July 2018

Belfast plans to spend big on ferries and containers

Belfast Harbour is planning to upgrade its ferry terminal to support Stena Line’s new larger ferries which are due to start operation in early 2020, it said in its annual report, published on 3 July. The port is also making a substantial investment in new cranes and terminal capacity improvements at its VT3 container terminal. Total earmarked investment in ferry and container facilities is £60m. Announcing its results for 2017, Belfast Harbour reported ... [+]

Etihad offers ‘cars to the stars’ service

Etihad Cargo has launched a ‘FlightValet’ high-end car shipping service. It will cater to racing enthusiasts worldwide wishing to take their cars around the world’s racetracks as well as car dealers and manufacturers. [+]

Woodland launches daily groupage service

Essex-based forwarder Woodland Group has introduced Woodland ‘Euro-Net’, a daily road freight groupage services to and from 70 destinations.  It offers driver accompanied vehicles, standardised service levels with known and agreed lead times, along with full tracking and tracing.   [+]

Shadow Transport Sec hears issues at first hand

PD Ports welcomed Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Andy McDonald to Teesport recently. As a Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough, Mr McDonald is a strong supporter of Teesport, which has seen over £1bn of infrastructure investments in the last decade. The visit, hosted by PD Ports’ portcentric logistics director and former ... [+]

DHL’s Susie is underway

DHL-sponsored sailor Susie Goodall embarks set off on her non-stop solo voyage around the world on 1 July. She is the only female and the youngest competitor amongst 19 sailors attempting to complete the Golden Globe race. DHL Express helped refurbish her boat – now called DHL Starlight – which will ... [+]

Forwarders to bear brunt of Felixstowe IT chaos

BIFA has warned that freight forwarders that suffered operational problems and incurred additional costs as a result of the disruption at the port of Felixstowe due to problems with a new IT system were unlikely to receive any compensation from the port’s owners. Director general Robert Keen said: “Having had a ... [+]

PM plans customs ‘third way’

Downing Street has produced a “third model” for post-Brexit customs, reported the BBC on 2 July. The plan, details of which have not been revealed, is understood to differ from both the customs partnership and the maximum facilitation models that have previously been discussed. According to the BBC senior ministers are ... [+]