Category Archives: International

Deputy Head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Jalil Eslami has said direct container shipping lines have been established between Iran’s southeastern port of Chabahar and two Western Indian ports of Nhava Sheva, and Kandla. According to Eslami, regular container service with a traffic schedule of 10 to 15 days is performed by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) through these lines, the PMO portal reported. The official noted that PMO is going to offer the necessary tariff incentives and facilities on tolls and transportation costs to support the traders that use the lines. He pointed out that according to the schedule, the first container service through the mentioned route will enter Iran’s Shahid Beheshti port on February 16. Iran and India had previously launched shipping lines between Chabahar and the Indian ports of Mumbai, and Mundra. The first shipping route between the two countries was put into operation in 2017 between Iran’s Chabahar port and Mumbai.

APM Terminals Pipavav, achieved the highest berth productivity of 157.6 moves per hour during ‘MOL Gateway’ vessel of Thailand-India-Pakistan (TIP) service, a part of Ocean Network Express (ONE). TIP service operates through Ports of Pipavav, Bin Qasim, Karachi, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Port Klang, Singapore and Laem Chabang. The commodities carried by the vessel were cotton, groundnut, sea food, white goods, agri commodities, automobile spares, machinery, electronic items, PVC resin, sanitary items and PPP granules. The service connects the Indian markets of Punjab, Gujarat, New Delhi with the Far East, thereby benefiting exporters & importers from these markets. Commenting on the achievement, Jakob Friis Sørensen, MD, APM Terminals Pipavav said, “The higher berth productivity on TIP (ONE) service after MECL service is yet another testimony of our efficiency that aims to help our customers. We are proud of our competent staff and infrastructure capability that help us to manage transit cargoes in a seamless and effective way. We also believe this efficiency is what sets up apart in terms of our service to our customers.”

Continuing the expansion of its global eCommerce business, CEVA Logistics announced today that the company has won a five-year contract with ABOUT YOU, one of Europe’s fastest-growing fashion platforms. CEVA will manage a new 40,000-square-meter fulfillment operation in Wroclaw-Magnice, Poland, using its automation and technology capabilities to deliver greater productivity and shorter lead times for ABOUT YOU’s eCommerce activities. Under the terms of the long-term deal, the CEVA Logistics contract logistics team in Poland will be responsible for managing the new highly automated and technology-driven facility that will provide ABOUT YOU with the responsive logistics needed for its international expansion. In addition, the facility will bring business and economic benefits to local communities. Approximately 1,000 employees are currently being recruited and trained to support the warehouse’s 24-hour operations. By strategically locating the new fulfilment distribution center in Wroclaw-Magnice in southwestern Poland, CEVA Logistics can easily serve ABOUT YOU’s customers across numerous countries. ABOUT YOU and CEVA are committed to operating the new facility in a sustainable manner, with numerous solutions being implemented at the greenfield site, including solar panels for clean energy.

Cargolux Airlines has launched a new online booking portal as part of the freighter operator’s investment in its digital capabilities. The new portal enables customers to log on, request an instant spot quote according to personalised criteria, as well as having visibility of allocations, “thereby enabling for the selection and booking of the best option”, the company said. “The online portal offers transaction options for all customer profiles, from international groups to local independent forwarders,” Cargolux said in a release. Mathieu Weber, vice president digital sales & marketing, added: “With this new portal, Cargolux is moving closer to an omni-channel connectivity experience for customers. The portal offers tailored quoting and booking in a few clicks and we are confident that this handy and timely solution will be highly appreciated by our customers.”

GreenBase, a joint venture between the realty major Hiranandani Group and US-based private equity firm Blackstone Group announced its plans to invest over INR 3,000 crores to develop industrial, logistics, and warehousing parks across key cities in India. The joint platform is looking to build and expand its portfolio by at least 15 million sq ft, taking it to more than 20 million sq ft in the next five years. The company is targeting a valuation of between Rs 5,500 crore and Rs 6,000 crore for its portfolio once the proposed expansion is completed. “The demand scenario for India’s logistics sector looks promising with rising consumerism and higher economic activity. We are optimistic about the growth in this segment, led by a conducive economic scenario, and our plans have been aligned to make the most of this rapid progress.” said N Shridhar, CEO of GreenBase. He adds, that the joint platform is also considering a plan to list the industrial and logistics portfolio through a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in India or even overseas. GreenBase plans on financing the proposed investment through equity worth Rs 1,000 crore and the balance with leverage. The company’s current leverage level stands at around 25-30% of its existing capital.

