Riga. According to a recently published study commissioned by IATA, the International Air Transport Association, the aviation industry plays a key role in Latvia‘s trade and economy. According to the study, undertaken by Oxford Economics, aviation accounts for 2.0 percent of Latvia‘s GDP, and the industry supports jobs for 2.0 percent of workforce in the country.
”A productive and efficient aviation industry plays a pivotal role in driving development of today’s global economy through critical connections for both passengers and air freight. Latvia has a medium high measure of connectivity by air relative to its economic size. It could therefore increase its economic growth and Foreign Direct Investment by improving its air connectivity with positive economic measures towards aviation” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Vice President Europe.
Due to the geographical location of Latvia, air transport is of considerable importance to Latvian export companies in terms of enabling connections and also in offering air cargo transport. Aviation is also a key enabler of tourism to Latvia, and approximately 30 per cent of foreign visitors arrive to the country by air. Aviation industry supports jobs for 2.0 percent of the workforce in the country, or 18 600 jobs.
In year 2011, the total number of air passengers arriving or departing from Latvia was 5.1 million, some 10% up compared to a year earlier.
Source IATA
AUSTRALIA's Qantas Group today announced it will increase capacity on domestic Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink routes during 2012/13 to strengthen its network in the business and leisure markets.
The airline said a range of changes, including aircraft upgrades and additional frequencies, will be made to provide greater choice and convenience for customers. Qantas will add extra services during peak times on core east coast business routes between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The reintroduction of Boeing 747 services on the Sydney-Perth route and more Airbus A330 services on the Melbourne-Perth route will increase capacity in the east-west market and give more customers access to the award-winning Skybed product in business class.
Jetstar will increase capacity in its key leisure markets. QantasLink will increase capacity across Queensland with the introduction of F100 jet services between Brisbane and Emerald, complementing Q400 services and providing cascaded growth in key regional markets.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
LONDON Gatwick is looking to position itself as an alternative gateway for emerging markets "just as effectively" as Heathrow by taking advantage of a capacity crunch and lack of take-off and landing slots, said its chief commercial officer Guy Stephenson.
By gaining Air China as its latest long-haul carrier of four weekly direct flights to Beijing, it is strengthening "Britain's connectivity into the rapidly growing economies of the world," said Mr Stephenson, cited a report from London's Daily Telegraph.
It believes it can capture the long-haul market and become a hub much as Heathrow does in handling up to 33 per cent of its passengers as transfers with the approval of a second runway, currently 10 per cent of its passengers are transfers.
The West Sussex-based airport is running at 75 per cent of its capacity and could up its 2011-2012 figures of 34 million passengers to 40 million by 2020 with the approval of a second runway.
The UK government is under pressure to reconsider airport expansion after opposing a third runway at Heathrow due to worries of the UK losing out on trade with emerging markets. Gatwick, known as a point-to-point airport, has relied heavily on short-haul with a lesser amount of transfers but it is suggested that a second runway may be approved there or at Stansted.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
PROVIDER of specialised air charter solutions, Chapman Freeborn Airchartering has been named Cargo Charter Broker of the Year 2012 by leading industry title Air Cargo News, the company announced.
The global aircraft charter specialist received the new accolade at the prestigious Cargo Airline of the Year 2012 awards, held recently at London's Lancaster Hotel, by chief operating officer, Shahe Ouzounian.
The latest industry recognition adds to company's list of honours - including being voted Air Cargo Charter Broker of the Year at the separate World Air Cargo Awards for the last five consecutive years.
Chapman Freeborn is now nearing its 40th year and continues to lead the way in the international charter broker industry. It broke new ground last year when it opened a new office in Melbourne - making it the first international air charter broker to establish its own presence in Australia, and helping clients to unlock the potential of the surrounding Australasian markets.
In the last 12 months, the company also opened office in Moscow, Russia, and Shanghai, China, bringing to a total of 35 offices spanning six continents. Chapman Freeborn prides itself on being creative and innovative - and the focus has always been on building long-standing relationships with freight forwarder clients and airline suppliers.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
2012-05-10
Leading U.S. offshore marine support vessel operator SEACOR Marine LLC (SEACOR Marine), located in Houma, Louisiana, has chosen Kongsberg Maritime to supply sophisticated Dynamic Positioning systems for two new 190-foot CrewZer Class Crew boats (also known as Fast supply vessels). SEACOR Lynx and SEACOR Leopard are under construction at Gulfcraft Shipyard, located in Franklin, Louisiana, and are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2013. The SEACOR Lynx and SEACOR Leopard will be the first Crew boats to operate using an ABS Class DP3 system, affording them the highest degree of manoeuvring safety available today.
