Category Archives: International

The CMA CGM Group is stepping up its strategic development in logistics by creating a specialised air freight division CMA CGM Air Cargo. This move into airfreight strengthens the Group’s transport and logistics business, allowing it to offer its customers a new range of comprehensive, agile and customised solutions. To support its expansion into air freight, the CMA CGM Group is buying four 60-tonne-payload Airbus A330-200F freighter aircraft, which came into service between 2014 and 2016. With a range of 4,000 nautical miles, they will connect Europe with the rest of the world. The CMA CGM Group will entrust the operation of its freighter fleet to a European airline. CMA CGM Air Cargo represents a major new component of the CMA CGM Group in both operational and commercial terms. This expansion into air freight is a new milestone in the Group’s strategic development, with the aim of providing Group customers with a complementary range of services covering both shipping and logistics. Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO, CMA CGM Group, says, “In response to the growing demand from our customers for agile logistics solutions, we are creating a new division within the CMA CGM Group dedicated to air transport: CMA CGM Air Cargo. This division will launch with four Airbus A330-200F aircraft and will leverage commercial partnerships with airlines in order to deliver global coverage. This is a major milestone in the development of our logistics services.”

While noting airport’s significant role in shipping COVID-19 vaccine around the globe, Brussels Airport has highlighted continued growth in its airfreight volumes since last summer. The air cargo volumes have again recorded significant growth, up 21% on January 2020. Brussels Airport continues to do better than the average growth seen in Europa and worldwide which is negatively impacted by the strong decrease in the number of passenger flights operated by wide bodies. In January, air cargo volumes in the full-freighter segment grew sharply by 73% compared to the same month in 2020. Integrator services too recorded strong growth compared to last year (+37%). These strong growth figures largely compensate for the limited volumes of belly cargo carried on passenger flights. And for once, trucked air cargo also records an increase (+10%), after several months of negative growth. The total volume of goods handled by the logistics platform at Brussels Airport grew significantly (+ 18%) in January, totalling to 58,311 tonnes. The transport of COVID vaccines, which is sure to continue all through the year, has found in Brussels Airport a top-notch logistics hub, specialised in temperature-sensitive goods, particularly pharmaceuticals. Imports from Asia and North America are recording strong growth compared to the same month last year. On the exports side, we find that the volumes towards Asia in particular are doing well. We also note a positive impact on air cargo volumes related to Brexit.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) has seen a 16% increase in 2020 over the record setting volumes in 2019, more than 3.48 million tons of air cargo landed at the airport. “The tremendous surge in cargo volumes through ANC has been fueled by an increase in e-commerce, PPE, and displaced belly cargo,” said Jim Szczesniak, Airport Director, in adding, “The pandemic has left an indelible mark on the e-commerce landscape, accelerating market growth—reaching numbers not forecast to be seen in the U.S. for another two years. We expect our cargo numbers to remain strong into 2021; as the air cargo industry continues to recognize the benefits and efficiencies of ANC; as e-commerce shopping becomes routine; as international travel restrictions continue to displace belly cargo.” ANC is cementing its place as The Center of the Air Cargo World, just 9.5 hours from 90% of the industrialized world, more than 200 widebody freighter operations take place every day. At least 28 wide-body cargo carriers connect ANC to more than 50 destinations across the globe—30 of them daily and another 20 destinations with a frequency of weekly or better. “We continue to grow the benefits of utilizing ANC for our existing cargo customers, and to attract new customers. We have more than $1-billion of private air cargo development proposed for ANC, Alaska Cargo and Cold Storage recently executed a lease for their new 700,000 square foot facility,” adds Szczesniak. “These developments will provide the infrastructure to streamline the global supply chain and make ANC a staple in the cold chain. These warehouse facilities will provide cargo carriers, freight forwarders, pharmaceutical, and other industry partner’s infrastructure required to leverage ANC’s strategic location and …

Unilode Aviation Solutions and MdG Group has signed a long-term agreement for the repair of La Couverture, a unique product developed and manufactured by MdG for the protection of temperature-sensitive products in the aviation supply chain. La Couverture is a hybrid solution between a thermal cover and a temperature-controlled dolly that offers the ease of use of a cover and almost the same protection as a thermal dolly at a much lower cost and without CO2 emission. The innovative material protects temperature-sensitive cargo on a lower deck pallet during the handling phase on the tarmac between a cargo warehouse and the apron, and the product is fitted with a GPS device for location tracking. Unilode will provide extensive services for La Couverture that includes inspection, repair, storage, transport, handling and reporting within Unilode’s global repair network, initially at 17 key airports across Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia. Marco Del Giudice, Managing Director, MdG Group, said, “As we gain market share with La Couverture, our innovative and sustainable protective solution for temperature-sensitive products, the need for extending its useful life through professional maintenance and repair services and continuing to meet IATA Pharma CEIV certification requirements has increased. Unilode’s expertise gives us confidence that La Couverture will be serviced at the highest standards at the busiest airports across the globe and our product’s three-year lifespan can be significantly increased. We look forward to a successful partnership that will further enhance the value of La Couverture and also make our expansion much easier as we can count on the services of a truly global repair network.” Marc Groenewegen, Chief Commercial Officer, Unilode, adds, “Our new agreement with MdG Group for …

