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News Desk


2M to make Liverpool a permanent Atlantic call


ON THE QUAYSIDE


The 2M shipping line alliance has confirmed that Liverpool will become a permanent call on its TA4 service connecting Europe with several US ports including Newark, Savannah, Port Everglades and North Charleston. The move follows the introduction of a temporary call in July 2018 resulting from disruption at the port of Felixstowe.


OVERLAND GB Railfreight has launched a new intermodal rail service running from Birch Coppice terminal in the


Midlands to the port of Felixstowe. The service consists of a train and 33 container platforms and will initially run five days a week.


The UK heavy goods vehicle market declined for a second year in 2018, by 4.3%, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). A total of 43,103 heavy trucks were registered on UK roads last year, almost 2,000 fewer than in 2017. Markets for both rigid and articulated trucks also declined, down 6.7% and 1.1%, respectively.


SERGO has signed a 25-year lease with Maritime Transport to operate a flagship Rail Freight Interchange at SEGRO Logistics Park in the East Midlands. The 22.5 acre rail terminal will be capable of handling up to sixteen 775 m long freight trains daily and has a storage capacity for over 5,000 teu.


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ON THE OCEAN As of the middle of February, according to Drewry, the world container index, composed of container freight rates on eight major routes to and from the USA, Europe and Asia, was up 1.1% to USD1,682.67 per feu.


A recent International Maritime Organization meeting discussed how to overcome contractual and operational barriers to implement just-in-time operations, aimed at cutting ships’ idle time and reducing emissions.


The UK government has terminated its controversial no- deal Brexit contract with Seaborne Freight, the ferry company with no ships. This was after Arklow Shipping, which was backing the deal, withdrew its support.


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Nusrat Ghani MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport, and UK Maritime Minister, has officially launched a strategy aimed at positioning the UK as a pre-eminent global test- bed of emerging technology. It is set to enable the country to capitalise on the economic potential of maritime innovations.


CUSTOMS MATTERS Members of the CLECAT Customs & Indirect Taxation Institute met in


www.bifa.org Monica West, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business


Brussels to discuss Brexit and related border procedures. Updates were given on the national practical preparedness efforts, such as procedures in ports and at Eurotunnel, to members from the UK, Germany, Finland, Poland and Spain. CLECAT will organise an additional Brexit meeting for its members of the modal institutes in March.


HM Revenue & Customs has relocated its inland pre-clearance operations to purpose-equipped sites at Hayes and Milton Keynes. Initial logistical challenges resulted in a backlog of goods for inspection, which is now being monitored on a daily basis.


IN THE AIR Full-year 2018 air freight data for global markets released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recorded that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres, grew by 3.5% compared with 2017, significantly lower than the 9.7% growth recorded in 2017. Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometres, rose by 5.4% in 2018, outpacing annual growth in demand.


February was a bittersweet month for the jumbo-jet side of aviation. Soon after Boeing celebrated the 50th anniversary of its iconic 747, Airbus announced that production of its ambitious, double-decker behemoth, the A380, will be halted in 2021, due to a sharp decline in new orders.


IN BUSINESS A Lloyd’s Loading List round-table discussion heard that standardisation and collaboration lie behind changes necessary for better customer experience in logistics. Participants concluded that customers of freight forwarders, 3PLs, 4PLs, and the wider logistics community are changing in the way they do business.


March 2019


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