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NEWS Logistics solutions for Morocco


AP Moller-Maersk Group’s forwarding specialist Damco has partnered with Morocco-based SNTL to bring advance logistics solutions to the North African market. A new joint venture, SNTL Damco Logistics will invest the equivalent of US$175m in new logistics centres in Casablanca, Tangiers, Agadir, Fes, Meknes and Marrakech over the next five years to better manage import and export operations and national cargo flows. The first logistics centre to be


fully operational is Mohammedia Zenata, near Casablanca port, due to open in February. The 28-hectare zone includes a 36,000-sq m warehouse offering palletised and non-rackable dry storage, cold storage container yard, bonded warehouse and truck parking space. Oussama El-Edghiri, general manager of Damco Maghreb said that the Moroccan government was anxious to improve the country’s logistics competitiveness. “The target is to reduce logistics costs in the country by 5%, down to 20% of GDP.” There had already been heavy investment in new roads and high-speed trains, and it was now turning its attention to other parts of the supply chain. For example, it planned to free Casablanca city from container trucks by building dedicated roads and railways between the port area and creating a new dry


port at Mohammedia Zenata. While Casablanca port – still the country’s main gateway despite the opening of a transhipment hub at Tangiers – cannot be enlarged, new bonded facilities in the dry port would reduce pressure on the seaport itself, El- Edghiri explained. The new logistics facilities


at Tangiers and Agadir would follow, within about five years. Tangier was emerging as a major manufacturing centre, able to compete on cost with China but with the advantage of being only three days away from the UK and northern Europe by truck, with daily departures. Renault has set up a major manufacturing plant and textile companies, electronics firms and others are also active in and around the city. Agadir, a coastal city in the


south is seen mainly as an outlet for produce such as fish and citrus. At the moment, it lacks suitable cold storage, but such facilities could be operated at lower cost than in Europe, El- Edghiri believes. Logistics facilities in the other


cities will follow, but could be brought forward if there was customer demand. El-Edghiri is also responsible


for Algeria and Tunisia. The former market is still dominated by oil and gas, with container flows virtually all one way into the country and third party


Kuhne & Nagel to take on Europe


Forwarder Kuehne + Nagel plans to expand its European overland network from 300 to 500 scheduled international lines by 2014 with departure frequency doubling to 2,000 per week. It will introduce a new product, KN Euro-Line together with a centralised network management approach. Currently, KN has services between 38 countries across the continent, based on a central hub in Haiger, Germany, and seven regional hubs. It also operates domestic groupage networks in large economies such as France and Germany. The plan now is to add


one new international direct connection each week during the next four years, building up to the planned 500 scheduled connections throughout Europe by 2014, said management


board member, Dirk Reich. The network will be controlled


from Schindellegi, Switzerland, and customers will be able to access transit times and routing of their shipments via the KN Scheduler at www.kn-scheduler. com. KN Euro-Line will also offer


clearly structured tariffs and set time tables and will be supplemented by KN Euro-Line Time-Definite, which guarantees on-time delivery within an agreed timeframe. For time-sensitive shipments


there will be two express products KN Euro-Line Express - with shorter transit times than the standard product - and KN Euro-Line Express12 - shorter transit times and delivery before 12:00 noon. There is also KN Parcel for shipments of up to 32kg.


logistics is virtually unknown. Major multinationals tend to operate through third- party distributors. “ H o w e v e r , maybe in a few years’ time we will see a more open economy.” C o n t a i n e r logistics is not helped by the fact that Algeria’s border with Morocco is closed to commercial traffic. As for Tunisia – where traffic


Oussama El-Edghiri, Damco Maghreb


to develop modern logistics facilities. “You can’t just decide to build a warehouse there,” he said. In the short term, Morocco


was disrupted by the unrest that broke out in mid-January - “things can only improve” if there is a change of government, he believes. The old regime controlled almost all commercial activity in the country and had completely stymied any moves


and other nearby countries such as Turkey might benefit from the suspension of trade, but in the long term Tunisia might well gain from a more open regime. The country has significant textile exports and the UK is a major exporter to the country.


It’s a deal in Abu Dhabi


GHC director Suhail Mubarak Al- Ameri and Klaus Tindborg, CEO of Damco Middle East


Damco and the UAE’s largest industrial conglomerate General Holding Corporation have formed a joint venture, Damco Abu Dhabi to provide logistics and forwarding services in the Emirate. It will target the fast moving consumer goods sector in the region. The company


plans to employ around 40 staff next year and will set up offices at the airport and other key locations, along with a “substantial” warehouse development.


