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Issue 2 2020 - Freight Business Journal
bookings on a case by case basis”.
Other Asian markets are
operating in a similar fashion to Hong Kong apart from South Korea which is more in line with China, DTAC reported. DTAC is however more
focused on exports to Asia and here there has been a signifi cant impact on airline capacity, volumes and rates with no signs of recovery just yet.
Kerry Logistics UK
strategic sales director, Emma Rowlands, confi rmed this, saying: “We are starting to see improvements in the main. The Chinese Government is providing fi nancial
support
to shippers with reduced port tariff s on exports, and, with the anticipation of volume returning from week commencing 16 March, blank sailings are reducing from 33% to 12% between weeks nine and 11.”
Kerry’s planned bookings
from week 11 have returned to pre-Chinese New Year peak levels and trucking is now at 70% of what
it was pre New
Year, with continuing signs of improvement. Freight forwarder Kuehne
and Nagel also reported that business in China is generally returning to normal. With the exception of Wuhan/Hubei Province, factories across the nation are resuming production,
though with reduced manpower and quarantine rules are aff ecting both the trucking and general labour force. KN expects production to return to full capacity by the end of March. Most Chinese ports are fully
operational handling currently lower demand and the port of Wuhan is also gradually resuming operations. However equipment
shortages will remain for some time and there is severe
Brussels moves to stop ghost flights
The European Commission is to temporarily liſt airport slot usage obligations during the corana virus crisis and avoid carriers operating empty ‘ghost fl ights’. Commissioner for Transport
Adina Vălean said that without such a measure, airlines would have to continue to operate fl ights, even if largely empty, to
guarantee their current
slots at EU airports. Given the urgency, the Commission “will in due course present a
legislative proposal and calls on the European Parliament and the Council to swiſt ly adopt this measure
in co-decision
procedure.” The Commission will shortly
adopt a proposal to amend the EU Slot Regulation. This amendment will then need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Meanwhile,
low cost carrier Norwegian said it plans to cut about 3,000 fl ights between
mid-March and mid-June, while Air France expects to cut 3,600 fl ights in March alone, according to the Routes Online website. Norwegian is cutting about 15% of its total capacity in response to the corona virus outbreak and will temporarily lay off a signifi cant part of its workforce. Air France-KLM expects to reduce long-haul capacity by 13% and will continuously monitor the situation and make
additional network adjustments if required. In
late February, UK-based
freighter operator CargoLogicAir suspended operations, citing the corona virus. Launched in 2015 as the country’s only maindeck freighter airline, it operated a fl eet of four 747 freighter aircraſt but said it would reduce its fl eet to two aircraſt , while progressively cutting back its services in the face of mounting losses.
congestion at Shanghai, Tianjin and Ningbo ports due to slow collection of incoming containers.
Italy still open but expect delays
Freight services to and from Italy have not been formally suspended, despite the Italian Prime Minister’s total country lockdown but there may be delays due to a lack of drivers, says
groupage specialist Logistics.
///NEWS The Manchester-based Ital
operator said it had been advised by its Italian partner that the movement of trucks is not restricted and that, in theory, most movements can continue unaffected, apart from possible delays. However: “The issue which will present itself shortly will be the lack of drivers willing to enter the country. All that we can advise is that customers and suppliers maintain contact with our operational departments on a job by job basis.”
Defence experts test the water on freight screening
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is scoping for an innovation competition exploring novel solutions to screen ro ro and containerised freight entering the UK. DASA is looking for solutions
Brittany Ferries and Ports of Normandy details
have of intermodal a project unveiled
new rail-sea linking
the south-west of France with the UK and Ireland via a new rail-sea terminal at the port of Cherbourg.
It would be
based on a new rail link from Mouguerre, near Bayonne on the Spanish-French border to Cherbourg, from where ferry connections would operate to both the UK and Ireland. The rail route between and
Bayonne Cherbourg
would be upgraded and would include alternative lines in the event of the regular route becoming unavailable. A site for the terminal has
been identified at Mouguerre that would allow for
trains
up to 750 metres long while in Cherbourg a site close to
introduced one of the largest ro pax ferries in the world, the WB Yeats, on the Cherbourg-Dublin route. Brittany Ferries is due to introduce four new ships between 2020 and 2024, three of them fuelled by liquefied natural gas. While three of these will be deployed on the direct
and the UK, each will
route between Spain also
ply between Portsmouth and Cherbourg once a week. Brittany Ferries will market
the existing ro ro terminal has been selected. The trains themselves would use the Lohr intermodal system that would allow liftable and non- liftable road trailers to be carried along with containers and swapbodies. There would be two shuttle
trains a day, each with 22 wagons and it is envisaged that
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departures from Cherbourg
would be at about 18.45, arriving in Mouguerre at about 09.30 the following morning. The return schedule would be about 16.30 from Mouguerre, arriving in Cherbourg at 09.15. Brittany
Ferries currently
operates a service from Cherbourg to Portsmouth and Poole, while Irish Ferries has
the multimodal service from end to end, from Mouguerre through Poole.
to Portsmouth or An invitation to tender for
the design and operation of the Cherbourg terminal has been launched with the start of construction – managed and financed by Ports of Normandy – expected to start in September following a public consultation. Start of service is expected in April 2021.
that will detect and identify multiple types of illicit content and improve the burden on operators, whilst aiding the flow of commerce, and are able to operate within the time and space constraints of busy ports. Border Force already
makes extensive use of X-ray technology for freight screening applications and
DASA is not looking for submissions based only on such off-the-shelf technology. However, techniques that could be integrated into an existing make
system and that a significant step
change in capability would be considered. It adds that the request
for information is not a commitment to subsequently launch a formal DASA competition. h ttps:/ /www. g o v. uk/
government/news/market- exploration-roll-on-roll-off- and-containerised-freight- screening
Kelly Tolhurst is new ports minister
Kelly Tolhurst, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport will be the new minister responsible for ports, replacing Nusrat Ghani. British Ports Association
Richard Ballantyne welcomed the move, saying: “Now is a pivotal time to take on the brief of maritime minister, with the
current
Freeports. Post-Brexit trade- facilitation is also high on the agenda, as well as sustainability
consultation on
and port connectivity. We look forward to meeting Ms Tolhurst at the earliest opportunity and building a constructive relationship based around a shared vision of a thriving maritime industry generating prosperity in coastal communities and across the UK.” BPA
also welcomed the
elevation of Rishi Sunak to Chancellor, following his work with the sector on freeports.
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