Mahindra Logistics launches electric last-mile delivery service Mahindra Logistics (MLL) has announced the launch of its cargo last-mile delivery service under the brand name ‘EDel’. The company enters into new service line of sustainable last-mile logistics and fulfilment with ‘EDel’ for customers in E-Commerce, FMCG and other markets. EDel would initially operate across 6 major cities in India including Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata, before expanding to a total of 14 cities in the next 12 months. The operating model and utilisation metrics of EVs today enables EDel to provide sustainable and competitive services when compared with traditional ICE powered solutions. EDel will provide multiple offerings including package & trip-based services. These offerings will provide customers a scalable, sustainable and cost-efficient solution. With a load capacity and enhanced range that compares well with existing ICE options, EDel will give customers in the E-commerce, FMCG, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Durables and Electronics industries a significant edge in efficient and responsible distribution and last-mile delivery solutions. EDel will deploy a fleet of EVs starting with 3W vehicles, designed for cargo applications. The fleet will be deployed by MLL in collaboration with its supply partners. MLL will also be establishing a network of dedicated charging infrastructure for its EV operations under EDel with connected telematics platform to enable customer experience, vehicle & battery utilization and network management. In Phase 1, EDel is focused on deploying a fleet of 1000 vehicles. The initial focus will be on 3W cargo applications and EDel will primarily utilise the Treo Zor EV by Mahindra Electric. In future, MLL will also evaluate expanding to 4W and other electric delivery options. The fleet will be expanded along with …

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued guidelines for the packaging and transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine by air. The guidelines direct airlines and airport authorities to ensure that vaccines are packaged in ry ice and refrigerated material to maintain low temperature ranging between -8 degrees Celsius to -70 degrees Celsius essential for its transportation. The guidelines clearly state that the preferred mode of transport for the COVID-19 vaccine would be air considering the urgency at which it is required. The DGCA has highlighted the importance of the carriage of vaccine from the place of manufacture to the place of administration considering ‘the high expectations of the government(s), health care personnel and the general public’. As per the guidelines, all scheduled operators that have currently been authorised to carry dangerous goods can transport the COVID-19 vaccine. Those that are not scheduled including operators in general aviation, need to seek specific approval before commencing the operations. The DGCA also said all operators while engaging in the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines packed with dry ice shall establish the maximum quantity of dry ice that can be loaded in a given cargo hold and/or compartment or in the main deck (passenger cabin) when a passenger version aircraft is deployed for all cargo operations. “This maximum quantity shall be based on the aircraft manufacturers’ information on maximum recommended dry ice quantities that the aircraft ventilation can support, depending on the sublimation rate and also the requirement of the operators’ Safety Management Systems,” it noted.

On October 28, 2014, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the policy guidelines on Air Freight Stations (AFSs) with an objective to strengthen air cargo logistics infrastructure in the country. Commenting on why the project is not taking off in India, Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers, says, “This is a government policy and a key project of ‘Make in India’ campaign, still we wonder why MoCA is not initiating and starting air freight stations in the country. The AFS policy was announced with an aim to increase air cargo volumes by decongesting the air cargo terminals at the international gateway airports, thereby reducing air logistics costs for companies engaged in foreign trade. Continental Carriers is the first company that did huge investment in the AFS, believing the Government of India’s AFS policy appreciating the idea of boosting the economy and bringing supply chain management on par with global standards. This has been a disappointing journey since the first Green Field AFS of Continental Carriers was approved by government on August 8, 2016. It’s already been six years. We have been struggling with all the government departments but have failed miserably due to the fact that terminal operators have more say in MoCA/AERA/Logistics Departments of Commerce Ministry and they are not interested that this concept gets started.”

