The Friday Flyer - March 1st 2013

On a much sadder note, we also send our sincerest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Jan Sarens who was shot and killed in Acapulco, Mexico last weekend. Jan Sarens was a board director of the company and ran Sarens' Mexican operations. The Sarens Group said in a statement earlier this week that Jan Sarens had received death threats,
after he filed a lawsuit against a former Mexican associate, Gruas Industriales Ojeda.

This week's Friday Flyer is sponsored by DHL Industrial Projects, the specialists within DHL Global Forwarding, which have developed a solid framework of flexible transportation services based on sound logistics principles and backed by leading-edge information technology. DHL Industrial Projects is ready to deliver any project, any size, any place in the world.

Helping the medicine go down

Could sustainable global recovery be prompted by a simple loosening of trade barriers and trade rules that clog up global supply chains? That is the medicine being put forward by the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG) to both recover world trade and retrieve something from the stalled Doha Round of trade negotiations.

Reducing border-related impediments to the flow of goods, the GACAG believes, will bring benefits to producers, consumers and others in the supply chain as well as supporting global economic growth. Its medicine could create sustainable, long-term recovery in faltering economies worldwide.

The air cargo industry can be seen as a barometer of global trade as it moves a third of world trade by value, carrying goods worth USD5 trillion annually. It also tends to move bellwether items - consumer goods, IT equipment and machinery parts, extremely high-end low weight items - that show the health of economy, both of individual markets and the world generally.

The call is timely as the global economic recovery will slow this year unless the US averts USD85 billion in spending cuts that start today, the International Monetary Fund has said.

On the business pages

There were mixed messages from freight forwarder Damco. Whilst 2012 revenue grew by 19 percent year-on-year to USD3.27 billion and gross profit rose by seven percent over 2011 to USD807 million, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) slipped four percent year-on-year to USD93 million.

In contrast, and bucking the global shipping industry gloom, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (BAHRI) saw a strong financial performance during 2012, declaring a net profit for 2012 totalling USD134.4 million, up 75.1 percent over 2011.

Heavy lift helicopter operator Columbia Helicopters has invested in ten new aircraft from the Swedish Department of Defence. They may still be kicking the can down the road but the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) have agreed to extend today's deadline for completion of local negotiations to March 8th.

Working on the railroad

Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE's national rail network, has secured USD1.28 billion financing for Stage One of its national railway project, which will extend 264 km from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais. Construction work on the route is already well underway and Etihad Rail took delivery of its first shipment of wagons during December 2012. The company expects to receive its first delivery of locomotives during this quarter.

Four locomotives manufactured in Croatia have been transported to Casablanca, Morocco by Liburnia Maritime Agency which chartered the MV Nortramp, a general cargo ship under the management of NTO Shipping GmbH & Co, to make the move.

Out of order

Super-tug Fairmount Alpine has delivered the container vessel Emma Maersk to the Fincantieri repair yard, Palermo, Sicily.
Netherlands-based Fairmount Marine was contracted to tow the 398 m, 156,907 dwt Emma Maersk from Port Said, Egypt, to the Palermo repair yard after it reportedly took on water in its engine room after a stern thruster malfunctioned.

Ships out of water

Volga Dnepr Airlines has shipped two cutter vessels from Aqaba, Jordan, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on board one of its AN124-100 freighters. Each vessel weighed 12.7 tonnes and measured 14 m in length.

Brought to book

The International Chamber of Shipping will make all of its publications on shipping best practice available as eBooks. The ICS publications will be available to download in a digital format from April 2013.

On the forwarding front

International logistics firm Panalpina has been awarded global OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety certification, which it claims is the first in the industry to be awarded the accreditation across its worldwide network. It was hold the front page as Holleman Bulgaria, a member of the Cargo Equipment Experts (CEE) network, handled the transportation of a 120-tonne printing press in Bulgaria.

It was a short sea shipment for V. Alexander International Logistics as it co-ordinated the transport of a 154.2-tonne steam drum from Porto Marghera, Italy to Hamburg, Germany by coaster.

Innovation

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has adopted CHAMP Cargosystems' Weight & Balance solution, whilst US high performance rope manufacturer, Samson Rope, has launched a brand new website. Meanwhile Netherlands-based manufacturer of special trailers and related equipment Broshuis has developed a new steering system - the SL front axle.

