"Curiosity of the Day" 
Panda diplomacy began when China approached the West and often offered pandas as gifts. Since the 1980s, however, pandas are no longer given away, they are only rented out. Zoos pay around USD 1 million per year per panda. The money is spent on wildlife conservation projects in... more
Expanded trucking services during Corona crisis 
As of now, InstaFreight is offering customers stable overland transport for the supply chains from China to Europe and vice versa. Chains in both directions have been strongly affected by the Coronavirus. With this newly added service, the German-based forwarder is maintaining... more
Up and running: DP World's digital platform
Dubai-headquartered DP World has launched several online tools, covering its sea, land and air shipping services on a global scale. The connected system of platforms enables freight forwarders and shippers to book shipments of cargo from and to destinations worldwide, by any... more
Virus calls for vigilance
We last spoke to Massimo Roccasecca when Covid-19 was just landing in Italy (see page 21 of ITJ 11-12 / 2020). Now we present the freight head’s exclusive report on the dynamic since then in Italy and in his group, which manages the airports in Venice, Verona, Treviso and... more
Launch of refrigerated rail transport service to UK
Transfesa Logistics has started a new express 72-hour rail connection to transport essential, hygiene, and medical products from the Spanish terminals in Valencia and Murcia to London (UK). With the launch of these rail routes, the company is adapting its services to the current... more
Operations begin at Maersk cold store in St Petersburg
The largest cold store in St Petersburg (Russia) is now operational. Construction work commenced in June 2019. The three-chamber warehouse operated by Maersk offers specialised solutions extending the life cycle of perishable goods. In the near future the facility will also... more
FTA strengthens member advice team with new hire
The UK-based Freight Transport Association (FTA) has appointed Becky Martin as senior transport advisor within its member advice centre (MAC) to assist the team in supporting logistics businesses through the Covid-19 outbreak. Martin has twelve years’ experience within retail,... more
Factory finder site to combat Covid-19 problems
Where can a set of wheels be overhauled in France? Who can carry out vehicle inspections in Poland? A large number of freight wagon maintenance workshops are only able to carry out a limited amount of work due to the corona pandemic. Given this problem, the Technical... more
DHL launches "UbuntuConnect" service via Dubai
DHL Global Forwarding has launched a dedicated 100 t weekly airfreight service for organizations and governments shipping goods from China to Africa and the Middle East. Named after the Nguni Bantu word, ubuntu (humanity) used across Africa to refer to the universal bond of... more
Vision of Duisport Group prevails
The Duisport Group's CEO, Erich Staake, answered the most pressing question at a press conference, which was held online for the first time. Staake assessed the situation as follows: “Overall, we expect total economic output to decline by around 10% in 2020. In many... more