Swiss intermodal operator prepares for digitalisation 
While new railway infrastructures such as the Gotthard Base Tunnel will offer many opportunities to further develop railfreight services, the intermodal industry also calls for digitalisation and better ways to handle big data. Therefore, Switzerland-based transport operator... more
“Curiosity of the Day” 
The Greeks and Romans were using willow bark as a painkiller 2,500 years ago, much to the amusement of more recent medics. Until, that was, it was found to be a rich source of acetylsalicylic acid, which is now used to produce aspirin. more
Ulrichs in the starting block
At BBC Chartering, Ulrich Ulrichs has now taken over the CEO position from Svend Andersen as announced in May this year. The shareholders gave tribute to Andersen's job at BBC, operator of multipurpose and heavy lift vessels. Ulrichs has many years of experience in shipping,... more
Avianca Brasil leaves Star Alliance
The Brazilian airline Ocean Air Linhas Aéreas, headquartered in São Paulo and formerly operating under the name of Avianca Brasil, will formally leave the Star Alliance with effect from 1 September 2019. Ocean Air’s withdrawal follows several months of bankruptcy protection and... more
Cathay Pacific appoints new HK Express CEO
Cathay Pacific Airways has appointed Mandy Ng as the new CEO of HK Express with immediate effect. She takes over from former CEO Ronald Lam, who is now Cathay Pacific chief customer and commercial officer. Lam also assumes the chairmanship of HK Express. “Over the past... more
Cologne bans large trucks from the city centre
As from Thursday, 22 August 2019, trucks weighing more than 7.5 t will be banned from the inner city of Cologne (Germany) and from parts of the suburbs of Deutz and Mülheim. With this prohibition, the city aims to remove heavy traffic from its downtown area and improve air... more
Automating logistics for IVF Hartmann
The Swiss company IVF Hartmann, which specialises in medical consumer goods, is building a new logistics hub in Neuhausen (Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland). In cooperation with intralogistics specialist Dematic, IVF Hartmann will set up a fully automated warehouse equipped with... more
Liz Sumner joins Bifa
For the third year in a row, the British International Freight Association (Bifa) has expanded its training team with the appointment of Liz Sumner as trainer – freight and customs procedures. In 2019 Bifa has seen demand for its freight and customs training courses hit a record... more
Trying out regular TIR transports in Central Asia
The ministries of transport of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China have joined forces to assess regular TIR transits along a key Central Asian trade corridor. A caravan of six trucks – two from each nation involved – set off last week from Termez, Uzbekistan, heading for transit... more
Four new services raise throughput in port of Hamburg
In the first half of 2019, the port of Hamburg raised its container throughput by 7.5% to 4.7 million teu. This upswing is due to the four new liner services that were introduced between Hamburg and ports in the USA, Canada and Mexico at the beginning of this year. Now a total... more