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Issue 8 2019 - Freight Business Journal


- which was not included in


the scheme. This in turn led to a counter-claim by P&O Ferries, which was also successful. However, speaking in early


November, Puissesseau said that he had not yet decided if the Port of Boulogne Calais would consider


legal action itself. It would depend on when Brexit took place and whether any money was actually paid out to ferry operators. A Department for Transport


spokeswoman declined to comment directly on the issue, citing pre-election restrictions. In an earlier statement, Transport


Secretary Grant Shapps said the selected ferry firms will operate on routes which have been assessed as less likely to face any potential disruption, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. In order to bid for contracts all firms had to already be on the government’s freight capacity


framework – a shortlist of experienced and capable freight operators. The framework will be in place for the next four years and will continue to be used to help quickly deliver any future procurement, should any further capacity be necessary. (France, page 15)


rail link opens up opportunities with in-land Chinese cities and logistics operations.” The new rail link will be


A new rail link from Xi’an in China to the Port of Gdansk will include a ‘short-cut’ to the UK and Scandinavia,


journey


times by 3-5 days compared to the existing rail service via Hamburg, said the Polish port as it welcomed the first Euro–China Train on 25 November. Part of China’s Belt and Road


Initiative, in cooperation between the Port of Gdansk Authority, DCT Gdansk container terminal and route operator Adampol, the new route offers journey times from China to the UK of 12-14 days via feeder services from Gdansk. Port of Gdansk Authority board


management president Lukasz Greinke said: “We are able


managed by Polish transport and logistics company Adampol, which operates a transshipment hub for up to 19 trains a day from China at its terminal in Malaszewicze on the Polish- Belarusian border. The Port of Gdansk said


to accelerate the transport of goods from China by up to five days. It also involves fewer operations on the container, which results in lower costs. From now on, the Port of Gdansk can offer a faster, better value and more competitive


Rhenus offers a rail alternative


Freight forwarder Rhenus Logistics is offering a landbridge service to and from the Far East during the Christmas and Chinese New Year peaks. With


uncertain capacity on shipping services and unpredictable weather it says that


its New


Silk Road rail service offers an excellent alternative to air or


service.” He added that it was “an eye-


catching development for Gdansk in China and the UK, Sweden and Norway. Until now the Port of Gdansk has been known for its ocean connections to China. The


ocean, with east and westbound connections to all major cities across the Far East and Europe. Rhenus says that it is


offering guaranteed space on the service to give shippers a reliable alternative. • DHL Global Forwarding has opened three additional Rail


that it was also speaking with UK, Scandinavian and Polish companies including car makers and timber producers as well as shipping lines and freight forwarding companies about the new link. The next Baltic Train from China


will arrive in Gdansk in December with a regular weekly service planned from January 2020. The new connection will also be used to transport goods into Belarus.


Competence Centres in Europe, including one in Felixstowe, to service its Asia/Europe route. Together with those in Le Havre, and Genoa, the centre is staffed with China Rail Experts who advise customers and efficiently coordinate freight volumes.


News Roundup


Hapag-Lloyd has added a sixth, 4,248teu ship to its Atlantic Loop 3 route between the US and Europe to improve reliability. The service calls at Norfolk, Charlestown, Savannah, Port Everglades and Houston in the US and London Gateway in the UK.


AP Møller-Mærsk chief operating officer Søren Toft has left the Danish shipping company to become chief executive of its partner in the 2M consortium, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). His former responsibilities at AP Møller will be taken on by chief executive Søren Skou on an interim basis. AP Møller-Mærsk chief finance officer, Carolina Dybeck has also accepted another opportunity outside the company.


Brittany Ferries and the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund are to buy UK/Channel Islands ferry operator Condor from current owner Australian-based Macquarie Group, subject to approval. Condor operates freight and passenger ferries between Portsmouth, Poole, Guernsey and Jersey. The Condor brand will be maintained.


Leeds City Council has granted planning permission for a new inland port at Stourton. The Canal & River Trust has drawn up plans and says it is now looking to secure £3.37 million of funding from West Yorkshire Combined Authority. As well as bulk traffic such as building material, the port could handle containers and other unitised traffic to and from North Sea ports.


Insurers the TT Club, the Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEM) and cargo handling organisation ICHCA have produced an information paper on preventing collisions at ports and terminals. They say that there is increasing amount of non-contact technology that can dramatically improve equipment safety and reduce risk associated with container handling. However, many of these are not currently included in national or international standards. The paper suggests that such systems should be installed on new and existing equipment. The document also analyses possible collision types and shares latest technologies to help prevent them.


A group of ten Nordic ports have signed a declaration to cooperate and exchange information and share approaches to the environment and climate in line with the UN’s Global Sustainability Goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Gothenburg, Stockholm, Helsingborg, Malmö/Copenhagen, Aarhus, Esbjerg, Oslo, Helsinki, Torshavn and Faxaports (Iceland) will confer on issues such as energy use and alternative energy sources, pollution reduction and biodiversity and prevention of invasive species.


Feeder and shortsea operator Unifeeder is adding Kaliningrad to its network from 8 December with a new, weekly service to and from Hamburg. It calls at both Sea Commercial Port and Baltiysk terminals in Kaliningrad, as well as all major terminals in Hamburg. Connections to and from UK ports are available in Hamburg although the line adds that for large volumes, direct sailings are possible.


Holland Container Innovations (HCI) has selected China’s Dong Fang International Container Group to produce its 4FOLD Foldable Container. HCI says that the design offers cost and CO2 savings on imbalanced trades and is now signing orders for bigger quantities.


Hapag Lloyd is to introduce a ‘transition charge’ for short-term contracts from 1 December ahead of the new IMO2020 sulphur limit due to come into force on 1 January 2020. The container line says it will help mitigate fuel price volatility and transitional operational expenses. The charge applies to freight of all kinds cargo and spot business with a validity of up to three months.


///NEWS Sea


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