Transport communications

Portcare International is the press relations consultancy for the shipping and logistics industry. Formed by transport people for transport people. We can truly claim to understand our clients’ needs and ‘talk the same language’. Portcare provide effective, value for money PR to some of the industry’s best-known names.

Archives for October 2013

TT Club Sees Latin American Trade Growth Creating Infrastructure Challenges

Speaking at the recent TOC Americas Conference in Miami TT Club’s Senior Underwriter, Dan Negron outlined his views on future Latin American trade growth and the pressures that this will create on the region’s transport infrastructure.

London & Jersey City, NJ:  23 October 2013

While the growth rates of national economies in Latin America have slowed in recent years, the two largest economies, Brazil and Mexico are still forecast to increase by over 3% annually, while significant growth is predicted in Colombia (4.7%), Chile (5.1%) and Peru (6.3%). This growth is one of four factors identified by freight transport insurance specialist TT Club in its current country-by-country market analysis of the region, Transport and Logistics Market Opportunities.

The Club’s Senior Underwriter, Dan Negron presented the findings at a transport industry forum at the beginning of the month.  “Two examples of robust economies are Colombia and Peru.  The latter has grown its export trade by a multiple of five over the last decade, while Colombia has a sustained GDP growth rate in the region of 5% in recent years.  Both have burgeoning middle classes, a significant driver of international trade,” explained Negron.

Such economic growth is one of four factors pin-pointed in TT’s analysis; the other three being government policies, improved connectivity and distribution channels.  It is clear that a number of government policies, particularly the privatisation of ports and free trade agreements are significant in terms of increasing trade.  Negron reported however that the need for greater investment in domestic infrastructure to improve transport connectivity within the region, and a need for logistics supply chain services to be more organised, were in danger of frustrating trade growth in reaching its full potential.

While Latin American ports are themselves becoming increasingly better organised, the infrastructure used to move goods to and from the inland production and consumption locations have not been modernised at an equivalent pace.  “In addition to this need for capital investment to improve connectivity,” said Negron “very often the functions of warehousing, trucking, cargo consolidation and other related services are performed by individual operators or by shippers themselves.  Systems therefore tend not to be fully-integrated and the efficiencies of a cohesive supply chain can’t be realised.”

TT Club itself is a stakeholder in the success of efficient supply chains, benefiting along with its Members in the reduction of risk that such efficiencies bring. Increased volumes of trade will result from improved connectivity and better integrated distribution channels.  The Club is committed to improving trade opportunities in Latin America and aiding transport operators in their development.

ENDS

*Scotia Bank – Regional Outlook 2013

 

Note to Editors:

The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry’s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. Established in 1968, the Club’s membership comprises ship operators, ports and terminals, road, rail and airfreight operators, logistics companies and container lessors. As a mutual insurer, the Club exists to provide its policyholders with benefits, which include specialist underwriting expertise, a world-wide office network providing claims management services, and first class risk management and loss prevention advice.

TT Club Pinpoints Operating Risks for Forwarders in Dubai

In early October the UAE’s National Association of Forwarding and Logistics (NAFL) hosted a workshop for its members as part of its AGM proceedings.  The group invited freight transport insurance specialist TT Club to present an overview of the risk profile that freight forwarders and logistics operators in the region are experiencing and the insurance cover available to mitigate such risk.

Held at Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce and attended by some 140 representatives of the UAE’s freight transport community, the comprehensive workshop was run by TT executives Andrew Kemp, Regional Director Europe, Middle East & Africa; Julien Horn, Senior Underwriter with special responsibility for the Middle East and Brian Reckerman, Senior Claims Handler of TTMS Gulf based in Dubai.

The Club, which celebrated its 45th anniversary this year, insures over 900 transport operators throughout the world.  Drawing on this wealth of experience, the three presenters outlined how the demands on freight forwarders from their customers are changing rapidly from the traditional organisation of international movement of goods.  Increasingly forwarders are providing involved logistics services such as warehousing and distribution, procurement of additional product for sub-assembly and packaging and even software uploading; opening them up to the extended liability that exists as a consequence.  In addition, forwarders are increasingly accepting contractual responsible for the full value of goods throughout lengthy and involved supply chains.

TT warned that these demands often put an onerous risk on the forwarder, who is under considerable competitive pressure to accept such liability as a carrier.

