Tag: shipping (Page 1 of 2)

Air New Zealand announces BETA’s ALIA launch aircraft for Next Gen Aircraft program

December 7, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Air New Zealand (NZX: AIR) has today announced the ALIA as the airline’s first purchase of a next generation aircraft in its Mission Next Gen Aircraft program.

Designed by electric aerospace company BETA Technologies, the battery-powered all-electric aircraft is expected to join Air New Zealand’s fleet in 2026. Air New Zealand is purchasing the conventional take-off and landing version of the ALIA.

The announcement follows an 18-month period of evaluation and diligence by Air New Zealand. Through the airline’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft program, it sought and received ideas and insights from 30 organisations, selecting four partners to work closely with on its goal of launching commercial flights using next generation aircraft in 2026. BETA’s ALIA is the first commercial order in the program.

Air New Zealand will initially operate the aircraft as a cargo only service in partnership with New Zealand Post, on a route being selected through an expressions of interest (EOI) process with airports across Aotearoa.

DHL fulfillment network adds capacity with new warehouse in Euskirchen

October 23, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Bonn, Germany, October 23, 2023 – As part of the expansion of the DHL (Deutsche Post AG-Xetra: DHLn) Fulfillment Network (DFN), DHL Supply Chain has now commissioned its fourth dedicated e-commerce warehouse in Germany. The fulfillment warehouse in Euskirchen will store, pick and pack orders from both large as well as small and medium-sized customers before shipping them within Germany, Europe or even to the rest of the world.

All customers benefit from an existing infrastructure that enables the integration of webshops and customer systems as well as connection to a range of parcel service providers. In this way, new companies can quickly and easily be integrated into the network. In addition, DHL provides its customers with a wide range of data and digital tools enabling them to drive their business with minimal effort. This allows inventory to be managed, each order to be monitored and sales trends to be tracked. Furthermore, all DFN fulfillment centers are run by trained DHL employees.

The DFN model was developed in Germany and currently has a global network spanning 30 locations around the world. The new Euskirchen site has a total storage area of over 60,000 square meters and has excellent connections to parcel centers and both Cologne/ Bonn and Duesseldorf Airport. Fluctuations in order numbers and inventory levels can be handled flexibly through specialist technology and dynamic staff deployment.

Hapag-Lloyd successfully completes SM SAAM terminal business acquisition

August 1, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Hapag-Lloyd (OTC: HPGLY) today successfully completed its 100 % acquisition of SM SAAM’s terminal business and related logistics services, which is based on an agreement announced in October 2022. The transaction was approved unconditionally by the relevant antitrust authorities of all countries involved in this acquisition process.

Investing in terminal infrastructure is a key element of Hapag-Lloyd’s strategic agenda, and Latin America is one of its key markets. The transaction includes interests in terminals in Iquique, Antofagasta, San Antonio, San Vicente and Corral (Chile), Port Everglades (United States / Florida), Mazatlán (Mexico), Buenavista (Colombia), Guayaquil (Ecuador) and Caldera (Costa Rica) as well as related logistics services. The acquisition will further strengthen Hapag-Lloyd’s core liner shipping business and help the carrier to build up a robust and attractive terminal portfolio.

The new entity will be led by its CEO, Mauricio Carrasco, who has been Managing Director for the Terminals Division within the SAAM Group since 2020. Mauricio Carrasco is an experienced senior executive with long-standing experience in Latin America and globally. He has served as Senior Vice President of Development at CSAV and as Senior Director at Hapag-Lloyd, with responsibilities in the Americas, China, Dubai, and India. Rodolfo Díaz, former Senior Director Business Administration Region Latin America at Hapag-Lloyd, will join him as CFO.

Hapag-Lloyd has continuously expanded its involvement in the terminal sector and holds stakes in the Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven, the Container Terminal Altenwerder in Hamburg, the Italy-based Spinelli Group, the India-based J M Baxi Ports & Logistics Limited, Terminal TC3 in Tangier, and Terminal 2 in Damietta, Egypt, which is currently under construction.

