Combined rail and road freight transport in Germany has declined by 20% since mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the federal Transport Ministry. German motorway freight transport on April 3 was down 16% from pre-crisis levels, according to official data. At a global level, Clive Data Services calculates that airfreight volumes decreased 23% year on year in March, while Railwatch has reported an 18.9% volume reduction at major maritime cargo hubs, with rail freight experiencing a decline of 19.6% from a year earlier. The International Monetary Fund now expects worldwide GDP to shrink by 3% in 2020, compared with a previous forecast of 3.3% growth.

The Port of Antwerp is testing digital bracelets to help with social distancing measures and to enable contact tracing to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The bracelets, made by Belgian firm Romware, emit warning signals if workers come within 1.5 metres of each other, and can be used to identify colleagues that an infected person has been in contact with.

Europeans are being urged to eat more fresh produce as the closure of restaurants and hotels due to the Covid-19 outbreak has led to a surplus of produce in storage. Belgian potato trade association Belgapom is encouraging consumers to eat an extra portion of chips every week to reduce a 750,000-tonne surplus, while European producers are dumping unsold milk, vegetables and herbs.

Apeiron Capital has partnered with Midas International Asset Management to acquire a €200m German logistics portfolio. The assets, which boast 150,000 square metres in rental space, were sold by logistics real estate firm Verdion and Canadian fund Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.

The Luxembourg authorities have temporarily eased requirements on VAT and Intrastat declarations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Deadlines for the payment of VAT will be extended upon request and penalties for late filing of VAT declarations will be suspended. Statistics agency Statec has also extended the deadline for filing Intrastat declarations for the months of February to May.

Cargolux has posted a net profit of $20m for 2019, down 90.5% from $211m the previous year, while revenues fell 14% from $2.63bn to $2.26bn. The company says it was impacted by reduced load factors and yields, along with lower fuel surcharge revenues due to declining fuel prices.

The Covid-19 pandemic will lead to a contraction of the global shipping container fleet and will depress prices and lease rates this year, according to Drewry. Its analysts expect the ocean-borne fleet of containers to decrease marginally, representing the first decline since 2009.

The Port of Rotterdam is bringing forward plans to build a hydrogen network as part of a joint venture with Shell and Dutch energy infrastructure operator Gasunie. A manufacturing plant to provide so-called green hydrogen at the port is slated for completion in 2023, as part of a series of projects linked to the production, import, use and transfer of the gas.