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
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
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
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
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
App helps avoid accidents
Hoyer continues to invest in safety equipment. The haulier is now planning to install the "near miss blackspot" app, which is currently being developed for truck transports in Germany. The software uses a telematics system to document and assess critical or... more
Volatus wins first delivery slot for Natilus
Canadian Volatus Aerospace has secured the first production delivery slot for the Natilus N3.8T large autonomous drone. By adding Natilus aircraft to its repertoire, the company establishes the long-term direction for its aviation division. The freighters under development... 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
"Curiosity of the Day" 
Antoine d’Aquin, a personal physician of Louis XIV (1638–1715) and a target of the mockery of Molière (1622–1673), advised applying dog balm for wounds, ulcers, toothache and colic. more
Port of Brussels hits the mark
The inland port of Brussels witnessed a record year in 2021. Its waterway traffic amounted to more than 7 million t. In terms of own traffic by waterway – goods loaded and unloaded in Brussels – 2021 is the strongest year since the creation of the regional company of the Port of... more