February 2015

Russia TIR reprieve

The Russian Customs Federation has told the Russian TIR guaranteeing association, ASMAP, that it will extend its agreement until 30 June. It follows positive official statements by the Russian authorities that they will continue to operate the TIR system on their territory. However, the International Road Transport Union warns that, given the lack of information, it cannot rule out problems at border points. President Putin has though issued a list of ... [+]

Container converter adds chemical arm

West Midlands sales and conversion company Lion Containers has added a Chemical Stores arm. The container firm has seen a rise in enquiries from companies requiring storage for chemicals, flammables and substances hazardous to health, which are not suitable for standard storage containers. Chemical stores can be built to Environmental ... [+]

Welsh port devolution is welcomed

The Welsh Ports Group welcomed government plans to devolve certain transport functions, such as ports policy, to the Welsh Government. The Welsh Ports Group, which represents the interests of ports across Wales, is chaired by Alec Don, the Chief Executive of Milford Haven Port Authority. He said it would be an ... [+]

Learn forwarding online

UK based forwarding consultants Advisory Services has released an online training product for freight forwarders. The product is a range of courses or modules of around 40-50 minutes that can be taken anywhere there is an internet connection. The courses specifically target the international freight forwarding market and focus on both ... [+]

IAG revenue down but trend is up

IAG Cargo says its commercial revenue (flown revenue plus fuel surcharges) in 2014 fell 7.5% compared with 2013, to €992m. But on a like for like basis, adjusting the prior year’s figures to reflect its reduced freighter operations, commercial revenue increased 2.4% compared with last year. CEO Steve Gunning said ... [+]

They just keep getting bigger at London Gateway

The Munkebo Maersk has broken the record for largest ship to ever sail up the River Thames and to call at the new DP World London Gateway deep-sea port. The 18,300teu Munkebo Maersk is one of the largest container vessels in the world, operating on Maersk’s new East-West Network. She ... [+]

Cargo claims: When will they ever learn?

There is a depressingly familiar theme to the list of top five reasons for claims in multimodal transport, says the TT Club. The international transport, freight and logistics insurance provider found that 66% of its claims by number and 62% by value over five years can be categorised into just ... [+]

Updated: Quick link Down Under

  MSC is introducing a new Australia Express link to Northern Europe. A fleet of 12 4,800teu vessels will operate between Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Singapore, Chennai, Colombo, King Abdullah Port (Saudi Arabia) to Gioia Tauro and Valencia, with weekly connections to and from the UK and Ireland. MSC has also restructured ... [+]

Ready for the Irish Sea

Stena's new Superfast X ferry for its Holyhead to Dublin route has left the Polish shipyard in Gdynia where she was being prepared for her launch on the service. With ten decks, the Stena Superfast offers almost two kilometres of lane space for freight traffic and other vehicles and can ... [+]

Rushing to Russia

FPS Famous Pacific Shipping BV has launched a new, weekly ocean LCL service from Rotterdam to St. Petersburg and vice versa for general groupage cargo. It is a direct alternative to the historic routing via Vilnius, cutting transit times from 15 to four days, it says. FPS can also offer ... [+]