Geopolitical issues have been overshadowed by the coronavirus outbreak, with shippers and transport companies obliged to scale back or shut down operations in China, and quarantine rules and travel bans impacting supply chains around the world. Temporary disruption over a few weeks should not have a lasting effect, but anything longer could threaten severe shortages, price hikes and permanent changes to supply chains, according to Benny Mantin, director of the Luxembourg Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, who has analysed the impact of the coronavirus on shippers.
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Coronavirus means rethinking supply chains: LCL’s Mantin |
The disruption in China caused by the coronavirus outbreak will immediately impact air freight-based transport, before affecting slower, container-dependent supply chains in the medium-term, says Professor Benny Mantin, director of the Luxembourg Centre for Logistics & Supply Chain Management at the University of Luxembourg. He adds that a lengthy disruption would mean severe shortages and price increases, with companies needing to rethink their supply chains.
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Best source:
Paperjam
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Cargolux among Best Freighter Operator finalists |
Cargolux Airlines International has been selected among the Best Freighter Operator finalists at this year's Air Cargo News awards. The winners will be revealed on April 24 at an event at the Runnymede on Thames Hotel, near Heathrow Airport in the UK.
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Best source:
Air Cargo News
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AI, digitalisation on the eXplore agenda |
The Luxembourg Centre for Logistics & Supply Chain Management is holding its annual eXplore conference on March 10. Topics on the agenda include supply chain transparency, AI innovation and policy, deep learning and forecasting, and the digitalisation of operations.
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Best source:
University of Luxembourg
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Luxembourg hosts event for transport and mobility start-ups |
Innovative international transport and mobility start-ups will present new opportunities, products and business models at the fourth C4L International Logistics & Mobility Start-ups Luxembourg Matchmaking event on March 12. Register for the event, which is being hosted by the Ministry of Transport and sponsored by Cargolux and EY, vote for the best start-up pitch, discover fresh ideas, and find a new partner company or service provider.
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Best source:
Cluster for Logistics
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Hapag-Lloyd to roll out reefer monitoring tool |
Hapag-Lloyd has unveiled its Hapag-Lloyd Live real-time monitoring tool for reefer containers. The solution will initially be rolled out to selected customers, with the company then fitting out some 100,000 containers.
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Best source:
Port Technology
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Cargolux passes pharma audit |
Cargolux Airlines has passed its good distribution practice (GDP) renewal audit covering its pharma processes. The GDP renewal recognises the company as an all-cargo carrier with a fleet of purpose-built freighters, providing four distinct temperature zones.
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Best source:
Stat Times
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Luxembourg cold chain on show at Fruit Logistica |
Luxembourg perishables expertise was on display at the recent Fruit Logistica trade fair in Berlin via the Fresh Hub Luxembourg pavilion, organised by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg Ministry of Economy and Cluster for Logistics Luxembourg. The grand duchy’s Arthur Welter, Grosbusch, Luxembourg Airport and Cargolux were represented at the pavilion.
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Best source:
Cluster for Logistics
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Union Investment buys Logistrial Real Estate |
Union Investment has acquired German logistics real estate company Logistrial Real Estate from Garbe Industrial Real Estate for €800m. The deal includes 13 existing properties and six development projects in Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
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Best source:
Investment & Pensions Europe Real Assets
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Encore+ fund gets Dutch asset |
LaSalle Investment Management’s Encore+ European real estate fund has purchased the Bleiswijk Urban Logistics Center from ULP Bleiswijk B for an undisclosed amount. The centre, located north of Rotterdam, comprises 60,000 square metres and is currently let to a number of tenants.
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Best source:
Investment & Pensions Europe Real Assets
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RLI purchases German logistics project |
RLI Investors has acquired a logistics project in Hanover for its RLI Logistics Fund - Germany II. The 16,300-square-metre development, already fully let on a long-term lease, is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year.
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Best source:
Property Funds World
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Northern Europe exposed to high Brexit risk |
Germany, the Netherlands and France are the markets most likely to be affected by Brexit given the levels of trade between those economies and the UK, according to IHS Markit. Germany is a leading export destination for the UK (10.6% of total annual value), ahead of the Netherlands (8.8%), and France (7.3%). IHS Markit warns that a full adjustment to Brexit will take years.
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Best source:
Hellenic Shipping News
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New food, animal and plant controls at Luxembourg’s borders |
The Luxembourg government is implementing new EU minimum requirement regulations at border control posts for the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products. The regulations include detailed rules on minimum requirements for infrastructure, equipment and the documentation of border control posts and control points.
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Best source:
Luxembourg Government
(in French) |
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Global air freight remains weak: Cargolux’s Straus |
The global air freight market is hampered by overcapacity and set to remain weak with ongoing price pressure, Cargolux chief financial officer Maxim Straus told the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers conference. He added that many regions are shaky, and pointed to weakness in South America and Hong Kong.
