Port of Hamburg wants to expand its strong position in Austria’s transport industry The new Viennese office of Hafen Hamburg Marketing e.V. (HHM) was inaugurated on 21 February in the presence of customers and business partners. After more than 30 years of activity at the address Rennweg, Vienna’s 3rd district, they moved to a new office at 15, Seitenhafestraße in the centre of the Port of Vienna. “We are convinced the new location will be an advantage for the expansion of Hamburg’s dominant position in Austria’s transport industry“, HHM CEO Claudia Roller and Alexander Till, Head of the HHM office in Austria, said in short statements. The Port of Hamburg has been an important hub for Austria’s sea freight market for a long time. In 2010, around 2.6 million tons of goods were registered with the source and target locations in Austria. Container traffic (incoming and outgoing) reached a new peak at 260.000 TEU. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Danish container shipping company Maersk Line takes steps to increase profitability of its liner services from Asia to Europe As a measure to dampen the price competition in liner shipping business from Asia to Europe, the Maersk Line management just launched a program to cut capacity. According to a press release the current offer shall be reduced by nine per cent. The aim of this measure is to improve vessel utilisation and profitability without giving up any market share. In spite of reduced capacity Maersk Line wants to keep its share of market growth also in 2012. According to shipping analysts Asia-Europe container traffic would grow 1.5 per cent in 2012 (2.8 per cent in 2011). The Daily Maersk product line introduced last year will be continued without any changes in 2012, discloses Chief Exective Officer Soren Skou. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Danish transport and logistics group DSV defies the margin pressure of international forwarding business in the 2011 financial year For the Danish transport and logistics group DSV the 2011 fiscal year was marked by an increase in sales revenues and in operating results, in a highly competitive environment. For the reporting period the company posts a turnover of DKK 43.7 billion (2010: DKK 42.56 billion). Operating profit before special expenses was DKK 2.43 billion, after DKK 2.2 billion in 2010. The annual net profit was DKK 1.45 billion (2010: DKK 1.19 billion). For 2012, the management expects a further improvement in operative results. In its divisions Air & Sea, Road and Solutions DSV employed 21,678 staff located in more than 60 countries worldwide, including Austria. Sea freight business amounted to a total volume of 722,861 TEU. In the air freight forwarding unit 262,362 tons of goods were moved. Sales in the Air & Sea division amounted to DKK 18.92 billion or by 2.5 per cent below the figure of 2010. The Solutions division posted a 2.5 per cent sales increase to DKK 5 billion, the Road division improved by 6.3 per cent to DKK 22.64 billion. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Continued international expansion pays for the VTG AG wagon hire and rail logistics company The wagon hire and rail logistics company VTG Aktiengesellschaft (Hamburg) presented yesterday its preliminary, unaudited figures for 2011. According to these figures, the group’s revenue rose 19.2 per cent from the previous year, to EUR 750 million. Operating profit (EBITDA) increased 9.3 per cent compared with 2010, reaching a level of EUR 168.7 million. As of 31 December 2011 VTG had 1,170 employees worldwide, 171 more than in 2010. “We used the year 2011 to actively push forward our international expansion and once again strengthen the company”, states Dr. Heiko Fischer, CEO of VTG Aktiengesellschaft. “The strategic acquisitions in Russia and North America, the two largest rail transport markets in the world, as well as a large order book for the construction of new wagons for the European market were made possible by the group’s new financing structure. They serve as proof that we are on a continual path of growth and mean we are confidently looking towards 2012”. Wagon hire business showed a positive development in all market segments in the 2011 financial year. Capacity utilisation rose...

Customers of DPD Austria would accept additional costs of EUR 5.89 for sustainable parcels Customers of DPD Austria want sustainable logistics solutions and trust in the awareness of enterprises. This is the result of a survey about sustainability Austria’s leading private parcel service has conducted. 55 per cent of the participants rated this issue as very important, particularly in a professional context; about 50 per cent also in private. The interviewees saw the biggest saving potential for CO2 emissions in optimising buildings (66 per cent), followed by process optimisation in the form of electronic bills (58 per cent) and fleet management (55 per cent). The majority of customers interviewed by DPD Austria assumes that companies need to spend more on sustainability, but customers do not want to pay the same rate for a sustainable product. Interviewees would be willing to pay EUR 5.89 more on average for sustainable packages. DPD Austria has practiced "green logistics" for a long time. To make packages "greener" they implemented projects around driver training, economic route design and CO2 efficient vehicles. The group-wide environmental charter in the name of "responsibility"...

TNT Express rejects hostile offer for takeover from its competitor UPS There are signs indicating a market consolidation in the international express logistics industry. The American United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) has started a hostile takeover bid at the end of last week. Target objective is the Dutch parcel and express logistics group TNT Express, whose entire issued share capital UPS wants to acquire for a purchase price of EUR 4.9 billion. The management of the candidate for takeover rejected the offer in a first statement. There have been takeover rumours about the parcel business of TNT Express since quite a while. The enterprise has a strong presence in Europe (about 18 per cent of the market share) and 83,000 employees worldwide. Annual turnover 2010 amounted to EUR 7.053 billion. TNT Express moves about 4.7 million parcels, documents and freight pieces around the world per week by means of 30,000 vehicles and 50 cargo aircraft. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Hellmann East Europe’s new regular groupage service links Poland to Ukraine Establishing a regular groupage line between Poland and Ukraine, the forwarder Hellmann East Europe responds to the growing cargo flow between these two major trading partners. In the initial stage the new service offers weekly departures on the connections between the consolidation points Nowy Tomysl, Chorzow and Raszyn in Poland and Kiev in Ukraine. The links to the three terminals in Poland mean also more links for Ukraine to many other European liner services. In Kiev in turn nationwide distribution within Ukraine in 24 to 48 hours after customs clearance is available. In addition to regular traffic from Europe via Poland to Ukraine, the focus lies on part and full loads. Moreover, additional services will be provided such as repacking, labeling, storage, customs clearance, delivery of palletised goods via the customs terminal in Kiev to other cities of Ukraine and dangerous goods processing. Hellmann East Europe has 20 years of experience in the market of the countries of the former Soviet Union. The company organises global freight forwarding services to and from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,...