As a pioneer in DP Crew boat design, SEACOR Marine is keen to ensure that its latest generation of CrewZer Class vessels meet the highest possible safety standards. ABS Class DP3 allows for significant DP operational safety including full protection of the system in case of fire and flooding. Kongsberg Maritime Inc., located in Houston, Texas, will install the pinnacle in DP system technology aboard the new vessels, in the form of a triple redundant KONGSBERG K-Pos DP3 system integrated with proprietary position reference and environmental sensor systems.
“Dynamic Positioning offers significant station keeping improvements compared to manual control,” explains Joe McCall, Project Manager, SEACOR Marine. “In order for a DP system to be effective, it has to be completely reliable in even the most extreme weather conditions, so we are enthusiastic about the installation of KONGSBERG DP3 aboard our new CrewZer class vessels. The system is designed to offer the highest redundancy and reliability which allows for safer transfers of cargo and personnel.”
“SEACOR Marine is at the forefront of DP Crew boat design and operation having built the world’s first ever DP Crew boat, the first DP1 and DP2 Crew boats, the world’s largest DP Crew boats and now the first DP3 Crew boat,” adds Ted Murphy Senior Sales Manager, Kongsberg Maritime Inc. “We have supplied KONGSBERG DP systems for all of these industry first vessels so are delighted to continue our close working relationship with SEACOR Marine on the next generation of the ground-breaking CrewZer Class vessels.”
The CrewZer Class features a twin-hull design that enables speeds of 46-knots, which is more than twice that of conventional Crew boats. CrewZer Crew boats feature safety focused design, based on utilising the most advanced technology available, such as an innovative “FROG” personnel transfer system and the latest DP3 system from Kongsberg Maritime. The DP3 rating of SEACOR Lynx and SEACOR Leopard combined with a wide, stable work deck, increases conventional operating windows even further than the previous generation CrewZer Class vessels, allowing the vessel to hold station in weather conditions where other vessels simply could not work.
“The KONGSBERG DP system for Crew boats is superior to any other system on the market today and the reliability and global support of the equipment in service is well proven,” concludes McCall.
Source Kongsberg Maritime
During her maiden voyage the HANJIN SOOHO, the Korean shipping company HANJIN’s largest containership to date, berthed in the Port of Hamburg on 4 May 2012. With a slot capacity of 13,100 TEU (20-ft standard containers), this mega-containership was handled at Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH).
The HANJIN SOOHO is 366 metres long, 48.20 metres wide, and has over 800 connections for reefer containers. It was named in honour of the late Sooho Cho, former Chairman of Hanjin Shipping Group, who died in 2006. The HANJIN SOOHO is also the first of nine 13,100-TEU newbuilds to be deployed by HANJIN jointly with its partners on the East Asia-Europe service NE6 organized by the CKYH Alliance.
Along with Werner Viessman of the Nautical Operations Centre, Jong-Man Hong, Managing Director Europe, Patrick Won, Country Manager Germany, and further representatives of HANJIN SHIPPING and Thomas Eckelmann, Emanuel Schiffer and Peter Zielinski of the EUROGATE Executive Board, to mark the occasion Captain Dosun Han of the HANJIN SOOHO was presented with the Admiralty Coat of Arms of the Port of Hamburg.
The HANJIN SOOHO will be deployed on the NE6 Europe-East Asia container line operated by HANJIN jointly with COSCO, K-Line and YANG MING. With this NE6 service, the four shipping companies call at the ports of Hamburg, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Algeciras, Singapore, Hong Kong, Xingang, Kwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore, Algeciras and Hamburg in a rotation lasting 77 days.
In 2011 a total of 5.2 million TEU were handled in the Port of Hamburg’s container traffic with Asia. “The forthcoming deepening of the navigational channel of the Lower and Outer Elbe will further boost Hamburg’s attractiveness as the European hub port for mega-ships such as the HANJIN SOOHO,” said Patrick Won.
Source PORT OF HAMBURG
2012-05-09
First airline to fly direct between Europe and inland Chinese megacity
Today Finnair begins flying direct to Chongqing, one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in China. The new route is a logical next step in the carrier’s strategy of offering the shortest connections between Asia and Europe via Helsinki. Finnair is the first carrier to open a direct flight route between Europe and Chongqing.
Situated on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, greater Chongqing is one of China’s four province-level municipalities, and the only one located in inland China. With a total population of 32 million residing in an area about the size of Austria, Chongqing’s urban population is expected to double over the next five years.
