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www.bifa.org Madeleine Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business Airfreight demand growth slows


IN THE AIR Airfreight demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), rose by 2.1% year-on-year in July 2018, according to data released by IATA. This is well below the five-year average growth rate of 5.1% and represents the slowest pace of growth since May 2016. The growth of freight capacity, measured in available FTK, amounted to 3.8%, thereby outstripping demand growth for the fourth time in five months.


The peak season in the transpacific airfreight sector started earlier than usual, with forwarders reporting increased volumes, rates and tight capacity, on the back of the threat of a new round of tariffs on Chinese


goods (compelling exporters to send goods to the USA in advance), plus the ongoing growth of e-commerce logistics.


London’s Heathrow Airport saw cargo volumes grow by 1.2% in August to 140,738 tonnes, with airfreight growth led by the USA, with over 50,000 tonnes moving to and from the world's largest economy. For the eight-month year to date, Heathrow handled just over 1.1 million tonnes between January and August 2018, an increase of 1.5% over the prior year period.


OVERLAND A 5 acre truck park, operated by fleet vehicle management company Hireco, has opened at DP World


London Gateway Port and Logistics Park offering short and long-term parking for up to 170 trucks. It is located on a larger truck park plot adjacent to the port’s main gate, and off the main artery road of the Logistics Park.


Highways England is proposing that an 18-mile section of the A14 in Cambridgeshire is classified as a motorway once upgrade work is complete. The agency is nearly half way through the £1.5 billion project to improve 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntington – the biggest road upgrade currently under construction in the UK.


2018 is proving to be another successful year for the recently launched rail freight services between China and Europe, with almost 2,500 freight trains running during the first six months, up 69% year on year, with growth on target to reach 5,000 trains by year-end. However, operators report that surging volumes are putting pressure on infrastructure and negatively affecting transit times.


ON THE OCEAN


TT Club is calling for more urgent action on issues pertaining to the safety of container transport, having for some time been drawing both industry and regulators’ attention to the need for greater ‘cargo integrity’, by which is meant the safe, secure and environmentally sound packing, handling and transport of all goods in containers and other transport units, in compliance with conventions (such as SOLAS) and codes, including IMDG Code and the CTU Code.


Seatruck Ferries has increased capacity and frequency between Dublin and Liverpool by replacing its smallest vessel on the route, the


4


Clipper Ranger, with a larger P series vessel offering almost twice the capacity. It has also added additional Friday sailings, bringing its frequency on the route to 44 sailings per week, or 78 sailings per week across all three of its Irish Sea services.


PORTSIDE


ABP has commenced a £36 million expansion of its container terminal at the port of Immingham, along with a £2.8 million investment in expanding the land and services available to support customer operations within the port. Container traffic at the port has increased from 68,000 containers in 2013 to 183,000 in 2017, fuelled partly by the rise in the number of regional distribution centres along the M1/M62 corridor, and ABP says that cargoes originally destined for ports such as Dover are moving increasingly north.


From 1 October, all enquiries regarding freight examinations or scanner selections for goods at London Gateway Port will no longer by dealt with by the International Trade team at Tilbury. All enquiries must be directed to the following contact information: LondonGatewayBorderForce@hom eoffice.gsi.gov.uk or 01375 656060


ON THE BORDER


With the customs and trade landscape as we have known it in recent decades changing drastically at present, a forthcoming event addresses the issues related to trade conflicts, Brexit, tax evasion, immigration, terrorism and threats to consumers and the environment. Delegates at CLECAT’s annual Freight Forwarders Forum entitled Customs, Trade and Skills – What’s the deal?, on 15 November in Brussels, will gain firsthand insights from the European Commission, WCO and industry experts.


October 2018


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