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Archives for April 2016

Dachser remains on course

Kempten, Munich. April 20, 2016. Dachser reports strong, organic growth for fiscal year 2015. Consolidated revenue increased by 6.5 percent to EUR 5.64 billion. Shipments rose by 4.0 percent to 78.1 million, while tonnage increased by 5.2 percent to 37.3 million metric tons. The primary contributors for the positive performance were the overland freight services for food and industrial goods in Europe.

“We reaped the rewards of our long-term investment policy and growth strategies, which we are consistently implementing throughout the company,” explains Dachser CEO Bernhard Simon. “European exports remain our growth engine, in addition to solutions that intelligently combine overland, air, and  freight. But mostly, our customers respect the fact that we consistently focus on quality.”

Business trends in detail

Within the Road Logistics business field, which makes up 72 percent of Dachser’s revenue, Dachser European Logistics (EL) continues to benefit from export as an engine of growth. Dachser generated revenue of EUR 3.433 billion (+ 5.5 percent) in 2015 from transporting and storing industrial goods. Shipments and tonnage rose 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. “Thanks to extremely expert and flexible maneuvering in the marketplace, which was difficult this year for Europe, we were able to grow in all regional business units for overland freight,” says Bernhard Simon.

In addition to strong, export-driven performance in Germany and France, there were also two-digit growth rates in the EL North Central Europe and EL Iberia business units. “Reorienting Azkar to European operations has produced successful outcomes,” says Bernhard Simon. “We were able to gain the confidence of major customers and also invest in new markets. In the past year, we upgraded 48 Iberian branches for the transport of hazardous materials, and in so doing, gained access to the Spanish chemical industry, which is both robust and export-oriented.”

With revenue growing 8.1 percent to EUR 741 million, Dachser Food Logistics advanced to become the growth leader. At a national level, food logistics mostly owes this success to a strong showing in consumer goods in Germany. But the European Food Network also developed for cross-border food shipments. With 13 partners, eight correspondents, and regular line hauls between 29 countries, it’s the food network with the greatest coverage in Europe. “We are contributing to the company’s success by investing in the network. We have opened up a new branch office In Erlensee, near Frankfurt, that will also serve as the central hub for food transports in Europe,” says Bernhard Simon.

Dachser Air & Sea Logistics generated revenue growth of 8.0 percent and contributed a total of EUR 1.599 billion to consolidated revenue in 2015.

“We’re already established in the world’s most important economic centers, either directly or through partners, so last year we didn’t significantly expand our network geographically,” explains Simon. “Instead, we are focusing on standardized processes, integrated IT systems, and close connections with the European overland network. We want to offer our customers global logistics solutions for distribution and procurement from a single source, what we call Dachser Interlocking.”

Simon announced greater investments for the current year: “Having invested EUR 81 million last year, we will be investing around EUR 125 million in 2016. Some of this money will go toward information technology and technical equipment. But as in previous years, the lion’s share will be put into our European Road Logistics network where we will be building or expanding logistics facilities in Austria, France, Germany, and Poland.”

Revenues at a glance:

Gross revenue (in EUR billions) 2015 (provisional) 2014 (final with corrections) Change*
Road Logistics* 4.174 3.940 +5.9%
European Logistics 3.433 3.254 +5.5%
Food Logistics 0.741 0.686 +8.1%
Air & Sea Logistics 1.599 1.481 +8.0%
Consolidation (minus revenue from corporate holdings of 50% or less) -0.133 -0.122 —-
Consolidated revenue* 5.640 5.298 +6.5%

* Non-rounded revenues of the business lines were used to determine the total values of “Road Logistics” and “Consolidated revenue,” and for calculating the percentage change from the prior year. Therefore, the percentages shown here may deviate from any calculations using the rounded revenue figures.

 

About Dachser:

DACHSER is a family-owned logistics provider headquartered in Kempten, Germany. It employs a staff around 26,500 at 428 locations worldwide and is represented by subsidiaries in 43 countries. In 2015, the company generated revenue of EUR 5.64 billion and handled a total of 78.1 million shipments weighing 37.3 million metric tons. For more information, please visit www.dachser.com

 

Enhancement of Container Terminal in Tacoma

April 12, 2016

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

International Transportation Service, Inc. (ITS), a subsidiary of “K” Line, has been operating container terminals in Ports of Long Beach, CA, and Tacoma, WA and providing high quality services to customers through major shipping lines, including “K” Line, which call at its terminals along the U.S. West Coast.

Having established its container terminal in Tacoma named HUSKY Terminal in 1983, ITS recently reached an agreement in principle with Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) covering major terms with respect to future rebuilding and reconfiguration of HUSKY Terminal. According to this agreement, the expansion will be completed by July 2018. The extensive enhancement being planned will provide Husky Terminal with approximately 420,000 sqm (104 acres) of leased and preferential berthing area in this major gate port in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. NWSA has additionally agreed with ITS to place an order for four of the largest and most modern gantry cranes to be installed at the new and innovative HUSKY Terminal. Through this ambitious future expansion, the newly-designed HUSKY Terminal will be upgraded to a container terminal capable of simultaneously accommodating two 18,000 TEU mega-containership vessels.