DHL EXPRESS OPENS NEW $84.5M HUB IN ATLANTA

July 8, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

DHL (OTC: DHLGY) Express, the world’s leading provider of express shipping services, has announced the grand opening of its Americas region hub based at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). With a focus on sustainability, the $84.5 million investment further strengthens the company’s connections and service capabilities between the U.S. and key global markets, increasing capacity, speeding transit times, and adding resilience to its network.

Spanning 100,000 square feet, the state-of-the-art hub establishes direct connections between 19 cities in the Southeastern U.S. and key global markets, including Europe and major DHL hubs worldwide. Future plans involve adding flight connections to Hong Kong, Mexico, the UK, and Puerto Rico.

The DHL Atlanta Hub also sets new standards for sustainability, generating up to 50% of its on-site energy consumption through 65,000 sq. ft of rooftop solar panels, preventing the release of 380 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The remaining energy consumed on-site is sourced from renewable sources through Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), guaranteeing zero emissions from electricity consumption. Moreover, the hub employs environmentally conscious features such as LED lights, electric forklifts, dock seals, and rapid rise doors, further minimizing its environmental impact.

The Atlanta hub operates as a fully automated facility, equipped with cutting-edge technology capable of sorting up to 20,000 pieces per hour. To ensure swift clearance of DHL customer shipments, the hub employs in-house Customs brokers and collaborates with on-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel. Additionally, DHL implements advanced threat detection and security screening technologies, effectively preventing the entry of illegal and hazardous commodities into its network.

Airbus Firms Up Order With CMA CGM Group for Four A350F Freighters

December 20, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France December 20, 2021 – Airbus (OTC: EADSY) has firmed up an order for the purchase of four A350F freighter aircraft with the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics. This order will bring CMA CGM’s total Airbus fleet to nine aircraft, including four A330-200F and one A330-200 to be converted into a freighter.

The A350F is based on the passenger A350 jet. The aircraft features a large main deck cargo door and a fuselage length optimised for cargo operations. Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials resulting in a 30t lighter take-off weight, generating an at least 20% lower fuel burn over its current closest competitor. With a 109t payload capability, the A350F will serve all cargo markets (Express, general cargo, medical, special) and is in the large freighter category the only new generation freighter aircraft ready for the enhanced 2027 ICAO CO₂ emissions standards.

KiwiRail Leases Additional Ferry to Boost Interislander Service

November 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

KiwiRail has leased an additional freight ferry to provide capacity and resilience on Cook Strait, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller announced today. The Valentine is completing technical due diligence in England now, ahead of sailing to New Zealand. It is due to arrive in mid-December and Interislander crews will familiarize themselves with the ship before Valentine begins working the Cook Strait, likely later in December.

Mr Miller said the Interislander fleet is aging and more prone to breakdown. “Old ships tend to have mechanical problems and this has been highlighted with the current mechanical issues on Aratere. While she has now resumed service, we know that disruption is bad for us and our customers.

The Valentine is being leased for an initial 12 months. Valentine has been working in the English Channel and is well-suited to KiwiRail operations.

Mr Miller says the move shows KiwiRail’s determination to support the movement of essential supplies in New Zealand through increased capacity, collaboration, and improving scheduling and resource planning.

Rolls-Royce to Supply MTU Engines for 80-ton Bollard Pull Tugboats in Brazil

November 5, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR.L) has secured a significant contract to supply eight of its mtu 16V ₄₀₀₀ M6₅L engines for four 80-ton bollard pull tugboats to be built by Detroit Brasil, Ltda. and operated by Starnav Servicos Maritimos Ltda. The new tugs will feature a hybrid propulsion system, combining the mtu engines and mtu Blue Vision New Generation (BVNG) monitoring system with Z-drive thrusters, hybrid components and controls from Schottel, a manufacturer of propulsion and steering systems for ships and offshore applications.

While Rolls-Royce has supplied mtu Series 4000 engines to Detroit Brasil for several vessel projects in the past, this marks the first time Rolls-Royce will be supplying engines for 80-ton- bollard pull tugboats to the company and the first time that the high performance mtu 16V ₄₀₀₀ M6₅L engines which deliver 2560 kW at 1,800 rpm will be used in Latin America. Once the new tugs are entered into service, Starnav Serviços Marítimos Ltda. will run a total of 96 mtu Series 4000 engines in their fleet of harbor tugs and offshore vessels.

