Reliance Industries will soon begin construction of India’s first Multimodal Logistics Park at Mappedu near Chennai. Located 52 km from the Chennai Port, 80 km from Ennore Port and 87 km from Kattupalli Port, the MMLP will be a focal point of logistics in the southern region. It is estimated to cater to around 7.17 million tonnes (mt) of cargo over 45 years, the construction will begin in June says multiple reports. The project was said to have been conceptualised 12 years ago, when in 2022, the company won the bid from Adani Group for the Rs 1,424 crore project on 184.27 acres of land in Tiruvallur district. According to reports, the project aims to facilitate efficient, cost-effective and value-added logistics services such as cargo aggregation and disaggregation, distribution, intermodal transfer, sorting, packing, and repacking. However, it did not take off due to the poor response from the private sector on issues like connectivity.

Ecom Express and Skye Air, specializing in drone technology, announced a strategic partnership aimed at disrupting last-mile delivery solutions. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in the logistics industry, combining Ecom Express’ network and automation expertise with Skye Air’s cutting-edge drone delivery technology. Driven by a shared commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, both companies are embarking on a mission to enhance delivery speed, improve efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions. Studies suggest that transitioning to drone-based deliveries could reduce carbon emissions by 93% as compared to parcel deliveries by road, substantially contributing to environmental sustainability. Through this partnership, they seek to address the interconnected challenges of traffic congestion and environmental sustainability. Vishwachetan Nadamani, COO, Ecom Express, said, “By leveraging Skye Air’s expertise in drone technology, we are excited to explore new opportunities to enhance our delivery services. This collaboration will not only amplify our efforts in reducing delivery times for e-commerce parcels but also enable sustainability efforts beyond electrification of last-mile vehicles.” This partnership will commence with drone delivery trials in select locations in Gurugram, with plans to cover additional pin codes in sparse locations and tougher terrains across India in subsequent stages.

Etihad Cargo is planning to increase its belly network with the integration of additional aircraft, the new-generation Airbus 350 freighter in the second half of 2026, shares Stanislas Brun, Vice President Cargo, Etihad Cargo. Etihad Cargo’s current fleet comprises four Airbus A380s with a maximum capacity of 15,000 kilogrammes each, five Airbus A350s with a maximum capacity of 24,000 kilogrammes each, 22 Airbus A320s, 9 Boeing 777s with a maximum capacity of 24,000 kilogrammes each, and 43 Boeing 787s with a maximum capacity of 22,000 kilogrammes each. “We also operate five of the latest generation of Boeing 777 freighters, each with a capacity of 102,800 kilogrammes, which we use to add capacity to our network to fill up the aircraft, achieving a throughput load factor on the belly of above 90%. 60% of the cargo Etihad Cargo flies is through the belly of aircraft, with belly capacity allowing us to generate multiple frequencies per destination, giving our customers trust in our product and on-time performance,” he adds.

BlueBox Systems, an innovative provider of logistics visibility solutions, announced the launch of BlueBoxCargo, an advanced tracking solution that combines the best features of BlueBoxAir and BlueBoxOcean. This comprehensive platform is designed to provide unparalleled real-time tracking capabilities for air and ocean freight, giving companies the ultimate supply chain optimization tool. BlueBoxCargo builds on the success of BlueBoxAir and BlueBoxOcean and represents a significant advance in logistics technology. This innovative solution integrates the robust functionalities of its predecessors and provides a unified platform that simplifies air and ocean freight management. “BlueBoxCargo is the next logical and, above all, long-planned development stage for us,” emphasizes BlueBox Systems’ CEO Martin Schulze. “After developing BlueBoxAir, a solution specifically for the complex air freight industry, and launching BlueBoxOcean at the beginning of this year, we are now systematically merging the two solutions.”

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) flagship Mundra Port has welcomed the largest container ship to call at an Indian port. The vessel, MSC Anna, docked on May 26 at Mundra Port. MSC Anna is a huge vessel with an overall length of 399.98 m (roughly the length of four football fields) and a staggering capacity of 19,200 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), which makes it the largest container ship by capacity to ever visit an Indian port, APSEZ said in a statement. Its arrival draft is 16.3 m, which can be accommodated only at Adani Ports, Mundra, as no other port in India is capable of berthing a deep-draft vessel, it added. In July 2023, Adani Ports, Mundra created a record by berthing MV MSC Hamburg, one of the longest container ships in the world, with overall length of 399 m and capacity of 16,652 TEUS. Further, the statement said its container terminal CT-3 reached a significant milestone by becoming the first in India to manage 3 milion TEUS in a year. The terminal also achieved a monthly handling record of over 3,00,000 TEUS in November, the highest ever by any terminal in India. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), a part of the globally diversified Adani Group.

Antwerp-headquartered logistics services provider, Aprojects, has continued its expansion with the recent acquisition of Super Freight, said reports. The acquisition of the Indian logistics service provider is in line with Aprojects’ strategy to facilitate its customers better from geographically favourable positions. The expansion in India follows the recent opening of its offices in Madrid and Istanbul. “We notice that the Indian market is in full expansion and that our presence on the ground, forward-looking, can offer enormous added value” said statement. Super Freight, which has been active in the sector for more than 20 years, is an end-to-end logistics service provider offering specialized solutions for handling over-dimensional sized cargo. With its strong local reputation and branches in Mumbai, Nhavasheva, Delhi and Chennai, they are at the heart of the entire Indian supply chain. Zinnia Mandrekar, CEO of Super Freight, also said, “With the acquisition of our company, we can not only increase our joint global footprint but also combine our competencies and know-how. Let it be just that that can drive our growth and lead to fantastic synergies.”