DB Schenker sets a strong signal in his European Network and invests 10 million euro in a new logistic center in Shannon. This investment is a powerful commitment from the global logistics service provider to continued expansion in the western region of Ireland. “This investment demonstrates DB Schenker’s commitment to Ireland and it also reflects the strong growth that DB Schenker has achieved with large multinational companies over the last few years,” says Ray Hennessy, CEO of DB Schenker in UK & Ireland. “Shannon has been a high-performing location for us for many years. We have strong confidence in the Mid-West Region, and the additional capacity that this building creates will allow us to expand our customer base and offer additional employment opportunities in the area. We look forward to seeing the building completed and operational within 12 months.” The new site is located close to Shannon Airport (SNN) and has direct access to the local highway network, thus providing swift access to the western corridor of Ireland. The site will offer customers all services, including air and ocean freight, land transport, and value-added logistics solutions. The new building will have an area of 4,831 square meters in total. This will include a warehouse with an area of 3,716 square meters. The clearance height will be 12.5 meters. The site will be TAPA A-certified in terms of security, including secure fencing, full CCTV coverage, access control throughout, an intruder alarm system, remote monitoring, etc. The facility, once completed, will also comply with DB Schenker’s certifications for quality (ISO 9001), environmental protection (ISO 14001), and health and safety (ISO 45001). The warehouse will be heated and will allow temperature control in …

DHL Global Forwarding has recently re-certified its air freight station in Singapore with the IATA CEIV Pharma Standard for another year. The IATA CEIV Pharma Standard, run by International Air Transport Association (IATA), is designed to ensure compliance, standardisation, accountability and transparency across the air transport supply chain. “Singapore is the latest in our Asia Pacific network, along with Japan and China, to receive the IATA CEIV Pharma re-certification. This is especially timely as several countries try to secure Covid-19 vaccines to put a halt to the economic and social impact of the pandemic,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. “As our teams continue to work closely with our customers to deliver these vaccines, we appreciate that the accreditation is not only a quality mark of our service and network, but is equally a recognition of the hard work and dedication of our LSH specialists who work seamlessly across the world to deliver best-in-class logistics services to our customers,” he added. DHL has been actively involved with IATA’s continuous efforts to adequately answer to the regulatory demands of the pharmaceutical industry. At each location, IATA examines and compares the station’s correspondence to its Temperature Control Regulations (TCR) as well as GDP (Good Distribution Practices) guidelines from the European Union, World Health Organization and other regulatory bodies. “As the freight forwarder that was involved with bringing in Singapore’s first batch of Covid-19 vaccines, DHL Global Forwarding places a huge emphasis on delivering the highest supply chain standards for our LSH customers. The re-certification of the IATA CEIV Pharma on a corporate level and for our air freight station at Changi Airport stands testament to our commitment to support …

In achieving excellence in reliable end-to-end air transportation for pharma shippers, innovative and sustainable cold chain packaging solutions is integral. Pharma.Aero has announced three cold chain packaging specialists as new Associate Partners. “The market knowledge and expertise of our three new Associate Partners in terms of their cold chain packaging solutions, service and product offerings will strengthen the entire Pharma.Aero family and further enhance our thought leadership in the pharmaceutical supply chain management,” said Nathan De Valck, Chairman of Pharma.Aero. Niall Balfour, CEO, TOWER Cold Chain Solutions adds, “TOWER are globally recognised as being one of the most innovative providers of reusable cold chain packaging solutions to the Pharmaceutical industry. We are therefore delighted to be accepted as a member of Pharma.Aero which will allow us to further enhance our relationships and collaborate with some of the largest providers within this market.” Ron Haub, Segment Director at Sonoco ThermoSafe, says, “Together with the other key stakeholders in the air cargo supply chain, we look forward to contributing our longstanding technical depth in temperature-controlled packaging to further drive continuous improvement in the pharmaceutical and life sciences air transport ecosystem” Kristian Williams, Regional Sales Director of EMEA at Cold Chain Technologies cited, “As a global leader in the development and delivery of cost-effective insulated thermal packaging solutions, it is imperative that we strive to achieve excellence throughout the temperature-controlled supply chain. Joining Pharma.Aero gives us the platform to effectively collaborate with partners and stakeholders to ensure we continue to meet the specific requirements for transporting lifesaving temperature sensitive products to patients across the globe. The platform for collaboration that is available to the Pharma.Aero members will support the innovation and growth goals …