From spring PSV3 data terminals of TIS GmbH will manage the German general cargo business Raben Group took over from Wincanton TIS GmbH (Bocholt), specialising in mobile telematics solutions, delivers 300 more PSV3 data terminals (MDT) to the Raben Group. The new devices will control the general cargo business taken over from Wincanton in June 2011. The telematics solution ensures the seamless order management, sent status messages and provides current position data. Raben has been working with the PSV3 TIS telematics solution since 2010. The German groupage network purchased from Wincanton consists of 16 subsidiaries, with a total of 300 vehicles in use. These will be equipped with TIS mobile data terminals within ten weeks with no installation effort. The devices digitise the entire flow of information from job submission to departure control, pallet papers, photographic documentation of damage to the proof of delivery. According to TIS GmbH, the PSV3 accelerates and optimises the data exchange between the headquarters and trucks. With its integrated mobile GPRS technology, the mobile "PSV3" systems are able to transmit data about the order, position, tachograph and any other archival data to TIS’...

Nothegger Transport Logistics GmbH awards its own loads via the Teleroute freight exchange in a new two-step process At the Nothegger Transport Logistik GmbH the use of the Teleroute freight exchange is entering a new stage. As of now, the Austrian forwarding company awards their own loads in a two-stage process. For the 13 branch offices a closed user group has been established. "We have implemented a solution in which the charges set by us for 15 minutes are only accessible for the colleagues in the offices," says Walter Steiger, Head of IT and communication in the Tyrolean company. If none of the dispatchers shows interest within this period, the freight offers go automatically to the public domain of the exchange. This "two-room solution" ensures that the largest possible part of promotion orders is transported with own vehicles. Nothegger Transport Logistik  uses the Teleroute freight exchange since 1992 with two objectives: In addition to finding return loads also separate charges are offered on the electronic platform. The only catch until now was that the planners of the 13 own branches in Austria, Germany, Italy and Slovakia have seen the adverts for their own vehicles are not always...

Employer and employees on the river shipping industry agree upon new conditions for working hours The international associations of European employers and employees in the river shipping industry agreed upon new conditions for working hours. The social partnership agreement concluded on 15 February 2012 in Brussels shall replace the general working time directive. It refers to the industry-specific particularities of river shipping business, as the Bundesverband der deutschen Binnenschifffahrt announces in a press release. According to the terms of the new working hours agreement the navigational crew and cabin staff may work 48 hours per week on average over a period of 12 months. Working time during the night is limited to 42 hours per week. The minimum daily rest period is 10 hours, of which 6 hours must be provided without interruption. However, there are special rules for seasonal passenger ships. Parties to the agreement are: the European Barge Union (EBU), European sailors Organization (ESO) and the European Transport Workers' Union (ETF). "The labour agreement grants companies of the inland shipping industry greater flexibility in staff planning and secures at the same time a high level of the...

Port of Rotterdam is the first address for mega-vessels thanks to enlarged channel The Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment is expanding the Maasgeul to prevent waiting times for ships entering the port of Rotterdam. This navigation channel to the North Sea is the access route for sea-going ships that have a draft of more than 14.3 metres. More and more of these ships come to Rotterdam because of the increase in scale and the load factor of sea-going ships. The Maasgeul is about 9 kilometres long and currently 500 to 600 metres wide. It is being widened by another 240 metres so that by the summer of 2012, large sea-going ships will be able to pass each other. Harbour master René de Vries announced this during the presentation of the nautical annual figures for 2011. The lower number of ships – 33,681 sea-going ships compared with 34,404 in 2010 – with an increase in throughput (from 430 to 435 million tonnes) points to that increase in scale and more heavily laden container ships. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

CMA CGM and Maersk Line join their services on the Asia-West Mediterranean routes and returns CMA CGM is about to revise its Asia-West Med Services. In a press release the French container shipping company announces the introduction of new liner services called MEX 1 and MEX 3. Both loops are based on a cooperative with Maersk Line. The services are scheduled to start in early April as replacement for the previously operated loops MEX, MEX 2 (AE 11) and AE 20. MEX 1 is operated with eleven vessels, each offering a carrying capacity of 12,500 TEU, covering the following port rotation: Qingdao, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Chiwan, Nansha, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Kelang, Malta, Valencia, Barcelona, Fos, Genua, Malta, Port Said, Khorfakkan, Port Kelang, Singapur and Qingdao. MEX 3 is operated with ten vessels, each with a carrying capacity of 9,500 TEU. the service covers the following port rotation: Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Nansha, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Kelang, Beirut, Malta, Valencia, Malaga, Tanger, Port Said, Port Kelang and Singapore. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Metrans establishes container terminal in Česká Třebová with a capacity to handle 150 trains per week The HHLA subsidiary Metrans expands its transport network in Middle and Eastern Europe. In spring 2012 construction works will start for an additional hub terminal in Česká Třebová. The site is located 180 kilometres east of Prague and is an important railway junction in the Czech Republic. The facility built with an investment of EUR 20 million will supplement the existing terminal in Prague and become the second hub for the company’s container transport by rail. “Over the last few years, we have succeeded in building up one of Europe’s largest inland terminals in Prague. An additional hub in Česká Třebová will enable us to further increase container transport in both directions between Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and the Eastern Czech Republic on the one hand and the sea ports – especially Hamburg – on the other,” explained Jiri Samek, Managing Director of Metrans. In the initial stage of construction, Metrans will build a terminal with the capacity to process around 150 trains a week and space to store 4,500...

