Essar Ports had clocked a cumulative revenue for 36.5 million tonnes (MT) of cargo handling for the nine months ending December 2020, led by demand in power and steel industries and as the economy finds green shoots ahead of the world’s largest ever vaccination drive to fight the C-19 pandemic. For the three months ending December 2020, the company has sustained revenues for 12.7 MT, same as the previous quarter, as it tries to overcome challenges posed due to the C-19 pandemic era. “Essar Ports’ growth trajectory has continued despite facing several challenges during the entire year. Our cargo handling performance over the nine months is a testament of how Ports play a pivotal role to keep economic engines running and their key role for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. We now look forward to a post Covid era now that India embarks upon one of the largest vaccination drives of the world. We expect a bounce back in the economy and revival of demand in next few months,” said Rajiv Agarwal, CEO & MD, Essar Ports Ltd.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President, Sri Lanka has informed that 49 per cent of the investment in Colombo Port will come from the Adani Group and other stakeholders in developing a container terminal at the strategically coveted Colombo Port. President Rajapaksa was addressing representatives of the Port’s worker unions, amid their persisting resistance to any foreign involvement in the proposed project to develop the East Container Terminal (ECT). “The ECT will not be sold or leased,” he assured them, adding that the foreign investments would cause no harm to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty or independence, according to a statement issued by the President’s office. The development comes a week after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Colombo, during which he reportedly urged the Sri Lankan side to expedite finalising the deal. While 66 per cent of the transhipment business at the terminal is linked to India, New Delhi’s strategic interest in having a presence at the Port, located along one of the world’s shipping lanes, is no secret. However, Sri Lankan port trade unions were not convinced with the proposal of Indian multinational company Adani Group and its partners buying 49 per cent stake in the Eastern Container Terminal (ETC) of Colombo Port, the trade unions says a day after President Rajapaksa met them to explain the need for foreign funding.

The logistics of COVID-19 vaccine has begun at the Mumbai airport, facilitating the delivery of about 2,72,400 doses of the Covishield vaccine to 22 domestic destinations with GoAir’s first flight to Goa. This came a day after a massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process with more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine leaving Pune for 13 cities across the country. As part of the mission, Mumbai Airport will facilitate the distribution of a total of 227 boxes containing about 2,72,400 doses of the vaccine. These shipments are being carried out by SpiceJet, IndiGo, GoAir and Vistara. These will be delivered to Goa, Bagdogra, Rajkot, Ranchi, Imphal, Agartala, Cochin, Bhopal, Kanpur, Jammu, Srinagar, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Raipur, Dehradun, Varanasi, Indore, Trivandrum and Jabalpur. The first vaccine shipment departed from the airport to Goa through GoAir carrying two boxes of the vaccine, followed by a flight to Rajkot at 6:00 am, which carried seven boxes of the vaccines and was operated by SpiceJet. The Mumbai airport has an exclusive station dealing with storage and maintenance of both e-type, and t-type active containers that help facilitate the seamless distribution of vaccines across India. The airport has placed a well-defined process for the faster turnaround of COVID-19 vaccine EXIM and transhipment movements, CSMIA said. It added that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) implemented by the airport in anticipation of the vaccine distribution saw the terminal register a cargo processing time of just seven minutes, right from goods acceptance to dispatch at ramp. Besides, the airport has deployed a dedicated COVID-19 task force in order to reduce dwell time and facilitate advanced planning and collaboration between the airport and …

SpiceJet has transported 3.5 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities across the country. On January 13, 2021, SpiceJet shipped 111 boxes of Covid-19 vaccine, weighing 3.5 tonnes from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities including Bagdogra, Dehradun, Srinagar, Jammu, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Rajkot, Delhi and Bengaluru. The carrier said its freighter flight SG7555 operating from Hyderabad to Bengaluru took-off at 8.50 AM on Wednesday with a consignment of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin weighing 90 kg. From Mumbai, SpiceJet carried 74 boxes of Serum Institute of India’s (SII’s) Covishield vaccine to various cities including two to Bagdogra, 10 to Dehradun, seven to Srinagar, six to Jammu, six to Kanpur, nine to Gorakhpur, 13 to Jabalpur, 14 to Ranchi & seven to Rajkot. From Pune, SpiceJet carried 34 boxes of Covishield to Delhi on Wednesday. This follows the successful shipment of 4 million doses of Covishield by SpiceJet on January 12. The government on Monday placed firm orders in advanced commitments for over six crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines from SII and Bharat Biotech for inoculating three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase of the vaccination drive scheduled to start from January 16. The cost is Rs 1,300 crore.

