Container flows stronger in Northern Europe 
The container throughput index published by the RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) rose by 0.8 points to 122.8 points (revised) in December 2021. The index for Chinese ports showed a decline this time,... more
Automotive logistics reeling from soaring costs
ECG, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics, has pointed out that the finished vehicle logistics (FVL) industry continues to face an unprecedented crisis with rising costs and dwindling capacities and volumes. In the maritime sector for instance, the time charter rates... more
Qatar Airways Cargo to insource operations in Spain
Qatar Airways Cargo is insourcing its entire commercial operations in Spain from 1 February. “Qatar Airways Cargo extends its sincere and grateful thanks to ATC Aviation Services, which has helped over the past 16 years to build our Spanish footprint into what it is today.... more
Gebrüder Weiss trains national champion
Marko Nebrigic, who completed his apprenticeship at Gebrüder Weiss’s Wolfurt air and sea services location in Voralberg in autumn 2021, has won the ‘Austrian Skills 2021’ national championships in the category forwarding merchant. From 20–23 January Nebrigic, a native of the... more
15 locos for Italy, Norway and Sweden
Manufacturer Alstom has won an order from leasing company Railpool for 15 Traxx locomotives, with the option for a further five vehicles. The locomotives are intended for use in Norway, Sweden and Italy. Traxx 3 is the most modern four-axle platform for locomotives in... more
Hamburg’s new fairway open
In the port of Hamburg, the enlarged fairway on the Lower and Outer Elbe is now open to traffic, enabling vessels to transit the Elbe river with more cargo. The opening of the second stage of the route took place on 24 January. Containerships with a draft of up to 13.5 m can now... more
Taking digitalisation to the next level
Ensuring a fast and secure transmission of data has become an increasingly important issue in digitalised logistics. To investigate the reliability of the various communication networks, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML joined forces... more
Seafarers’ happiness at lowest ebb
According to the recently-published Seafarers Happiness Index for 2021, mariners’ happiness has reached an all-time low, driven by the extra strain of spending months aboard without any shore time as Covid-19 restrictions bite. Standard Club has thus warned that seafarer... more
Another big investment in logistics real estate
Düsseldorf (Germany)-based project developer DFI Real Estate massively expanded its business activities in 2021. The developer, which specialises in industrial, logistics and commercial estate, secured six properties with a combined area of 310,000 sqm. The projected investment... more
Express train links Quanzhou with Moscow
On 18 January 2022, a new China Railway Express (CRE) train set off from Quanzhou (China) bound for Russia. It carries 50 containers weighing about 445 t and containing sanitation supplies, bags, shoes and clothing and handicrafts for Moscow. According to the Quanzhou... more