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd posted positive operating result for the 2011 financial year In the 2011 financial year, which was dominated by an unexpectedly aggressive price war in the Far East trade and sharp increases in oil and bunker prices, Hapag-Lloyd performed well. According to preliminary figures, In 2011, the shipping company’s transport volume rose by 5.1% year on year to 5.2 million TEU, while the average freight rate remained virtually unchanged at USD 1,532/TEU (2010: USD 1,569/TEU). Hapag-Lloyd, currently the world's fourth largest liner shipping company, generated revenue of approximately EUR 6.1 billion, which was only slightly less than 2010 (EUR 6.2 billion) due to exchange rate fluctuations. Its operating result (adjusted EBIT) came to around EUR 101 million, according to the preliminary figures of the financial year 2011. “We achieved our primary goal for 2011 of generating an operating profit. Considering how unfavourable the market environment was, this result sends out a strong message and once again reinforces the fact that Hapag-Lloyd is one of the most successful liner shipping companies,” said Michael Behrendt, Chairman of the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd....

Hamburg-based Hoyer group transports cold beer to the football championship in beer tank containers of the latest generation The Hoyer Group is promoting the use of innovative transport solutions. As of now the Hamburg-based company offers beer tank containers with integrated cooling and heating systems. This means a constant ideal temperature of 1 to 6 degrees can be guaranteed for transport of the beverage over long distances. Thanks to newly developed sample taps at the containers an antiseptic and microbiological testing of product is possible at any time. Increasing the number of containers by a further 20 to a total of 240 units - with a maximum capacity of 297 hectolitres per container - the company guarantees the supply for major events such as the upcoming European Football Championship in Ukraine and Poland. Founded in 1946, the independent family enterprise Hoyer is one of leading bulk logistics companies worldwide. The service portfolio includes the development and implementation of solutions for European and global bulk cargo logistics for the following industries: chemicals, petroleum, food and gas. With 5,300 employees in more than 80 countries the company operates 2,500 tractors, 3,100 trailers, 20,000...

Belgian shipping company Kiala enhanced service portfolio of UPS In a short press release the globally acting logistics company UPS announced the acquisition of Kiala, based in Brussels (Belgium). Kiala offers delivery options for consumers who buy goods via the internet, but can not receive the shipment during the day. Further details about the acquisition are not known to date. Kiala was founded in 2001 and is currently operating in the five countries Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Spain. The company has developed an internet platform that allows online merchants to offer their customers the option to get delivered their previously ordered goods to a convenient pickup point for them. More than 300 customers make use of this service (eg: Daxon, Esprit, H & M, Bell, Neckermann, Nespresso, SFR, Yves Rocher). Kiala handles up to 145,000 parcels daily for them. This new acquisition expands the range of solutions for the package and freight transport by UPS in shipping from dealers to private customers (B2C). The logistics company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, serves more than 220 countries and territories Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

New joint venture for transport and logistics services of Gebrüder Weiss and Tegeta Motors Ltd. in Georgia The network of Gebrüder Weiss now includes also the Caucasian region. The international transport and logistics company announced in a press release the formation of a joint venture with Tegeta Motors Ltd. in Tbilisi. Both enterprises signed the relevant agreement a few days ago. Both parties agreed to keep the investment amount confidential. The joint enterprise, with Gebrüder Weiss as the major shareholder, is named “Gebrüder Weiss-Tegeta“ and carries out land transportations, air and sea freight transport as well as logistics solutions. The construction of a 10,000 m² logistics facility in Tbilisi is scheduled for early 2013. During the initial stage managing director Aleksandre Kharlamov heads a team of 23 employees. “Through the market entry in Georgia Gebrüder Weiss establishes a strategic platform in Caucasus – a region, which will develop into a hub linking the booming markets in Eastern Asia and Europe in the near future“, comments GW CEO Wolfram Senger-Weiss. Tegeta Motors is a strong partner providing local expertise to Gebrüder Weiss....

French transport and logistics group GEFCO achieved strong growth in 2011 by providing services for third-party customers The financial year 2011 took a turn to the positive for the GEFCO Group. Compared to 2010 turnover rose 12.9 per cent to EUR 3.782 billion. EBIT grew 12.6 per cent to EUR 223 million, as the parent company PSA Peugeot Citroen announced on 15 February. GEFCO registered particular strong growth figures in its business with third-party customers. Sales revenues from customers outside the PSA Peugeot Citroen group rose 19.2 per cent from 2010 to 2011. Business activities with group customers showed a plus of 9.2 per cent. “The efforts to diversify the customers thus yield fruit. The acquisition of 70 per cent of the shares of Mercurio in May 2011 will contribute to accelerate this development. Excluding these acquisitions the organic growth with customers outside the group amounts to 12.7 per cent“, they state in a press release. GEFCO based in Paris is a globally acting provider of transport and logistics services for the producing industry with 10,363 employees at more than 400 locations. The range of services covers distribution of cars, land transport, sea and air freight, multi-usage...

