June 2018

CMA founder Jacques Saade dies aged 81

Jacques Saade, founding president of the CMA CGM shipping group, has died at the age of 81. After having left Lebanon to protect his family during the civil war, he founded the Compagnie Maritime d’Affretement (CMA) in 1978 with four employees, a single ship and a single service between Marseilles and Beirut. CMA acquired rival carrier CGM in 1986, ANL in 1998 and Delmas in 2005 becoming, in 2006, the ... [+]

Longer trains for Southampton port

The Campaign for Better Transport has welcomed granting of planning permission at Redbridge, Southampton, for freight sidings to allow longer freight trains to and from the port. It says that it would boost capacity on the existing 20 daily freight trains by 45% as part of a wider scheme to ... [+]

Felixstowe hit by IT woes

Shipping lines and freight forwarders are reporting continued disruption at the Port of Felixstowe after teething problems hit a new terminal operating system. MSC said it was carrying out a diversion plan to minimise the impact on customers, while Cosco said it was divert vessels and cancelling calls in the Suffolk ... [+]

DB Schenker builds in Dubai

DB Schenker has started building its second logistics centre in Dubai at the city’s South Logistics District, next to Maktoum International Airport and adjacent to Jebel Ali Port. The 35,000sq m temperature-controlled is the largest investment in the history of DB Schenker Middle East & Africa. It will also be ... [+]

Vote ‘yes’ to Heathrow Runway Three, say BIFA and FTA

Speaking ahead of 25 June’s parliamentary vote on the National Policy Statement for Heathrow expansion, BIFA director general Robert Keen said he hoped it would “see the end of years of procrastination over the expansion of UK aviation capacity, with the UK Parliament voting in favour of a new runway ... [+]

We could leave UK if no Brexit deal, warns Airbus

There are “urgent risks” to Airbus’ operations if the UK leaves the European Union without a withdrawal agreement, warned the plane-maker in a statement published on 21 June. Airbus, which makes aircraft wings at Broughton on the Wales-England border near Chester, warned that the UK leaving both the single market and ... [+]

Standards needed for fruit and veg supply chain

The air cargo community should drive its own standard for perishables, without waiting for other groups and agencies to establish them, Cool Chain Association (CCA) Chairman Stavros Evangelakakis, told its conference in Luxembourg. Mr Evangelakakis, who is also global product manager for healthcare and perishables at Cargolux, said collaboration, transparency, and ... [+]

ONE signs Freightliner rail deal

The Ocean Network Express (ONE) between MOL, NYK and K-Line has signed a contract with Freightliner for guaranteed rail wagon capacity on main UK routes. The rail operator, now a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming, says that the shipping consortium will save 180 tons of CO2 per day on inland transport, ... [+]

Give us the tools and we’ll do the job, says FTA chief

Freight Transport Association (FTA) president Leigh Pomlett called on the government to give the logistics industry the information it needs to keep the nation's trade moving efficiently post-Brexit or face delays and shortages of roducts and services. Speaking at the Keep Britain Trading conference in London on 20 June, he said:  "The ... [+]

CMA to buy Containerships

CMA CGM Group is to acquire Container Finance, owner of Finnish-headquartered intra-European shipping operator, Containerships, subject to regulatory approval. Founded in 1966, Containerships has a strong presence in the Baltics, Russia, Northern Europe, North Africa and Turkey. With a workforce of 560 people, it also offers services by truck, rail and ... [+]

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