Qatar Airways Cargo has once again assisted Animal Defenders International, this time by transporting six young lions from the illegal wildlife trade to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in Johannesburg. Known as the “Kuwait 6”, the males Muheeb, Saham, Shujaa, Saif, and females Dhubiya and Aziza were either seized or captured after being abandoned and cared for at Kuwait Zoo. Animal Defenders International (ADI) was contacted by Kuwait government officials to help the lions, so ADI offered them a home at their 455-acre sanctuary in South Africa. Mark Drusch, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo said: “We are proud to once again be supporting ADI, this time in bringing these six beautiful lions home to Africa. Our WeQare Rewild the Planet initiative is our commitment to returning wildlife and endangered species back to their natural habitat, free of charge. “It takes a lot of effort and logistics for our team to organise moving such large animals; from the logistics at the airports, loading and unloading the animals from the aircraft, to ensuring the correct cages and wellbeing of the animals are in place, but it is something we are all collectively very proud and passionate to be a part of.” Jan Creamer, President, Animals Defenders International added: “The Kuwait 6 lions have their whole lives ahead of them and will have acres of space at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. We are thankful to Qatar Airways Cargo and their WeQare program in once again supporting us by covering the cost of the air transport back to Africa. We are also very thankful to the ADI supporters who are helping to fund their care.”

DP World has achieved a monumental feat with International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) successfully handling its largest-ever container vessel, MSC MARA. With a length of 364 meters, a width of 51 meters, and a capacity of 15,934 TEUs, the MSC MARA is one of the largest container vessels to dock at an Indian port, and the largest to berth at ICTT Cochin which is India’s first transshipment terminal. This marks the highest throughput ever achieved on the MSC MARA at ICTT, made possible by the exceptional support from Cochin Port Authority. In addition to the historic handling of the MSC MARA, DP World’s ICTT Cochin has crossed the milestone of handling over 7 million TEUs from its inception. In December 2023, ICTT commissioned two state-of-the-art Ship-to-Shore (STS) Mega Max cranes, capable of handling up to 25 container rows. Alongside four new e-RTGs and expanded yard capacity, these upgrades enable faster vessel turnaround times and sustainable cargo movement. The enhanced lift capacity and handling capabilities significantly improve productivity and accommodate Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) at the terminal. The berthing of MSC MARA reflects the terminal’s increasingly pivotal role as a preferred gateway and burgeoning transshipment terminal for cargo movement to and from markets in south India. DP World Cochin’s strategic geographic proximity to major maritime sea routes makes it the natural gateway to the vast industrial and agricultural markets of South and West India. The substantial growth of cargo handled by ICTT Vallarpadam/Cochin underscores its importance as a key hub for cargo movement and connectivity. By connecting close to 50% of EXIM cargo directly to the Middle East, Far East, Europe, and the Mediterranean through mainline services, the terminal plays a …

E-com logistics giant, Delhivery has collaborated with Sugar Cosmetics for pan-India B2B shipments. In a stock exchange filing, the firm stated that it has been a reliable partner for the Sugar Cosmetics’ direct-to-consumer (D2C) express parcel shipping for many years. Varun Bakshi, Head of Delhivery’s Express Part Truckload business, said in a statement, “Our unique mesh network design, integrated linehaul for both B2B and B2C, automated sorters, and quick turn-around of tractor trailers give us a significant competitive advantage. Brands like SUGAR Cosmetics, which have an omnichannel strategy, heavily benefit from our express PTL service for quick stock replenishment and availability to fuel their retail expansion across India.” “In the March quarter, the logistics company’s net loss narrowed to ₹68.4 crore from a loss of ₹158.6 crore during the same period last year. The company extended the losses on account of depreciation. Revenue for the quarter shot up by 12% to ₹2,075 crore,” the statement added.

Sandeep Kulkarni, Chief Operating Officer, Allcargo Gati says, “The inherent structural inefficiencies in the transport ecosystem is one of the key challenges the industry has been facing. Having said that, the PM Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for multimodal connectivity will boost the operational efficiency.” He adds, “The modal mix is still dominated by road transport which accounts for 60 percent of the total freight traffic movement. The need of the hour is to shift a significant part of freight traffic movement to rail transport. Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) will further boost freight movement via rail. The industry doesn’t have well-spread out warehousing facilities and roadways. There is an urgent need to bridge the infrastructure gap by boosting private investment in warehouse development and fast-tracking national highway development. The goal is to ensure smooth and efficient transportation of goods. The trucking community serves as the backbone of the logistics industry. However, this segment is highly fragmented and unorganized. To address these challenges, technological intervention is essential for facilitating consolidation, optimizing fleets, and eliminating intermediaries. Another key challenge is the shortage of talent in the industry. To capture the emerging growth opportunities, develop superior service efficiency and drive business, the logistic industry needs to build a strong talent pipeline. However, for that, the logistics companies must develop superior industry-academia to recruit talents as well as create convenient working conditions and formulate enabling policies and career progression plans to reduce attrition and retain talents. The industry needs to address these aspects as it has an enabling role to play in India’s journey to become a $7 trillion economy by 2030.”