Nonstop-flight from Vienna to Southern France consolidates the partnership of the Vienna Airport and Air France/KLM The French airline Air France is to add a total of 14 new destinations to its route network, effective 1 April 2012. In addition to Vienna, the summer flight schedule will include direct flights from Toulouse to Casablanca, Marrakech, Istanbul, Prague, Hamburg, Berlin, Venice, Naples, Athens, Seville, Malaga, Tunis and Malta. The Vienna Airport, connected to Air France through a partnership for 50 years, is to receive four weekly connections to the French aviation centre in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Flight days for direct links to the city in Southern France are Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The foundation stone for the expansion of the route network from spring 2012 is the previously successful addition of new destinations and capacities approached from Marseille in October 2011. The new short and medium haul destinations will be operated with Airbus A 319 and Airbus A 320 aircraft, offering 142 and 178 seats, respectively. “Thanks to the new flight Air France will offer 67 weekly flights from Austria to France from 1 April“, says Guido Hackl, Director Air France and KLM...

City of Hamburg and logistics entrepreneur Klaus-Michael Kühne increase their shares of container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd It is certain since the evening of 14 February: The shareholder structure of the container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd will be reorganised in the coming months. The travel group TUI AG will reduce its holding in the Hamburg-based enterprise from currently 38.4 per cent in several steps to 22 per cent. The city of Hamburg in turn increases its holding from 23.6 per cent to 37 per cent and thus advances to the major shareholder of the shipping company. Klaus Michael Kühne increases his shares from 24.6 to 28.2 per cent. Together with the insurance companies Hanse-Merkur and Signal Iduna, the investors of the Albert-Ballin consortium raise EUR 600 million for these measures. EUR 420 million thereof are raised by the city of Hamburg, EUR 160 million by Klaus-Michael Kühne, EUR 13 million by Hanse-Merkur and EUR 7 million by Signal Iduna. The commitment of the city of Hamburg is no coincidence. Hapag-Lloyd is the port of Hamburg’s most important customer. Together with its partner shipping companies from the Grand Alliance which was initiated back in 1997, Hapag-Lloyd accounts for...

Music equipment of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra travelled with Emirates SkyCargo from Vienna to Muscat, Oman The list of customers of Emirates SkyCargo has gained a prominent name. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, currently traveling on Gergiev tour, recently sent their entire musical equipment with the air cargo division of Emirates Airline from Austria to Muscat, Oman. The shipment was carried out with the AXA "priority" product service. The tight time budget proved to be a special challenge in this transport. On 15 January at 11 a.m. the last of the Philharmonic concert in Vienna began and by 4 p.m. the musical instruments arrived at the airport. The machine with the flight number EK126 started at 22.05 to Dubai. Two hours later, the connecting flight took off for Muscat, where the musical equipment arrived on 16 January at 9.30 a.m. local time and the next concert was scheduled for the evening. The handling of the freight forwarding was in the hands of Gebrüder Weiss. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Imperial Logistics subsidiary Regent Insurance Brokers now holds the majority share of Lübcke Marine Assekuranzmakler GmbH The Regent Insurance Brokers (Europe) GmbH, headquartered in Bremen, is the new majority shareholder of Lübcke Marine Assekuranzmakler GmbH (Bremen) since the beginning of the year. The subsidiary of Imperial Logistics International BV & Co. KG acquired 51 per cent of the shares from Dr. Schmidt & Erdsiek KG (Minden/Westphalia), which is still involved as a shareholder with 49 per cent of Lübcke Marine. The activities of Lübcke Marine Assekuranzmakler will still be managed by the former managing director Holger Warrelmann. He receives support from Stefan Rogge, who recently joined the management team. With a team of experienced sailors and insurance traders at locations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland Lübcke Marine Assekuranzmakler is specialising on the provision of maritime insurance and works for all major carriers. "The acquisition is part of our ongoing growth strategy", said Regents Executive Director Stefan Rogge. He sees a good development potential in the business of insurance against shipping risks, which fits perfectly into the existing range...

Delivery of the first Siemens regional trainset Desiro RUS from for Sochi (Russia) is a major logistical challenge The Russian Railways (RZD) visited the first Desiro RUS regional train set at the Siemens plant in Krefeld and released for shipment. February marks the start of the transport by ship to the Russian seaport of Ust Luga. From there the travel is continued on the rail to the depot at St. Petersburg, from where the trains start their licensing runs. The chassis for the Russian regional trains will be manufactured at the Siemens plant in Graz. Production of the RUS Desiro at the Siemens plant in Krefeld has begun in April 2011. Nine months later, in late January 2012, Siemens and the RZD signed the transportation-release of the first of 38 units. In mid-February delivery to Russia is launched. The transport of the just under five meters high and 3.5 meters wide vehicle presents a major challenge to the logistics specialists at Siemens: the cars are too wide and too high to forward them by rail or road across Germany to the ferry port of Sassnitz (Rügen Island). Therefore, the choice fell on the waterway, from Krefeld via Amsterdam to Rügen. There, the railcars are first placed on their appropriate...

Deep water terminal Petkim Port eliminates bottlenecks for the handling of container vessels in the Izmir region from 2013 At the start of this week APM Terminals and the Turkish Petkim Holding, rooted in the petrochemical industry, signed an agreement about building a new deep water terminal for containers and general cargo in Greater Izmir. The two companies’ new building shall eliminate the bottlenecks for the handling of trade vessels in Izmir City Port (Alsancak). Operations at the general cargo terminal are scheduled to start by the end of 2012. In 2013 and 2014 a container terminal with 700 metres of quay length and an annual capacity of 1.5 million TEU will be built in the Petkim Port. With investments at the amount of USD 350 to 400 million APM Terminals and Petkim Holding will build a deep water port able to handle vessels of a maximum length of 16 metres and more than 10,000 TEU capacity. The port area can be expanded to 3 million TEU if required. Port operations are in the hands of the A.P. Moller-Maersk company APM Terminals for a period of 28 years. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Security Sicherheitstechnisches Zentrum accompanied Escada Logistik GmbH with the validation as a "known shipper" in air cargo business Acting as a service provider for the international fashion label Escada Logistics GmbH benefits from its "known shipper"-status in the air freight business since a few days ago. The company has successfully completed the validation with the support of Sequrity Sicherheitstechnisches Zentrum GmbH at the end of January 2012. Due to the existing self-protection of the company with the highest sensitivity to security no construction investment was necessary, but purely organisational measures. As a "known shipper" Escada logistics is no longer required to let its shipments have screened at airports. This saves about 14 cents per kilogram of air cargo, but at least 35 Euros per task, they state in a press release. According to Oliver Rossmann, one of two managing directors of the company, the handling of the validation by Sequrity Sicherheitstechnisches Zentrum GmbH has passed very objective and neutral. The focal points are located on the organisational and physical security of air cargo. Since September 2011 Sequrity Sicherheitstechnisches Zentrum GmbH is...

