December 2021

AE1 drops Felixstowe call

The 2M alliance - Maersk Line and MSC - has removed the Felixstowe call from its AE1 service from the Far East to North Europe, along with the call in Shanghai. The operator said it would improve schedule reliability and was part of a general move to reduce the number of North European port calls. It has retained the Felixstowe call on its AE55 service and has dropped the double ... [+]

Dover debut for Isle of Innisfree

Irish Ferries launched its second ship, the Isle of Innisfree, on its Dover-Calais service on 16 December. A third ship is due to join the fleet in January, upon which the operator will offer up to 30 sailings per day on the route, about every 90 minutes. Dover chief executive ... [+]

Yusen takes space in Leeds

Mitsubishi Group ‘s Yusen Logistics has taken a ten-year lease from Onward Holdings for a refurbished warehouse at Cross Green Industrial Estate in Leeds. It will be the space for vehicle and other spare parts distribution, as well as potentially providing a 3PL service for other East Asian companies based ... [+]

Woodland: New Year customs changes in brief

Freight forwarder Woodland has produced a summary of the changes to import rules and border controls from the EU to Great Britain which will be phased in throughout 2022, from 1 January 2022. Changes for 1 January 2022 are: Full import declarations will now be required at the point of entry into ... [+]

Imperial empire grows with new battery site

Imperial has added a further 50% to its lithiumn battery handling capacity in  Germany, following the award of a major new contract from a car maker. Imperial’s It has taken a lease on an additional 28,000sq m site in Sarstedt near Hanover, in addition to its existing 60,000sq m facility ... [+]

Reminder: Two weeks to the end of deferred import decs

Suffolk forwarder Darren Ryan is reminding businesses that the option to delay import customs declarations comes to an end on 1 January 2022. The Morrison Freight director strongly urges them to start putting in place procedures to ensure everything runs smoothly. From the start of 2022, a full and final customs ... [+]

The shipper’s dilemma: Stick or twist?

A new trend is emerging in shipping with some lines wanting to fix multi-year deals, says Europa Air & Sea national sales and procurement manager, Miles O’Donnell. In many instances the new deals are five or six times higher than pre-pandemic levels, he adds. This is putting shippers in a quandary. ... [+]

Blockchain speeds Rotterdam’s UK exports

A new Quay Connect service is available on the Naviporta logistics blockchain platform to smooth exports from Europe to the UK, says the Port of Rotterdam. It automatically exchanges information with the customs authorities at ports in the UK and will save at least 30% of the cost of each customs ... [+]

All aboard Tesco’s Xmas Tilbury express

Tesco has introduced a Direct Rail Services-operated train from Tilbury to Coatbridge. It will run twice a day, seven days a week from now into the New Year. The 415-mile route will use DRS’s Class 88 bi-mode electric locomotives which can run on electricity or diesel. The retailer is increasing its ... [+]

Back where she should be thanks to AAL Shipping

She may not look much right now but AAL Shipping is helping to restore the Alma Doepel to her full glory. The heavylift operator freely donated its operational and engineering expertise to help re-launch the 118-year-old Australian sailing ship. The three-masted topsail schooner was in dry dock for rebuilding, having served ... [+]

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