MAJ warns of a seafarers' exodus 
The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) expressed its growing concerns about future seafarer shortages if the crew change crisis should continue. In a media release, the possibility of "exhausted crew choosing to leave the shipping industry rather than risk another long... more
Air Austral's third cargo-only flight in February
French airline Air Austral has agreed with the authorities to carry out five more cargo-only flights this month. On the three roundtrips between Paris and La Réunion and on two flights between Paris and Mayotte, a freight-friendly B777-300ER will be deployed, of which only the... more
Operate more trains with a mouse click
The chemicals company Dow Olefinverbund has invested several million euros in a fully computerised interlocking, giving the Schkopau chemical cluster in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) a modern and efficient connection to Europe's rail freight network, and permitting direct rail access... more
Italy's minister for infrastructure and transport
On 13 February 2021, the new Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi swore in the economist, statistician and academic Enrico Giovannini as government minister for infrastructure and transport. Following Paola De Micheli, Giovannini manages a budget of EUR 32 billion. From 1997... more
ASL converts option
Dublin-based ASL Aviation Holdings is taking up ten options for the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter. This follows the original agreement with Boeing for ten firm orders and ten options, announced at the Paris Air Show in 2019. They will be introduced to meet the requirements... more
Sustainable steel distribution
XPO Logistics has renewed its UK partnership with stainless steel manufacturer Outokumpu. The partnership has now lasted nearly two decades. As Outokumpu’s supplier, XPO is responsible for transporting stainless steel products from the manufacturer’s plant in Sheffield to its UK... more
Endless summer?
Early in Q1/2021, the Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd expects a significant higher profit than in the same quarter last year. In a media release, the carrier spoke of a "very good start" in 2021 due to a high demand for container transports and further... more
New managing director and chairman
PE Automotive has a new managing director, Christian Loidolt, who will also chair the executive board. He succeeded Ralf Maurer when he joined the company on 1 February 2021. Loidolt will be working with longstanding managing director Markus Seitz. Loidolt brings experience... more
Stihl fully automated in Italy
Andreas Stihl, a manufacturer of outdoor working tools, has entrusted Swisslog with the expansion and upgrade of its production plant in Cambiago near Milan (Italy). The newly installed fully automated system comprises almost 17,000 containers on 16 levels and has 17 robots and... more
