Hamburg: turnaround takes time 
The big ports worldwide are taking longer to reboost than the carriers. In Q3/2020, the decline in seaborne cargo in Hamburg, Germany’s largest port, reached 8%. The port had lost 16.2% in Q2/2020. Thus, it is too early to speak of a recovery, but there are reasons for optimism.... more
Secured trade lane between Egypt and Italy
The first pilot project to ship containers from Italy to Egypt under the control of RFID eSeals has been completed. The fast & secure trade lane between the ports of Genoa and Alexandria is now a fact. The project, developed within the framework of the European project... more
Change in Iata's leadership
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has announced that its director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac (right, together with Glyn Hughes, who will leave its position as Iata’s global head of cargo in January 2021), will step down from his role at the association... more
Beacon goes Hong Kong
The British company Beacon is expanding into Asia. Besides doubling the size of its team, the digital freight forwarder has launched its first physical presence in Asia by opening a new office in Hong Kong. Since March, Beacon’s headcount has increased from 35 to 75, while... more
Youngest director on the board
Perishable Movements Ltd (PML), a family-owned British forwarder specialising in all transport modes for perishable goods, is expanding its senior management team with the promotion of Ryan Parr to the position of operations director. Parr joined the business in 2013 at the... more
Return to pre-pandemic service level
iPort Rail in Doncaster, UK, has this week welcomed a sixth daily train Felixstowe service, bringing the terminal back up to pre-pandemic service levels. The new overnight service will depart six days a week and bring the number of daily services between iPort Rail and... more
Metzger to take over next week
At Danser Switzerland in Basel, one of six locations of the European container operator (inland shipping and railways) Danser Group, Heinz Amacker (left), managing director for 22 years, will retire early "at his own request" on 30 November 2020. He will however... more
New passive thermal solution from Italy
Rome FCO-based company La Couverture aims no less than "to change the face of temperature-sensitive shipment handling in airports." Indeed, refrigerated trolleys and trucks are very expensive, and other solution currently on the market are not suited to the specific ... more
Framework for autonomous shipping
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco) is currently preparing the first contract model for the operation of autonomous vessels. The first version is planned to be published in 2021. It will be an adaptation of the current Shipman 2009 contract for management... more
Matternet's drones in the skies above Berlin
Urban drone logistics platform developer Matternet from California has launched operations at Labor Berlin Charité Vivantes. The programme kicked-off last week with permanent operations expected to take flight next year, creating the first urban BVLOS (beyond visual line of... more