Qatar Airways Cargo and DHL Global Forwarding have transported 246 containers of active pharma shipments from Milan, Italy to Chicago, USA between October and December 2020. The containers were transported by temperature-controlled trucks to Indianapolis from Chicago. These pharma shipments are being moved using RAP active containers leased from both DokaSch and Envirotainer. The pharma shipments consist of insulin, an injectable prescription medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes used to improve blood sugar (glucose) and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in people who have heart diseases or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo said, Qatar Airways, “We are glad to support DHL Global Forwarding with this large movement of injectable prescription medicines that will benefit adults with type 2 diabetes. The logistics around pharmaceutical transportation is complex and being at the forefront of time and temperature-sensitive transportation, we understand the intricacies of a seamless cool chain. Our QR Pharma solution is designed keeping in mind the seamless transport of all kinds of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products.” Christian Giacomin, Head of Airfreight Product Capacity Management & Pricing, DHL Global Forwarding (Italy) Spa said, “This important cooperation with Qatar Airways Cargo is a further step that adds value to our comprehensive portfolio of transportation solutions for the pharmaceutical products, enforcing our long-lasting expertise in this sector.” To be able to support its customer and the end user of the product, the airline implemented an additional weekly frequency directly from Milan to Chicago, bringing the total number of B777 freighters from Milan to Chicago to three per week. The significant investments in cold chain management are part of the cargo carrier’s strategy and commitment to improving and …

Widening its range of worldwide project logistics services, GEODIS is positioning this offer with a new name in the market, changing from GEODIS Industrial Projects to GEODIS Project Logistics. The name change reflects the more diversified service portfolio of GEODIS in this sector which now goes beyond serving the industrial segment. In addition to GEODIS’ growing activity in the Renewable Energy market, as well as the company’s evolving offer for the Oil & Gas industry, GEODIS is integrating its Aid & Relief business as well as its Marine Logistics teams into the expanded project logistics organization. “GEODIS Project Logistics represents the full spectrum of services we offer today”, said Luke Mace, Senior Vice President Project Logistics at GEODIS. “While the logistical challenges of each sector can be very different, all have very important requirements in common: expertise in handling, attention to detail and quality of service. Such are the foundations of GEODIS Project Logistics. Our clients can have confidence that our diversification will strengthen our services through extended expertise, a continuous drive for innovation and our high standard for safety and compliance.” GEODIS Project Logistics is offered in over 30 countries. 550 project logistics specialists worldwide operate in the sectors of Oil & Gas, Renewables, Rail, Nuclear, Mining, Power, Infrastructure, Petrochemical Production and Refining, Aid & Relief, Marine Logistics and Governmental Services.

CEVA Logistics has launched an express train service from Jinhua (China) to Dourges (France) to provide additional freight capacity for shippers amid unprecedented demand for transport and logistics services. Loaded with 22 full containers of various supplies, CEVA Logistics’ first train has left China on 18 day journey. The train connects a string of “Belt and Road” countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Germany with a journey of over 11,000 km. Having Dourges as the transit point, the destination delivery outreach will cover Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy as well as France. Through the Jinhua-Dourges express train, CEVA Logistics can provide its existing customers with a fast, convenient, and sustainable China-Europe rail solutions. Compared to cargo movement via truck, the block train option reduces CO2 emissions by up to 67%. Xavier Bour, Global Ground and Rail Product Leader, CEVA Logistics, says, “With global supply chains experiencing unprecedented demand for transport and logistics services, CEVA Logistics is committed to providing its existing and potential customers with convenient and sustainable solutions. Our rail and multi modal solutions, together with our parent company the CMA CGM Group, between China and Europe are part of that strategy. France is an important logistics hub on the European market and with this new service, CEVA Logistics has tapped into the rail market for Eastern and Western Europe. Our next extension of our rail footprint will be the development of the southern Europe market.”

