Recent developments in global piracy 
The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB)'s report on global piracy in 2022 sums up 115 recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships – compared to 132 in 2021. In total, 107 vessels were boarded, two vessels hijacked, five attack attempts failed and one vessel... more
Traces of uranium at LHR
A man has been arrested and released on bail as part of an ongoing investigation linked to the discovery of traces of uranium within a cargo package at Heathrow Airport on 29 December 2022. Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were contacted by Border Force... more
Mission accomplished in Eastern China
In Eastern China, the ESR Group, a major real asset manager in the Asia Pacific region, has completed ESR Wenzhou Ruian Logistics Park. The logistics facility has a planned GFA of more than 129,000 sqm. It is located in the Wenzhou Ruian Economic Development Zone, Wenzhou, a... more
Istanbul Alibaba's next hub?
Several international and Turkish papers have stated that the Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba is planning a new logistics hub in Turkey. Besides a warehouse close to Istanbul Airport, a data centre near Ankara is part of the scheme. The total investment will be USD 1... more
Who would like to buy Pembroke?
Standard Chartered is exploring alternatives for the future ownership of its aviation finance business, which includes Pembroke. Standard Chartered’s global aircraft leasing and financing operation manages a modern fleet of aircraft - but without maindeck cargo capacity -... more
50% more goods transported by rail
The Chinese Haolebaoji-Ji’an Railway shipped 90.017 million t of goods in 2022, reaching the year’s target of 90 million t. To eliminate bottlenecks and increase transport capacity, the China Railway Xi’an Group overhauled unloading processes in the Jiangling and Fenyibei... more
Upgrade around the horn of Africa
Ocean Network Express (ONE) has upgraded its Maputo/Mombasa India Middle East (MIM) service, with weekly departures to start at the end of this month. In line with this change, ONE will be assigning more of its vessels to the MIM service. The increased frequency will begin... more
Asyad goes Singapore
Oman-based Asyad Shipping has opened the company’s first international office in Singapore to expand its business portfolio into the Asian market. Earlier this year, Asyad Shipping commissioned a new container line that connects Oman directly to Singapore and Malaysia to... more
India: big investment to boost rail transport
Indian Railways is purchasing 1,200 electric locomotives from Siemens. This is the largest locomotive order the manufacturer has ever received. Deliveries are planned over an eleven-year period, and the contract, which is valued as EUR 3 billion, includes 35 years of... more
Paris welcomes new Chinese cargo carrier
The Chinese Zongteng Group, a cross-border e-commerce infrastructure service provider, celebrated the arrival of Yun Express' first B777F flight at Paris CDG on 16 January 2023. With a planned annual cargo capacity of over 15,000 t, the newly launched route from Shenzhen... more