BDI flying high 
The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), the main index of the international dry cargo freight market, has maintained its upward trend for five consecutive sessions and recently surpassed the 2,000 point barrier, reaching 2,097 on 7 October. This is the highest mark since September last... more
Charles Menkhorst named CEO of Gulftainer
Sharjah (UAE)-based port operator Gulftainer, a privately-owned subsidiary of Crescent Enterprises, has promoted Charles Menkhorst to the role of CEO. With over 25 years of experience in the international maritime industry, Menkhorst will take Peter Richards's place, the... more
Oman drives digitalisation in the Gulf
As the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, Oman has ratified the e-CMR protocol, helping the country switch from paper-based to electronic consignment notes. This move towards fully paperless road transport operations will cut costs for transport operators... more
Port indices climbing worldwide, says Drewry
British maritime analyst Drewry has drawn some conclusions out of the latest development of its global container port throughput index. In July 2020, the index crossed the level of 130 points for the first time this year, but did not reach the same mark as in 2019. Despite... more
Trade between UAE and Israel has begun
As part of the recently signed peace agreement, trade between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) started on 15 September. The DHL network has also responded to these developments by connecting important hubs such as Tel Aviv and Dubai and has started to offer services... more
Redelivery of IAI's first P2F B737-700 freighter
Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) Aviation Group has delivered the first passenger-to-freight (P2F) converted B737-700 to Tianjin Cargo Airlines, which will become the first operator of this type of aircraft in China. The conversion work was carried out at the Tianjin MRO... more
From Dubai to a second point in Mexico
Emirates Skycargo is commencing twice weekly scheduled cargo flights to Guadalajara from this week. The service to Mexico’s tech hub will be operated by a B777F offering around 100 t of cargo capacity per flight. The carrier's second cargo destination in Mexico and its 15th... more
Another cyber victim
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has confirmed that it has been hit by a cyber-attack against its IT-systems. The UN organisation spoke of “technical issues” at first, but declared by the end of the week on its official Twitter account that the troubles - the... more
ICS publishes updated corona guidance
The first guidance of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) for the global shipping industry to help combat the spread of Covid-19 was issued in March 2020. Since a great deal has changed since spring this year, the ICS has now published a new, fully updated version of... more
Iran Air is back in Germany and cargo-ready
After the resumption of flights to Turkey on 25 September, Iran Air will be expected back in Germany (Frankfurt) as from tomorrow, 3 October. Meanwhile, the state-owned Iranian Airlines has completely overhauled its 32 years old B747. The works on the last jumbo of its fleet... more