Safmarine appoints new CEO AIRFREIGHT & EXPRESS NEWS ROUNDUP


10 Grant Daly


Safmarine has appointed Grant Daly as its new CEO from 1 February. Currently head of Safmarine’s head of multi-purpose


vessel unit, he replaces Tomas Dyrbye, who has been Safmarine’s CEO for the past two and a half years. Daly’s appointment follows the announcement, in October 2011, of the Maersk Liner Business’ intention to integrate the corporate and regional management activities of Safmarine into those of the parent company. The company said that Safmarine will continue to have its own independent pricing, capacity, sales and customer services structure, supported by more than 1,400 Safmariners in 130 countries around the world. As new CEO, Daly will be


based at the new Safmarine headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark where he will report to


Hanne Sørensen, Maersk Line’s chief commercial officer. He said his immediate priority was to establish the Safmarine Centre team in Copenhagen “and to ensure we provide Safmariners in the countries with the support they need to deliver on our Safmarine promise to customers.” Hanne Sørensen added: “The


challenge - of making brand segmentation work without a separate management structure - is a new one in the shipping industry and we are delighted that Grant has accepted this challenge. We know he has the necessary Safmarine experience, skills and knowledge to build and grow a resilient and highly respected brand.”


Safmarine further has made appointments to


three its


commercial team. British-born Nick Gough, currently strategic sales and key accounts director based in Antwerp, assumes the role of global key account director based in Copenhagen, while fellow Brit, Stephen Knight, is global sales director. He is currently Safmarine’s Middle East and North Africa regional executive. South African Russell Gillespie,


currently Safmarine’s Antwerp- based customer insight director, is


the new global access and


experience director responsible for branding, PR and communications, corporate social responsibility and a number of customer intelligence and segmentation initiatives.


Maersk swallows Safmarine subcontinent service


Safmarine is to integrate its Prime 2 service between the South and East of the Indian Subcontinent with North Europe into its parent company AP Moller-Maersk’s


Asia–Europe network from early February 2012. It follows a similar decision by Maersk to merge its own India-Europe service with its Far East- Europe ‘Daily’ service. Safmarine


said that some transit times would be improved, thanks to inbound and outbound direct calls in Colombo, Sri Lanka. There are also improvements to dedicated feeder links including


a route between Chittagong and Tanjung Pelepas while in South India, the weekly Chennai feeder via Colombo will help improve transit time and reliability.


Line chief quits for bank job


Maersk Line CEO Eivind Kolding has leſt the company to become chairman of the executive board of Danske Bank. His place has been taken by Søren Skou, previously CEO of Maersk Tankers. Group CEO of parent company AP Moller - Maersk. Nils Andersen, paid tribute to the former Maersk CEO: “Under Eivind Kolding’s


skilled leadership, Maersk Line has undergone an impressive turnaround. Its competitiveness has improved significantly and at the same time, Maersk Line has set new standards for the industry with regards to environment and reliability. Furthermore, Maersk Line has gotten a much stronger focus on the customers.”


Frankfurt is the centre of cool


Luſthansa Cargo has begun operations at its new Cargo Cool Center at Frankfurt airport. The 4,500sq m facility is equipped with four cool storage rooms for four different temperature ranges as well as a deep-freezer cell and will handle all temperature-controlled shipments carried by the airline in Frankfurt. Luſthansa board member for


product and sales Dr Andreas Otto told guests at the opening


ceremony that the carrier’s Cool t/d product was growing at around 15%, adding: “The Luſthansa Cargo Cool Center will enable us to ship temperature-controlled freight faster, more reliably and more efficiently at our Frankfurt hub, and further expand our position as a leading provider of cool transport.” Luſthansa Cargo had earlier


opened its first international pharma hub at Hyderabad in India.


He added: “I am very pleased


that Søren Skou has accepted the important task as CEO of Maersk Line.” He described him as “a sharp and visionary leader with strong international leadership experience, shipping.”


not least within AP Moller-Maersk CEO Nils Andersen had emergency


treatment for a heart condition in Switzerland over the New Year. The company said that doctors expect “a full recovery”. Andersen, 53, was admitted


to hospital on 30 December and will be off work for some time, the company added. Maersk’s executive board will


run the Danish company during his absence.


