operation in the past, but the Globetrotter service is by Turkey-based ACT Airlines under a year-long contract.

Global supply chain continues to face disruptions as China, has been facing challenges ranging from power crunch to slowdown in its manufacturing sector. The worst ever power outage crisis in China forces most manufacturing units to operate only two or three days a week. The country has been facing acute power shortage since summer and several of its provinces have witnessed sudden blackouts recently. The sudden power shortage crises in the country are attributed to a rise in demand, weather conditions and measures to cut the use of fossil fuels. Besides this Evergrande, a prominent real estate firm in China, has recently experienced debt crunch, and consequently lead to disturbance in global financial markets. These developments will have consequences on the world economy given the heavy import dependency on China.

Ethiopian Airlines has signed Codeshare and Interline Agreement with AccessRail to widen connectivity options for its passengers destined to Western Europe, United Kingdom, Scandinavian, Japan and Canada. The agreement avails AccesRails’ wide rail destinations to passengers of Ethiopian Airlines through seamless connectivity with all journey segments contained on a single Ethiopian Airlines ticket. Regarding the partnership, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said, “I am glad that we have entered into such a monumental agreement with AccessRail, the world’s leading provider of air-rail intermodal solutions. Each year, we are growing in terms of customer service excellence through collaboration with key partners across the globe. As rail travel is becoming popular, especially when traveling regionally or locally, our collaboration with the worlds renowned flight and rail connection provider helps our customers access extra convenience and better connectivity options. In view of expanding our service to markets where Ethiopian has no direct operations to, our partnership with rail services is a great strategic move in enhancing our customer service. I hope the success of the partnership between AccesRail and Ethiopian would be felt throughout our customers.”

Global logistics company DP World operated International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam Cochin unveiled a solar power plant with production capacity of 1122 MW (megawatts)/per annum. The plant was inaugurated by P. Rajeeve, Honourable Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, Government of Kerala, and Hibi Eden, Member of Parliament (Ernakulam), Kerala. The plant is set up across 3.4 acres of land with an investment of over INR 3.7 crore. It has a peak production capacity of 830 kilowatt-hours. The solar plant will help reduce 905 tonnes/per annum of CO2 emissions which is equivalent to CO2 absorbed by approximately 41,580 trees in a year. The plant will produce over 12% of the terminal’s total annual power consumption. DP World is committed to sustainable practices across all its facilities and is undertaking several measures to achieve Carbon footprint reduction targets in a time-bound manner. This solar plant is part of the many planned milestones towards DP World achieving Carbon Neutrality across all facilities in India by 2030.

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Aviation Group, has expanded its pharma sector reach into Africa with the signing of a Service Legal Agreement (SLA) with Astral Aviation and Kenya Airways to provide reliable and cost-effective airfreight solutions across the continent. Operating a fleet of 14 freighters out of its Nairobi and Johannesburg hub, Astral Aviation services a network of 15 African destinations, which Etihad Cargo will leverage for increased vaccine distribution across Africa. Both carriers are members of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Pharma.Aero, whose joint Project Sunrays initiative offers cross-industry collaboration for pharma shippers managing complex vaccine distribution logistics.

WISTA is the first to conduct a survey focusing on impact of covid both positive and negative on women in the maritime sector, taking the lead building upon the research done indicating the impact of the global pandemic on women. WISTA International has launched a maritime specific survey, concentrating on women in the maritime industry, in collaboration with Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo in Brazil who will be sponsoring WISTA with 240 hours of research work. The online survey focuses on the impact COVID-19 has had on both the professional and personal lives of around 3800 women in the maritime industry who are members of WISTA’s global network. The survey is part of WISTA’s diversity committee’s ongoing programme and the research will help to define the current position of women and the opportunities for them in the maritime sector.

GETEX – GREECE EGYPT TURKEY EXPRESS is starting from October 5th, 2021 ex Thessaloniki port. This sustainable and best-in-class option is aiming at fostering connection from North and Central Greece, Eastern Europe to Egypt and South Turkey and direct and fast connection between South Turkey and Greece with a gateway to Eastern European countries. Fleet: 1 vessel x 850 TEUS nominal capacity, Rotation: THESSALONIKI / DAMIETTA / ALEXANDRIA EL DEKHEILA / MERSIN / THESSALONIKI. Frequency: 10-day 1st calls: ETA Thessaloniki on Tue. 05/10/2021 | ETA Damietta/Port Said on Fri. 08/10/2021 | ETA Mersin/Iskenderun on Mon. 12/10/2021 Ocean TRANSIT TIME references: Thessaloniki to Damietta in 2 days | Thessaloniki to Mersin in 5 days | Mersin to Thessaloniki in 3 days

FedEx Express, announced that Kawal Preet, President of FedEx Express, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region, has signed the CEO statement of support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) – Equality Means Business. Established by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and the United Nations Global Compact, the WEPs are a set of seven actions that companies choose to adopt to advance gender equality and empower women in the workplace and community. Preet endorsed the statement of support in the presence of regional leadership and team members in Hong Kong. Across the AMEA region, women are underrepresented in the establishment and growth of small business and cross-border trade. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised new barriers to building inclusive and prosperous economies and societies, resulting in an increase in closing the global gender gap by a generation from 99.5 years to 135.6 years.

Global cargo demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), was up 7.7 percent in August 2021 compared to August 2019 (8.6 percent for international operations). Cargo markets are reflecting a strong growth trend but pressure on capacity is rising, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) August 2021 data analysis. “Air cargo demand had another strong month in August, up 7.7 percent compared to pre-Covid levels. Many of the economic indicators point to a strong year-end peak season. With international travel still severely depressed, there are fewer passenger planes offering belly capacity for cargo. And supply chain bottlenecks could intensify as businesses continue to ramp up production,” said Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.

After a much challenging time, Indian exports are finally making a significant recovery. As per reports, exports in the nation are likely to close the first half of the present financial year at around $195 billion, which is a significant achievement. Union Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal believes that exports are on course to reach the $400-billion target this year and a series of measures announced in recent months will pave the way for stronger growth. In 2020, with the outbreak of the pandemic, several logistical challenges surfaced, putting businesses in a tough spot. With the onset of COVID restrictions, shortage of containers and higher shipping rates, the exporters of our country seemed to be in murky waters, as they sought for some immediate aid from the government.