“China is a key part of our Asia-Europe strategy,” says Finnair's CEO Mika Vehviläinen. “Western China is an important growth area, and the new route will strengthen our position in the growing Asian markets. I want to thank the Chongqing authorities and the local airport for the excellent cooperation and support for opening this new route. We believe Chongqing has the potential of developing into a hub for travel between Western China and Europe, both for business and leisure travellers.”
Chinese companies and many Western companies, especially in the electronics, automotive and chemical industries, are currently expanding their operations in Chongqing, and business travel and cargo prospects are promising. Chongqing Airport also has already opened 140 routes to more than 80 cities in China and Asia, and the airport is undergoing expansion. When the expansion is complete in 2015, the airport will be capable of receiving 45 million passengers per year.
Besides booming business activity, Chongqing offers much to see for tourists interested in China’s history and nature. Visitors can enjoy historical buildings, temples, hot springs and natural beauty, as well as the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chongqing also provides convenient access to river cruises on the Jialing and Yangtze rivers, and the city is well connected to Lhasa, Xian and Kunming.
Finnair is flying Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft on the route, which takes eight and a half hours. In addition to four flights per week to Chongqing, in China Finnair flies daily to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Helsinki, the most geographically logical transfer point for connecting with more than 50 destinations in Europe. This summer Finnair will operate 81 flights per week to 11 destinations in Asia.
Source Finnair Plc
JAPANESE second largest carrier NYK has announced it will partner Regional Container Lines (RCL) to launch a joint Thailand-Vietnam-Canton (TVC) service from May 13 to replace the current joint Thailand-Vietnam-Singapore (TVS) service with Vinalines Container.
NYK will deploy one 1,000-TEU ship and RCL two similar size vessels on this loop. The first sailing is scheduled on May 13 by vessel Chana Bhum V.010N calling at Bangkok.
Ports of call for the 21-day rotation include Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Haiphong, Shenzhen-Shekou, Hong Kong, Haiphong, and back to Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Shekou and Bangkok.
NYK said in a statement this new joint service will strengthen its service network from south China to Vietnam and Thailand by shortening the transit time from Thailand to north Vietnam to four days, the fastest in the market.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
DUBAI's Emirates Shipping has announced it will impose a general rate increase (GRI) of US$250 per TEU on cargo from the Far East and south east Asia to east Africa from May 15.
For cargo from the Far East and south east Asia to Indian sub-continent the GRI will be US$300 per TEU.
For cargo from the Far East and south east Asia to the Middle East, the GRI will be US$300 per TEU.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
SHANDONG province's Port of Weifang posted a 23 per cent year on year cargo volume increase to 4.46 million tonnes which made 20.3 per cent of the port's target for 2012.
The central port area lifted 4.13 million tonnes, up 17.8 per cent while the western port area's throughput surged 201 per cent to 333,900 tonnes.
In March, Weifang's throughput grew 33 per cent year on year to 1.89 million tonnes. Central port area lifted 1.71 million tonnes, while western port area lifted 177.400 tonnes, both setting new monthly highs.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
NINGBO customs posted a year-on-year increase of 4.7 increase in the foreign trade cargo value to US$45.21 billion in the first quarter of this year, Xinhua reports.
Export value grew six per cent to $26.66 billion. Import value increased 2.8 per cent to $18.55 billion. Private companies' imports and exports accounted for 66.4 per cent of the total, valued at $17.69 billion.
Ningbo Mitsubishi Chemical, a major Sino-Japanese joint venture in Ningbo with an annual production capacity of 600,000 tonnes, imported 55,000 tonnes of raw materials during the first quarter. In the same period, Samsung Heavy Industry Ningbo Company, subsidiary of Korea-based Samsung Heavy Industry, recorded an import and export volume of 130,000 tonnes.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE South Carolina Ports Authority announced that the New World Alliance consortium of ocean carriers and Evergreen are launching a new Far East weekly container service in June, marking the third new container service announced this year for Charleston and the first service for the port with a direct call in Vietnam.
The South China/Vietnam-US Southeast service (SVS) is a Suez service deploying 10 ships of capacity between 4,600 and 5,600 TEU. The service originates in Cai Mep, Vietnam and includes calls in Hong Kong and Yantian in China, Singapore and Tangier, Morocco.
Charleston is the last outbound port on the service, which highlights the port's prominence in handling the region's and the nation's export demand. "Charleston's position in this service demonstrates that ships will be taking on a significant amount of cargo here, relying on our deep water to fill up the ship with heavy exports," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority.