DP World has announced that the company has started construction of its Nhava Sheva Business Park (NSBP) Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Mumbai. The Rs1000 crore DP World FTZ investment comes under the Hindustan Infralog (HIPL) joint venture between DP World (65 per cent) and the National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) (35 per cent). This venture has been created to invest up to US$ 3 billion in ports, logistics and related sectors across the country. NSBP, a Special Purpose Vehicle, is a co-developer for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) SEZ. The FTZ is on a long-term Lease of 60 years and is located 5 kms away from JNPT. After signing a lease agreement in July and successfully acquiring all permissions & approvals, the company has started construction in full swing. The facility comprising of 1 million sq. ft covered storage area with other cargo handling facilities, modern equipment, commercial building, etc., will be completed in 12 to 14 months. The facility will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure like specialised multi-product and temperature-controlled warehouses, and a container yard with ultra-modern digital & security systems. It will offer round-the-clock customs clearance and value-added services to provide customers a one-stop solution for all their consumption and trading needs. Its strategic proximity – to the largest container port in India, the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport and National Highways – provides quick and direct access to domestic and global markets. It will offer long-term advantages to domestic as well as global traders and manufacturers, by enabling reliable and fast movement of cargo. Rizwan Soomar, CEO & MD, Subcontinent, DP World says, “We are delighted to build the Free Trade Zone in such …

SpiceJet has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Belgium’s Brussels Airport to provide seamless transportation of Covid-19 vaccine. As strategic partners, both SpiceJet and Brussels Airport Company NV will jointly work with the government, pharma companies and forwarders to ensure a reliable ecosystem for vaccine delivery in a temperature-controlled environment. Besides, they will also work towards developing and strengthening a direct air link for SpiceJet with Brussels Airport. As part of the association, Brussels Airport will be SpiceJet’s first flight point for Europe. The airline’s cargo arm, SpiceXpress, envisions to provide rapid and secure transportation of Covid-19 vaccine from and to Europe and beyond with proper temperature-controlled mechanism under the MoU. The airport shall provide assistance to the carrier with regards to slots, networking contracts etc. to provide efficient and speedy solutions for delivery. Brussels Airport has several years of expertise in the transport of temperature-sensitive products and has handled multiple flights carrying Covid-19 vaccines recently. Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “We are delighted to partner with Brussels Airport in our fight against the pandemic. This tie-up will help SpiceJet to seamlessly transport vaccines not only from Europe and beyond to India but also help Indian manufacturers export extremely sensitive drugs in a safe and controlled environment. We are fully committed and prepared to transport the Covid-19 vaccine and assist in the biggest vaccination drive in the history of mankind.” Arnaud Feist, CEO, Brussels Airport Company said, “As Europe’s preferred airport for the transport of temperature-sensitive products, Brussels Airport, certified IATA CEIV Pharma, has more than 30,000 sqm of temperature-controlled areas. As of today, we have already shipped more than 10 million doses of vaccine from …

Cathay Pacific Cargo has built on its many years of experience in transporting pharmaceutical shipments to develop a vaccine solution specifically for the fast and effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. The new quality-assured solution facilitates the fast and effective import and transhipment of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Tom Owen, Director – Cargo, Cathay Pacific, said, “With our 20 dedicated freighters and cargo bellies of passenger aircraft supporting our extensive freighter network, we stand ready to assist with what will be the biggest humanitarian response to a situation involving civil aviation that anyone has ever seen.” The cargo carrier is progressively rolling out ‘Ultra Track’ as a key part of the vaccine solution. The next-generation track-and-trace system monitors information including temperature, GPS location, and humidity, using low-energy Bluetooth readers. This gives shippers and forwarders near real time visibility, and ensures vaccines will remain within their transportation temperature ranges. Operations Control Centre In addition, shipments using Ultra Track will also be monitored by the newly established Operations Control Centre. Based in Hong Kong, and staffed by dedicated cargo professionals 24/7, the team can instruct ramp and cargo terminal staff to take proactive steps to ensure the various storage requirements of vaccines are maintained. Owen said, “Ultra Track will allow forwarders to monitor the condition of their vaccine shipments in near real time. It will be progressively rolled out through the first quarter of this year, and we will be offering the service free of charge for any COVID-19 vaccine shipments.” CEIV Pharma accreditation The combined approach follows on from an airport-wide recertification of IATA’s CEIV Pharma accreditation (the internationally recognised quality-assurance scheme for pharmaceutical shipments) at Hong Kong International Airport. …