Agility and its digital innovation arm Shipa has announced the launch of a bonded, express road freight network to connect businesses and consumers across the GCC. The new service provides customers with less-than-truckload (LTL) and full truckload (FTL) options and a fast, cost-effective way to ship packages, pallets or containers of goods with daily departures and scheduled pickups in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Express road freight provided by Agility and Shipa offer parcel tracking throughout the GCC and includes value-added services including temperature-controlled transportation; merge-in-transit; just-in-time delivery; reverse logistics; and control-tower management. It also will help shippers deal with undelivered parcels that must be returned to fulfillment centers. The bonded road freight service is licensed to carry cargo that has not yet been subject to taxes and duties in countries where applicable. “The growth in e-commerce across the GCC has provided an opportunity to better serve customers with cost effective and reliable solutions,” says Henadi Al-Saleh, Agility Chairperson and leader of Agility’s corporate ventures arm. “E-commerce growth has been accelerated by the pandemic, and many companies have been transacting more of their business online. The Shipa-Agility partnership is aimed at helping these companies expand their businesses across the region and tap into new markets.” Elias Monem, CEO for Middle East & Africa, Agility Global Integrated Logistics (GIL), says, “Agility is continuously looking to improve and expand what we offer to clients. This new service allows us to use our bonded and non-bonded infrastructure and our modern road fleet to provide customers with a faster, more cost-effective shipping and delivery.”

DSV launches a new customs classification service for international businesses called DSV Customs Classification. With the new service, DSV offers to perform customs classification on behalf of businesses, ensuring compliance with regulations and easing customers’ administrative hassle. With all countries in the world actively involved in trade, it is time-consuming to understand and oversee all the requirements to legally ship to or source from a given country. With DSV Customs Classification, DSV ensures the information about the goods DSV classifies comply with local customs regulation. “To be able to export a simple screw to one country, you need to sometimes determine many specific details in a complex and laborious process,” says Robert Wisniewski, Customs Manager, International Shared Service Center, at DSV, adding, “With DSV Customs Classification, we provide a structured, straightforward process which can be used early in the company’s import and export planning activity.” The new DSV Customs Classification service is divided into seven steps, where customs information about the goods is analysed, classified and validated by DSV customs classification experts on behalf of the customer. When all customs documents are ready to be handed over to the relevant authorities, DSV shares this with the customer. “The DSV Customs Classification team consists of subject matter experts who have an in-depth understanding of global merchandise as well as the legal aspects of customs tariffs. They ensure that products are thoroughly analysed and matched with the relevant tariff numbers,” says Wisniewski. The risks associated with the use of the wrong classification ranges from simple errors and time spent to disputes with authorities that can take time, cost a lot of money and cause delays in deliveries. In serious cases, customers even …

CEVA Logistics has successfully completed a full RORO charter for almost 4,000 cars between South Korea and Libya, working in close cooperation with its parent company, the CMA CGM Group. The two companies chartered a specialist car-carrying RORO vessel as part of a cross-selling initiative. CEVA Logistics and CMA CGM teams worked in tandem to source and charter a specialist vessel along with contracting and loading. The January 2021 movement follows on from a similar successful charter in December 2019 where an equivalent number of cars were also moved from Incheon Port in South Korea to Misurata in Libya. For this second automotive charter, the vessel Lake Wanaka arrived at Incheon in early January where CEVA Logistics Korea teams monitored and supervised loading operations to the port. Almost 4,000 cars, SUVs and small trucks were successfully loaded over a four-day period despite difficult weather conditions including snow. In 2019, South Korea exported some 460,000 used cars overseas– primarily to the Middle East and Africa. In recent months, many exporters in Korea have expressed concern about limited transport options. Thus, CEVA Logistics and CMA CGM worked in close collaboration to offer pure car exporters in the country a specialist vessel as well as a local guarantee insurance company to eliminate any credit issues. Both teams also worked very closely with the Incheon Port Authority and those in Libya to ensure smooth port operations including vessel berthing and car loading, stowing and lashing and then timely unloading operations at destination. Do Young Kim Managing Director Korea, says CEVA Logistics, “Our extensive capabilities in the automotive industry were on full show with this RORO charter and the smooth collaboration with our colleagues at …