Such risk can be further compounded when employing sub-contractors, as obtaining their acceptance of the same risk is difficult.  Indeed the workshop also underlined the difficulty forwarders in the Middle-east region have in sourcing reliable trucking companies that are fully insured for liability risk.  TT Club applauded the initiative put in place by the NAFL to improve this situation by establishing insurance compliance standards for designated ‘safe operators’.  Until compliance is fully adopted by the region’s haulage industry adequate insurance cover for many transport operators will remain a problem.

David Phillips, Chairman of the NAFL and CEO of Freight Systems LLC thanked the TT Club representatives for the informative workshop and presented them with an award in recognition of their expertise.

ENDS

Note to Editors:
The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry’s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. Established in 1968, the Club’s membership comprises ship operators, ports and terminals, road, rail and airfreight operators, logistics companies and container lessors. As a mutual insurer, the Club exists to provide its policyholders with benefits, which include specialist underwriting expertise, a world-wide office network providing claims management services, and first class risk management and loss prevention advice.

131022 NAFL #2 

Photo Note:

David Phillips (middle), Chairman of the NAFL and CEO of Freight Systems LLC presents Julien Horn (left) and Andrew Kemp (right) from TT Club with an award in recognition of their expertise.

GEODIS WILSON APPOINTS NEW CLUSTER MANAGING DIRECTOR MIDDLE EAST

Paris/Dubai – October 22nd, 2013

Global freight management company, Geodis Wilson, is continuing to grow its Middle East network and has announced the appointment of Sascha Geiken as new Cluster Managing Director for the Middle East region.

Sascha Geiken Oct 13

Sascha Geiken joined Geodis Wilson in 2009 as Managing Director of Geodis Wilson United Arab Emirates.  In his new position as Cluster Managing Director, he will be responsible UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

 

Looking forward to this new challenge, Sascha said: “I have worked in the EMEA area for most of my career and so naturally this new position is a great opportunity. As part of the SNCF Geodis Group, our company is well positioned on a regional and global level to connect both across the EMEA region and globally, due to our sophisticated international network”, he commented.

Sascha Geiken, who started his freight forwarding career in 1995, has many years of experience in the Middle East working for major logistics companies.  Based now at Geodis Wilson’s regional headquarters in Jebel Ali / Dubai, he currently leads a team of more than 90 employees at the company’s offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In the Middle East region, Geodis Wilson is offering customers a full range of freight / project management and logistics solutions, including various value added services such as customs clearance, warehousing, pick & pack services, LCL-FCL groupage container with re-distribution to Gulf and East African countries, industrial project solutions and other services. The company runs its own freight network, including trucking services between the various countries and a 24-hour on-line customs service.

 About Geodis Wilson and the Geodis Group

Geodis Wilson is a leading, global freight management company. With 7,700 employees in more than 50 countries the company delivers tailor-made, integrated logistics solutions to customers enabling them to operate as ‘best in class.’ Geodis Wilson – with a revenue of 2,64bn€ in 2012 – is the freight forwarding arm of Geodis Group which became part of the French rail and freight group SNCF in 2008. With its 46.000 employees in more than 60 countries and a revenue of 9.5 bn € (2012), SNCF Geodis ranks among the top 7 companies in its field in the world.

For more information about Geodis Wilson go to – www.geodiswilson.com

Winner of TT Club Sponsored Young Freight Forwarder Award Announced

The 2013 Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award has been presented to German forwarder Janna Van Burgeler at a ceremony during the FIATA Congress in Singapore.

Earlier this year, entrants from all over the world submitted papers focusing on key import and export commodity/cargo projects.  From these the Steering Committee selected a shortlist of four regional finalists.  These four young professionals were then invited to attend the 2013 FIATA World Congress this week in Singapore to make a presentation regarding their dissertation topic to the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year (YIFFY) Steering Group.

The four regional finalists who represent the future of the international freight forwarding industry included –

Africa/Middle East:    Mr Mohamed Samy, Egypt

Americas:    Mr Kaloyan Petrov, Canada

Asia/Pacific:   Mr Prabhot Singh, India

Europe:    Ms Janna Van Burgeler, Germany

FWC 2013 Overall Winner Janna Van Burgeler

Following the formidable task of choosing an overall winner, the Steering Committee announced, during the World Congress opening ceremony on 16th October, that the overall YIFFY Winner for 2013 was Ms Janna Van Burgeler from Germany.  She was presented with her award by TT Club’s Regional Director for Europe, Andrew Kemp.