Charleston Harbour is the deepest in the Southeast region, with 45 feet of depth at mean low water (MLW), and can handle ships drafting up to 48 feet on the tides. Charleston's next harbour deepening project is currently underway.
Participating in the SVS service are the alliance carriers of APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), as well as Evergreen. The weekly service will call the Port of Charleston's Wando Welch Terminal on Saturdays, adding 52 ship calls a year to the port and supporting jobs across the maritime industry.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
SOUTH Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine has blamed higher fuel costs and lower container volumes for the widening of its first quarter operating loss to KRW201 billion (US$177 million) from $24 million a year earlier, according to media reports.
The diversified carrier's tanker division narrowed its operating loss to $6.2 million from $32 million in the first quarter of 2011. Bulk shipping losses rose to $19 million from $16 million.
In the first quarter, Hyundai's container volume slipped 0.8 per cent to 708,000 TEU. The carrier said intra-Asia and Asia-Europe volumes rose slightly but trans-Pacific volume fell 3.3 per cent to 295,000 TEU.
The company also said rates rose in the first quarter but were offset by fuel costs. However, the shipping line said it expects per-unit fuel costs to decline following delivery by mid-year of five 13,000 TEU ships that will be more fuel-efficient than existing vessels.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
CONTAINER volume during the first quarter of 2012 at Gothenburg port increased 0.9 per cent year on year to 233,000 TEU, marking a new quarterly record for container movements through the facility, the Baltic Transport Journal reported.
Of the total container traffic, 108,000 TEU were carried to and from the port via the RailPort Scandinavia network, which registered a rise of 11.3 per cent compared to the same period last year. One rail link that is doing particularly well is the newly started shuttle to Sundsvall, which is the network's most northerly rail shuttle destination.
While container traffic rose, the Port of Gothenburg registered falls in other volumes in the first quarter: ro-ro 139,000 cargo units (-5.4 per cent); cars 46,000 (-29.2 per cent); liquid cargo 5.3 million tonnes (-3.6 per cent); and passengers totalled 242,000 (-8.3 per cent).
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
THE first Cool Logistics Conference ever held in the southern hemisphere was warned that if Africa wanted to compete in global markets it had to cut supply chain costs.
The warning came from Chiquita Brands advisor Mark Hassenkamp, CEO of Corvus Investments International, who said logistics costs in Africa are four times higher than elsewhere.
He told the Cool Logistics Conference in Cape Town that changes applied not just in South Africa, but all over the continent - Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The two-day international event attracted over 150 participants from 15 countries drawn from the global and regional perishable supply chain. Exporters, importers, retailers, air and ocean carriers, 3PLs, ports, cold store and land freight operators came together to discuss the continent's cold chain and perishable logistics outlook.
There seemed to be rare agreement at Cool Logistics Africa between transport, logistics and perishable professionals - including fruit exporters united under the Fruit South Africa umbrella organisation - that change is now of the essence.
Said GoReefers CEO Delena Engelbrecht: "We are playing catch up in South Africa and may have no more than seven years left before congestion and delays put the region on a back foot."
Even in South Africa, logistics costs pitched at 13.5 per cent of GDP remain too high compared with the US and other main trading partners, said Abrie de Swardt, managing director of Capespan Exports.
Transnet National Ports Authority CEO Tau Morwe outlined the ZAR300 billion (US$38.7 billion) capital investment programme to improve South African ports and global logistical competitiveness. He also mentioned that Transnet was ready to engage more proactively with the private sector in the future in order to tackle operational constraints and to become generally more demand-driven.
While reaffirming Maersk's commitment to South Africa as the southern gateway on the African continent, Maersk southern Africa chief David Williams expressed the hope that some of the 'occasional shocks' to the southern African supply chain will be avoided.
Maersk said equipment shortage would not go away. According to the world's leading refrigerated container operator 44,000 FEU were scrapped in 2011. This year the figure is estimated to reach over 47,000 FEU and could reach nearly 70,000 FEU by 2016, based on a 13 year life span.
Big Kenyan producer Sunripe director Hasit Shah, also vice chairman of Kenya's Shippers Council, said: "We need to integrate the small holder into the cold chain."
Alex von Stempel, director, Cool Logistics Resources added: "Following the success of this first ever, we will be back in Cape Town next year to continue the dialogue and facilitate sharing of ideas, knowledge and practical solutions to improve Africa's perishable supply chain performance."
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
.jpg)
The magazine SEA has been published since 1935
International business magazine JŪRA MOPE SEA has been published since 1999
The first magazine in Eurasia in the four languages: English, Chinese, Russian and Lithuanian
|
|