Dachser’s Cargo Plus product line to be successively anchored all over Europe to complement the nationwide cargo network Dachser Cargoplus consolidates its commitment in the Turkish growth market for transport. Dachser’s central branch office in Germany for pan-European full truck load freight services as well as transports to the CIS and the Maghreb has built up a dedicated team of specialists, who are developing the German market from Memmingen. From now on, Dachser consolidates its shipments to Turkey via Cargoplus Memmingen. “This enables us to provide more direct departures to customs offices outside of Istanbul, increase departure frequencies and reduce transit times,” explains Wolfgang Haase, Cargoplus division manager at Dachser. Only the Mannheim and Munich/Unterschleissheim branch offices will continue to conduct their traditionally strong business with Turkey on their own.  “We believe services to Turkey offer enormous growth potential for Cargoplus,” Haase explains. “Customs stipulations and requirements, a greater need to coordinate and harmonise transport operations, together with local specificities demand a high degree of specialisation, communication and...

Port of Hamburg achieved above-average growth rate in 2011 in total throughput and container traffic In the year 2011 the Port of Hamburg was able to achieve a positive development in sea cargo throughput, accompanied by gaining market shares. With 132.2 million tons handled in total at Germany's largest universal port, 9.1 per cent more sea cargo was handled than in the same period last year. Container throughput increased by 14.2 percent or 1.12 million TEU to a total of 9 million TEU. Thus in 2011Hamburg reached by its own account the largest absolute growth in container throughput in the entire North European port range. And, as it is emphasised in a news release: "Hamburg is now again Europe's second largest container port." The development in 2011 lets forecast Claudia Roller, Chairwoman of Port of Hamburg Marketing, also an increase for the current year. "For 2012 we also expect an increase in the throughput figure, which in comparison to 2011, however, is likely to slow down and reach a moderate increase in sea cargo throughput at the end of the year" she estimates. The forthcoming navigation channel adjustments of the Lower and Outer Elbe river is aimed to raise Hamburg's competitive...

Combined passenger and freight service with DFDS and LD Lines connecting Calais and Dover to start 17 February A new provider is to start operating in ferry traffic on the route between Calais, France, and Dover, UK. The shipping companies DFDS Seaways and LD Lines (Louis Dreyfus) will establish a new joint passenger and freight ferry service on 17 February. The duo fills the gap resulting from the insolvency of the French ferry shipping line Seafrance. Initially DFDS Seaways and LD Lines will operate the route with the ferry vessel called Norman Spirit. The schedule comprises five daily departures on each course as well as four rotations on Sundays. A second ro-pax ferry under the French flag shall be added soon. Moreover the new initiative of the two shipping companies creates about 300 jobs.  Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Ennshafen port saw a year-on-year increase of 23 per cent in container throughput in 2011 The Ennshafen port expects a positive development of water-to-land throughput in 2012. The management reckons with a volume increase. "If everything goes well, we can realize a growth in the high single-digit percentage range", said Managing Director Christian Steindl on 10 February at a press conference in Linz. In the year 2011 the catastrophic nautical conditions at the port of Enns caused a decrease of eight percent in water-to-land throughput to 608,082 tons compared to last year. However, compared to the record year for total turnover (2008), this value meant an increase of 13 percent. In the reporting period 277,023 TEU passed the Container Terminal in the port of Enns, 23 per cent more than in 2010. "The growth in comparison to 2008 is 45 per cent," said Christian Steindl. In 2012 he wants to attract more shipping companies as warehouse clients. Currently there are agreements with twelve shipping companies and the Port of Enns is negotiating with a big interested company. Last year the capacity of the container depots has been expanded by ten percent to just under 6,000 TEU - including 500 TEU for...

New product line of AsstrA Logistics offers European producers of consumer goods a continuous supply chain to Russian recipients The international transport and logistics service provider AsstrA Associated Traffic AG presents in mid-February its newly developed logistics strategies for the FMCG industry at the largest Eastern European food fair ProdExpo in Moscow. The service concept of the subsidiary AsstrA Logistics AG combines according to the specifications of the management cost-effective transport solutions with minimised customs and currency risks. "This means high calculation security for customers in the food industry", reads a news release. AsstrA Logistics handles the entire trade and transport chain from the production plants in Europe and China. For example, goods from camps in Poland to Russia are transported directly to the distributor's warehouse. "40 percent of our clients come from the FMCG sector. For them, our new logistics solution minimizes the currency and credit risks. In addition, the customer has no longer to maintain their own business units in Russia", says Dmitry Lagun, CEO of AsstrA Associated Traffic AG. AsstrA Associated Traffic AG was founded in 1993 in Zurich and...