PLUSS Advanced Technology (PLUSS) has been granted patent by European Patent Office, Germany for its ‘Celsure’ box designed and manufactured using the proprietary Phase Change Material (PCM) technology, to transport vaccines and perishable commodities at a specific temperature range. The patent was granted to the innovative method of arranging PCMs which leads to precise temperature control in varying ambient conditions and increases operational efficiencies for the end user. The patent has also been applied in USA, Singapore, Brazil and India. PLUSS expects these patents to be granted soon as well. “This is a major endorsement for our research and development and also India’s preparedness in efficient cold chain supply management. These boxes will play a vital role in maintaining precise temperature during transport of various COVID-19 vaccines being tested in India and abroad. The technology is already commercialized and is used by various multinational pharmaceutical and logistics companies in India. We are in conversations with Covid-19 vaccine distribution stakeholders to make our products available across the country. The latest MoU being with SpiceJet,” said Samit Jain, MD, PLUSS. While, transporting pharmaceutical products, biological products or vaccines in particular, the need to maintain precise temperature ranges is very important and the efficacy of vaccine can be impacted if the temperature goes above or below the specified range. PLUSS’s proprietary, made in India PCM technology ensures that precise temperature ranges are maintained and at costs much lower than similar international solutions. Celsure is a simple box-in-box transport solution developed by the R&D team at PLUSS which uses indigenously developed Phase Change Material (PCM) that will maintain the right temperature from a few hours to a few days to ensure that vaccines retain …

In a bid to enhance connectivity to South East Asia and China, DP World operated Chennai Container Terminal (CCT) has added a new China–East India Service, ‘CI5 service’. The service is operated by a consortium of five vessel operators – Wan Hai Lines, Interasia Lines, KMTC, Goldstar Lines and BTL. The new CI5 service is the first-ever service from Chennai that will provide direct connection to Pasir Gudang, Malaysia and Kaohsiung, Taiwan and will also offer direct connectivity to key ports of China in Shekou and Qingdao on the East Bound leg. The service started with the maiden call of vessel ‘MV Interasia Heritage’ on January 5, 2021. The vessel arrived from Port Kelang and carried total exchange of 4690 TEUs of which 2685 TEUs were Import and 2005 TEUs export. Inclusion of this service reinforces Chennai Port’s position as South India’s major trade gateway with state-of-the-art facilities and best-in-class infrastructure to effectively serve growing needs of the trade. MV Interasia Heritage is one of the six 4250 TEUs capacity vessels which will call the DP World Chennai terminal. Capt. R. Venkatesh, CEO, DP World Chennai, welcomed the partners of the new service and reiterated the terminal’s efforts to render world-class customer service and to deliver best-in-class operational performance. The new service will allow customers to connect their cargo efficiently with better frequency and service coverage as well as boost the growing trade between China / South East Asia, and East coast of India. P. Raveendran, Chairman, Chennai Port Trust, says, “We welcome the new service and look forward to more customers selecting Chennai as their preferred port of call. By the recent declaration of VRC rebates to vessels engaged …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 306-km new Rewari- Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). While dedicating it to the nation, Prime Minister also flagged off the world’s first double-stack long-haul 1.5-km-long container train hauled by electric traction from New Ateli-New Kishangarh through video-conferencing. The 306 km Rewari-Madar section of Western DFC will provide quantum boost to freight and logistics by decongesting Indian railway network with energy efficient transportation and reduced transportation cost. The new Rewari-Madar section of the WDFC is situated in Haryana (approximately 79 km in Mahendragarh and Rewari districts) and Rajasthan (approximately 227 km in Jaipur, Ajmer, Sikar, Nagaur and Alwar districts). The opening of this stretch will benefit various industries in the Rewari, Manesar, Narnaul, Phulera and Kishangarh areas of Haryana and Rajasthan and also enable better usage of the container depot of the CONCOR at Kathuwas. PM Modi said, “The ‘mahayagya’ to modernise the country’s infrastructure today gained new momentum. This dedicated freight corridor project is being seen as a game-changer for India in the 21st century. After the hard work of the last five to six years, today a big portion of it (project) has become a reality. This dedicated freight corridor project is being seen as a game-changer for India in the 21st century.”

The world’s leading cargo carrier introduced its sustainability project, WeQare, which consists of a series of positive and impactful actions in the form of chapters. These actions are based on the core pillars of sustainability – environment, society, economy and culture. They are being implemented at all levels of the cargo carrier’s business which is a real turning point for air freight and will make the cargo carrier’s operations more sustainable, going forward. “We are deeply concerned about the legacy we leave for the future generation. As a leading cargo carrier, we want to make CSR a key strategic element of our business and want our positive actions to have a ripple effect. Keeping this in mind, we are proud to present WeQare, a project close to the heart of every Qatar Airways Cargo employee,” said Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways. Last July, Qatar Airways Cargo launched Chapter 1 in its series of WeQare actions by providing the free transport of 1 million kilos of humanitarian aid and medical equipment to charitable organizations. Chapter 2 will be announced this month. To commemorate this important programme, the cargo carrier also released a special logo. Its tree patterns symbolise life and growth, the environment and our society as a whole. The tree patterns are enclosed within a round shape representing the planet. All of these elements are united around a common or shared purpose – sustainability. The cargo carrier’s employees are the driving force behind WeQare, a project that encourages cohesion and also provides a sense of fulfilment. All chapters launched throughout the programme are directly linked to everyday activities of the cargo carrier, its daily experience within the …

