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Issue 8 2014 - Freight Business Journal One into one will go


///NEWS News Roundup CUSTOMS &


INTERNATIONAL TRADE


EU Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Semeta published a working document on implementation of a definitive VAT regime for intra-EU trade in goods, on 30 October. There are five options, all based on the existing principle of taxation in the country of destination of the goods for business to business trade. Each option will be assessed in depth by spring 2015, when detailed impact studies will be published.


A Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ An-124-100 freighter transported a Sukhoi Superjet 100 fuselage, wings and tail section from Komsomolsk-na- Amure in Khabarovsk Krai to Zhukovsky, southeast of Moscow. The new Superjet 100 is undergoing service life tests.


Small and medium businesses based in both America and Europe would benefit from the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) according to a new report by the Atlantic Council commissioned by FedEx. Smaller firms on both sides of the Atlantic complained of a lack of clarity on how to get started, problems finding the right clients, and a “confusing mix of regulatory differences and contradictory registration requirements.” The TTIP agreement, now in negotiation, will for the first time include a chapter on SMEs and specific recommendations and reforms in customs and regulatory coherence to help SMEs based in the US and the 28-member EU countries increase exports between the two largest economies in the world.


Freight could fly at Prestwick


Freight presents “excellent opportunities” for future growth at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, said chief executive Iain Cochrane in the Scottish gateway’s Strategic Vision document, published on 31 October. Prestwick has the longest commercial runway in Scotland and can handle the world’s largest freighters such as 747s and Antonovs. Tonnage is up 38% this year over last and the airport is now focused on further development opportunities, he added. Prestwick also offers quick


turnaround of freighter aircraſt and has an excellent reputation


for handling unusual and out of gauge cargo, the report adds. It acknowledges, though,


that there has been a decline in air freight at Scottish Central Belt airports recently, falling from 68,000 tonnes in 2000 to 40,000 tonnes in 2013. The reduction has been accelerated by the decline of the electronics industry and the economic recession. Two scheduled freight carriers


currently serve the airport, Air France operating twice a week and Cargolux, which increased its schedule from four to six flights per week in March 2014, in response to improved tonnages


and the withdrawal of British Airways Stansted operations from the dedicated freighter market from May 2014. While the airport is not


anticipating much change to the scheduled operation in the foreseeable future, the charter market has been growing, due mainly to ‘rush’ cargo for the oil and gas industry. Restrictions on night flying


at other European airports may present Prestwick with additional opportunities, adds the report. Prestwick’s fortunes contrast


sharply with that of Manston, another freighter-orientated


airport in the south of England. While Prestwick has in effect been renationalised, Manston’s sale to the Gloag Group led to its eventual closure and possible redevelopment as an industrial site. Edinburgh is currently the


Central Belt’s largest freight airport with 18,600 tonnes and a 47% market share, including operators by Royal Mail and the integrators. Glasgow’s main airport near Paisley handled 11,800 tonnes in 2013 compared with only 2,900 tonnes in 2010, boosted by the arrival of Emirates B777-300ER services to Dubai.


The Frankfurt connection


IAG Cargo has extended its Cargo Connector small consignment pick up and delivery service to Frankfurt. Forwarders in or near the German air hub can now opt to have IAG Cargo collect and transport shipments, of less than 300 kilos, direct from their premises to the airport at no additional cost. Customers can make bookings at short notice, and will not need to invest in their own driver and truck. Cargo Connector is already available at IAG Cargo’s London Heathrow hub and seven US airports. The collection and delivery vehicles are operated by Jan de Rijk Logistics.


News Roundup


Hungarian-based haulier Waberer has opened a UK subsidiary in Felixstowe. It currently moves an average of 700 full trailer loads (FTL) a week to and from the country and demand has been growing in double-digit percentages. Currently, the UK is one of its largest markets, generating over 15% of its entire European FTL revenues. It has also appointed Douglas French as head of its new subsidiary.


Dover-based European temperature-controlled specialist Kingbrook has joined the Fortec Distribution Network. Kingbrook will collect and deliver within a 40-mile radius of its base on the outskirts of Dover, Kent. It will also allow European hauliers and customer to pick up and consolidate goods at its warehouse, less than five miles from the Port of Dover.


Poland has asked the European Commission to consider granting aid to hauliers hit by the Russian embargo on food imports. According to the Polish Permanent Representation in Brussels, the country’s road hauliers lost €21.7 million in August alone. Hauliers specialising in food transport have invested in refrigerated vehicles but have lost contracts following the Russian embargo. Hauliers from Lithuania and Latvia have also been badly affected.


Container transport group Maritime Group has received the Freight Transport Association’s Roadworthiness Award. The awards highlight FTA members’ efforts to keep their fleets safe, legal and efficient and are designed to encourage and reward high standards of compliance with vehicle condition legislation. The company’s Marchwood deport, near Southampton in particular was recognised for its high standards in controlling driver-reportable safety related defects.


Freightliner has completed an order for 64 twin-platform Ecofret container wagons from VTG Rail UK. The Ecofret wagons, used together with the existing 60ft wagon fleet, provide a better 40ft/20ft mix and longer trains, virtually eliminating the wasteful 20ft gaps common on traditional intermodal trains. Meanwhile, GB Railfreight took delivery in Doncaster of its first two Ecofret triple-platform wagon sets on 12 November. They are part of a fleet of 17 from VTG Rail UK on a long term lease.


Road & Rail


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