Category Archives: International

International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reinforce collaboration between the two organizations. FIATA represents the freight forwarding industry by advocating trade facilitation policies and promoting best practices in the supply chain to speak with a unified voice in support of freight forwarding associations and logistics companies. ICHCA is dedicated to improving the safety, security, sustainability, productivity and efficiency of cargo handling and goods movement by all modes and through all phases of national and international supply chains. The MoU facilitates close coordination between FIATA and ICHCA to help them pursue their respective organizational goals and further mutual understanding. The MoU also creates the framework for cooperation that will enable both organizations to benefit from agreed actions and initiatives to achieve common objectives.

IAG Cargo and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) have partnered with more freight forwarders on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flights. IAG Cargo has partnered with Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) to complete its first net zero charter chain, comprised of 16 flights, using SAF. Operated between Stuttgart and Atlanta and partially powered with SAF, the charters marked the first time ever that passenger-freighter flights were operated with net-zero carbon emissions. K+N explained in a statement: “As SAF still produces some CO2 emissions, complete carbon neutrality was achieved by substituting each litre of jet fuel kerosene used with 1.25 litres of SAF.” The forwarder added that it is expanding its sustainable services offering to its customers with “innovative and easily customised shipping options”. “The overall commitment so far of 12.7m litres of SAF allows [our] customers to benefit from immediately available alternative fuel solutions to reduce CO2 emissions of their air freight globally,” the company said.

The world’s largest cargo airline will provide forwarders in Europe with real-time pricing, capacity, and eBookings via WebCargo. Qatar Airways Cargo announced that WebCargo by Freightos will be introduced across the European region* effective 30 June 2021. Forwarders will be able to conduct eBookings with access to live rates and available capacity on the WebCargo platform. With the implementation of WebCargo across Europe, the total count of countries in the airline’s network on the platform will increase to 32. This will allow customers to further digitalise their experience with the airline in the region, resulting in more process efficiencies and faster market responses. Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo, Mr. Guillaume Halleux, said: “We are glad to further roll out the third-party eBooking platform, WebCargo throughout Europe, as we aim to provide digital connectivity for our customers and extend digitalisation across our operations. This will bring in more efficiencies in the supply chain and provide multiple benefits for our customers. Our aim is to gradually roll out WebCargo throughout our global network during the year, providing convenience and transparency to our customers.”

Shippers hoping for some pricing respite from ocean carriers have been battered this week by further records falling. Drewry’s World Container Index, published yesterday, saw its steepest climb since its inception in 2012. Drewry’s composite World Container index rose a further 15.9% or $1,104 to reach $8,061.65 per feu, which is 332% higher than the same week in 2020. Rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles increased by more than a third in the space of week, from $6,358 per feu last week to $8,548 this week. Rates from Asia to US east coast also soared 39% to $11,180 per feu. “Drewry expects rates to remain on the higher side in the coming week,” the UK analysts stated yesterday.

Austrian Airlines has announced that it is ending its preighter operation after 15 months. The Lufthansa Group-owned airline’s long-haul passenger aircraft have regularly operated as freighter-only aircraft between Asia and Europe since March last year. Two B777s (OE-LPA and OE-LPC) even had their seats removed to boost cargo capacity and acted as the “backbone” of the operation. OE-LPA will be the last of the two aircraft to have its seats replaced and from July the aircraft will resume passenger flights to North America, among other destinations. “On 159 flights, we transported 4,500 tons of relief supplies to Europe in the fight against the pandemic,” the carrier said. “The cargo included 200m protective masks, 30m test kits and more than 15m medical gloves. We flew the goods to Austria, but also to Germany and Italy.”

Air cargo booking platform Webcargo has launched a new tool that allows forwarders to offer customers online booking on their own website. WebCargo Vista provides forwarders with a branded sales portal that is connected directly to their rate management systems and that can then be offered customers an online booking option. The company explained that research it had recently conducted showed that only 25%of top freight forwarders currently offer accessible online booking to their customers. “WebCargo Vista is unique in its combination of multimodal rate management with a leading pricing, booking and management platform, enabling over 90% of customer bookings to be conducted without a phone call or email,” it said.

Freight forwarder Crane Worldwide Logistics will in July launch charter flights between China and the US to combat ongoing issues in ocean shipping and tight capacity in air cargo. The service will launch on July 2 using B747-400 freighter capacity between Shanghai and Rickenbacker International Airport, leaving on Fridays and arriving on Saturdays. Crane’s chief sales officer Tim Zubradt explained that it had selected Rickenbacker due to the close proximity to the company’s Columbus warehouse and a one-day truck drive to major cities such as Chicago, New York and Washington. He also pointed out that there was congestion at many major US hubs, with Rickenbacker serving as an alternative US hub for incoming cargo. The service is launched as the ocean shipping industry continues to struggle with delays and reliability issues.

Qatar Airways Cargo announces the approval of Envirotainer’s latest innovation – The Releye® RLP container. With the newest addition to its range of temperature-controlled containers, the airline now offers 16 temperature-controlled container leasing options for life science and health care products to maintain a secure and seamless cool chain. It has been already offering customers Envirotainer’s RAP and RKN active pharma containers since 2014. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said, “We are committed to provide our customers the best solutions. A seamless cool chain is paramount to maintain the efficacy of pharmaceuticals and we are pleased to offer our customers a technologically advanced container – Releye® RLP with live monitoring and intelligent cargo protection to transport their critical life science and health care shipments at the required temperature across our global network. Such an innovation is the need of the hour, especially in these uncertain times of the pandemic.”

DSV Panalpina is poised to become the world’s largest freight forwarder in terms of air and ocean revenues provided that its proposed takeover of Agility GIL is completed, reveals a new analysis from Transport Intelligence (Ti). “With the deal set to be completed in the second half of 2021, the stage is set for changes at the top of the ranking”, reveals Ti’s recently published Global Freight Forwarding Market 2021 With a revenue of €9.9bn, DSV Panalpina is ranked third as per the analysis. Kuehne + Nagel (KN) is the current market leader, with combined revenues of €11.5bn, followed by DHL Global Forwarding, with €10.9bn. Agility is ranked 12th with revenues of €2.8bn. “GIL’s €2.8bn revenues would see DSV Panalpina displace both KN and DHL GF”, the report said.

The urban air mobility pioneer Volocopter and global logistics service provider DB Schenker are developing solutions for the fast and emission-free transport of goods. Today, Volocopter’s heavy-lift drone was presented to German federal politicians for the first time. At the National Aviation Conference (Nationale Luftfahrtkonferenz) at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, numerous politicians and representatives from the aviation industry visited the VoloDrone. The aircraft is autonomously and electrically operated and can transport up to 200 kilograms of cargo with a range of up to 40 kilometers. Jochen Thewes, CEO of DB Schenker: “Our customers demand clean, fast and innovative solutions for their supply chains. When the infrastructure for conventional means of transport is overburdened or non-existent, cargo drones offer an opportunity to rethink logistics routes. The possible applications in logistics are limitless. Through our partnership with Volocopter, this vision is gradually becoming reality. Drone transport is becoming increasingly tangible. The National Aviation Conference in Berlin offers us a very good opportunity to give German politicians a live impression of this.”