DHL launches "UbuntuConnect" service via Dubai 
DHL Global Forwarding has launched a dedicated 100 t weekly airfreight service for organizations and governments shipping goods from China to Africa and the Middle East. Named after the Nguni Bantu word, ubuntu (humanity) used across Africa to refer to the universal bond of... more
Alliances weathering the storm differently
Deep-sea carriers have currently blanked 435 sailings. The Copenhagen-headquartered maritime consultancy Sea-Intelligence said in a recent bulletin that these cancelations stand for a decline in demand of 7 million t in 2020. The blanking measure, however, protects the... more
Passing on oil price reductions
The freight forwarding associations Fiata and Clecat have called on the liner industry to relieve the burden imposed by Covid-19. With regards to the sudden decline of the price of very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), just after the steady rise in costs last year caused by the... more
Emirates witnesses inbound e-commerce boom
"Emirates Delivers", the e-commerce delivery platform launched by the freight division of Emirates some six months ago, has witnessed a month on month jump of 20% in shipments delivered in March and April 2020. Targeted at individual shoppers and small businesses... more
Hapag-Lloyd changes rotations in the Med
Hapag-Lloyd is adapting its Adriatic Express Service (ADX) and changing its current rotation as of week 18. On 20 April 2020, the service will be converted from the previous butterfly concept to a round trip. The first vessel performing the new rotation will be the "MV Okee... more
Indian carrier spices up cargo services
Spicejet operated its first B737 freighter service to Singapore last week, carrying critical medical equipment and Covid-19 related medical supplies. Until then, the Indian airline had transported over 1,500 t of cargo carrying essential supplies since the nation-wide... more
Biggest total cargo volume ever flown
Witnessed by about 80,000 people in Warsaw (Poland), the AN-225 landed on 14 April carrying a record cargo volume of medical supplies. The day before, "Mriya", loaded with about 100 t of medicines, reagents for laboratory tests, medical masks and other protective... more
Nato members helping each other
Following an agreement between the UK and Turkey, 250,000 items of PPE equipment to the UK, including 50,000 N-95 face masks, 100,000 surgical masks and 100,000 protective suits, arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire last Friday. The supplies will be taken to a regional... more
Peak of blank sailings reached?
Copenhagen (Denmark)-based maritime analyst Sea-Intelligence reports that, as of 11 April, the number of blank sailings due to the pandemic now amounts to 384. Over the last week, the carriers announced an additional 83 blank sailings on various deep-sea trades. The count of... more
ICS guidance for Covid-19 compliance at sea
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has issued further information and advice to ensure that essential goods and commodities such as energy, food and medical supplies can be transported on the seas during the pandemic. The "coronavirus (Covid-19) ship and... more