Hatches, matches and dispatches

It's been revolving doors at Saudia Cargo as one ceo stands aside and his replacement slips into his seat. Current ceo Fahad Hammad is to take on responsiblity for the development of current facilities at airports, while remaining a member of the Saudia Cargo board. In his stead comes Nabil M Khojah, bringing wide business experience to the position.

John Carr is over the rainbow in Kansas as he is made ceo of Kansas-headquartered MIQ Logistics while remaining companywide president of MIQ Logistics and retaining his position on the company's board of directors.

For more than two decades, Pietro Albarelli has worked for Kuwait headquartered global logistics provider, Agility. His reward is now to be appointed as managing director, area South Europe. For the last three years he served as cfo, area South Europe.

Damian Bielicki is the latest recruit to UK based cargo charter specialist Chartersphere's expanding team of aviation and cargo specialists. He will target Poland as well as other countries in Central and Eastern Europe such as Romania, the Ukraine, Russia and the Baltic states.

It's a ship-shape welcome to Carly Parrick at PSP Worldwide Logistics who has joined as global account manager for the Southampton, UK-based specialist in freight forwarding and boat transportation.

Maritime insurance adjustor Braemar Adjusting has made a raft of appointments at its Singapore, London and Calgary offices. In London, former staff member Giuseppe Mollica and Therese Badr have joined the loss adjusting team. In Asia, Anjar Ciptandini joins Braemar Adjusting Singapore from US-based energy equipment and service provider FMC Technologies. In the Stampede Town, Braemar Adjusting Calgary has added Connor Scott to its adjusting team.

Safmarine MPV has appointed Socopao South Africa as its new liner agent in the country, with an eye on developing trade into West Africa.

Global Maritime Co has joined the Project Cargo Network (PCN) representing Japan; whilst Airland Logistics has become the exclusive representative of the Worldwide Project Consortium (WWPC) network in Mongolia.

All about Evie

Friday Flyer gossip columnist Evie Aufheben is never off duty in her quest to dig the dirt on the heavy lift industry. Refreshed from her recent Swiss holiday, the gal is already becoming excited by the prospect of flying off to Shanghai for Breakbullk China. It is one of her favourite cities and she enjoys nothing more than dashing off dishes of dim sum with a hunky heavy lift shipping manager. She'll be snooping around the fair, keeping her eyes and ears open for those little project cargo titbits.

One of Ms Aufheben's best friends is a heavy lift executive named Emma. They have been friends for as long as she can remember. Imagine her surprise when she read the report on HLPFI that Emma had been towed into an Italian shipyard for repair. My, she thought, what can a socialite be doing in a ship repair yard: then she re-read the report to realise the Emma in question wasn't a woman of a certain age, instead she was the 156,907 dwt Emma Maersk. Do'h!

The fate of another boxship froze Evie's heart when she read that the OOCL Belgium became marooned in ice in the freezing Strait of Belle Isle, Canada. Canada is a country Evie knows well - having started her career with Canadian Pacific - but one she always avoids in the winter as the mercury goes too far south. With ice almost a metre thick, she can only wonder what the master of OOCL Belgium, which is without ice class, was doing in the shipping lane. Brrrrr.

Career opportunities

Recruiting the right person can be a costly business. Agency fees can be prohibitively high and going through countless  irrelevant applications can be very time consuming. Why not advertise your employment vacancy on our website?

If you have a job vacancy to fill contact us today via ian@heavliftpfi.com or on +44 (0) 1689 860660.

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Work is nearing completion on Issue 31, which will include country reports on Brazil, Russia, the USA and the Gulf States; plus a review of logistics within the mining industry; a focus on heavyweight road haulage; an operational review of escort and permitting issues; an equipment focus on jacks, skates and rollers; plus our regular articles on law, insurance and safety; and letters from our regional correspondents. It will also include our first report on the logistics activities behind the movement of yachts, cruiseboats and other floating craft. To submit last minute editorial contributions, or book advertising, contact Ian Matheson on +44 (0) 1689 857631 or ian@heavyliftpfi.com for more information.