New representative office of Speditions-Partner GmbH (Vienna) in Perm offers wide range of transport logistics services The establishment of regular truck traffic in the CIS region with Speditions-Partner GmbH Schneider & Peklar resulted in the opening an own representative office in Perm. The range of services from/to Russia and the CIS offered by the forwarding company based in Vienna includes full and part load services, as well as weekly groupage departures. "We also offer industry-specific solutions for project shipments by truck, air and ocean freight, temperature controlled transportation and local customs clearance. At the Vienna office, staff with appropriate language skills and familiar with the country-specific circumstances are available to customers", informs managing director Valentin Peklar. Speditions-Partner GmbH Schneider & Peklar was founded in 2004. The company employs approximately 40 employees who provide services in the areas of groupage transport, air and ocean freight including projects and express shipments of for part and full loads. At its headquarters at Bleibtreustraße in Vienna-Simmering the company operates a 4,000 m² covered warehouse. Quelle: LogEastics...

Total cargo throughput in Duisburg’s ports rose ten per cent in 2011 to 125.6 million tons Container throughput was running at full speed in the Duisburg ports in 2011. With a total volume of 2.5 million TEU last year's figure was exceeded by ten per cent. "Compared to the previous year this figure means an increase of 20 per cent", the duisport group announced late last week. In the reporting period the total cargo handled in Duisburg’s ports improved by ten per cent to 125.6 million tons (2010: 114 million tons). The duisport plants accounted for 64 million tons thereof, thus reaching a record. Apart from container handling the main growth drivers were the following groups of goods: coal, mineral and chemical products. The volume of coal handled by the duisport Group rose 42 per cent year-on-year to nearly 9 million tons. Iron and steel throughput also showed a significant double-digit growth. Throughput with vessels accounted for 51 million tons (2010: 49 million tons) of the total volume, while 28 million tons (2010: 27 million tons) were handled by train. "Of course we are delighted about the very good turnover figures and the dynamic development of the site over the past few...

Soloplan’s integrated warehouse and transport management system CarLo forms the core of all data streams of Bichler forwarding and logistics The introduction of CarLo, the integrated warehouse and transportation management system of the specialist for the development of logistics software Soloplan GmbH (Kempten), pays for the freight forwarding and logistics Bichler GmbH. CarLo forms the heart of all data streams in the Lower Austrian company since January 2008. "Every order is processed and controlled from storage and delivery to billing in a single system. Internal interfaces are only for accounting and workshop software", said Manfred Bichler about the benefits of the application. According to him requests are no longer transmitted by mobile phones but via GPRS directly to the onboard computer of the vehicles. This avoids phone and roaming charges as well as transmission errors. The freight forwarding and logistics company Bichler GmbH is a full service provider in freight forwarding, transportation and logistics business. Moreover the company acts as a partner and committee member for the European-wide operating general cargo cooperation ILN. Bichler’s fleet includes 50 tractors and motor cars as...

Logistics services of the Fiege group are an important factor of success for the agricultural enterprise Claas A new trophy was added to the collection of the Fiege group. The agricultural engineering company Claas honoured the supply chain competency of Fiege at its 8th Suppliers' Day by naming Fiege "Supplier of the Year" in the field of logistics. Fiege thus managed to make it to the top of Claas' list of logistics providers practically out of the blue, the Fiege group announces in a press release. The Greven-based contract logistics specialist Fiege has been handling the storage and finishing of engines as well as Just-In-Sequence (JIS) supply for the production in Harsewinkel at the Greven-Reckenfeld branch since mid-2010. Its value added services include in addition to engine cleaning also the fitting of filters and oil change, thereby readying the engines for use in production. The Fiege group, headquartered in Greven/Westphalia, is among Europe's leading logistics providers. Its core competence lies in the development and realisation of integrated, holistic supply chain systems and it is considered a pioneer of contract logistics. In 2010, the Group generated a turnover of Euro 1.5 billion world-wide...

Burger Port Agencies change their name into S5 Agency World as of 1 February 2012 As from 1 February 2012 the Royal Burger Group carries out all her port agency activities under a new name. The organisation previously known as Burger Port Agencies, changed its name to S5 Agency World. The Burger group is co-founder and shareholder of the company established in 2006. Karel Peters, CEO Royal Burger Group and also Executive Chairman S5 Agency World, sees the rebranding as a major step ahead. Peters expects more opportunities arising through collective investments: not only technologically, but also in terms of widening the range of services. The Royal Burger Group headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands is a private enterprise with about 400 staff. The group has 24 offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, Sweden, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and China. The group is specialising on services in the maritime and logistic sector and is divided into the following units: Port Agencies, Logistic Services, Liner Agencies and Ferry Agencies. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Czech AWT group surpasses the benchmark of 1 billion ton-kilometres on the rail in 2011 In 2011 the private Czech AWT group reached a milestone in its company history. The company’s transport performance exceeded one billion ton-kilometres in rail transport (1.018 billion), marking a year on year increase of nearly one tenth. However, the most rapid growth occurred in combined road/rail transport. Nearly 43,000 containers and swap bodies passed the AWT terminal in Ostrava-Paskov in 2011. That represents an increase of almost 115 per cent compared to 2010. The core business of the AWT group is the transport of primary materials by rail, such as coal, steel, chemical products and timber. The group operates locations in eight countries and has a network of partners and business representatives across Europe, the Middle East as well as overseas. The Group employs almost 2,500 staff, and its annual revenues reach CZK 10 billion (about EUR 401.6 million). The freight forwarding division AWT Cechofracht, a former public company, provides services in rail, road, sea and air transport, and related logistics services. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