The mtu engines will be delivered in phases, with two delivered in August, two more in October, and two ship-sets consisting of two engines each for delivery in December.

CSX Corporation Announces Increase to Quarterly Dividend

February 12, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Corp. (NASDAQ: CSX) today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has authorized an 8 percent increase in its quarterly dividend, from $0.26 to $0.28 per share. The new $0.28 quarterly dividend is payable on March 15, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 26, 2021.

About CSX and its Disclosures

CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation’s economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population resides. It also links more than 230 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike.

New Zealand to Benefit from Improved Northland Line

January 18, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

The re-opening of the rail line between Whangārei and Swanson in West Auckland is a significant achievement and has immediately boosted KiwiRail’s ability to deliver freight services for New Zealanders.

The track opened last week and today KiwiRail will begin receiving some of the containers unloaded from the ANL vessel Tianjin Bridge which berthed at Northport on Friday. These will be trucked to the rail line in Whangārei and taken to Auckland by train, while the rest of the containers will be moved south by road to their destination.

Fewer trucks on roads also means less congestion, lower road maintenance costs, and greater road safety.

It also means fewer emissions. Every tonne of freight carried by rail produces 70 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the equivalent freight carried by road.

The project to improve the North Auckland line, which was in a poor state after years of under-investment, began only a year ago. Funded by the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, the work included replacing five bridges and lowering tracks in 13 tunnels in just seven months, to allow the passage of hi-cube shipping containers in and out of Northland by rail. These hi-cube containers are standard in international shipping.

All the new and rehabilitated structures have clearance through the tunnels for electrification to be added later, which helps to further improve the network’s resilience over time.

More than 400,000 hours went into the construction phase of the project, which marked its completion with the running of a test train last week carrying trial hi-cube export size containers. The train ran successfully along the length of the line, following an early morning blessing in Whangarei and by late last week, freight trains were again running.

KiwiRail does not yet have a spur directly to Northport but the PGF funding has allowed us to begin buying land along the route. In the meantime, freight is trucked from the port to the rail line in Whangārei, then carried by rail, south to Auckland and other destinations.

With freight volumes in the region expected to increase from 18 million tonnes a year currently to 23 million tonnes by 2042, rail is a crucial part of developing an efficient, integrated transport system for Northland. Across New Zealand, KiwiRail is working hard to support importers and exporters, and to increase its share of the freight market.

American Airlines Transports Its First COVID-19 Vaccine Shipment From Chicago To Miami

December 14, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

The American Airlines Cargo team carried its first shipment of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine last night. In close collaboration with pharmaceutical and cargo partners, the airline received the shipment by truck at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and loaded the shipment onto a Boeing 777-200 aircraft flying to Miami International Airport (MIA). The vaccine shipment will arrive at its final destination in a U.S. territory in the Caribbean later today.

“The American team is proud to be a part of the critical effort to get lifesaving vaccine safely and quickly to people around the world,” said American Airlines Cargo President Jessica Tyler. “We were able to mobilize within hours of getting the call to move thousands of doses. We know this is the first of many shipments to come, and we are ready to scale our operation as additional vaccine is produced and ready for distribution.”

American began conducting trial flights in November to simulate the conditions required to transport the COVID-19 vaccine, stress testing the thermal packaging and operational handling process to ensure it remains stable in transit.

American is an internationally recognized expert in cold chain logistics with an established network of facilities and team members who specialize in temperature-critical shipments to more than 150 cities in 46 countries around the world. In addition, American has the largest dedicated temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipping facility operated by an airline in the United States. From the time a shipment arrives at one of American’s facilities, it is tracked throughout its journey on the ground and from the airline’s Cargo Control Center, located within its Integrated Operations Control in Fort Worth, Texas.

This level of expert care has earned American the International Air Transport Association’s prestigious Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification. The CEIV certification is given to air carriers and players in the air cargo supply chain that have established the tools, procedures and staffing to ensure life sciences products are properly handled and arrive at their destination fully effective.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, American has been transporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical equipment, COVID-19 test kits and pharmaceuticals to help battle the coronavirus, as well as components for Phase III COVID-19 vaccine trials.

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