Category Archives: International

Alliance networks operating between Asia and North Europe are experiencing delays of up to a month due to worsening port congestion at both ends of the tradelane. Asia-North Europe loops with a pro-forma round-trip transit time of around 75 days are now taking 100 or more, with carriers obliged to juggle schedules at the last minute. According to a Maersk advisory, vessel wait times at Antwerp are already up to 10 days, with lesser – albeit significant – delays impacting all North European hub ports. The consultant said the ULCV’s revised European rotation of Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Felixstowe would now take 18 days, due to waiting times in both Rotterdam and Felixstowe, compared with its schedule of around six days. According to eeSea data, the AE55/Griffin loop has a pro-forma round-trip voyage time of 76 days, of which 62, or 81%, are spent at sea, with 14 days allocated to time at port.

Ethiopian Airlines Group has teamed up with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to launch a B767-300ER freighter conversion line in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam, said: “In line with our Diversified Aviation Business Model of Vision 2025, we have been increasing our cargo capacity in fleet, ground service infrastructure and cargo connectivity network. Accordingly, we are partnering with IAI, one of the global technology leaders in the Aerospace industry, in building a cargo conversion center in our MRO facilities in Addis Ababa Airport. The Cargo conversion center will commence its first business with three Ethiopian Airlines owned B-767-300 aircraft.” Yossi Melamed, IAI’s executive vice president and general manager of Aviation Group, said, “the partnership comes as the company witnesses a “sharp rise in demand for cargo aircraft” on the back of an acceleration in e-commerce demand due to the Covid-19 outbreak.”

Vietnam Airlines and Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) sign a multi-year contract as the airlines new cargo handling partner at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The contract will see WFS providing full cargo handling services for the airline’s twice-weekly Airbus A350-900 passenger freighter aircraft flights directly connecting freight forwarders, importers and exporters in Amsterdam and Vietnam’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Stephane Scholving, managing director of WFS in the Netherlands, stated, “Winning this new contract is a tribute to the responsiveness of our team in Amsterdam and the quality of our cargo handling operations. Vietnam Airlines initially asked for our assistance to handle an urgent flight and their positive experience of working with WFS has ultimately led to this long-term agreement. We now look forward to supporting the airline’s customers and flight operations in Amsterdam and contributing to Vietnam Airline’s growth in the Netherlands.”

United Cargo has launched a new customer facing website as it continues its digital development. The carrier said that new features include improved shipment tracking, simplified navigation and a mobile friendly design. “The new website launch will pave the way for a streamlined, enhanced and industry-leading digital experience for our customers around the world,” the carrier said. The carrier added that the new website is the first of several steps in United Cargo’s “digital transformation”, with more features and expanded functionality coming later this year.

John Menzies plc (“Menzies”), the global aviation services business announces the expansion in Central America with the acquisition of Interexpresso and additional contract wins in the Oceania region. Menzies has agreed to acquire 51 percent of Interexpresso Costa Rica Corporación ILC, S.A. (“Interexpresso”) which will see Menzies’ footprint expand in Central America. Philipp Joeinig, chairman and CEO, said: “I am pleased to announce our expansion in the Central American region. We have found a knowledgeable partner in Interexpresso and, working together, we will be able to open doors in new, attractive, higher margin and emerging markets in the region.” Interexpresso is an aviation service provider operating in Central America and headquartered in Costa Rica. Interexpresso’s core business relates to cargo handling and aviation security services, primarily consisting of cargo document handling, cargo security screening and aircraft access control.

The Irkutsk Polymer Plant (IPP) project was executed in close cooperation between deugro (Japan) Co., Ltd., deugro Projects, LLC, Russia and deugro (Korea) Co., Ltd. Due to the transport via the Northern Sea Route and critical conditions of navigation on the Lena River, the navigation period was limited to a maximum of three months. The vessels were accompanied by the nuclear ice breaker Yamal. The cargo contained 45 oversized heavy lift (OSHL) components and was shipped simultaneously on two full-charter vessels from Masan, South Korea via Tiksi in the Arctic Ocean to Ust-Kut, Russia. As most of the OSHL cargo came from South Korea and the transit time to Tiksi via the Bering Strait was the fastest, it was consolidated and loaded at the port of Masan. After 4,500 nautical miles, both vessels arrived at the anchorage points in Tiksi. Due to a low draft at the Port of Tiksi, the simultaneous transshipment from both vessels onto nine barges was executed outside the port area. All barges were certified for an exit to the sea, and the river transportation from Tiksi to Ust-Kut took about 24 to 26 days by barge.