Successful start for Palletline


Palletline said it had seen a dramatic upsurge in European business during the first few weeks of 2011 following the relaunch of its continental network, exceeding initial estimates in terms of pallet volumes. Its new service links the UK to every country in the Eurozone and offers service to a total of 30 countries including France, Spain, Germany, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Lithuania


and Romania. Palletline has not tried to replicate the hub and spoke network it operates within the UK but instead works closely with its European-orientated member companies, DSV, CS Ellis (Group) and Europa Worldwide Logistics to provide links to and from Europe. Managing director Kevin Buchanan added that Palletline Europe customers enjoy the same track and trace systems and electronic communication of accurate proof of delivery information available on Palletline’s domestic system. The European service uses subsidiary company Palletline London as a gateway. It also allows


continental-based


hauliers to access the Palletline UK network, rather than use their own vehicles for small consignment deliveries.


ISSUE 1 2011


ROUND-UP: SHIPPING


Maersk Line has launched a direct route between the east coast of Mexico and Tilbury/North Europe using 2,500teu ships. The CRX service will operate weekly, calling in Veracruz, Altamira, Manzanillo (Panama) and Puerto Moin (Costa Rica) and avoiding the US. A Maersk Line spokesman said that not only was the new direct service faster, but it also avoided the need for shippers having to fill out security notifications to comply with the US 24-hour rule.


Hamburg Süd plans to extend its WAMS service between the US West Coast, West Coast Mexico and West Cost Central America and its hub in Cartagena on to Tangier and North Europe, including Tilbury. Ten 1,700teu ships will be deployed on the route, eight from Hamburg Süd and two by CCNI. As well as providing an all-water service between the US West Coast and North Europe, the service offers connections to the Caribbean basin, East Coast South America, West Coast South America via Cartagena and to the East Med, Middle East and Indian Subcontinent via Tangiers.


Iscont Lines is reintroducing its service from the UK and North Continent to Israel, Egypt and Cyprus from 25 February. It will operate weekly calling in Felixstowe, Haifa, Ashdod, Alexandria and Limassol. UK agents are Johnson Stevens.


OT Africa Line has made its inaugural call at Tilbury on its Europe/West Africa service. The weekly service offers direct links to Tema, Lagos Apapa and Tin Can Island. Connections to all other West African ports are available via Tangiers. OTAL had previously served Felixstowe in the UK and prior to that Teesport.


The New World Alliance - APL, Hyundai and MOL – introduced its first direct Vietnam to North Europe service in January. A Vietnam call is being added to the existing JEX service, with the first vessel expected to call at Cai Mep in South Vietnam in mid-January. The service calls in Rotterdam, Hamburg and Le Havre but not the UK. MOL made its first call at the Vietnamese terminal on 15 January.


United Arab Shipping Company has reinstated calls on its AEC1 service at London Thamesport, a move that also a marks the return of direct calls in the UK for the line’s vessels. Over the last 12 months UASC has serviced the UK through


partnerships and slot charter arrangements. The AEC1 service will offer transit times of 16 days from Nhava Sheva and seven days from Port Said to the UK. It will also offer an export service to the Far East via Antwerp and the AEC2 service.


Short-sea box operator Containerships is increasing the frequency of its service from Sheerness and North Europe to Piraeus, Istanbul and Izmir to weekly and every 12 days to Tunis and Cadiz, following the addition of a third vessel. From mid January 2011 the service will run with two 1000teu and one 800teu ship, along with four vessels on its Intra-Med service offering connections with Benghazi, Misurata, Tripoli, Alexandria and Mersin. The service can carry 40ft high cube reefer and 40ft /45ft high cube pallet-wide containers.


CSAV has restructured its Euroandes service from Tilbury and North Europe to Cartagena, Manzanillo, Callao, Arica and San Santonio into a weekly fixed day service. The schedule also includes a weekly southbound call in Port of Spain, Trinidad to connect with feeders to Guyana and Suriname and there will be a new feeder connecting to Paita and Guayaquil. CSAV has also introduced a Plata Feeder Service connecting


Rosario and Zarate on the river Plate in Argentina to North Europe and other destinations via Montevideo in Uruguay.


Heavylift shipping operator Rickmers-Linie has appointed Gerleinco of Bogota, as its agent in Colombia. The line launched a service from Europe to the North Coast of South America and the Caribbean in June last year.


NYK Logistics has launched a weekly less-than-container-load (LCL) service from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to the UK. Consignments are shipped via Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore to Southampton, for onward distribution throughout the UK. Track- and-trace system and a comprehensive customs clearance service are also available.


APL Logistics is offering shippers in Cambodia a later cut-off time at its Phnom Penh container freight station, thanks to a new containerised cross-border trucking service to Cai Mep port in Vietnam. It is described as “a service recovery solution designed for shippers when production runs unexpectedly late,” able to reduce transit times by as much as four days compared to feeder services from Sihanoukville port or barge services from Phnom Penh river port. Deepsea and feeder services are available from Cai Mep to all parts of the world.


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