Emissions scheme ‘will cost millions’


The Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG) has repeated its call for the EU not to implement the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for aviation. ETS, which is scheduled to take effect this month, will spark a divisive and ultimately costly dispute with the international community and the global aviation industry, including the air cargo sector and its customers, it said. The call follows the European Court of Justice decision on 21


December on Airlines for America’s legal challenge to the unilateral application of the EU ETS to international aviation and which effectively paves the way for ETS to be implemented in 2012. Other countries, including the


US, India and China, have urged the EU to suspend application ETS and to return to multilateral efforts to develop international C02 emission standards within ICAO and other appropriate international fora.


IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia owner IAG has agreed to buy loss-making UK-based short-haul carrier BMI from Lufthansa for £172.5m. The deal brings IAG 56 extra slots at Heathrow. IAG said it hoped the deal would be completed in the first three months of 2012 although it is subject to clearance by competition bodies, and Virgin has said it will oppose it on the grounds that it would give IAG a dominant position at Heathrow.


British Airways will to resume flights to Tripoli, Libya from 1 May, following completion of a security review. Services were suspended in February 2011. An Airbus A320 will operate three times a week from Heathrow, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and bellyhold cargo capacity will be available.


AMI Express – the UK express arm of airfreight and express wholesaler Air Menzies International - has extended its click2ship online express product to include road services to 27 European countries, making it the UK’s only wholesale express door-to-door road service. Based on the services of UPS, and like the original express air services within click2ship, the new road services are quoted and booked online at www.airmenzies.com/uk/ click2ship.


Senior executives from DB Schenker Logistics gathered recently at the site of the company’s new UK headquarters building for a ground breaking ceremony. The new 9,900sq m terminal next to the main Heathrow cargo terminal is scheduled for competition in mid-2012 and is the largest pre-let agreement signed at the airport for five years.


Airfreight and express wholesaler Air Menzies International (AMI) is relocating its London Heathrow hub facility to new, larger premises at Polar Park, on the north side of the airport. AMI’s cargo division will move in late January, followed by the express division in March. This will bring the AMI family back together under one roof for the first time since 2008, when growth forced the express operation to move to temporary overspill premises in nearby Colnbrook. The new building also offers greatly improved vehicle access and will be located in a secure compound.


Heathrow airport could be massively downsized or even closed under plans currently being mulled over by the Government. A consultation is being held on the future of UK aviation and the options for maintaining the UK’s aviation hub status in March, including the plans for the ‘Boris Island’ airport in the Thames Estuary. Colin Matthews, chief executive of airport operator BAA, told the BBC that a new airport would inevitably mean Heathrow getting much smaller. The island airport would however face opposition from environmental groups as well as Thames-side residents.


Carlton Global Logistics has opened an airfreight office at Manchester Airport. Manager Karl Lomas said that many customers had substantially increased their use of air cargo.The new location would allow Carlton to handle and control the cargo itself, improving speed and accuracy.


Air France KLM Group, one of Europe’s leading freighter operators and cargo carriers, has unveiled a three-year transformation plan to restore profitability. It envisages a virtual standstill on capacity, including deferred delivery of new aircraft and improved productivity from the remaining fleet.


Air Partner has extended its Time Critical door-to-door time-definite worldwide freight service to mainland Europe. In addition to the UK where it was unveiled six months ago, Time Critical can now be booked through Air Partner’s Cologne office where a specialist team can handle services in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Central and Eastern Europe, and Italy.


Cargolux executives Ulrich Ogiermann and Robert Van de Weg have entered into a plea agreement with the US Department of Justice following their indictment by a US grand jury for alleged violations of US antitrust laws. Ogiermann and Van de Weg, respectively special advisor and senior vice president sales and marketing at the all-cargo airline, agreed to 13 month sentences. Cargolux itself pleaded guilty in May 2009 in similar US proceedings against the company and agreed to pay a fine of US$ 119 million.


Issue 1 2012


///NEWS


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