"Curiosity of the Day" 
Trousers were invented to make riding horses easier. The oldest pair of trousers discovered so far is around 3,200 years old. It was found in western China. more
Three more locomotives for Italian fleet 
Italian intermodal freight operator GTS Rail has ordered three more Traxx DC3 E.494 locomotives from Bombardier. This order will increase GTS Rail’s Traxx locomotive fleet to 20 units, of which eight are the latest generation. The entire fleet is being produced by... more
Shifting semi-trailers to rail
In Germany, the port of Duisburg (Duisport) has acquired a stake in Cargo Beamer. The aim is to bring semi-trailers onto trains. The companies already work together on an automated method to shift such vehicles from the roads to the railways.With Cargo Beamer’s technology,... more
Masil makes a first in Iraq
Iraq has awarded the exclusive contract for the delivery of a full suite of ground handling, cargo and fuelling services at Baghdad airport to Menzies Aviation’s joint venture with several companies in Iraq. Trading as Masil, the United Iraqi Company for Airports and Ground... more
Rail upgrades in Lithuania
The GSM-R is to be updated within the next 1.5 years. To this end, Kontron Transportation and LTG Infra recently signed a contract for the instalment of a new communications system on the Lithuanian Railways (LTG). The upgrade represents the next step into the future of the... more
Another head; and another facility
The U-Freight Group has restructured the management team at its country headquarters in Amsterdam. Robert Rens has been promoted to operations director and will take over from Cas Scheij, managing director in the Netherlands, who has reached official retirement age but will... more
Is air-sea the key for Djibouti's hub plans?
Djibouti has strong international backing on the issue of "making Djibouti a hub for air-sea logistics for the region." In a recent summit conference, the outlook of combining Djibouti's expertise in the port and Ethiopian Airlines’ experience in the air with Air... more
Dialogue or complaint
ESC and Clecat, European associations grouping shippers and forwarders, recently criticised policies being pursued by shipping lines in a joint open letter addressed to the European Commission (see ITJ Daily of 6 January 2021).The bodies have now followed up the letter sent to... more
Fjord Line picks CEO
Fjord Line’s board of directors has appointed Brian Thorsted Hansen as the company’s new CEO. Thorsted Hansen has extensive business experience and for the past 14 years has worked at the Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS, formerly serving as vice president and head of... more
Contargo Transbox and Webarge team up
Inland vessel operator Webarge and container logistician Contargo Transbox launched collaborative shuttle operations in the port of Antwerp earlier this year. Both firms offer container shuttle services in the Belgian port and are now seeking to optimise these loss-making... more