BIFAlink


News Desk


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


ON THE OCEAN As part of a series of initiatives aimed at bringing greater transparency to fuel costs resulting from the new IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulation, Drewry published its first low-sulphur reference bunker index tracker in December.


iPort Rail launches fifth daily rail freight service


OVERLAND iPort Rail in Doncaster has launched its fifth daily rail freight service, just over a year after becoming officially operational. Operated by GB Railfreight, the route will run five days a week to and from iPort Rail and Felixstowe.


December saw the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) urge the European Commission to drive the growth of its new EU Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPA) Standard, after recorded cargo thefts from trucks in Europe broke all previous records in 2019.


New data from Verizon Connect reveals that more than one in five commercial drivers (22%) spends more than 4.5 hours at the wheel without taking a mandated 45 minute rest break, according to a report in UK Haulier magazine.


A new bypass to the south of Huntingdon opened in December as part of a project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.


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IN THE AIR Demand in global air freight markets, measured in freight tonne kilometres, decreased again in October (by 3.5% compared with October 2018) – the 12th consecutive month of year-on-year declines – marking a weak start to the traditional peak season, according to IATA data. Meanwhile, freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometres, rose by 2.2% year-on-year in October. Capacity growth has now outstripped demand growth for the 18th consecutive month.


Europe’s leading airfreight chief executives have unveiled the first- ever Airlines for Europe Air Cargo Policy Manifesto, which outlines ways that EU policymakers, up to the year 2024, can support air cargo carriers as they strive to become more efficient, sustainable and digitised. They urged EU members to demonstrate more harmonised security and customs practices, and to make more of a joint effort to digitise the logistics chain.


The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has added a new condition to London Heathrow Airport’s licence – “to promote economy and efficiency”. It said in a statement that the new condition is required because Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) has neither a general statutory obligation to conduct its activities efficiently, nor a general obligation under its licence to do so. With the new condition, the CAA will have a tool to ensure that it has oversight of the way HAL runs its business generally, how efficiency issues impact on price, and that there are no gaps in the oversight of HAL.


Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust (AIPUT) fund has signed a pre-let agreement with dnata for a proposed 115,000 sq ft new cargo facility near Heathrow Airport. The facility has been designed to operate in conjunction with a recently completed 250,000 sq ft dnata warehouse, which handles Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo’s airfreight at Heathrow.


Anyone using shipping line carbon calculators should think again, according to research by consultancy Sea Intelligence. It says the majority of them are “useless” and “riddled with absurdly poor data quality, in particular regarding sailing distances, which vary wildly”. Sea Intelligence said no one should use them as a basis for decision making.


The FITCH rating agency is forecasting a gloomy outlook for global shipping in 2020 on the back of slowing global economic growth, trade tensions and geopolitical risks. It says the main sector risk is that protectionist measures may escalate into a protracted trade war and damage the prospects for global trade and GDP growth.


As part of its so-called European Green Deal, the European Commission will shortly introduce emissions trading for shipping in what could be the industry’s next greatest shift after the sulphur cap starts in January in an attempt to make Europe the first climate- neutral continent by 2050.


ON THE QUAYSIDE The Liverpool2 container terminal has taken delivery of three megamax quayside cranes from China as part of the second phase of the terminal project to provide additional capacity for growing volumes of cargo.


The Port of Tyne has completed a multimillion pound container terminal extension in just under six months. It says that growth of 25% in container volumes over the past five years has seen the port invest substantially to extend its 20-acre container terminal.


January 2020


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