First transports with Innofreight XL containers from Slovenia to Weißkirchen (Austria) for Knauf The Innofreight Group based in Bruck an der Mur announced the start of a new transport connection for Knauf, a producer of building materials. Sine the start of January they organise the transport Rea gypsum from Slovenia to Weißkirchen, Styria. The Innofreight XL container system is the backbone of the raw materials supply for the production of various gypsum products. The transports are carried out in cooperation with Rail Cargo Austria. “This year, extensive infrastructure investments for the expansion of rail facilities are planned at Knauf to increase the amount of freight by rail“, the Innofreight Group’s press release reads. Furthermore the application of this container technology at other Knauf sites is under discussion. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Hungarian transport logistics group Waberer’s adds 150 trucks to its fleet and puts focus on five European key markets In 2012 Hungary’s Waberer’s Holding will continue its expansion. In addition to the expansion of their fleet capacity by adding 150 tractor-trailers the enterprise wants to create 150 new jobs. The company will focus on its five European key markets: Hungary, Germany, Great-Britain, France and Italy. Moreover Waberer’s will stop its international refrigerated transport service to increase the effectiveness of its fleet. Preliminary data, announced in the Budapest board meeting of Waberer’s Holding, indicate that the results amount to EUR 373 million in the 2011 financial year, thus exceeding the last year’s performance by 20 per cent. The fleet of almost 2,500 trucks has completed over 330 million kilometres with over 90 per cent average load rate. Its freight performance closed on 5 billion ton-kilometres. The number of transport vehicles grew by 150 tractor-trailers in 2011. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Implementation of information security system according to ISO/IEC 27001 with the CargoLine general cargo cooperative To permanently protect all data and ensure smooth shipment process, the partner companies of the CargoLine cargo cooperative implemented comprehensive and consistent information security measures in accordance with ISO / IEC 27001. The corresponding internal certification will be issued in spring 2012. CargoLine is the first general cargo alliance, which works according to this high standard. The initiative aims to prevent damage in the millions, caused by power failure, a hard drive crash, disgruntled employees or a "hacker" attack. The cargo cooperative has put the following processes under constant review: order entry and processing, including planning and preparation of documents, data communication with customers, partners and suppliers, the handling including hall scanning, as well as in and and outgoing of shipments. The study includes the necessary IT platforms and their operation, storage and backup management, internal network infrastructure consisting of active network components and firewalls, the VPN of the data center Niederaula, as well as monitoring and management to support the...

Asia-Europe services of the members of the G6 shipping companies alliance to set the sail in the first week of March and will be expanded to the Black Sea in April The G6 Alliance starts their Asia-Europe liner services in the first week of March – one month ahead of schedule. “Customer response to the G6 Alliance is strong, the latest economic condition in the trade supports the timing of the launch. We are eager to roll out our competitive products to benefit customers by offering a comprehensive and increased coverage of 40 ports in the Asia-Europe market with more sailing frequency,” the member shipping companies said in a statement (APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Orient Overseas Container Line). The G6 Alliance, serving the Asia-to-Europe-and-Mediterranean market was founded last December. The program will feature six loops between Asia and North Europe in the first week of March. Details about those serving Japanese ports will be announced later. A seventh service will follow when it can be supported by sustainable trade conditions. This service will provide direct connections between Europe and the Bohai Bay ports in Dalian and Xingang....

Asotra Polska organises logistics chains focussing on the railway as transport mode since the start of this year Establishing a subsidiary in Poland Asotra Spedition GmbH, headquartered in Stockerau near Vienna, consolidates its position as a specialised provider of transport and logistics services on traffic routes with Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The new branch in Katowice, Silesia started operating at the beginning of this year. The company organises rail cargo transportations from, to and via Poland on behalf of customers from the steel and chemicals industry. Asotra Spedition GmbH is a company of the Terminal Holding since autumn 2011. In addition to operations in rail cargo transport the enterprise operates a strong truck division, including elaborate pharmaceuticals logistic services to destinations in Eastern Europe, Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine and Central Asia. As for 2012 Ernst Haiböck, Managing Director, targets a turnover increase to EUR 25 million. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

From 25 March 2012 Austrian Airlines flies from Vienna to Tripoli and return again From the 2012 summer flight schedule Austrian Airlines will resume its flights to Libya, North Africa. From 25 March 2012 the Austrian airline will be flying from Vienna to Tripoli regularly again. They will be available five times a week on each course. Flight OS 891 will take off from Vienna on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 9.55 a.m., with a scheduled arrival in the Libyan capital at 12.45 p.m. local time. Tripoli has been a benchmark on Austrian Airline’s schedule. They stopped operating the service to and from Libya temporarily in February of last year due to the political unrest. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Navigation stopped on the German section of the Danube and parts of the Main-Danube Canal Navigation had to be stopped on the German section of the Danube. The Waterways and Shipping Office Regensburg, competent for navigation on the Danube, imposed an official ban on navigation with regard to the safety of plants and shipping on 7 February. Parts of the Main-Danube Canal are affected by the measure as well. An end of the ban is currently not within sight. The ice with a thickness of up to 15 centimetres and ice floes up to 200 meters long prompted the Water and Shipping Authority of Regensburg to impose a total-lock of the Danube. Shipping traffic mostly stood still already. This was due to the shut down of the Kachlet and Jochenstein locks since last weekend. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG achieved double-digit growth volumes in the container and intermodal segments in 2011 Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) looks back on a successful financial year 2011. The company utilised the strong growth in Asia and Eastern Europe as well as the good economic development in Germany to improve its market position once again, says Klaus-Dieter Peters, HHLA’s Chairman of the Executive Board, when presenting the prelimindary fuigures. Throughput in HHLA’s container segment rose by 21.3 percent to 7.1 million standard containers (TEU) in the past financial year. “As in 2010, the group succeeded in gaining market shares and thereby expanding its market position”, reads the press release. The increase in container throughput was driven by strong growth in the Far East and Eastern Europe – shipping regions which are particularly important for the enterprise – along with further improvements in handling services for mega-container ships offered by the company, they explain. The volume of hinterland traffic in HHLA’s intermodal segment, comprising the brands TFG Transfracht, Metrans and Polzug, increased by 11.3 percent to 1.9 million TEU. Ramping...

