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Issue 7 2015 - Freight Business Journal News Roundup


The Höegh Transporter was detained in Mombasa, Kenya for a few days in September aſter undeclared weapons were discovered. They were in a consignment of United Nations vehicles from Mumbai, India destined for a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The shipping line said it understood that the weapons belong to the UN vehicles in which they were found, and were for use by the UN during their peacekeeping mission but were not declared to it at the time the cargo was loaded.


FedEx has committed about $1 million in cash and transportation support to deliver emergency supplies and critical medical aid to thousands of migrants and refugees in Europe. It has donated $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.


A direct connection between the south UK port of Thamesport with Finland, Russia and Baltics are among improvements to the Containerships schedule for the autumn/winter season. There is also a weekly, three-day connection between Thamesport and Lübeck, a new weekly link between Lübeck and Teesport, a mid-week Wednesday sailing from Klaipeda to Teesport and an improved schedule between Riga and Teesport.


Zim Line has introduced a faster rotation on its East Med-North Europe service, which serves Felixstowe, north-west Europe, Ashdod and Haifa. It will reduce transit times by about two days.


CMA CGM has upgraded its service from Morocco to Europe for the citrus fruit and vegetable export season. OPDR, CMA CGM’s subsidiary since 1 July will operate the CISS service from 7 November from Agadir to Tilbury and other European ports and the AGAX service from 15 October between Agadir, Casablanca and Portsmouth.


The two MyFerryLink ships, the Rodin and the Berlioz, which were at the centre of the recent problems in Calais, were officially handed over to the DFDS Group, in Dunkirk, on 15 September. They will operate under a bareboat charter agreement in accordance with the contract signed at the start of June 2015. However, as a result of damage suffered by the ships whilst they were under the care of the liquidator, repairs will be necessary before they can return to service.


DP World London Gateway has appointed Oliver Treneman as development director for its new Logistics Park. He replaces Graeme Clarke who is retiring. Oliver Treneman was previously managing director and country head for The Redwood Group, a specialised logistics real estate investment firm, in China and Japan. He is fluent in Mandarin and has also worked as general manager for Shanghai Business Park Development Co and as a senior director of operations for real estate firm, Prologis.


Marie Glanville has joined the Port of Tyne as chief financial officer. She was previously group financial controller of Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings and has worked in senior finance roles at other North East-based listed companies, including Grainger, the Go-Ahead Group and the housing company, Gentoo.


NYK has signed a joint-venture agreement with Ports Development Company in Saudi Arabia to establish a ro ro terminal operating company at King Abdullah port on the Red Sea coast. The KAP RORO Terminal is planned to go into full operation by the third quarter of 2016 and will be NYK’s first automotive logistics base in the Middle East.


Inland container service operator, Pentalver – which recently opened a new nine acre site at DP World London Gateway – has added 52 new Scania trucks to its fleet. Forty-five of the fiſty-two new vehicles are based out of Pentalver’s Cannock depot and the remaining seven are located at Felixstowe.


///NEWS Sea EU pumps millions into Dover-Calais route


The European Commission is making a €143million (£104million) cash injection to develop ferry services on both sides of the Channel as part of the BRIDGE (Building the Resilience of International and Dependent Gateways in Europe) project, co-funded by the European Union under the Motorways of the Sea priority. In the UK, the investment will be


ploughed into the Dover Western Docks Revival project, to improve the efficiency of the ferry terminal and develop a logistics hub within the port. In France, the cash will be used to bring


forward the Calais Port 2015 scheme to build a new harbour, terminal and berths to accommodate the bigger ferries and provide capacity for future growth. The two ports are at either end of the


only identified core seaway connecting the UK with the rest of mainland Europe on the Trans-European Transport Network. Freight traffic through Dover and Calais


has increased by 20% in the past two years and is expected to rise by a further 40% by 2030.


Both Dover and Calais will use this money to ensure traffic passes through our ports smoothly and efficiently both now and in the future.” Motorways of the Sea’s European


Brian Simpson - European coordinator, Motorways of the Sea (leſt) with Dover’s head of development projects, Rikard Bergstrom


The latest award comes on top


of an earlier EU grant of €14million (£10.2million) in 2014. Dover’s chief executive Tim Waggott,


said: “This funding shows how hard we are working on a number of levels to bring investment into Dover and to address the challenges of a growing EU trade route on our community. It also reflects the importance to the UK, France and Europe of the Dover Western Docks Revival for both national and European economies.


coordinator, Brian Simpson, European coordinator, said: “I am delighted the Motorways of the Seas project is contributing towards the regeneration of Dover Western Docks. I think it will bring about a new chance for Dover and also enable the port to go into the next decade confident that business will grow and that it will keep on being the success story it has been so far.” Meanwhile, the Port of Calais said on


14 September that work by British and French contractors had reinforced the port perimeter including the installation of 2.5km (1.5 miles) of secure fencing on the approach road to provide comprehensive protection for vehicles using the port. Additional French police on the ground, fencing and other security measures over recent weeks have significantly reduced opportunities to breach the controls, it added.


P&O Ferries rises to the challenge


P&O Ferries says it carried record levels of freight between Dover and Calais in the third quarter of the year. It moved 367,000 units across the English Channel between July and September – up 30% on the same period last year and the best single quarter since 2003. September alone was the best single month for freight since 2003, with 129,500 units transported between Britain and France. The figure surpassed the previous monthly record (123,000) set in July this year. Chief executive Helen Deeble, described it as an unprecedented


quarter, with the strike by French seamen and the temporary closure of the port of Calais, adding: “I am very proud that everyone at P&O Ferries has risen to that challenge and helped to keep exceptional volumes of freight moving across the Channel. “Demand for cross-Channel transport is only going to increase, driven by a rising population and a recovering economy. We have


increased the number of sailings we make between Dover and Calais to 58 a day and brought a sixth ship back into service on the route in order to make sure that we are best placed to meet that demand.”


Thanet council leader Chris Wells has told a local meeting that the currently disused port of Ramsgate would soon be handling trade cars. He told a meeting of local resident associations on 5 October that feasibility tests had been carried out for a “car transporter” service that would run “at least twice a week”.


Car trade to revive Ramsgate Stobart to open at London Gateway


Russian-owned vehicle logistics specialist Gefco – which moves cars for Peugeot and Citroen, among others - was later revealed to be the operator of the new service. The port of Ramsgate has not handled


regular services since the withdrawal of the TransEuropa passenger and freight route to


Eddie Stobart is to open a container


transport base at DP World London Gateway. The company said that further details on the plan would be announced in due course, but refused to give further details at this stage.


It also said that the port and logistics park


was closer to the Midlands than existing depots and also enables quicker access to London. Chief executive Alex Laffey, explained: “As a multimodal transport and warehouse


Ostend in 2013. Meanwhile, former Sally Line chief


executive Bill Moses has launched a campaign to bring regular ferry services back to Ramsgate. According to the Thanet Gazette, he says that three potential investors have shown an interest.


provider, we believe that London Gateway provides a natural strategic fit with the growth plans for our business. We look forward to working in partnership with the DP World team so that we can jointly offer world class transport solutions.”


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