ITS, as one of the major container terminal operators along the U.S. West Coast, will continue in its dedicated commitment of providing high level and top quality services to shipping lines, including “K” Line, and their customers in anticipation of continued growth of future market demand.

Outline of HUSKY Terminal in Tacoma

New Current
Area 420,000 sqm (104 acres) 376,000 sqm (93 acres)
Draft 16 m (52.5 ft) 16 m (52.5 ft)
Quay Length 902 m (2,960 ft) 823 m (2,700 ft)
Gantry Cranes 16-18 rows × 4

24 rows × 4

16-18 rows × 4

 

For further information, please contact:

Naoyasu Nakajima, Manager of Overseas Terminal Business Team

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

TEL:+81 3-3595-5748/FAX:+81 3-3595-5288

TT Club Alerts Baltic Transport Professionals to the New Demands of the SOLAS Convention

With the effective date of 1st July getting ever closer, the need for all involved in the international transport of containers to be prepared for the revised SOLAS Convention regulations on container weighing has recently been once more emphasised by freight transport insurance specialist TT Club.

6th April, 2016

As a responsible insurer, specialising in liability cover for the container handling and transport sector, TT Club has been leading, advising and consulting on the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) work to amend the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) for the past six years. TT Club participated actively in the comprehensive IMO regulatory procedure to draft the revised regulation and accompanying guidelines that require verified gross mass (VGM) for every packed container before it can be loaded on board a ship*. Aimed at improving safety by ensuring accurate weight information is available, TT Club has been strongly promoting awareness of VGM throughout the period and particularly since adoption of the regulation by IMO in November 2014.

Last month the Baltic region was targeted, with TT Club’s Andrew Huxley speaking at two industry Conferences on the implementation of the SOLAS amendment. During Transport Week in Gdansk earlier in the month, and at a seminar on the issue, specially organised by the Port Authority of Riga, Huxley drew attention to not only to the challenges in the implementation of the regulation but also the advantages.

“We have seen a great deal of debate, which continues apace, about the most efficient way in which shippers can comply, how forwarders, lines, ports and terminals can assist in the weighing process and in streamlining the documentation trail. Many interests have pointed out pitfalls and potential bottlenecks in the transport chain. But more positive voices see opportunities to improve clarity about container contents among stakeholders and improved safety both on land and at sea.”

Above all ignorance of the demands of the regulation should not be an excuse for non-compliance or delay in the mandatory implementation of the regulation. While many individual ports and terminal operator groups have already announced port-based solutions, TT Club continues to advocate that accurate weighing should, for safety throughout the supply chain, be completed before the container leaves the packing facility.

A number of industry associations representing shippers, forwarders and shipping lines have produced guidelines for their members. TT Club, in partnership with World Shipping Council, ICHCA and the Global Shippers Forum have published the ‘VGM – Industry FAQs’, available in PDF format here http://bit.ly/1qnVahK, and continues to work with stakeholders in the industry and governments to clarify the benefits of the revised regulation and how compliance can be achieved.

“But clearly,” concluded Huxley, “VGM Awareness remains an unfulfilled mission that demands our further, wholehearted attention.”

*Outline details of Amendment to SOLAS Chapter VI Part A Regulation 2

  • Gross Mass = contents (cargo/dunnage/securing) + tare
  • Verified gross mass (VGM) obtained by: (a) either weighing the packed container (‘Method 1’) (b)  or weighing all constituent parts (‘Method 2’)
  • VGM to be stated on a signed shipping document
  • Sent to carrier & terminal for use in stowage planning
  • If not, the container shall not be loaded on to a ship

ENDS

About TT Club

The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry’s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services.  As a mutual insurer, the TT 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.

Customers include some of the world’s largest shipping lines, busiest ports, biggest freight forwarders and cargo handling terminals, to companies operating on a smaller scale but whose operations face similar risks. TT Club specialises in the insurance of Intermodal Operators, NVOCs, Freight Forwarders, Logistics Operators, Marine Terminals, Stevedores, Port Authorities and Ship Operators. The TT Club is managed by Thomas Miller. www.ttclub.com

Thomas Miller is an independent and international provider of insurance, professional and investment services. Founded in 1885, Thomas Miller’s origins are in the provision of management services to mutual organisations, particularly in the international transport and professional indemnity sectors; where today they manage a large percentage of the foremost insurance mutuals. Thomas Miller also manages insurance facilities for all the self-employed barristers in England & Wales, as well as trustees of pension schemes, patent agents and housing associations.

Principal activities include: Management services for transport and professional indemnity insurance mutuals

  • Investment management for institutions and private clients
  • Professional services
  • Building defects insurance

www.thomasmiller.com