The global full-service provider Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and Hella Polska, a global leader in the field of lighting systems and vehicle electronics, are extending their cooperation for another four years. As part of the contract extension, the cooperation will be expanded to also include cross-border logistics services. Hellmann has been the full service contract logistics partner of Hella Polska already since 2017 providing services such as the storage of around 10,000 indices (SKUs), the completion of lamp sets for bus and trailer manufacturers as well as the domestic distribution and export handling from Czeladź, Poland. “Thanks to Hellmann´s efforts and professional, solution-oriented approach, we are very pleased to extend our cooperation. Based on mutual experience, we share the common goal of optimizing processes while achieving synergy effects in our warehousing and transport operations,” says Marcin Wieteska, managing director, Hella Polska. “The contract extension with Hella Polska underlines our commitment and understanding of our customer´s needs. Longstanding customer partnerships are a key pillar of Hellmann’s strategy, and as such, continuing to grow together is always our motivation for the future,” says Jacek Przybyłowski, managing director Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Poland.

Deutsche Post DHL Group (“DPDHL”) has signed an agreement to acquire up to 100 percent of J.F. Hillebrand Group AG (“Hillebrand”) and its subsidiaries at an equity value of around €1.5 billion. Hillebrand generated revenue of around €1.4 billion in the last twelve months, will ship 500,000 TEUs in 2021, and has more than 2,700 employees worldwide. Hillebrand is a global service provider specialized in ocean freight forwarding, transport and logistics of beverages, non-hazardous bulk liquids and other products that require special care. The strategic combination of Hillebrand with DHL’s Global Forwarding, Freight (“DHL”) division will strengthen the Group’s position in the dynamic ocean freight forwarding market. “With the growing maturity of our freight forwarding business, this bolt-on acquisition of Hillebrand is highly complementary to our existing portfolio. In line with our Group Strategy, we strengthen our core logistics business and deliver profitable long-term growth”, says Frank Appel, CEO Deutsche Post DHL Group. “Using our financial strength, we are able to pursue quality investments while reinforcing our unchanged commitment to deliver on investor return expectations.”

Seventy-five years ago, Delta made its official but humble entry into the cargo business. 200 pounds of freshly picked mushrooms loaded aboard a DC-3 destined for Atlanta, making farm-to-table a possibility decades before it became a culinary hashtag. That first week of operation in 1946, the airline carried a little bit of everything to customers across the U.S.: a 64-year-old, $1,500 soup tureen; 1,100 pounds of auto parts filling six crates; 450 pounds of candy; a box of silver coins. Delta planes had served the Allied cause during World War II, transporting everything from food and surgical supplies to weapons and auto parts overseas. That helped give Delta what was needed to turn cargo transport into a full-fledged business. “The airline has grown, and the nature of our Cargo business has changed significantly over the last 75 years, but we are still in the business of providing Best-in-Class service to our customers with any of their freight and logistics needs – large or small,” said Robert Walpole, vice president, Delta Cargo. “We are here to support our customers and communities in the U.S. and across the globe. We look forward to another remarkable 75 years.” Today, Delta Cargo offers access to industry-leading shipping solutions and carries on average 2.2 billion cargo tons every year. Whether it’s transporting life-saving pharmaceuticals, organs for transplant, fresh flowers, seasonal produce or beloved pets, Delta Cargo’s strong product portfolio provides world-class service for every customer’s needs.

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) experienced record air cargo volumes during the first half of 2021 with a recovery in passenger traffic. Between January and June, 1.73 million metric tons of air cargo transited ANC, a 23.45 percent increase over the first half of 2020. “E-commerce ‘tech-celeration,’ port delays and low product inventories are causing a significant increase in air cargo activity. Our central location on the trans-Pacific trade lane, coupled with our efficient infrastructure and special transfer rights, have resulted in greater utilization of ANC by shippers to maximize their air-cargo potential,” said Jim Szczesniak, the Anchorage Airport Director. “We are seeing a continued shift in supply chains from periodic, container-sized shipments via ocean cargo to more regular, pallet-sized shipments via air cargo. With more than $1 billion in private sector cargo developments in the pipeline at ANC, we expect this growth trajectory to continue.”