Cargoes Customs provides an intelligence-enabled, unified customs operating model that optimises border management and revenue collection activities. The system empowers customs agencies to facilitate trade, secure global supply chains, and increase compliance. At the same time, it minimises revenue leakage for government agencies. The platform is built to assist global customs organisations in reforming and modernising processes by streamlining digital transformation through the latest technology and tools. The Cargoes Customs platform is based on the belief that with technology as a foundation, any customs organization can vastly improve its digital capabilities and better integrate with key agencies and other countries, while also satisfying any regional agreements. The system is further enhanced by its powerful risk engine which detects revenue leakages. This technology improves visibility and traceability, and is based on WCO best practices, thereby optimising the customs clearance process. As an intelligent risk engine, it helps enforce compliance and promotes seamless collaboration between authorities, government departments and stakeholders. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “Trade is a key driver to help economies around the world to recover fairly and sustainably from the economic shock of the pandemic. At DP World, we are doing our part to make trade flow as smoothly and seamlessly as possible, and with Cargoes Customs we really help customs authorities around the world to become dramatically more efficient – now and for the long term. This new digital solution connects customs officials and traders through an easy-to-use interface and a suite of custom-built tools. We will continue to invest in our digital platforms to bring simplicity, transparency and efficiency to global trade – at customs, and beyond.”

Frankfurt Airport handled record volumes of cargo last year despite a reduction in bellyhold capacity. The German hub – which is also the largest cargo airport in Europe – handled a record 2.3m metric tons of cargo last year. This figure is up 18.7% on 2020 levels and 8.9% ahead of the pre-pandemic year 2019. The airport said that airfreight was the main driver behind this growth, while airmail continued to be affected by the lack of belly capacity on passenger aircraft. Airport operator Fraport’s chief executive, Stefan Schulte, said: “Throughout 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to have a massive impact on Frankfurt Airport. Passenger traffic recovered gradually in the course of the year – even rising threefold in the April-to-December 2021 period compared to 2020 – but we are still far away from the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. Cargo traffic, in contrast, saw very positive growth in 2021. Airfreight volumes in Frankfurt even reached a new annual record, despite the ongoing shortage of belly capacity on passenger flights and other challenges. This underscores our role as one of Europe’s leading cargo hubs.”

Seko Logistics has launched a new e-commerce business unit as it looks to grow cross-border e-commerce volumes. The new business unit, Seko ECommerce, will offer four core solutions: international e-commerce shipping and delivery services; e-commerce fulfilment; parcels returns and re-commerce and heavyweight e-commerce shipping and last mile delivery. The new business unit will primarily work with fashion, beauty, cosmetics, tech and lifestyle clients, which have “spearheaded their e-commerce growth for over 10 years”. Seko ECommerce will also work with other aggregators and postal operators to facilitate global international e-commerce parcel shipping. In the US, Seko will also grow its service offering for larger consumer purchases. “The new business unit will support increasingly knowledgeable etailers and merchants which are becoming even more savvy in their choice of e-commerce partners,” Seko said.

Envirotainer and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo), the leading airline in pharmaceutical logistics, announced their collaboration on sustainability. Envirotainer and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo each have a strong focus on sustainability and are pursuing multiple initiatives with a view to achieving more sustainable operations. Being long-term close partners, both organisations sought to strengthen the initiatives by collaboration. Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has approved the newly introduced Envirotainer Releye® container and is in the process of implementing it in its booking system as part of its product portfolio. The Releye provides outstanding environmental performance, delivering up to 90% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to available passive solutions, based on life-cycle analysis. Envirotainer will reduce the impact of the use of its containers on the environment by investing in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). SAF offers a cleaner alternative for conventional jet fuel. SAF is produced from sustainable feedstock, such as cooking oil, animal waste or solid waste from homes and businesses. It reduces CO2 emissions by up to 85%, when compared to conventional jet fuel. The reduction occurs throughout the entire lifecycle of producing and using sustainable aviation fuel compared to that of fossil fuel.

Expanding their cargo network, the Munich Airport announced the increase in its cargo-only services with Qatar Airways. As per the details of Qatar Airways’ new route, the flight takes off on Monday from Bengaluru, halts in Doha (Qatar’s capital), leads onto Munich and then further to Chicago. The return flight from Chicago reaches Munich every Tuesday. The first flight departed on 10 January with 100 tonnes of cargo to Germany and the US, and caters to the pharmaceutical, automotive, and other industries. Qatar Airways operates this service on behalf of DB Schenker. The international logistics provider made recent announcement about its plans to expand global flight operations in India. The double benefit of the new weekly flight operations includes marking the Qatar Airways’ leadership in air freight services in India, and the expansion of Munich’s cargo network with more significant destinations.