“As sponsors of this prestigious award the TT Club is honoured to be part of the selection process, and I personally am grateful to have received the finalists’ presentations.  I am pleased to say all four came with flying colours and it was a difficult decision to pick an overall winner.  However, Janna prevailed and deservedly takes this year’s award,” reported Kemp.

The award is presented in recognition of forwarding excellence and was established by FIATA with the support of TT Club to encourage the development of quality training in the industry and to reward young talent with additional valuable training opportunities. The TT Club has been a sponsor of the award since its inception and is firmly committed to the importance of individual training and development within the global freight forwarding community.

The Award Steering Committee strives to make the challenge appealing to a greater number of candidates and allow them to call on their day-to-day experiences when working for a range of organisations, whether it’s a small customs agent or a multi-national operator.

Speaking at the award ceremony, TT Club’s Kemp, said, “We are proud to have been able to continue our sponsorship of this unique award, now in its fifteenth year. Once again, the competition proved to be successful in terms of attracting candidates from across the globe. The quality of the dissertations and presentations were of the usual exceptional standard and it was clear that a lot of research, planning and hard work had gone into their preparation.”

ENDS

Note to Editors:

The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry’s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. Established in 1968, the Club’s membership comprises ship operators, ports and terminals, road, rail and airfreight operators, logistics companies and container lessors. As a mutual insurer, the Club exists to provide its policyholders with benefits, which include specialist underwriting expertise, a world-wide office network providing claims management services, and first class risk management and loss prevention advice.

“K” Line Continues to be Included in FTSE4Good Global Index and Dow Jones Sustainability Asia / Pacific Index

In addition, “K” Line has also been selected as an Asia / Pacific Index component  company of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) (*3) three years in a row since 2011.

Global companies satisfying international standards for corporate, environmental and social responsibility are selected as members of these prestigious Indices.

“K” Line always strives to reduce environmental impact, strengthen corporate governance and support communities in which it operates as a good corporate citizen.

*1 SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) describes an investment strategy which takes account of social, ethical and environmental factors as well as financial performance.

*2 FTSE is an independent company wholly owned by the London Stock Exchange Group. It is a global leader in indexing and analytical solutions. FTSE’s indices measure multiple markets and asset classes in more than 80 countries.

*3 DJSI is an SRI index that RobecoSAM of Switzerland and investment advisory company S&P Dow Jones of the U.S. offers together.

 

Evergreen’s Bronson Hsieh Bullish on US Export Growth

Expresses viewpoint at TPM Asia Conference in Shenzhen

Shenzhen, China, October 16, 2013 – Bronson Hsieh, Second Vice Group Chairman of the Evergreen Group, which operates global carrier Evergreen Line, said that “American manufacturing and exports will be greatly restored,” accelerated by the production of shale gas and oil, changes of China’s production costs and rising incomes in emerging markets that demand US-made products.

As keynote speaker at the Trans-Pacific Maritime (TPM) Asia conference, Mr. Hsieh noted: “Shale oil and shale gas bring significant changes to the US economic development. Shale oil increases the US’s domestic supply and reduces oil imports. Shale gas enhances the competitiveness of US manufacturing by providing low-cost feedstock to petrochemical companies and inexpensive energy for other gas-intensive industries.”

Next, “The Obama administration has taken many initiatives to encourage the renaissance of manufacturing industries” said Mr. Hsieh. US government and states’ incentive packages continue to attract domestic and foreign investments. The US government is also active in the modernization of port facility and negotiation of free trade agreements. The efforts will accelerate the development of trade growth and cargo flows, he added.

Citing the analysis of Boston Consulting Group, he said “Given the changes of production costs in China, the advantages of US manufacturing will start to emerge.”  He believes that with rising incomes, emerging markets are expected to increase demands for high-quality American products, enhancing the growth potential of US exports.

In summing up, he said: “If these trends continue as forecast, they will strengthen the competitiveness of US manufacturing and boost exports.” Besides, the cargo growth will benefit container carriers by reducing equipment reposition costs and add more growth momentum to the port throughputs.