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Best source:
Air Cargo News
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Cargolux slashes China, Taiwan services due to coronavirus |
Cargolux has significantly reduced its flight operations to and from China and Taiwan due to the coronavirus outbreak. The move affects 23 weekly flights to China and four to Taiwan.
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Best source:
Paperjam
(in French) |
Airlines suspend, reschedule China flights |
Lufthansa, Air Canada, British Airways have joined the three US majors in suspending or rescheduling flights to mainland China due to the coronavirus outbreak. The immediate impact of the suspensions is on belly-freight services on passenger flights.
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Best source:
Air Cargo News
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Record passenger numbers at Luxembourg Airport in 2019 |
A record 4.4 million passengers passed through Luxembourg Airport in 2019, up 9% from the previous year, including 430,000 passengers during the busiest month, July. Operating company LuxAirport says the growth was down in part to the launch of new routes, including services to Alam in Egypt, Budapest, Edinburgh, Split and Stockholm. Luxair has already announced new routes to Montpellier and Nantes in France and to Brindisi and Florence in Italy starting this year.
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Best source:
Wort
(in German) |
See also:
L'essentiel
(in French) |
Luxair reports slight rise in passengers but cargo handling decline in 2019 |
National airline Luxair and its package tourism business LuxairTours saw a 0.73% increase in passenger numbers last year to 2,148,098, compared with an increase of nearly 10% the previous year for the group, which accounts for around half the flights at Luxembourg airport. The volume of freight handled by LuxairCargo declined by 6.6% from 956,938 to 893,090 tonnes, after what Luxair says were exceptional years in 2017 and 2018.
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Best source:
Wort
(in German) |
See also:
Luxair
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New intermodal rail route launched from Bettembourg-Dudelange to Kiel |
LKW Walter, Stena Line, the Port of Kiel and CFL Multimodal have launched a new intermodal goods transportation service connecting Bettembourg-Dudelange with Kiel on Germany's Baltic coast, offering three round trips per week for cranable trailers and containers. The service, which will connect existing train routes with ferry lines, will enable cargo from up to 10,000 trucks to be transferred to rail, saving around 11,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
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Best source:
Global Railway Review
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See also:
Paperjam
(in French) |
Schiphol freight volumes down 9% |
Total cargo volumes at Schiphol Airport declined 9% year-on-year in 2019 to 1.6m tonnes due to reduced freighter flights and a weakening global air cargo market. The airport currently has a slot shortage, requiring some freighter operators to switch to other airports.
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Best source:
Air Cargo News
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Port of Hamburg container, intermodal traffic rises |
The Port of Hamburg handled 7.6m TEU at its container terminals in 2019, up 3.3% on the previous year’s 7.3m. The port’s intermodal activities increased 5.7% to almost 1.6m TEU.
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Best source:
Stat Times
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Port of Hamburg finishes first stage of Elbe widening |
The Port of Hamburg has completed the first phase of its Elbe widening initiative to enable vessels of a combined length of up to 98 metres to pass. The next stage of the project for widening the 3km section is expected to be completed by mid-2020.
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Best source:
Ship Technology
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French HAROPA ports traffic down 5% |
The HAROPA ports grouping of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris handled 90m tonnes of traffic in 2019, down 5% on 2018. The decline was due to lower volumes of crude oil, refined products and coal.
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Best source:
Port Technology
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Port of Rotterdam volumes stagnant after slow second half |
The Port of Rotterdam processed 469m tonnes in 2019, up just 0.1% on the previous year. The authority said the port had a good start in the first half of the year, but container transshipment was almost negligible during the second half.
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Best source:
Port Technology
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EIB approves almost €1bn for sustainable transport in Europe |
The European Investment Bank has approved €983m in sustainable transport projects. Initiatives include the expansion of maritime and rail freight capacity on routes across Europe, as well as the upgrade of urban and regional rail links in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Poland.
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Best source:
Platts
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Hapag-Lloyd tests low-sulphur, low-CO2 fuel |
Hapag-Lloyd is trialling a B20 fuel – a combination of low-sulphur fuel oil and bio-diesel based on cooking oil – on its Montreal Express vessel out of Rotterdam for Canada. The company says B20 has a low sulphur content and produces lower CO2 emissions.
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Best source:
Port Technology
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UPS orders commercial EVs for European deployment |
UPS has taken a stake in UK-based commercial electric vehicle maker Arrival and plans to deploy thousands of the company’s purpose-built electric delivery vehicles across Europe and North America. UPS has placed an initial order for 10,000 EVs, with delivery slated for 2020 to 2024, and retains the option for an additional order of 10,000 units during this period.
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Best source:
InsideEVs
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