To liberalise air cargo services in Latin America, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) two regional offices for the Americas – the South American Regional Office (SAM) and the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Office – have established new multilateral agreement for the development and emergence of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC)’s. The agreement comes into effect immediately among its 10 signatories and establishes expanded traffic rights – called ‘seventh freedom’ traffic rights – that permit airlines from one LACAC Member State to provide all-cargo services between two other signatory States without restrictions on routes and capacity. The 10 states involved are Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. “COVID-19 has imposed significant constraints on the entire air transport industry, and enterprises of all sizes are re-evaluating their business models,” noted ICAO’s Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu. “To remain flexible and responsive to the countries’ needs, ICAO is adapting global regulatory approaches where this can aid pandemic response and global recovery efforts.” The agreement will remain in effect for one year, until 31 December 2021, and can be extended for a further year, at the discretion of LACAC States. Besides its immediate impacts in terms of pandemic response and recovery, ICAO encourages other countries to view it as a significant step in advancing the ‘ICAO Long-Term Vision for International Air Transport Liberalisation’. “Our hope would be to see this regional development evolve into a more permanent and global agreement, enabling more liberalised and sustainable 21st century air services,” Liu emphasised. “In the near-term, it should help increase the efficiency of vaccine distribution and, in the longer term, it should enable …

Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has released the Preliminary November 2020 traffic figures highlighting that the air cargo markets were a silver lining for the region’s carriers, supported by recovery in global manufacturing activity, as passenger demand struggle to pick up. Buoyed by an acceleration in new export orders, cargo volumes carried by the region’s airlines increased for the third consecutive month, although demand as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) was still down 11.3 per cent year-on-year. Airlines increased capacity by deploying converted passenger aircraft and maximising dedicated freighter utilisation, helping to ease capacity shortages as reflected in the 6.7 percentage point increase in the international freight load factor to average 69.5 per cent for the month. Commenting on the results, Subhas Menon, Director General, AAPA, says, “Whilst the recovery in global economic activity has broadened across sectors, international travel remains crippled by border closures affecting 60 per cent of Asia Pacific destinations. The recent escalation in COVID-19 cases and emergence of variant strains, have resulted in the reimposition of stricter travel restrictions by several States.” Menon adds, “The near-term outlook for the airline industry remains extremely challenging. Governments need to move ahead with plans to implement harmonised testing protocols as a part of a multi-layered and risk-based approach towards safely restoring air travel, at the same time as vaccinations are rolled out across the world.”

With new features like online tracking, reduced costs and better ease of doing business, Indian Railways has launched a dedicated online portal for its freight customers. Billed as a ‘one-stop solution’ for freight customers, the portal has been designed to replace physical processes with online ones to minimize the need of human to human interaction. The new portal was unveiled by Piyush Goyal, Minister for Railways, Commerce & Industry. He says, “The new portal will be game-changer in ensuring in ease of doing business with Railways.” Key features of the new Freight Business Portal of Indian Railways • A simplified registration process and convenient placement of demand for wagons. • Guides new and prospective customers through available benefits, terminals and logistics options • Assists new customers in choosing wagons and shows cost and shipping time estimates. • For existing customers, the new portal provides a personalized dashboard with easy access to all business being conducted through IR. • Live-tracking of consignments through GIS view. • Single-click applications for various services like discount schemes, diversion, rebooking, demurrage, wharfage waivers, stacking permissions and more. • Rake allotment status and pendency or maturity of indents at various terminals • Special Commodity Pages that help the user find the most suitable wagons, terminals, charges, transit times, etc for your area. • Logistics Partnering facilities • Customer support section for suggestions and complaints that will be attended to professionally. The portal can also be accessed at www.indianrailways.gov.in