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


association. The new technologies are crucial if the road freight transport and logistics sectors are to comply with the ambitious EU Green Deal climate objectives.


ON THE QUAYSIDE The Port of Grangemouth is to spend £3 million scaling up and modernising its rail freight capacity. It will extend its dual rail siding to 775 m, from the current 200 m, so that it is capable of handling the longest freight trains on the UK network, with the development becoming operational early next year.


DCSA releases bill of lading standards


ON THE OCEAN


The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), whose members include nine of the world’s top container lines, in December released standards for electronic bills of lading and shipping instructions, making progress on a lack of harmonisation that has plagued the shipping industry for decades. The goal is to migrate the paper-based creation and issuance of the bill of lading process to an electronic environment by making it easier for cargo owners, logistics


intermediaries and carriers to have common formats for the documents.


November 30, 2020, saw one of the largest losses of containers from a vessel in recent years with the ONE Apus suffering the loss of, or damage to, an estimated 1,816 boxes in severe weather while crossing the Pacific. This begged the question of whether such incidents are becoming more frequent and if the size of vessels, which has increased dramatically in recent years, is a factor.


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The Future Seascapes exhibition was launched in London in December. It is an online interactive virtual gallery showcasing well- known artworks displayed side-by-side with zero-carbon interpretations of each scene. Commissioned by Lloyd’s Register, in tandem with the opening of its Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, it can be seen at: https://tinyurl.com/yxrvppby


IN THE AIR The challenge of flying billions of temperature-sensitive COVID-19 vaccine doses around the world next year will be complex but is definitely manageable for the air freight sector and seems likely to be easier than initially thought, according to senior freight forwarding and logistics sources, spoken to by Lloyd’s Loading List.


In a decision believed to be part of Heathrow airport’s efforts to reduce costs, it will no longer have a head of cargo position, with the airport’s most recent incumbent, Tim Mayes, stepping down from his role in December. The positions


of aviation director and senior cargo manager remain.


A surge in demand for heavy airlift capacity, and the limited availability of AN-124 aircraft on the market, have led to Antonov Airlines putting its AN-225 Mriya back into commercial operation.


Figures released in December by IATA show the recovery for global air freight markets was slower in terms of air cargo demand than the previous month and yearly levels. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres was 6.2% below previous-year levels in October and -7.5% for international operations.


GOING OVERLAND The long-delayed reform of the European truck toll framework, announced in December, following nearly four years of highly contentious negotiations among the member states, will boost investments in low- and zero- emission trucks and fuel-saving technologies, according to Clecat, the European freight forwarder


The UK’s Q3 port freight statistics from the Department for Transport released in December showed that total freight tonnage at major ports decreased by 10% to 102.4 million tonnes from July to September 2020, compared with July to September 2019. The total volume of unitised traffic decreased by 26% to 4.9 million units.


IN BUSINESS FIATA’s Advisory Body on Legal Matters (ABLM), together with the input of the Customs Affairs Institute (CAI), have put together a Best Practice Guide on Abandoned Goods. It provides information on how to reduce the risk of being left with abandoned goods, including tips on management control.


The global freight forwarding market experienced its most challenging year to date amid the COVID-19 pandemic, contracting 9% year-on-year. However, it is expected to rebound in the years ahead, according to industry analyst Transport Intelligence (Ti), based on the IMF’s predictions for underlying GDP and trade growth dynamics.


The winner of the 22nd Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year (YIFFY) Award – supported by the FIATA and TT Club – is Umair Aamir Sheikh, representing the Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association.


January 2021


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