US imports will be influenced as well. In the short term, the re-shoring industries are expected to increase supply for domestic consumption and may slow down import growth. In the long term, export growth and declining oil imports will reduce US trade deficit, strengthen the value of US dollar and encourage imports.

Dachser acquires majority interest in Oy Waco Logistics Finland

Kempten, October 14, 2013. Dachser has increased its stake in Oy Waco Logistics Finland. The air and sea freight logistics company headquartered in Vantaa, southern Finland, not far from the capital Helsinki, has additional sites in the commercial centers Lahti, Oulo, Tampere, and Vaasa and therefore completely covers the “land of a thousand lakes.” In 2012, 54 employees generated almost EUR 24 million in revenue for the company.

WacoFinland was founded in 1996 by leading members of WACO (World Air Cargo Organisation) and three Finnish shareholders. After the acquisition the only other remaining shareholder besides Dachser is the Japanese logistics company Nishitetsu Railroad (NNR). Dachser Air & Sea Logistics has collaborated with NNR for decades and operates two further joint ventures in Europe, in Germany and Hungary.

“Finland is an attractive market for air and sea freight. That’s why we are making a point of increasing our involvement there,” notes Thomas Reuter, managing director of Dachser Air & Sea Logistics. “We place great emphasis on stability and continuity for customers and employees, and so WacoFinland will continue to be a member of the World Air Cargo Organisation. In addition, the company will also work more closely with the Dachser network in the future, with the result that we will also be able to offer customers in Finland our entire air and sea freight service portfolio with the usual Dachser service and quality standards.

About Dachser:

In 2012, Dachser, a logistics provider with global operations, generated total revenue of EUR 4.41 billion and handled 49.8 million consignments weighing a total of 37.46 million tons. As of December 31, 2012, Dachser employed 21,650 individuals at 347 locations worldwide.

Additional information about Dachser can be found at http://www.dachser.de

Clarity and Focus are Key to Comprehensive Liability Cover in the OSV Sector

The Shipowners’ P&I Club, experts in the provision of liability insurance for specialist vessels, is on a mission to bring clarity to policy wordings; the in-depth knowledge accrued from its particular focus on certain sectors of the global fleet assists the Club in making insurance cover easier to understand.  To this end, the Club has recently published a clear outline of its Specialist Offshore Packages along with guidelines for owners and operators entitled ‘Know Your Cover’.

Over the last thirty years Shipowners has seen significant expansion in the offshore sector; these vessels (OSVs) have become larger and more sophisticated and their activities, for instance in dynamic support and construction operations, more complex.  The Club has never lost its focus in providing appropriate cover for such support vessels in the offshore oil and gas sector.  This specialist focus delivers to owners and operators an expert and dedicated underwriting and claims service.  The recently published guidelines which offer insight into the cover provided to OSVs, is further proof of this dedication.

“While other insurance providers have deviated towards offering cover to mobile offshore drilling rigs, platforms and floating production, storage and off-loading ships, Shipowners has remained focussed on the core business that it knows so well, the offshore support vessel sector,” says Commercial Director, Simon Swallow. “In addition, we are committed to making our policies accessible and intelligible.”

The Club has issued a series of publications to help this process; two policy documents dedicated to the Basic and Enhanced Specialist Offshore Packages; a brochure designed as a guide to these Packages and a detailed description of the Packages entitled ‘Know Your Cover’ in an easy-to-follow question and answer format.

The liability packages for OSVs have been structured with clarity in mind.  In addition to the traditional P&I liabilities associated with the operation of any commercial vessels, such as collision, pollution, crew and wreck liabilities, comprehensive cover can also be provided for contractual liability and third-party liability claims arising from specialist operations.

Finally, within the guide to liability packages, the Club has addressed the often challenging subject of naming a contractor or a charterer as an additional assured.   “This aspect has worried owners and their brokers for a number of years,” comments Ian Edwards, Shipowners’ Underwriting Director. “We have applied a simple, intuitive approach which will allow the Club to provide the cover that our Members and other contracting parties require, while also satisfying their charter party conditions.  We believe this will ultimately provide owners with the peace of mind that they seek from their P&I insurer.”

The various publications can be accessed via Shipowners’ website http://www.shipownersclub.com/vessel-type/offshore

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

The Shipowners’ Club is a mutual marine liability insurer, providing Protection & Indemnity insurance and associated covers to smaller and specialist vessels since 1855. The Club insures nearly 33,000 vessels from over 6,000 Members worldwide and is a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs.