Philip Morris founds subsidiary in Austria and selected Kuehne + Nagel as the partner for distribution logistics Kuehne + Nagel Gesellschaft m.b.H. Austria is to become active on behalf of the globally acting tobacco company Philip Morris from January 2013. The enterprise will handle delivery of the following cigarette brands: Marlboro, Chesterfield, L&M, Philip Morris, Muratti and EVE. The agreement with the previous distribution and logistics partner tobaccoland is to expire by the end of December 2012. Kuehne + Nagel International AG is the globally leading logistics partner of Philip Morris International. The background of this reorganisation of the logistics in Austria is the foundation of Philip Morris Austria GmbH, as the parent company announced on 6 February 2012. The subsidiary of Philip Morris is to start operating in January. “Aiming at claiming and expanding the market leadership, we want to strengthen our local presence and cooperate more tightly with tobacconists“, explains Alexander Ott, Managing Director Philip Morris Austria GmbH. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Following the acquisition of new work platforms, telescopic stackers and cranes the Prangl group plans to adjust its transport equipment Pangl Gesellschaft m.b.H. based in Brunn am Gebirge near Vienna is preparing to continue modernising its equipment pool. In a press release Managing Director Mag. Christian Prangl announced further steps to adjust the transport equipment, so the company will be able to fully satisfy the requirements of their customers in this segment as well. In order to do justice to their reputation as a provider of high quality services, the company made considerable investment lately. Following the order of 650 work platforms and telescopic stackers at a total value of EUR 23 million, they have now also completed contracts at a value of about EUR 35 million to expand the crane fleet. Most of the devices has been delivered by now. The name Prangl represents a special provider of solutions for difficult tasks related to the transport of oversized and overweight freight pieces. The core competence of the family enterprise established in 1965 is work platforms and crane rental as well as special transportations. The Prangl group has currently about 600 employees in 17 locations in Austria (Brunn am...

Scandlines: Remarkable growth in Baltic traffic from Travemünde leads to more departures ex Travemünde In response to the growing demand in Baltic traffic the Scandlines shipping company increases the frequency of departures from Travemünde to the Latvian ports Liepaja and Ventspils to six per week. Freight customers are now offered daily departures to the Baltic States, with the exception of Sundays. Søren Poulsgaard Jensen, COO Scandlines: “The extended offer ex Travemünde allows us to meet the market requirements more exactly and provide more flexible solutions to our customers." The ferries deployed offer capacities between 1,550 and 2,255 loading metres. Scandlines registered significant growth in freight transport between Travemünde and the Baltic States in 2011. The number of transported cargo units on the routes to Liepaja and Ventspils rose about 43 per cent year-on-year. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Declining throughput of liquid bulk cargo in Wilhelmshaven affected the 2011 balance of seaports Niedersachsen The year 2011 was a good year for the seaports of Niedersachsen (Brake, Cuxhaven, Emden, Leer, Nordenham, Oldenburg, Papenburg, Stade, Wilhelmshaven). Almost all branches were able to increase their throughput volume. Only Wilhelmshaven registered an 11 per cent-decline in volume to 22.98 million tons, which was due to the lack of liquid bulk such as crude oil and mineral oil products. Thus total throughput in the seaports of Niedersachsen dropped one per cent to 46.065 million tons. “We saw very positive developments and throughput figures in almost all of the seaports of Niedersachsen in 2011. In particular the core markets, such as general bulk cargo, project cargo and cars, our ports are as strong as before. Thus we are expecting increasing volumes for 2012", said Andreas Bullwinkel, Managing Director of the port marketing company Seaports of Niedersachsen GmbH. According to his estimation the declines in liquid bulk throughput will be forgotten at latest when the container terminal Wilhelmshaven starts operating. The seaport of Brake achieved a throughput volume of 5.340 million tons in ocean...

Carinthian branch of DHL Global Forwarding (Austria) puts focus on services in ocean freight forwarding segment DHL Global Forwarding (Austria) operates its own branch in Carinthia since the start of this year. In the interview with the Austrian transport magazine Österreichische Verkehrszeitung Ronald Friedrich, Managing Director, confirms the opening of a location in Wernberg near Villach. The focus of the new station in southern Austria lies on services in the ocean freight segment (FCL/LCL exportation and importation). Employing 220 staff at locations in Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Feldkirchen near Graz and Wernberg DHL Global Forwarding (Austria) GmbH counts among Austria’s leading suppliers of overseas forwarding services. The services cover the following segments: air freight, sea freight (FCL/LCL, conventional), industrial projects and customs forwarding. Quelle: LogEastics Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Strategic realignment of the Lehnkering Group in the course of the acquisition by Imperial Logistics International In the course of the acquisition by the Imperial Group, the Lehnkering company is to undergo a strategic realignment. The shipping divisions of the two companies, Lehnkering Shipping Logistics & Services (SLS) and Imperial Reederei, will be joined into one operating unit named Imperial Shipping Group. Lehnkering’s dry shipping division is integrated into the Dry Bulk Services division of the Imperial Shipping Group. The Rhein-Fracht and Lehnkering brands are retained for chemical, mineral and gas tanker shipping and joined in the new Liquid Cargo Services division. The Lehnkering locations in Mannheim and Hamburg continue to operate. The CEO of the Imperial Shipping Group is Carsten Taucke. Robert Baack, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the previous SLS division at Lehnkering, will strengthen the management team of the Imperial Shipping Group in his position as COO. The responsibilities within the Road Logistics & Services (RLS) division at LEHNKERING, which comprises all intra‐European road transports and the related value added services in three specialised divisions, will be...