Difficult times ahead for car carriers 
The research and data mining company Vessels Value has analysed the development of the demand for maritime vehicle carriers in 2020. Demand globally is down 18% year on year so far. In detail, some markets (Japan exports and China imports) are showing faster recovery than... more
Swissport and Xiamen Airlines active in Accra and Belgium
After many years of loss-making operations, Swissport Belgium and its subsidiary Swissport Belgium Cleaning, will file for bankruptcy and prepare to cease operations. As a separate legal entity, the group's cargo business in Brussels (BRU) and Liège (LGG) is not affected.... more
Study examines rail link from Addis Ababa to Port Sudan
The African Development Bank has approved a USD 1.2 million grant to Ethiopia’s government to finance a feasibility study for the construction of a standard-gauge railway link between Ethiopia and neighbouring Sudan. The two-year, comprehensive feasibility study will assess... more
Volumes and sailings keep slipping
Carriers worldwide announced another 521,000 teu of blank sailings in the course of the calendar week 23, said Copenhagen-based maritime consultant Sea Intelligence, which is a 15% increase over the announcements made the week prior. Accordingly, the six-week plateau during... more
CMA CGM's sound start of the year
In his most recent outlook on the carrier's current situation, Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, commented: “Despite the uncertainty around global economy, we anticipate an improvement during the second quarter.” CMA CGM Group, member of the Ocean... more
Analyst issues warnings for June
May 2020 was not as bad for the air cargo industry as the previous month. As indicated in data from Clive Data Services, the industry has passed the lowest point. After a -37% decline in volumes YOY in April, the corresponding figure for May of -31% showed a slight upward... more
DHL says "thank you" in Linz
DHL Express came up with a special gesture to thank frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. A DHL aircraft with rainbow symbols and huge stickers saying "Thank you" shows the express service provider's gratefulness for all essential workers who keep operations... more
Merchant fleet officer shortage imminent?
The already existing shortage of officers to crew the global merchant fleet is getting worse. According to the latest manning annual review and forecast report published by the London (UK)-based shipping consultancy Drewry, the reduced attractiveness of a career at sea and... more
Smart Kenyans and Canadians
Transport Canada has approved the conversion of Dash 8-100/200 and Dash 8-300 aircraft into simplified package freighters in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. 748 Air Services, a Kenyan provider of passenger and cargo services to humanitarian, natural resources and... more
Carrier reliability better than expected
In its latest global liner performance (GLP) report, the Copenhagen (Denmark)-based maritime consultancy Sea-Intelligence lists the reliability figures of worldwide shipping for the month of April. According to this analysis, global schedule reliability declined marginally... more