The Club has offices in Luxembourg, London, Singapore and Vancouver. 

Dachser strengthens presence in Sweden

Kempten/Gothenburg, October 7, 2013. International logistics provider Dachser begins using a new logistics facility in Gothenburg starting 2014.

The new terminal, with convenient access to the E6 and E20 freeways, is gradually rising on a 31,000-square-meter site amid the cityscape of Sweden’s second largest city. Upon completion, Dachser will have 850 square meters of new office space at its disposal as well as a 1,750-square-meter, 15-gate transit terminal.

The construction work commenced in September 2013. Operations are scheduled for launch in mid-2014.

“We continue to move ahead with the expansion of our Europe-wide logistics network and have established the highest standards for this purpose. Now we have room for further growth in Gothenburg,” says Michael Schilling, managing director of Dachser’s European Network Management & Logistic Systems. The existing branch office had reached the limits of its capacity for expansion. Mats Larsson, head of Dachser’s Gothenburg branch, adds: “As a reliable partner to the regional economy, we will soon be able to provide our customers with the quality they rely on, combined with a new ultramodern, state-of-the-art facility.”

Owner of the new facility is Galliker Logistic AB, Sweden, which plans to use portions of the facility separately from Dachser. Dachser is the tenant, and its construction department, which operates throughout Europe, designed the facility based on the requirements of both companies.

Image Trailer 2007

About Dachser:

International logistics provider Dachser has operated in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden since 2005 through its eight branch offices and 365 employees there, of which 113 are based in Sweden.

In 2012, the family-owned company generated total revenue of EUR 4.41 billion and handled 49.8 million shipments weighing a total of 37.46 million tons. As of 2012, Dachser’s staff comprised 21,650 employees at 347 profit centers worldwide.

Evergreen Receives Lloyd’s List Environmental Award

At the 2013 Lloyd’s List Global Awards Ceremony held in the Lancaster Hotel London on Tuesday 1st October, global ocean carrier Evergreen Line was presented with the Environment Award. The prestigious award was made after a rigorous judging process. Evergreen Line emerged as top choice out of five shipping companies in the competition.

Davis Lian, President of Evergreen Shipping Agency (U.K.), accepted the award stating “It is a great credit to the Company. This Award recognises our commitment to bring the highest quality of service to our customers while preserving the global ecosystem. Striking a balance between providing transport services and being environmentally sensitive is not easy. But Evergreen’s strong sense of social responsibility ensures that the company will consider every possible way of minimising its global footprint.”

An initiative that reflects its commitment to a better environmental future, is Evergreen Line’s cooperation with Cambridge University in the UK and the National Central University in Taiwan in the Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement (PGGM) project. Data on levels of greenhouse gases are being collected from 9 Evergreen containerships. The statistics are extremely valuable for scientists who study the change of greenhouse gas emissions.  The project represents one of the key contributions by Taiwan in the study of global warming and climate change.

Delivered from 2005 through 2008, the Evergreen Group’s ten S-class Greenships exceeded all international regulations regarding environmental protection.  Their design incorporated features such as double-skinned hulls; protected locations for fuel oil tanks to reduce the risk of oil leakage, ballast water treatment plant to minimise transfer of marine organism, and cold-ironing power systems to cut down emissions in port. Ever Superb, the fifth containership of the series, was named Ship of the Year at the Lloyd’s List Maritime Asia Awards in 2006.  In 2010 and 2011, Evergreen ordered 30 L-type containerships to provide a marine transportation service in the most eco-friendly way. Equipped with all the environmental features of S-type vessels, the L-type containerships also have an optimized hull design to enhance energy utilization and reduce CO2 emission rate by 15% compared to their S-type predecessors.

Lloyd’s List is an authoritative voice within global shipping industry. The Lloyd’s List Global Awards have been presented annually since being established in 1999 to reward outstanding performance and service innovation; to highlight operating  safety and social responsibility as well as to recognize the importance of education and training.

Richard Coles (right) presented the Environmental Award to Davis Lian (left), President of Evergreen Shipping Agency (UK)

 

Caption:  

Richard Coles (right) presented the Environmental Award to Davis Lian (left), President of Evergreen Shipping Agency (UK)