“Curiosity of the Day” 
When he was 19 years old, Sigmund Freud spent several weeks dissecting eels to find their male reproductive organs, which scientists had not yet discovered at the time. The biological research project failed. more
Inland shipping: Often too shallow
Everybody wants to shift more goods to inland barges, but many plans are coming along rather slowly. The mode is struggling with low water levels and declining dry bulk cargo volumes. There is some cause for optimism in the Benelux region, however. more
CCTT vice chairman honoured 
At the last plenary session of the CCTT (coordinating council on Trans-Siberian transportation) in Kazakhstan, InterRail-president Hans Reinhard stepped down as the CCTT vice chairman for personal reasons. RZD-president Oleg Belozyorov honoured Reinhard with a diploma for his... more
Avia closes acquisition of Chapman Freeborn
Initiated in June, Avia Solutions Group, a global multipurpose aviation holding company with 76 subsidiaries engaged in aircraft maintenance, ACMI, aircraft leasing, pilot training, ground handling and fuelling, logistics, aviation IT solutions and business aviation, has... more
New container industry standards in the making
The terminal industry committee 4.0 (TIC 4.0), formed by the end of May 2018 in Brussels (Belgium) by an open group of 15 global container terminal operators and other partners, has just met for a plenary meeting in Marseilles (France) in coincidence with the port equipment... more
Alberto Cabrera joins Jaxport
The Jacksonville port authority (Jaxport) in the USA welcomes transportation business development executive Alberto Cabrera as new director, cruise and cargo development. Cabrera is responsible for developing relationships with cruise lines and positioning Jaxport to capture new... more
Adding 100 LNG-/CNG-tractors to fleet in France
XPO Logistics has made a significant new investment in sustainability with the purchase of 100 Stralis Natural Power Euro VI tractors from Iveco. The new tractors will be assigned to the company’s less-than-truckload network in France, serving customers in the greater Lyon and... more
Kuehne + Nagel expands its pharma hub in Belgium
Kuehne + Nagel has inaugurated its enlarged pharma distribution centre in Geel, making it one of the largest within the global KN pharma chain network. Tobias Jerschke, managing director of Kuehne + Nagel Belux, said during the opening ceremony: "The enlarged pharma hub... more
Menzies Aviation chooses Hermes CMS
Mark Reid (right), chief information officer of John Menzies, the parent company of Menzies Aviation, has signed an Agreement with Hermes Logistics Technologies (HLT) to provide the cargo management system for its global network. The most recent version of HLT’s flagship CMS,... more
UECC boosts use of LNG
The Norway-based shipping company United European Car Carriers (UECC) has confirmed the option for the construction of a third hybrid car carrier powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and batteries of the ECO class. After the two orders recently signed with the Chinese... more